Thread by @IDoTheThinking

ARPA funds + Infrastructure Bill should restore all AC Transit lines in Berkeley ASAP in 2022. Line 80 needs to be re-directed from Albany to North Berkeley to make it a high ridership line and it should be done early 2022. The free Sunday day helps advertise for buses. #berkmtg

Bartlett and Taplin are very irritated that there's no bus service on Ashby. It doesnt make any sense for @rideact to have not re-directed the 79 down Ashby already instead of postponing it until the next year. Its not getting riders on Claremont.

@JesseArreguin @TaplinTerry should demand they put the 79 back on Ashby Avenue immediately. Irrespective of whether it gets passed, with kids back at Willard and it being a crucial crosstown street it needs to come back now not summer 2022

So for context (@berkeleyside) AC Transit cut crosstown service on Ashby meaning all the Berkeley Bowls, Alta Bates, 2 Walgreens, and any crosstown service south of University Ave no longer existed. We at @TransitRidersEB petitioned to bring it back.

https://twitter.com/TransitRidersEB/status/1370943682489192452?s=20

So AC Transit says that 80 had bad ridership north of University Avenue but high ridership along Ashby. So they proposed to re-direct the 79 from Claremont District to Ashby Ave. But they wanted to do it next year which is bad, cause its really needed as an emergency measure.

Long term, the 80 should just be re-directed to Cedar in North Berkeley and restore a line that was cut in 2010 that we never got back. And the El Cerrito/Albany community can be served by extending the 52 to 99 Ranch.

https://twitter.com/IDoTheThinking/status/1454660804486123520?s=20

@JovankaBeckles notes they have a driver shortage so they had to prioritize high frequency lines. Which is true so they can't run buses they dont have.

Ashby is a very important low income/essential services and school connectivity corridor while Claremont Uplands is not. @JovankaBeckles @jwalshie should ask staff to push the Ashby re-direction ASAP rather than a later year pilot as a emergency measure.

From my POV, as the proponent of both ideas, the appeal of free sunday transit is the same as free sunday parking. It'll lure families onto transit who will eventually become transit dependent. Federal funding should have services restored next year.

Re-directing the 79 down Ashby doesn't require additional capacity while serving far more people. Hopefully @JesseArreguin @TaplinTerry can get AC Transit to do that immediately rather than wait as some pilot thing.

@RigelRobinson wisely points out we already have free fares in Berkeley for Cal and City College students. I know students who literally wont go anywhere until their transit passes kick in. We know it boosts ridership but its 1 part of making transit better.

They passed it with amendments that the free Sunday pass be contingent on service restoration.

@RashiKesarwani proposing to eliminate free sunday parking is based btw esp if used to pay for free transit

https://twitter.com/berkeleyside/status/1458319025176723456?t=B58bvLtMITPj6raA8SHLcA&s=19