Metropolitan Transportation Commission debates proposal to create new seats for Oakland and San Jose

At its last meeting of the year, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) debated over whether a controversial proposal to create two new commission seats for Oakland and San Jose should be included in the commission’s 2012 legislative program—a package of proposed measures that the commission seeks to support or sponsor in the coming year. The…

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TELL US: What are the worst roads in Oakland?

According to last Wednesday’s study by the non-profit organization TRIP (The Road Information Program), Oakland’s roads are the fifth-worst in the nation. Based on your driving experience, what are the worst roads in North Oakland?  Email us your nomination for the most pothole-ridden, least safe, or otherwise decrepit public street in North Oakland. Send the…

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Scientists gather in Oakland to discuss impact of bay dredging on wildlife

Oakland is a port city. That means commerce, trucks, trains and boats. It also means dredging. Because the channels and ports need to be deep for boats to be able to get in and out, 3 to 6 million cubic yards of sediment have to be dredged every year in the San Francisco Bay. But while dredging is necessary for trade, it also poses a risk for animals that live in the bay

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Cyclists on sidewalk face tickets, complaints

by SAMSON REINY Lined with coffeehouses and bookstores, bakeries and flower shops, College Avenue is one of North Oakland’s busiest streets. Sidewalks are frequently jammed as couples stroll idly side by side, dogs mosey around testing the length of their owners’ leashes, and friends sip café lattes while chatting on the outside tables. Large trees,…

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Coming soon to a BART station near you: noise, dust and earthquake safety

By BAGASSI KOURA As the busy holiday season nears, North Oakland residents and business owners can expect an added hassle as Bay Area Rapid Transit officials embark on a yearlong earthquake retrofit project. Sometime between Thanksgiving and the New Year, construction workers will descend on the area around the Rockridge BART station and begin a…

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Bus corridor plan would pull traffic lanes from Telegraph

By HENRY JONES As AC Transit’s Bus Rapid Transit plan grinds through the bureaucracies of Berkeley, Oakland, and San Leandro, North Oakland residents and merchants are trying to grasp just what their civic leaders are getting them all into. Take an already bustling avenue like Telegraph, devote the two middle lanes to public buses, and…

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Cyclists’ pack rides Oakland to press for better routes

Story and slideshow by MARTIN RICARD SEPT. 29 — As anyone who has traveled on two wheels along some of the city’s busiest streets knows, bicycling through Oakland can be a challenge. There are already more than 85 miles of designated bike routes for cyclists. But some of the bike lanes are confusing, not all…

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New cell phone service helps stranded drivers

By CHRISTINA SALERNO  audio slide show by HENRY JONES and CHRISTINA SALERNO Sept. 16 — With fewer than 200 people a month using the bright yellow call boxes that dot Bay Area freeways, transportation authorities are turning to a different device to help stranded motorists: cell phones. Drivers with a flat tire, empty gas tank or…

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