Comments on: Complaint Filed with the FTA Against the OAC http://transbayblog.com/2009/09/04/complaint-filed-with-the-fta-against-the-oac/ Transportation and urban planning in the San Francisco Bay Area Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:43:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: FTA Holds Back on BART OAC Funding « Transbay Blog http://transbayblog.com/2009/09/04/complaint-filed-with-the-fta-against-the-oac/#comment-8180 FTA Holds Back on BART OAC Funding « Transbay Blog Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:32:59 +0000 http://transbayblog.com/?p=4869#comment-8180 [...] This announcement comes just a few months after Public Advocates filed a complaint with the FTA. That complaint asserted that BART’s action on the OAC violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and that the OAC was [...] [...] This announcement comes just a few months after Public Advocates filed a complaint with the FTA. That complaint asserted that BART’s action on the OAC violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and that the OAC was [...]

]]> By: Streetsblog San Francisco » Oakland Airport Connector Clears One More Hurdle http://transbayblog.com/2009/09/04/complaint-filed-with-the-fta-against-the-oac/#comment-8043 Streetsblog San Francisco » Oakland Airport Connector Clears One More Hurdle Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:52:01 +0000 http://transbayblog.com/?p=4869#comment-8043 [...] Although the OAC is now closer than ever to moving forward, opponents are pinning their hopes on a Title VI lawsuit filed by Public Advocates against BART for failing to analyze the impacts of the current OAC project on minority and low income residents of Oakland. The FTA received the lawsuit in early September and has until early December to respond. For a detailed account of the case, read Transbay Blog's excellent coverage here. [...] [...] Although the OAC is now closer than ever to moving forward, opponents are pinning their hopes on a Title VI lawsuit filed by Public Advocates against BART for failing to analyze the impacts of the current OAC project on minority and low income residents of Oakland. The FTA received the lawsuit in early September and has until early December to respond. For a detailed account of the case, read Transbay Blog's excellent coverage here. [...]

]]> By: Eric http://transbayblog.com/2009/09/04/complaint-filed-with-the-fta-against-the-oac/#comment-7740 Eric Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:21:39 +0000 http://transbayblog.com/?p=4869#comment-7740 BART certainly wants to build it, but if the FTA finds that this complaint holds water, the delay will be an obstacle. It's also unfortunate that BART hasn't really made a good faith attempt to seriously consider TransForm's RapidBART proposal -- not unlike the way in which the 2002 EIR constructed on purpose a "Quality Bus" alternative without intermediate stops, so that any alternative would immediately appear inferior to the AGT project. There was a very telling email that was quoted in the Public Advocates complaint (pp. 8-9): <i>TransForm obtained documents from BART under California’s freedom of information law, the Public Records Act; these documents included an e-mail dated May 8, 2009, in which Thomas Dunscombe, the OAC project manager, urged four separate BART consultants to provide any information “to put holes in” and “discredit this ‘paper’,” stating that “another delay from the [BART] Board and we are practically dead.”</i> BART certainly wants to build it, but if the FTA finds that this complaint holds water, the delay will be an obstacle.

It’s also unfortunate that BART hasn’t really made a good faith attempt to seriously consider TransForm’s RapidBART proposal — not unlike the way in which the 2002 EIR constructed on purpose a “Quality Bus” alternative without intermediate stops, so that any alternative would immediately appear inferior to the AGT project. There was a very telling email that was quoted in the Public Advocates complaint (pp. 8-9):

TransForm obtained documents from BART under California’s freedom of information law, the Public Records Act; these documents included an e-mail dated May 8, 2009, in which Thomas Dunscombe, the OAC project manager, urged four separate BART consultants to provide any information “to put holes in” and “discredit this ‘paper’,” stating that “another delay from the [BART] Board and we are practically dead.”

]]> By: Andy K http://transbayblog.com/2009/09/04/complaint-filed-with-the-fta-against-the-oac/#comment-7739 Andy K Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:13:13 +0000 http://transbayblog.com/?p=4869#comment-7739 It is amazing that this project is still surviving. The more I read about it, the more I hate it. The saddest part is, despite how awful this project is, it will most likely get built - the momentum is there. It is amazing that this project is still surviving. The more I read about it, the more I hate it. The saddest part is, despite how awful this project is, it will most likely get built – the momentum is there.

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