San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority
Encyclopedia
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. The WTA declared its mission statement as creating, "A Strategy to Improve Public Transit with an Environmentally Friendly Ferry System", for the San Francisco Bay
and this was codified by Senate Bill 915. WTA planned to create 8 new ferry routes with up to 31 new vessels that would exceed the EPA
emission standards by 85%. Another goal for the new ferry network was to triple ridership to 12 million passenger trips annually from the current 4 million and to attract the bulk of these new transit passengers from cars. 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
.
South San Francisco-San Francisco-Alameda, 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 ferry terminal in Alameda's Bay Farm Island area. Service should begin in late fall 2008.
Berkeley-San Francisco service is currently in the planning stages with initial service to begin in 2011. 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. 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.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
state legislature
California State Legislature
The California State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of California. It is a bicameral body consisting of the lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members, and the upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members...
in 2007 by Senate Bill 976. The organization was formerly the San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority (WTA), which the legislature established in 1999. The WTA declared its mission statement as creating, "A Strategy to Improve Public Transit with an Environmentally Friendly Ferry System", for the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
and this was codified by Senate Bill 915. WTA planned to create 8 new ferry routes with up to 31 new vessels that would exceed the EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
emission standards by 85%. Another goal for the new ferry network was to triple ridership to 12 million passenger trips annually from the current 4 million and to attract the bulk of these new transit passengers from cars. 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
Golden Gate Ferry
Golden Gate Ferry is one of three transportation systems owned and operated by the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District. The other two are the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Transit bus service, which connects San Francisco to Marin County...
.
Projects
WTA has focused on 6 short term projects:South San Francisco-San Francisco-Alameda, a ferry line connecting South San Francisco
South San Francisco, California
South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area...
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
Ferry Building
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city...
in downtown San Francisco and the Harbor Bay Isle ferry terminal in Alameda's Bay Farm Island area. Service should begin in late fall 2008.
Berkeley-San Francisco service is currently in the planning stages with initial service to begin in 2011. Several sites for the terminal have been considered including the Albany Bulb, the shoreline near Gilman Street, and several points at the Berkeley Marina
Berkeley Marina
The Berkeley Marina is the westernmost portion of the city of Berkeley, California, located west of the Eastshore Freeway at the foot of University Avenue on San Francisco Bay...
.
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. 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.