Pleasanton Ridge Shuttle Service Begins Saturday

After doing some additional research into the East Bay Regional Park District's new Pleasanton Ridge shuttle service I'm still as concerned as I originally was when I first expressed my opposition to this pilot program, which starts Saturday.

I feel that park users should have been notified about this idea and been given an opportunity to discuss it in a public forum; I believe that the environmental impact of adding additional vehicle traffic on top of the ridge should be studied; and I think that the park district's foremost mission should be protecting its beautiful parks — not adding traffic pollution as a convenience for recreational users.

As its stewardship statement says:

The District's mission is to acquire preserve, protect, and operate regional parklands in perpetuity for public use, while conserving these lands for the natural resource values they contain. The goal of the District resource enhancement projects is to conserve and enhance important resource values such as vegetation, wildlife and water to ensure that natural parkland ecosystems are maintained in a healthy and productive condition.

I don't believe regularly putting an eight-person van (seven passengers and one driver) on the ridge serves this mission.

I'm not alone. Many of the Patch readers who posted more than 40 comments on our site were shocked about this idea and opposed to it.

Carol Johnson, the district's assistant general manager for Public Affairs, said the shuttle is considered a pre-existing use so an environmental study of the pilot program was not legally required. She said when the district's 325-page Pleasanton Ridge Land Use Plan (see attached PDF) went through the public review process over the last two years, that was the public's chance to give input.

But my concern is that document doesn't talk about offering a regular shuttle service program. So how could the public talk about it?

Johnson emailed me a section of the Land Use document to show it's a pre-existing condition:

To provide broader accommodation on existing trails for visitors with mobility challenges the District has developed a policy allowing “other power-driven mobility devices” (OPDMD) (e.g., anything with a motor that can be driven, regardless of size or horsepower, if it is driven by a person who has a mobility related disability).  This policy is separate from, and in addition to, provisions accommodating wheelchairs in parks, and is consistent with the Department of Justice (DOJ) revised rules to the Americans with Disabilities Act (March 15, 2011).

 But this shuttle service won't be driven by someone with a disability. And, since anyone who rides the shuttle has to hike either four or nine miles back to the Foothill Staging Area, it really isn't targeting disabled people. It's simply for people who want a less difficult hike. (Though I will argue that even the four-mile hike down could be difficult and dangerous for people who have mobility issues, as the trail is steep in parts, rocky, with slippery gravel and many holes. It also gets very hot and is mostly unshaded, so novice hikers will be very challenged by that issue. A close friend of mine wearing tennis shoes slipped and fractured her ankle while we were hiking the short hike down.)

Plus, the East Bay Regional Park system has many, many easy hiking options, so the district certainly isn't underserving that part of its constituency and shouldn't spend taxpayer dollars on this program.

In my bible of East Bay hiking, David Weintraub's awesome guide East Bay Trails, I counted 38 hikes rated "moderate" or "easy." I can guarantee you that some of the views on this hike are as equally as amazing as what you'll see on the Pleasanton Ridge. (One nearby is Del Valle's East Shore Trail, a flat route, great for kids, that skirts the lake — incredible! Bring a fishing pole and swimming suit.)

Johnson says vehicles on the ridge are nothing new, pointing to a senior (55 and older) van safari tour and the park rangers, who regularly drive their trucks on the ridge for care and maintenance.

But why add more traffic if it isn't necessary?

So far there hasn't been an overwhelming public response to the pilot program. Half of the seats are sold for the first of three dates that reservations are being taken. However, the program is approved through October. Click here for details about the route and dates of service.)

The program will be evaluated at its conclusion as to whether it should continue. 

Here's to hoping it won't.

Johnson says she hasn't received many complaints about the pilot program. If you'd like to express your opinion, here's a link to the district's contact information: http://www.ebparks.org/about/contactus.

Here's the information about the Board of Directors.

The representative for the Livermore/Pleasanton area is: 

Ayn Wieskamp

Ward 5 Board Member
Vice President of the Board
Livermore
Term expires end of 2014
E-mail: awieskamp@ebparks.org

Another key representative to contact would be Carol Severin, who represents the Castro Valley side of the park:

Ward 3 Board Member
Castro Valley
Term expires end of 2014
E-mail: cseverin@ebparks.org

The next regularly scheduled board meeting is this Tuesday, according to the district website. Meetings are held here: 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, CA 94605. Closed sessions begin at 12:30 p.m. and public sessions begin at 2 p.m.

Patch welcomes blogs from readers with any point of view on this topic (or any other), so if you're going to ride the shuttle and would like to tell us why and share your experience, please do so. You can also comment below.