sbX moves forward with SANBAG support

SAN BERNARDINO, CA-Plans to move forward with preparing E Street and Hospitality Lane for exclusive center-running lanes for bus rapid transit (BRT) were advanced when the Omnitrans Board of Directors, at its June 2 meeting, unanimously approved a proposal to have the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) assist the transit agency in its property acquisition process. Changes to the corridor will be positive in improving transit options, upgrading streets and enhancing pedestrian traffic. SANBAG will partner with Omnitrans by taking a lead role in acquiring approximately 130 properties sought for the E Street Corridor sbX Bus Rapid Transit Project. Four properties are full parcels to construct a park and ride facility, and 128 are sliver portions between one and 15 feet wide, to allow for street widening on the 5.4-mile stretch of transit corridor running in exclusive lanes.

Other properties along the 15.7- mile corridor, which runs from northern San Bernardino to Loma Linda, would be used as temporary construction easements, allowing engineers to do their work then return the property to the owner in the same or better condition than they found it before construction. At times the condition may be improved through new sidewalks and landscaping and bringing conditions up to current codes and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. For safety reasons, left turn lanes will be eliminated in some areas of center-running lanes. Instead, motorists will pass their destination, make a u-turn at the next available location and turn right into the driveway. Similarly, those wanting to make a left turn out of the driveway will first make a right turn, and then make a uturn at the next available location.

The City of San Bernardino is working with Omnitrans on this adjustment by adding u-turns where needed and eliminating those that could interfere with sbX making a left turn (such is the case at E Street and Hospitality Lane). Construction of the E Street sbX corridor is slated to begin in 2011. New Transit Drives Economic Development A BRT project in Cleavland, OH Bus rapid transit, also known as BRT, has been successful in the economic turnaround of many urban areas in the U.S. and around the world over the pastfour decades. Recently, Cleveland experienced a renaissance of its civic center, fueled in part by transit-oriented development along the four-mile, $200 million Euclid Corridor project. Similar in size to the sbX E Street Corridor project, the Euclid Corridor has already brought $4.3 billion in new investment to the city. NamedCleveland’s “Health Line,” the project contributed to reductions in crime and enhancements to the downtown lifestyle, and also provides a vital connection between the civic center and the renowned Cleveland The goal of BRT is to approach the service quality of rail transit while still enjoying the cost savings and flexibility of bus transit. Other BRT projects in the United States are either completed or under development in Denver, Portland, Eugene, Ore., Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Moreover, the sbX project is expected to contribute to transit-oriented development (TOD), which revitalizes urban areas and makes people think about where they live in relation to where they work.

Changes to the face of Downtown San Bernardino are made easier with new transit projects, which attract a variety of residential, retail, restaurant and entertainment development projects, creating livable communities that promote walking, in addition to the use of public transit. Downtown San Bernardino is a strategic point along the corridor because of the multi-modal transit center Omnitrans plans on constructing at the southwest corner of E Street and Rialto Avenue. Not only will sbX have a station adjacent to the transit center, it will be a stopping point for other Omnitrans vehicles whose routes terminate at various transit malls throughout the civic center. This will allow sbX passengers connectivity with Metrolink, with plans of a one mile extension east of its current eastern terminus at the historic Santa Fe Depot. A light-rail line from the transit center to Redlands also is being planned. These transit projects tie in to the City of San Bernardino’s Downtown Core Vision Action Plan, which calls for a transit village with loft apartments and condos, an open-air promenade style retail shopping center, restaurants and entertainment venues. Together, it is anticipated that a transit- oriented downtown will attract developers and make the neighborhood more pedestrian friendly and economically viable.

-Staff Reports

 

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