Estuary Water Shuttle Adds Tuesday Service

Woodstock, a small boat that ferries cyclists and pedestrians for free between Jack London Square and Bohol Immigrant Park in Western Alameda, started sailing almost one year ago. The boat only carries about 30 people per trip, but on June 18 it served its 100,000th rider. This exceeded all expectations and proves that people want an efficient, convenient way to cross the Oakland Estuary without a car.

And in response to the growing demand, the city of Alameda launched a new schedule today that includes Tuesday service. Previously, there was no service on Mondays or Tuesdays. “We’ve also added more departures and longer hours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays – 63 trips each day, with 15 hours of service running from 7:20 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.,” wrote the city of Alameda on its website.

“It’s great!” said Andrew Kim, a physics teacher at the College of Alameda who uses the shuttle to get to work. “Usually I ride my Segway through the tunnel on Mondays and Tuesdays,” he added, relieved at having one less day that he has to deal with the noxious fumes and noise in the Posey tube.

“The more the merrier,” said Isaac, a rider who declined to give his last name. He was waiting for a shuttle to get back from Alameda to Oakland on Tuesday afternoon. “It’s an easier way to get over here.”

Deckhand Mark Merkurvey said they already carried 60 riders on this first day of Tuesday service, and that was just in the early afternoon. He said the day’s runs on the new schedule have gone smoothly.

In May the water shuttle won an award for excellence from the American Planning Association’s Northern California Chapter.

As previously reported, the shuttle was funded as “mitigation” for the Oak and Jackson Street ramp-widening project, a major highway construction effort that will add more freeway ramp lanes in Oakland, further dividing Chinatown from the waterfront. It will also ostensibly increase car capacity in the underwater tubes between Oakland and Western Alameda. This joint project of Caltrans and the Alameda County Transportation Commission is just one of many freeway widening make-work projects going on throughout the state. The question is, now that the water shuttle has demonstrated the utility of a bike and pedestrian crossing of the estuary, why is the county continuing to spend money on this retrograde car project instead of just buying a second boat? With a second boat, Alameda could offer service every day and even longer hours, making it a reliable connection to BART, Amtrak, and shopping for the thousands of residents in walking distance to the Oakland estuary. In other words, to paraphrase Bike East Bay’s Robert Prinz, if the mitigation works this well, cancel the car project and just do the mitigation.

The city of Alameda, meanwhile, is planning a Woodstock the Water Shuttle one-year anniversary party on Sunday, July 13 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at both docks. There will be music, free treats, and Woodstock-themed giveaways. In addition, Bike East Bay is planning a celebratory bike and Woodstock ride around the island on July 19. Details here.

“People are loving it,” added deckhand Merkurvey about the expanded Woodstock service, before jumping onto the dock to lash the boat in Alameda at the end of another afternoon run. “It’s been really well received.”