San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
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| Locale | San Francisco Bay Area |
|---|---|
| Waterway | San Francisco Bay |
| Transit type | Passenger ferry |
| Operator | Blue & Gold Fleet |
| Began operation | 1980 |
| No. of lines | 3 |
| No. of terminals | 6 |
| Owner | City of Alameda Port of Oakland |
The San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) is a government entity created by the California state legislature in 2007 by Senate Bill 976. The organization was formerly the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority (WTA), which the legislature established in 1999.[1] The WTA declared its mission statement as creating, "A Strategy to Improve Public Transit with an Environmentally Friendly Ferry System"[1], for the San Francisco Bay and this was codified by Senate Bill 915[1]. WTA planned to create 8[1] new ferry routes with up to 31[1] new vessels that would exceed the EPA emission standards by 85%[1]. Another goal for the new ferry network was to triple[1] ridership to 12[1] million passenger trips annually from the current 4 million and to attract the bulk of these new transit passengers from cars.[1] WETA is intended to continue and expand WTA's mission, the first step of which being to acquire all San Francisco Bay commuter ferry service except the Golden Gate Ferry.[2]
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[edit] Projects
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This section's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the talk page. (September 2011) |
WTA has focused on 6 short term projects:[1]
South San Francisco-San Francisco-Alameda[1], a ferry line connecting South San Francisco with San Francisco and Alameda. The South City terminal will be at the Oyster Point Marina and the others will be the existing terminals: Ferry Building in downtown San Francisco and the Harbor Bay Isle[3] ferry terminal in Alameda's Bay Farm Island area. Service should begin in late fall 2008.[4]
Berkeley-San Francisco[1] service is currently in the planning stages with initial service to begin in 2011.[5] Several sites for the terminal have been considered including the Albany Bulb, the shoreline near Gilman Street, and several points at the Berkeley Marina.
A new ferry service from Richmond is planned for 2008. The new ferry will take only half an hour to San Francisco and will use the existing terminal and parking facilities at Ford Point.[6] Recently most of the city council except Tom Butt and Mayor McLaughlin have lost interest in the project instead supporting using the site for expanded Toyota vehicle importation parking which that company has expressed an interest in.[7]
[edit] Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry
Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry is a public transportation service that uses a ferry and operates in Alameda, California and San Francisco, California. Providing weekday rush-hour service, the ferry runs from Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal in Alameda's Bay Farm Island area to the Ferry Building (Gate E) in San Francisco.
In October 2007, State of California legislation (SB 976) initiated a State acquisition of this service, which would be overseen by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority.[8]
[edit] Alameda/Oakland Ferry
Alameda/Oakland Ferry is a public transit ferry service connecting Alameda and Oakland to San Francisco via the San Francisco Bay. The City of Alameda local government, which runs the public service together with the Port of Oakland, contracts the privately-run Blue & Gold Fleet to provide the service.[9]
In October 2007, State of California legislation (SB 976) initiated a State acquisition of Alameda/Oakland Ferry service, which would be overseen by the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority.[10]
Service is funded by the city of Alameda, the Port of Oakland, Alameda County Regional Measure B, and the Metropolitan Transit Commission Regional Measure 1.[9]
[edit] Terminals
- Gateway Center, 2991 Main Street, Alameda
- Clay Street Terminal, 530 Water Street, Jack London Square, Oakland
- Ferry Building, San Francisco
- Pier 41, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
- Ayala Cove Ferry Terminal (Angel Island)
- China Basin Ferry Terminal (AT&T Park)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l About Us, WTA website, retrieved August 5, 2007
- ^ "Q&A: Emergency Needs Prompt Ferry Changes," San Francisco Bay Crossings October 2007.
- ^ Map.gif, WTA ferry routes rap, retrieved August 5, 2007
- ^ Providing New Transit Options for the Biotech Capital South San Francisco, WTA, retrieved August 5, 2007
- ^ A New Commute Option for Berkeley/Albany, WTA, retrieved August 5, 2007
- ^ Water Transit Authority
- ^ Berkeley Daily Planet
- ^ "Q&A: Emergency Needs Prompt Ferry Changes," San Francisco Bay Crossings October 2007.
- ^ a b "What to Know Alameda/Oakland Ferry Ferry". Alameda/Oakland Ferry. 2009. http://www.eastbayferry.com/what/faqs.html. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
- ^ "Q&A: Emergency Needs Prompt Ferry Changes". San Francisco Bay Crossings. October 2007. http://www.baycrossings.com/dispnews.asp?id=1892. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
[edit] External links
- Official website
- East Bay Ferries
- SB 976: San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
