Proposed Emery Go-Round Service Changes
We, the Emeryville Transportation Management Association, are soliciting feedback from our riders and the Emeryville
community on our proposed changes to the Emery Go-Round shuttle service.
The purpose of these proposed service changes is to address the issues we’ve identified with the existing service based
on the following:
1. Comments and suggestions we’ve received from Emery Go-Round riders;
2. Data collected from the Emery Go-Round Operations team (including ridership counts and current route
challenges); and
3. Our knowledge of upcoming developments throughout the City.
The two biggest challenges we currently face include ridership capacity and the increase in traffic congestion we
continue to experience, resulting in significantly longer travel times. For these reasons, we have proposed the following
changes to the Emery Go-Round Service:
Commute Service Plan
In a 2014 service evaluation conducted by a third party transit consulting firm, it was determined that a 25%
service increase was necessary to maintain the current level of ridership. At that time, the ETMA had the
financial resources to increase service by only 10%. The service evaluation also concluded that the peak
ridership levels occurred during the commute period with the majority of riders traveling to/from the MacArthur
BART Station. For this reason, we are proposing to modify the Emery Go-Round routes during the commute
period in an effort to maximize service efficiency by reducing travel times and increasing rider capacity. The
frequency of service on the proposed routes will remain the same at 10-15 minutes. However, travel times from
the north end of the service area will be reduced.
Non-Commute Service Plan
Aside from minor schedule modifications required to allow additional time for delays caused by the rising traffic
congestion, we propose the existing Emery Go-Round routes remain as they are today during the non-commute
period, with one exception on the Hollis route, which is described below.
Please review the specific details on the proposed service changes below and provide your comments via email to
[email protected] no later than January 8th, 2016. We appreciate your feedback.
Sincerely,
Emeryville Transportation Management Association
Proposed Emery Go-Round Service Changes
NON-COMMUTE SERVICE PLAN:
The routes and service details proposed for the Non-Commute Service period are shown below. Service hours and
frequency vary by route.
Shellmound/Powell Route
The Shellmound/Powell service will operate using the existing route between 5:45AM and 10:30PM Monday through
Friday at a frequency of 15-20 minutes, except during the commute period (described below).
The Shellmound/Powell service will also continue to operate on Saturdays between 8:20AM and 10:30PM and Sundays
from 9:00AM to 7:30PM at a frequency of 15-20 minutes.
Hollis Route
The Hollis route has changed slightly for the non-commute service. After receiving several complaints of noise
disturbance from residents as well as the low level of ridership and occasional blocked access in the area, we are
proposing to remove the loop down 66th Street/Vallejo Street/65th Street. Removal of this segment of the route will
reduce run time by 2-3 minutes or more. The non-commute Hollis route will operate Monday through Friday between
5:45AM and 10:30PM at a frequency of 15-20 minutes, except during the commute period (described below).
NON-COMMUTE SERVICE MAP
Hollis
Shellmound/Powell
Proposed Emery Go-Round Service Changes
COMMUTE SERVICE PLAN:
The routes proposed for Commute Service are shown below. The Commute Service will run Monday through Friday
from 7:00AM-10:00AM and 3:00PM-7:00PM. The details for each Commute Service route and schedule are described
below.
HOLLIS ROUTE
Our recommendation for the Hollis Route is to split the route into a North and South Hollis route during the commute
period to provide more direct service to the north end of the route and to alleviate overcrowding at the south end of the
route.
The current Hollis Route (aka “the full Hollis route”), will not be served during this time. Riders will be served by either
the North OR South Hollis Route (and in some overlapping areas, both North AND South Hollis routes).
North Hollis
The proposed North Hollis route map is shown below. The new North Hollis route will run at a frequency of 10-15
minutes and will provide service directly to/from MacArthur BART Station and the Hollis Street corridor, north of
Stanford/Powell Street.
Travel times to/from BART
are likely to be reduced by
3-5 minutes. There will
be one transfer point on
the route (at 59th Street),
where riders will be able to
transfer to the South Hollis
route, if they wish to
access the south end of the
Hollis corridor.
Advantages: Reduce
travel time to/from the
BART Station. Provide
overlapping coverage with
the South Hollis route in
areas with high ridership.
Disadvantages: A shuttle
transfer will be required to
reach the south end of the
service area (south of 59th
St.)
Proposed Emery Go-Round Service Changes
South Hollis
The South Hollis route will run at a frequency of 10 minutes to/from the MacArthur BART Station and the Hollis Street
corridor, south of 59th Street. Travel times on the South Hollis route are expected to remain the same.
Advantages: Reduce or eliminate overcrowding at the south end of the service area. Provide overlapping coverage with
the North Hollis route in areas with high ridership.
Disadvantages: A shuttle transfer will be required to reach the north end of the service area (north of 59th St.)
Proposed Emery Go-Round Service Changes
SHELLMOUND/POWELL ROUTE
Similar to the Hollis Route, we propose to split the Shellmound/Powell Route into two separate routes, a North
Shellmound Route and South Shellmound/Powell route during the commute period to provide more direct service to the
north end of the route and to alleviate overcrowding at the south end of the route.
The current Shellmound/Powell Route, will not be served during this commute period. Riders will be served by either
the North Shellmound OR South Shellmound/Powell Route (and in overlapping areas, will be served by both routes).
North Shellmound Route
The North Shellmound route will access the north end of the service area via the freeway. The route will loop around
Christie Ave near Trader Joes then proceed left on Shellmound at Bay Street. The route will continue north on
Shellmound to serve the 6 stops along Shellmound and Christie north of Powell Street, including the Public Market and
Expressions College, then return to the BART Station via the Freeway.
The North Shellmound route will operate at frequency of 10-15 minutes.
Advantages: Provides direct service to/from MacArthur BART to the residents and business at the north end of the
service area. Travel time to/from the MacArthur BART station and the north end of Shellmound/Christie will be reduced
by 5+ minutes.
Disadvantages: A
short walk to the
Emery Go-Round
shuttle stop at
Trader Joes will
be required to
access the south
end of
Shellmound/40th
Street during the
commute period.
Proposed Emery Go-Round Service Changes
South Shellmound/Powell
The South Shellmound/Powell route will serve the retail establishments along 40th Street, Shellmound Street and
Christie Avenue (south of Powell) as well as the business and residential complexes on the Powell Street peninsula.
Due to the current low levels of ridership to the Watergate Condo’s and Marina during the peak commute period, we
are proposing to slightly reduce service to the peninsula, west of The Towers. The Estimated service frequency for all
stops excluding peninsula is between 10-15 min. Service frequency for the peninsula, west of the Towers, will be 20-25
minutes during the commute period.
The peninsula will also continue to be served by the Watergate Express for residents traveling to/from the MacArthur
BART Station.
Advantages:



Significantly reduces or eliminates the number of pass-ups at the south end of the route caused by
overcrowding.
Reduced travel time for riders traveling from the retail establishments south of Powell to the peninsula.
Reduced noise disturbance due to less service trips down peninsula.
Disadvantages:


Shuttle transfer required to get to/from the north end of Shellmound/Christie during the commute period.
Slightly reduced frequency of service to the peninsula (west of The Towers) during the commute period.
Proposed Emery Go-Round Service Changes
WATERGATE EXPRESS ROUTE
The Watergate Express Route will operate using the existing route and schedule.
COMMUTE SERVICE MAP
North Hollis
South Hollis
North Shellmound
South Shellmound/Powell
Watergate Express