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Livermore, Kathleen <br />From: Kent Lewandowski [kentlewan@yahoo.com] <br />Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 8:59 AM <br />To: Livermore, Kathleen <br />Subject: BRT, Yes! <br />You will soon be asked to vote on a "Locally Preferred Alternative" (LPA) for Bus Rapid <br />Transit (BRT) for our region. Along with TransForm, I am asking you to please vote in favor <br />of studying a robust BRT system with a maximum number of proposed stations and dedicated <br />lanes (also being called a "full-build LPA"), but in awareness that voting for a full build <br />LPA is not necessarily a vote in support of BRT. <br />I am aware that some merchants have begun to express concerns about impacts to parking and <br />that some residents have begun to express concerns about stop-spacing. However, I believe <br />that BRT can be implemented in a way that addresses these issues. <br />Existing bus stops at popular destinations for seniors and people with limited mobility could <br />and should be improved by locating BRT stations in their place. Shelter, seating, lighting, <br />and other security amenities would be welcomed at these stops as an improvement to existing <br />(or lack thereof) facilities, and could attract even more riders. <br />Our region can use BRT as an opportunity to improve existing parking conditions, such as <br />implementing a "performance-based pricing" strategy for parking along the BRT corridor.. <br />Letting the market determine the cost of premium, on-street parking would lead to increased <br />revenues, 1009 of which could be re-invested in the district where the revenues were <br />generated. <br />Increased traffic and other issues have all but eliminated transit reliability while <br />simultaneously increasing maintenance and operations costs. BRT offers a tremendous <br />opportunity to address these issues. However, without a study of "how much" BRT could be <br />implemented, we cannot know how to proceed. <br />Again, please vote in favor of studying a "full-build LPA" for BRT, which will then help us <br />determine which configuration, if any, would best serve the community. <br />Thank you for your time and service to the City. <br />Kent Lewandowski <br />360 Monte Vista Ave. Apt. 213 <br />Oakland, CA 94611 <br />1 <br />