Title
Adopt the Proposed Plan for Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal Parking
Body
Transportation Commission
May 25, 2016
Item 5B
Action
Adopt the Proposed Plan for Harbor Bay Ferry Terminal Parking
BACKGROUND
The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) runs the Harbor Bay ferry, which has three departures in the morning and three arrivals in the evening. An estimated 350 ferry riders drive and park at or near the terminal, even though the Harbor Bay ferry terminal's lot only has a capacity of 250. The remaining 100 or so vehicles park in adjacent residential neighborhoods and/or occupy parking spaces intended for users of the adjacent shoreline park.
Affected residential neighborhoods, including the Headlands and Columbia communities, are sub-homeowner associations (HOA) of the master Harbor Bay Isle HOA. These two associations have public streets under the City's control. Three additional sub-HOAs impacted by overflow parking-Bay Colony, Freeport, and Cantamar-have private streets and are considering implementing rules to prohibit parking by ferry users.
This problem will only grow as the Harbor Bay ferry service gains popularity. More Alamedans are choosing the convenience and ease of ferries over the other congested routes to San Francisco. Every month, the Harbor Bay ferry is surpassing its prior record for ridership. The Harbor Bay service for this year has experienced a 19% increase in boardings over last year.
Surveys of Harbor Bay ferry users show that 94% of the riders are Alamedans, mostly from Harbor Bay and the east end of Alameda. Nearly half walk, bike, or are dropped off at the ferry. This is a comparatively high percentage of ferry riders who are using alternative transportation modes to access the terminal.
In part resulting from Harbor Bay residents' concerns about spillover parking, the Transportation Commission formed an adhoc committee in January 2015. The adhoc committee's work culminated in the Tran...
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