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Tag: Walnut Creek
Later service on CCCTA Free Ride Trolley begins Friday (Nov. 2012)
Beginning this Friday, November 23, the Walnut Creek Free Ride Trolley will run later in the evening Monday-Saturday, giving shoppers, employees, diners and residents extra time to enjoy the downtown area.
The last trolley will leave Broadway Plaza at 10:10 PM Monday-Saturday through December 8th (currently, the last Walnut Creek BART-bound trolley leaves Broadway Plaza at 9:30 PM on weekdays and 6:36 PM on weekends).
December 10-23, the trolley will run even later in the evening, with the last bus leaving Broadway Plaza at 11:06 PM.
CCCTA will not be running extended service on Sundays, Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. The bus will not be in service for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
There will be no extended service hours on Sundays, Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, and no service on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
For more information about The County Connection visit cccta.org.
Image credit: Keith C.
Walnut Creek 2011 Holiday Parking Guide
Tis’ the season! Holiday shopping is underway, and so is the hunt for that perfect parking spot!
This season, the easiest way to get around and accomplish your holiday shopping is to park your car, and hop on the free trolley (you can find the trolley route on the map below) After parking, make sure you are aware of the posted rules/signs to avoid parking citations (or worse!)
This year, Walnut Creek City Council has added a few new “Meter-free holidays”. You can leave your quarters at home on these days, as meters will not be enforced.
Meter-free holidays now include:
- New Years’ Day
- Memorial Day
- Fourth of July
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- President’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Veterans Day
- Columbus Day
These changes only apply to street meters, library parking lot, and other parking lots owned by the City. It does not include public parking garages, private lots, private garages, red zones, handicapped zones, and “permit parking” areas.
Happy Parking Day, Walnut Creek!
Have you ever looked down a street and imagine what the space could be used for other than parking? Residents in Walnut Creek must have ponder the idea this summer, because Walnut Creek hosted a beautiful “parklet” on PARK(ing) Day last month.
What’s a parklet? A parklet is a tiny park in a parking space. In downtown business districts with high auto and pedestrian traffic outdoor gathering spaces are sometimes scare and desired by some. A single parking space is usually around 9 by 22 feet, so in a dense downtown, PARK(ing) Day invites people around the world to find new and fun things to fill those spaces.
PARK(ing) Day is an international event, and this was Walnut Creek’s first parklet.
Check out the gallery below. There are more pictures from the Greenbelt Alliance on Flickr.
Give the Walnut Creek City Council your feedback on the new Bicycle Plan
Walnut Creek creek has finished a draft of its first ever Bicycle Plan and takes it to City Council and a public hearing on August 2, 2011. If you live, work or ride in Walnut Creek, this is a great opportunity learn more about the City’s plans to become more bike-friendly. The Bicycle Plan incorporates new bike lanes and bikeways that were proposed in the General Plan, and provides specific recommendations to promote bicycling as a desirable alternative to driving. Specifically, the Bicycle Plan establishes goals, policies, implementation actions, and priorities for the development of much needed bicycle facilities throughout the city of Walnut Creek.
City Council is expected to consider the Bicycle Plan at a Public Hearing on Tuesday, August 2, 2011, at 7pm in the Walnut Creek City Council Chamber, 1666 North Main Street. Walnut Creek, this is your chance to help your City Council understand how this plan can help transportation in your city.
Read up on the plan before the big meeting:
Iron Horse Trail Pedestrian Bridge Near Completion
Update: According to project engineers, the crossing will be accessible by September 27th, with the grand opening set for October 2nd.
After months of construction and more than a decade of planning, the Iron Horse Trail Pedestrian/Bike Bridge is near completion. The bridge spans eight lanes of Treat Boulevard in the Pleasant Hill BART area, linking discontinuous sections of the Iron Horse Trail. Upon its opening (rumored to be Friday, August 27th), the overcrossing will allow for pedestrians and bicyclists to safely cross the heavily trafficked road.
Construction on the $6.8 million bridge over the eight lanes of Treat Boulevard began in September of 2009 (see project timeline below). More than 1 million people per year use the Iron Horse Regional Trail, a 24-mile stretch from Dublin to Concord that runs along an old railroad right of way.
From the Contra Costa Times:
Beverly Lane, who represents Central Contra Costa County on the East Bay Regional Park District board, said she thought the bridge would have been completed 10 years ago.
“I am really ecstatic. It’s just going to be so good for the trail users and the people driving down Treat; it will enable people to go over without stopping traffic,” Lane said.
What do you think of the new bridge? Tell us by taking the short survey below.
For more information:
BART to close tracks between Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill March 26-28 and May 28-31
As a part of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Contra Costa County Crossover Project, crews will be closing the tracks between Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill for the following two weekends:
- March 26-28, 2010 – 9 pm Friday night to 1:30 am Monday morning
- May 28-31, 2010 (Memorial Day weekend) – 7 pm Friday night to about 1:30 am Tuesday morning
During these weekends, The County Connection will provide free bus bridge service between the Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek BART stations.
Buses will run in both directions as follows:
- Friday, May 28 – 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM
- Saturday, May 29 – 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM
- Sunday & Monday, May 30/31 – 8:00 AM to 2:00 AM
- Tuesday AM Contingency Plan – 4:00 AM to 6:00 AM
County Connection and BART personnel will be present at both stations to assist passengers. For more information about Bus Bridge service, please call County Connection at (925) 676-7500 or visit www.cccta.org.
BART has asked riders to allow up to 30 additional minutes for the bus detour, although measures will be taken to ensure that every train is met by a bus.
Instructions for boarding the buses:
Follow signs to the Bus Bridge stop directly outside BART station. Look for County Connection buses (tan and white or white) with “BART Bus Bridge” signage. Keep your BART ticket to display at all times, as you will need it to enter and exit stations and to board the bus. Normal BART service will resume at 4AM on the final morning of the installation.
[Photo via BART.gov]
From the Contra Costa County Crossover Project website:
The purpose of the Crossover project is to add special trackwork between the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill Stations to allow a train to cross from one track to the other track. The original BART system track plan provided two parallel trackways between the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill Stations. Currently, the closest existing crossovers to the project site are near the Lafayette Station and between the Pleasant Hill Station and the Concord Yard. This deficiency reduces operational flexibility during a train failure. It also requires BART to turn back trains at Concord Station instead of the desired location at Pleasant Hill.
Suggested benefits of the project include:
- Increased train frequency and reduced wait times
- Additional seating capacity during peak hours
- Reduced system delays
- Improved maintenance and allocation of resources
For more information, please visit the official Contra Costa County Crossover Project website and read the following BART news releases on the project:
This Week’s Headlines in Transportation & Transit: Apr. 24-30, 2010
Upcoming Events & Meetings
- Sunday May 2, 2010 – Ride the historic Niles Canyon Railway
- Monday May 3, 2010 – San Ramon Valley Transportation Summit 2010, register to win an iPod touch
- Thursday May 13, 2010 – Bike to Work Day
For more events, visit https://511contracosta.org/events/
Local News (Contra Costa County & East Bay)
- Expect traffic delays on Vasco Rd. in South Contra Costa County beginning this month
- Bishop Ranch celebrates its 3 millionth commuter
- Louis Sandoval selected as Contra Costa County’s Bicycle Commuter of the Year for 2010
- 511 Contra Costa kicks off 2010 Bicycle Commuter Assistance Program
- Read and listen to the KCBS report for this weekend’s unveiling of the County Connection’s new hybrid buses in Walnut Creek
- Livermore City Council to decide where future BART stations will be built
- Freeway ramps between Highway 4 and Eastbound I-80 close on Monday, Apr. 26
Bay Area & California News
- CA bill crafted by Dave Jones of Sacramento offers twist to expand car sharing
- Santa Cruz County air is among the cleanest in the nation
- AC Transit eyes more service cuts
- Construction progresses on BART Warm Springs Extension project
- New scheduling updates expected in TransLink’s transition to Clipper card
- Register your team for Bay Area Bicycle Coalition’s Bike to Work Day Team Bike Challenge by May 6
Extra, extra, read all about it!
Follow 511CC on Twitter or Like us on Facebook to receive additional updates and get the scoop on ongoing 511CC promotions. In the past, we’ve given away free coffee to bikers, free sunscreen, free BART tickets, half-off transit passes and more.
In addition, we choose one lucky Twitter follower and one Facebook fan to receive a $25 to Peet’s every month. Every month! That means you have multiple chances to win $25 in free cups of coffee, hot chocolate, lattes, mochas, iced teas, those always-enticing baked goods on display, or whatever your sweet heart desires.
County Connection Introduces First Hybrid Electric Buses
Concord, Calif. – On Saturday, April 24th Contra Costa residents can get a sneak peak at County Connection’s first hybrid electric buses before they officially go into service. County Connection will host an Earth Day event from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek. The public is invited to take a free “test ride” on the new bus that will travel between Walnut Creek BART and Heather Farm Park throughout the duration of the Earth Day event on Saturday, to experience first hand the smooth, quiet ride of the new hybrid electric buses. Continue reading “County Connection Introduces First Hybrid Electric Buses”
This Week’s Headlines in Transportation & Transit: Mar. 6-12, 2010
Local News
- Weekend track closures between Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill BART stations; free bus services to be provided March 26-28 and May 28-30
- El Cerrito encourages community participation in identifying area traffic concerns – meetings on March 25 & 31st
- 511CC gets kudos for use of social media to deliver information and foster environmental awareness
- Eastern Contra Costa Transit Auth. receives $1 mil. to prevent bus service cuts to Brentwood & Discovery Bay
Bay Area and California News
- Electric trucks get green light from California Air Resources Board
- Bay Area counties eye ballot measures to raise auto registration fee by $10 for transportation funding
- BART partners with junaio on augmented reality app
- Biking Directions added to Google Maps
- Efforts to build Bay Bridge faster include offering incentives and threatening penalties
- Bay Area train agencies expect big bucks from Prop. 1A funds
- $84 Million in Recovery Act Funds Heading to California with Monetary Breakdown by Transit Agency
- Options for curbing greenhouse gases in the Bay Area discussed at March 10, 2010 MTC meeting
- Capitol Corridor trackwork resumes March 8th, midday train delays expected through March 15
Did you know we’re on Twitter? To receive these headlines, information for local transit agencies, 511CC promotions, and more, follow @511CC.
This Week’s Headlines in Transportation & Transit: Feb. 20-26, 2010
For the most up to date transportation and transit news (as well as information about our promotions, contests, and giveaways), follow 511CC on Twitter.
Local News
- Antioch Bridge motorists will face nighttime delays next week
- BART to upgrade Pleasant Hill station for $5.2 million
- State allocates $69.4 million for I-680 overhaul in San Ramon Valley
- Antioch looks at BART beyond Hillcrest
- Crews working on Caldecott Tunnel 4th bore cut down trees before bird-nesting season begins
- Construction noise in Walnut Creek south of Pleasant Hill BART station to last for the next 8-10 weekends
Bay Area and California News
- Bay Area high-speed rail track alignment details delayed again
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Unveils Sample Legislation for Texting While Driving
- Proposed rules could make smog check less expensive and time-consuming for most motorists
- Senator Simitian proposes tougher penalties in California for hands-free & text messaging violations that would also apply to bicyclists
- BART explores more fare hikes, cuts
- Toll increase creates casual carpool conundrum
- Bay Area gas prices expected to jump in coming weeks
Treat Blvd Pedestrian Overcrossing Construction – Day 1
Treat Blvd Pedestrian Bridge Overcrossing Construction Updates.
October 1, 2009: As the first in an ongoing series, we’re excited to show you pictures of the construction progress of the new Treat Boulevard Pedestrian Overcrossing in Walnut Creek. The bridge will be a continuation of the Iron Horse Trail. Contractors seem to be making great progress each day. More to come . . . .
Photos compliments of C. Peterson, 511 Contra Costa staff.
