And if possible, transit vehicles could run on the tracks, which would replace the 47 and the 9, like how the old H-Potrero used to run…

Is there any street that desperately needs streetscape improvements more than Stockton, though? I still get pissed every time I’m riding down Stockton and look out at the THOUSANDS of pedestrians trying to navigate their way through crowded 9′ wide sidewalks – while there are TWO parking lanes on the street. Such a waste of space would never be tolerated in most other countries. I’m fine with adding parking if it’s really needed somewhere in the area – but STREET parking on one of the most pedestrian-heavy streets in the West? Gimme a break!

@ n judah: Hopefully someone working on the TEP is actually riding transit to offer perspective on these issues! The 30-Stockton has a pretty idiosyncratic ridership pattern, but it seems likes you could infer quite a bit from monitoring where people get on, where they get off, and how many are doing it. As for a “shopper shuttle”, I’d wonder if you could even see such an addition. There are only so many more buses that Stockton can take, short of doing some serious streetscape improvements.

I worked with Dave at SPUR and some other driven volunteers to help push the Geary BRT project into the review stage. It’s still very frustrating that these processes take so long. One could almost wish for an autocracy in this situation, that is if the autocratic ruler has society’s best transit interests in mind.

On another note, has anyone ever brought up the idea of (gasp) running a BRT line as a separate entity from MUNI? I realize it seems like an imperative that MUNI handles implementation/operation, but wouldn’t that be tantamount to giving a no-bid contract to a favored contractor? Surely there are companies (Bauer’s comes to mind) that might be able to live-up to the demand of operating this line.

I realize that idea would introduce a whole new can of worms, but perhaps those worms taste better than those we deal with right now.

The comparison to the T-Third is a valid one, and it helps to underscore the point that we don’t want repeat disappointment. At the meeting from last week, I tried to make this point explicit with respect to signal priority in the corridor, and the sheer number of BRT stations that are currently planned. There are lessons to be learned.

Various stages of this project will be accompanied by public input, and final approvals won’t take place until 2009. You should definitely look into attending the meetings — we can always use another pro-transit voice! There won’t be any meetings for awhile, while the draft EIS/EIR is prepared, but the next batch should appear in spring 2008. As you probably expect, I’ll continue to follow this project closely and will announce meeting times (for Van Ness BRT and other projects) here on the blog.

Obviously you have a clear and effective view of how the service should operate. Anyone who has experienced a quality transit system (most likely outside of the US) would agree with your views.

But, then we face reality. Why does the city have an EIR that takes 2 years before implementation can begin? Will this project fail just like T-Third because of incompetency in execution?

How can we work as residents of the City to:
a) reduce time from concept to implementation?
b) ensure quality implementation (both in building and then subsequent service offerings)?