DATE: February 2, 2016
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT
Title
Transit Connector (Shuttle) Feasibility Study - Progress Update
End
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
That Council reviews and comments on the preliminary analysis for proposed shuttle routes.
Body
BACKGROUND
The City of Hayward is served by transit in the form of two BART stations, an Amtrak station and AC Transit bus service. These services are mostly focused within a north-south corridor generally bounded by Hesperian Boulevard on the west and Mission Boulevard on the east. Most are concentrated around the downtown area. Areas outside of these corridors are less adequately served by existing transit, making it difficult to take advantage of the regional connectivity offered by BART, Amtrak and AC Transit Transbay bus services.
In the past few years, during Neighborhood Partnership Program meetings and other community events, staff has received input regarding the need for a shuttle service to connect residents to BART stations from several neighborhood areas including the Cannery, the Foothills areas, Upper B Street, and Fairway Park. Also, through ongoing, regular contact with existing employers and businesses considering locating in Hayward's industrial areas, Economic Development staff has learned that providing better transit access to BART and Amtrak for employees is desired to help existing businesses and attract new ones. In response, Council directed staff to develop a plan of action to respond to this community input.
Staff determined that a feasibility study was warranted, and therefore applied for and was successful in receiving two grants to fully fund the study. Based on the input from the residential and business communities, and the limitations of existing transit service levels, staff set out to determine if shuttle service could be used to improve connectivity in areas that are outside of walk...
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