I noticed the heavy rain this morning and decided to check the news in case there were BART delays. KRON4 reported that there were delays between 15-30 minutes both ways. Whenever the schedule is off, I can't reliably catch my connecting shuttle, which could be problematic. And admittedly, part of me just did not feel like dealing with the crowded and late trains, wet umbrellas getting on my body and things, and waiting for the shuttle in the rain. So, I made the decision to drive in, fully knowing that traffic could be pretty miserable today. I braced myself for a bad drive but felt that I could at the very least "relax" in a private and clean space (my car).
The drive from home to the Bay Bridge was unexpectedly smooth! At that point, I felt for sure I made the right decision. But as I approached the toll plaza, I moved about 10 feet per minute....until after Treasure Island. It was absolutely miserable. I shook my head It took me an hour to get to work, which is probably the same amount of time it would have taken me to take BART.
Should I have taken BART? Probably. I would have saved money and gas. Oh well...stupid decision on my part but some days, I just don't feel like dealing with the crowds and little inconveniences associated with BART. Sometimes I just need a break from BART.
BTW, Don't forget to add your input to the BART Xmas Wish List!!
12 comments:
BART is also safer than driving on rain-slicked roads... But I remember your post about not being able to breathe in a hot, humid, carbon dioxide-filled car the last rainy day... I think that might have been your deciding factor to drive today. Am I right?
Does your employer make a parking facility available to you? One of the biggest reasons that I prefer BART, even with the rainy-day funk and delays is that parking is so difficult. I can't push myself to pay for parking when it costs more than the roundtrip BART ticket (nevermind gas and bridge toll).
I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but there was a police action at Montgomery that delayed all trains for at least 20 minutes at around 4:30 and you missed that!
in response to anonymous #2-- nope, i had to pay parking. it is subsidized by a lot though but still. i definitely spent more money yesterday driving than i would have taking BART. but it was just one of those days, i needed a break from the crowds and sogginess on the train.
Well, we choose our annoyances, I guess. Maybe a change of pace is welcome, even when merely swapping irritants.
Driving gives me a sore leg (incipient sciatica, I fear), and I hate stop and go traffic rabidly. Plus the cost for bridge, gas and parking, none of which is subsidized. It takes a lot to get me to commute in the car these days.
to shrapnel- that definitely was one of the reasons. i really should have just taken BART but with the delays and my company's shuttle limitations, i decided to just chill in my car...in awfully slow traffic.
I guess as a regular rider, I don't understand those who can't seem to schedule their day/trip/event around a potentially late BART train. Is that so hard to do, or am I missing something. Since I started ridering some 4 years ago, I always give myself atleast 2 trains prior to when I need to be at my destination.
Finally someone who gets it. It’s public transit people, not a car service.
my main reason for not liking delays? missing my connecting shuttle. delays within 10 minutes are no problem but delays over 15 cause me to miss 2 consecutive shuttles and there after, the shuttles discontinue.
every bart passenger has the right to be annoyed at delays! we deal with them because we have to, but let us complain! we pay almost $10 per day to take BART-- not just $2 or $5-- so if we are inconvenienced by delays, then at the very least, let us complain.
i've been taking BART for years too but i've come to the conclusion that i'll deal with the delays when they happen but i'm not going to shorten my time with my family in the morning to go to the station earlier, just to make up for potential delays.
Check with your company about taking a cab. Sometimes there are vouchers or other form of payment, like those used for late nights home.
If a cab is too expensive, maybe a Muni bus gets you a block or two away? I know SOMA has the craziest set of bus routes, but one might work?
Some people are paid based on the time they clock-in/clock-out of work. So having a normal buffer of 10-15 minutes can mean docked pay when there are Bart delays. Luckily for me, working around delays is not a major problem, but it is a big annoyance. It wouldn’t be too bad if trains arrived more frequently, but the Fremont line seems to be a lower priority. Rates are increasing and still no improvements for the Green line.
you just helped put things in perspective for me! i'm pretty lucky that the pittsburg/baypoint trains come more often than others.
i also noticed that in 2007, # of delays seemed to have decreased!
nice to be positive around the holidays!
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