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As a strike by BART workers looms Monday, Pleasanton officials are working in tandem with BART and other agencies to handle commuter traffic and alternative transit options at the two BART stations serving Pleasanton and Dublin riders.
The Pleasanton Police Department will manage traffic flow and any impacts resulting from temporary bus stops.
BART is planning alternative commute service referred to as the “bus bridge” that would begin on Monday, using six buses at the Dublin/Pleasanton BART station to take commuters to San Francisco. The buses will park on westbound Owens Drive.
However, the buses will only carry around 2,000 to 4,000 passengers per day in each direction, depending on traffic from the stations where the bus bridges will be offered. BART normally carries 400,000 passengers a day, including 96,000 across the Bay in the Transbay Tube during peak commute hours,
Commuters and car-poolers may park in the BART station parking lots with no fee during a work stoppage, but elevator access is not guaranteed in the parking structures. BART and Pleasanton Park & Ride lots for carpooling will likely fill up fast in the event of a strike.
Still, BART riders are being warned to expect major delays and to look for commute alternatives — or just stay home.
With the Independence Day holiday Thursday, many companies are giving employees Friday off as well. Often when there’s a two-day holiday break, employees also take the other three as vacation days.
If this occurs, the full impact of a BART strike might not come until Monday, July 8, if the strike occurs and is continuing then.
BART’s two biggest employee unions, Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555, have voted to authorize a strike. The unions said a strike could begin as early as Monday morning since the unions’ contracts with BART expire tomorrow, Sunday.
Alameda-Contra Costa Transit officials said that they would offer some expanded transbay service “to the extent possible, depending on bus and operator availability.”
But AC Transit faces its own strike threat and has limited capacity to absorb additional riders, according to agency officials.
The agency’s union contract also expires Sunday, the same day as those for the BART unions, and 97.4% of AC Transit employees voted last week to authorize a possible strike, according to union officials.
But the best advice for many commuters is to stay home if at all possible, or change their routines, according to transit officials, who are advising companies to allow telecommuting wherever possible or staggered work hours so commuters can avoid peak hours.
All commuters are advised by transit officials to make sure that their Clipper cards are loaded, since some BART tickets may not be honored on
other agencies, and to use Fastrak if driving.
Riders are urged to plan ahead for their commutes and should check http://alert.511.org/ for updates regarding BART service status. You can also follow @511SFBay on Twitter for real-time updates.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
