Wonderful ride today

Today's BART ride was rather quick and enjoyable mainly because I had company! My husband rode BART with me today to attend a conference in SF and having someone to chat with made all the difference. I did make sure to keep our conversation to ourselves and speak at a low volume to not bother passengers around us since I know I don't like it when people are talking loudly on the train. Besides, I'd like to keep our family matters to ourselves anyways.

I even had some extra time to grab a Venti coffee before the shuttle arrived. Then I got to work, and found out some work-related good news.

Let's hope this positive trend continues the rest of the day!

UC Berkeley grad students conducting a survey around BART parking usage

Here's an interesting survey around BART station parking use. The students are also raffling off $50 Peet's gift cards. Check it out.

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/?p=WEB228Y9C3ES74

or click here.

Just another manic Monday..

Couldn't quite decide which observation to write about today, so decided to do a Top 5 Monday list instead...

5. Saw 3 passengers carrying coffee cups come in today. As expected, one spilled and dripped all over the new plastic floors, which made the coffee roll all over the area and onto people's shoes.

4. Saw a mom with 3 little kids come into the train. Mom was all over her iPhone copycat while the kids were screaming they were hungry, sitting on the floor, walking around the car, jumping in place. Mom did not look up once! (Well, maybe once to check her clock.)

3. Someone took my standing space after I stepped out of the train to let people exit the train out of courtesy. I wasn't in the mood to explain and reclaim my space so I just gave a look and squeezed him out of the area.

2. Saw someone with a Kindle (ebook/eReader from Amazon). I still don't think I will enjoy reading from it. Anyone here with one and would like to offer feedback??

and the most bizarre thing I saw today......

1. After the train emptied post-Montgomery station, saw a man with a tight t-shirt use the overhead safety bars to do pull ups. What the heck??? Was he trying to show off? I don't know if those bars can handle weight. Still, it was just weird since he was just going up and down the bar nonstop and counting.

Bloody seat handle

Standing during the ride home yesterday, I held on to a seat handle bar to maintain my balance. About mid-way through the ride, a seat opened up, and I sat down. I looked on my palm and there was drying blood on there. It seemed like the blood had been wiped on the handle about a few hours ago and is no longer wet but still wet enough to make an imprint on someone grasping hard on the handle bar. It was really sickening to see that on my hand and I literally dumped about half a bottle of travel-size Purell on my palm. I don't think the woman seated next to me was happy to smell the strong scent of rubbing alcohol. It took awhile for me to get rid of the blood print completely.

I wasn't going to call the police or anything since there wasn't blood anywhere else. It is most likely someone who had a bloody nose, didn't have tissues, and needed to wipe it somewhere. Needless to say, it was an unpleasant sight and experience for me. We already assume these handle bars are dirty but to actually see a blood print on your hand takes it to a new level.

BART Wi-Fi Poll Result

Thanks to the 51 of you who voted. 98% of us would not spend $30 a month for continuous wireless Internet access on BART, while 1 person voted yes. I hope BART does not lose money offering this new service since they've already invested in the infrastructure. If BART's subscription Wi-Fi does not pay off, they will probably raise fares again on us to make up for the loss.

The durable BART ticket

Very random thought here but BART tickets are actually quite durable. I have a ticket that has been used by 3 different family members, gone through the mail several times (for them to use while they take BART from SFO to Orinda), placed in pockets, purses and wallets, and gone through a cycle of laundry in the washer and dryer (accidentally left in the pocket)!! Especially after the washer and dryer cycle, I was pretty sure it wouldn't work anymore, but it actually went through the ticket machine! I guess the only weakness is demagnetization but somehow this little ticket didn't get demagnetized placed in different wallets. I'm now using it after it's been used by 3 others and after 1 more round-trip ride, the little ticket will have fulfilled its purpose and the amount will go down to less than $1.

Those who rush to the doors before the destination

I never can understand this, especially when the train is crowded. There are just some people who must squeeze through the crowds, bump and walk all over people because they need to be standing right in front of the door before the train stops. It especially doesn't make sense at Embarcadero station because more than half the train needs to get off there anyways, so why not just go with the flow. A woman today, during mid-Transbay tube, started gathering her things, and step by step pushed her way through from the end of the train to the door. She squeezed herself to the front, forced everyone else to re-position to make room for her premature exit, and finally stood right in front of the door, about an inch from the glass. Sure, she was the first one out the door but she probably saved herself 5 seconds while inconveniencing at least 15 others.

Why do that?

Pigeons, lesser of 2 evils? Not necessarily

Every station has its own problems. At the Civic Center station, you've heard me complain enough about homeless body wastes, drunkards, addicts, and excessive solicitation...etc. At the Orinda station, if I had to name an issue, I guess it would have to be awful traffic getting out of the station, it takes me 15 minutes just to get out of the station and onto the main road. Very annoying after an already long day of work. I don't travel in or out of other stations enough to comment on the main problems, but I'm sure each has its own.

David Rust, a BART commuter out of the San Leandro station, wrote me an interesting email today. Apparently, the massive pigeon population at the station is the concern there. Initially, I was thinking, how could pigeons be problematic. After reading his email, I am thinking that the traffic problem out of Orinda station is not that big of a deal, although I'd still prefer pigeons over human wastes any day!

Here's his note. Thanks for sharing, David. Hope they solve the problem for you, although from past experience, I doubt BART would do anything about it.


After years of looking the other way, BART has finally started to fix up the San Leandro station with actual paint and do something about the pigeons there. We've all had to listen to fake recorded hawk calls for a couple years, seen the fake owls get more grimy with each passing month, and push past the pigeon poop on the floor AND the esclator. It's better now, but the problem hasn't been solved. A few people, including one very eccentric woman, feed the pigeons every day. The woman gets bread at the local catholic church - free to the homeless - and brings it on over to BART to feed her feathered friends. BART always seems surprised when they hear about this, but can do little to stop it. The woman comes at the same time every day, and the same elderly gentleman brings seed or bread or whatever to feed the 50 or so permanent residents. Can't BART do more enforcement? This is a huge health hazard and the only way to stop it is to cut off the food supply. Signs stating that it is illegal to feed pigeons might not have any effect, but it would be a step in the right direction.

That time has come...

I generally keep the content on this blog BART-related but you know I break that rule once a year, around this time. Yes, it's March Madness and I can't help but get a bit nervous and anxious about how my team, UCLA Bruins, will do in this year's tourney. As a big sports fan, I actually think I personally am making a difference and bringing luck to my team by writing and wishing them luck publicly. I know, ridiculously silly but I've done it the past 3 years on BART Musings and they've gone to Final Four 3 years in a row. I'm not about to break the streak by not blogging about the Bruins.

So, here we go. LET'S GO BRUINS!!!! TAKE IT ALL THE WAY TO DETROIT AND BRING HOME BANNER #12!!! GO BRUINS!!!

(ok, I'm done...back to BART now)

Please cover your mouth when you yawn

We've all seen it. People yawning on BART, letting out a huge breath of air from the mouth that hits the passengers next to them on BART. Maybe it's just me but I really don't like it when someone's massive exhale blows on me so hard that it makes my hair move. I usually hold my breath for at least 10 seconds when that happens. I really don't feel like smelling someone else's breath. Besides, I personally ALWAYS cover my mouth when I yawn, or minimize my yawn within my mouth. Why don't other people do that?? Instead, they must announce to the train that they are tired by letting out a heavy breath of air. Just another pet peeve of mine. I think it's basic etiquette.

Being seated makes a world of difference

I've been standing too often and too long on BART. Today, I saw a seat vacated and although I was a footstep farther than the closest person to the seat, I had the advantage angle. I was too tired today to keep standing so I swooped in. I'm sure I was being called all sorts of names inside her head, but hey, I could care less today.

As soon as I was seated, I was soaked into my own world. I was able to close my eyes, check email, look at photos of my son, then close my eyes again. It was actually relaxing. I was able to block out the noise more easily and actually thought I dozed off for a minute.

Perhaps I've been taking those beat up old seats for granted. It sure was nice, at least this morning, to sit down instead of being sandwiched between passengers.

A good deed with an asterisk*

Interesting thing happened after my BART ride today. I've written about the Starbucks near the Civic Center exit before. Where homeless people liked to drink the milk and half/half at the condiments station and eat off the sugar packs. Well, because the train was late today, I missed my company shuttle by 5 seconds. So, I had some time to get myself a nice warm cup of coffee at the Starbucks.

As I approached the condiments station with my grande cup, I saw a homeless man about to be escorted out. There was something different about him. He was homeless for sure, but he was very polite and mild mannered. He certainly wasn't an addict and probably recently became homeless. He saw that I was about to pour out my coffee to make room for cream. And he politely asked me, "Miss, may I have some of that coffee?" as he reached out a worn out Starbucks cup.

I looked at the coffee cup and didn't think pouring coffee in there is the most sanitary thing to do, so I decided to give him the entire cup since I could use a venti sized coffee instead today. He was so thankful. I am really glad I was able to do something for him, although it was partially for selfish reasons.

Make way for a homeless man and his cart & bags

In a fairly packed train this morning, at the West Oakland station, a homeless man squeezes himself onto the train along with a cart and 3 huge trash bags. Luckily, I was on the opposite end of the train, watching him push people out of his way with the trash bags. It wasn't too hard for people to make way for him since no one wanted to be near him and pushed themselves as far as they can possibly go, even if it was just inches.

Of course we've all seen the homeless on BART, but with a shopping cart and 3 completely packed trash bags during commute hours? Shouldn't there be some enforcement around that??

M.Y.O.B.

An elderly woman on the train had a serious staring problem and just can't seem to mind her own business. Not only did she stare at everyone around her up and down, and up and down, she actually told a woman to zip up her purse to avoid thefts, and told a man to hem his pants because the bottoms were wet from the rain puddles. I was ready for her to say something about me since I've caught her staring at me every time I glanced her way, but she never fired away with a comment.

Sure, her comments and persistent staring were harmless but to the rest of us, the general rule on BART is Mind Your Own Business. I don't tell the passenger next to me that he has food stuck in between his teeth, and he doesn't tell me that I left a button undone. I guess this woman was trying to be helpful but the two people she talked to sure did not appreciate her comments and thought she was annoying for not minding her own business.

M.Y.O.B. -- that's the general rule on BART.

Can't get worse than a delayed train on a rainy day

First day back at work from maternity leave and of course it's gotta be a horrid commute. The train was 8 minutes delayed and by the time it reached Orinda, it was at max capacity. I ran to the end of the train and still barely squeezed myself on. After the 15+ folks squeezed onto the end of the train, there really was barely enough air to breath. The windows were misty and fogged, and faces were about 4 inches from each other. It was nearly impossible to NOT make eye contact since eyes were at every angle you turn. My arms were touching someone, my back was touching someone else, my hair was touching someone too. And don't even get me started on the scents-- you can smell what someone had for breakfast, and if it was just coffee, consider yourself lucky!!

I felt bad for shorter passengers. I saw many of them struggling to hang on to the overhead safety bar. One woman next to me barely grip the bar with her fingers and as as result, she kept on holding on to ME!!!! I looked at her, and she said, "I got to hang on to something, sorry." I felt bad for her so I let her push me for balance every so often.

Just when I thought things could not get worse...a young man walked in at West Oakland who seemed to have bronchitis. His deep, thick, cough scared everyone on the train. I swore I tried my best to hold my breath until we reached SF but couldn't do it of course.

Finally after the mass exodus at Embarcadero and Montgomery, I sat down and drenched my hands in Purell. I didn't even try to catch my shuttle, with the delayed train, I missed 2 shuttles already and wasn't going to bother running.

Great way to get back into work with this morning's commute! Thanks for the welcome, BART!

Yet another very frustrated passenger looking for some sign of improvement

I received this email from a passenger who has every reason to be fed-up. Not only did he have a bike stolen twice at the North Berkeley station, he brings up some other complaints that would make all of us question why we pay up to $12 or whatever the max is now, for a 3rd-class ride. I'd like to know how many bikes are stolen each year at BART stations. If the figure is high, what has BART done to prevent bike thefts?

Anyhow, take a look at the email below. Thanks for writing-- know that you are not alone! We feel for you! We want to see change too.

**********

For the second time in a year, my bike was stolen at North Berkeley BART Station. Actually, the first time they only took my rear tire, but regardless, I was stranded at the damn BART station trying to get home. It is obvious from a quick scan, and confirmed by the BART police officer to whom I made a report, that a bike or two probably gets stolen every week, if not every day. This is completely inexcusable. I had stopped riding to N Berkeley because I decided I needed the safety of the bike cage at the downtown station, which has in fact proven to be a nice (if terribly inconvenient) solution. This was the first day in a good long while that I parked at N Berkeley, but apparently one day is all it takes. And it was a used, beater-bike, totally locked up.... I don't get it. They must have had a nice set of tools. What about a couple of cameras installed so we can at least get a glimpse of the thief in action? What about a little more security that encourages the bench-sleepers and others who seem to camp outside the station to move along? Only a small fraction of commuters lives within walking distance of a BART station, and they should be doing everything they can to encourage people to NOT drive... I find their total lack of interest in encouraging and protecting bicyclists (and everyone else, for that matter) really frustrating. And of course I can't bring the bike on the train with me (nor do I really want to) because you are not allowed to during commute hours. It's like they are trying to drive away business. The police officer I spoke to was refreshingly candid when he said that BART is one of the most expensive commuter systems in the country and provides the lowest level of safety and service he has ever seen. As someone who sinks well over $1000/year in fares into the stupid system, I'm pretty pissed off.

Since I'm in a venting mood, I have to also say that I am really annoyed at the laissez-faire attitude that the station agents take with fare jumpers. While waiting for the officer to arrive to the N Berkeley Station, about ten minutes, I saw at least 5 people just waltz into or out of the station through the emergency gate. These were not BART employees. There was no obvious reason why they should be allowed to just avoid the fare. Three of them were clearly of the homeless set. Is it any wonder that so many BART cars appear to be the personal bathrooms for various people? I am all for allowing the occasional pass for someone who needs to get somewhere and cannot afford it, but that seems to me to require some sort of permission slip, and presumably that would be the exception, not the rule. I find myself feeling much the chump for paying my round-trip fare every day when many dozens of people don't feel the need to bother. The same thing happens in the Downtown Berkeley station where they have the bike cage. I have seen scores of people coming in and out of the supposedly closed north entrance to the station, which is supposed to only be an emergency exit. There are signs saying alarms will ring, cameras are watching, etc, etc, but people come in and out of there with impunity. I think it is an offense to all of the paying riders for BART to essentially ignore these things. They can't protect our stuff, they can't enforce the basic rules... hell, they can't even protect us!

The broken-window theory of neighborhood blight is a well established phenomenon... That's where junky yards, broken windows, vacant houses, etc, tend to attract crime, which leads to more blight. It's like trash on the side of the highway leading to more trash being thrown there. You have to take care of these things or you get snowballed by worse and worse problems. When you consider how often BART is delayed or otherwise has other service problems, these other annoyances and dangers become even more frustrating. I think these are all pointing to the same fundamental problem... BART needs a major attitude adjustment. If I park my bike of BART property, I expect some security in exchange. If their system is insecure, fix it! I did my part (locked, crappy bike, left it and returned in daylight hours... what more can I do?); it seems like they should be liable. And if I pay to get on and off the train, then everyone else should too, unless they have a really good reason. And if people are pissing in the cars or otherwise making the commute really unpleasant, they should be taken to task for it. What are the cameras in the cars good for anyway? And open the stupid bathrooms in the stations please! Good grief. We're all much more likely to die from diseases contracted from people crapping on the train than we are from some terrorist threat.

5 days and counting

My 5 months maternity leave is coming to an end. On Monday, March 2nd, I will be back to the daily grind and commuting via BART. I look forward to sharing some new experiences, opinions and interesting observations with you again here.

BARTing with the little one

Today, I finally decided to take my now 4 months old to the city via BART. We've been bringing him everywhere by car but I've hesitated on the BART experience for all sorts of reasons. First, if you've read previous posts, you know that I cannot ride BART without drenching Purell on my hands immediately after. So naturally, I didn't want to expose my newborn to a germs nest just yet. Secondly, I just wasn't sure if there would be room to fit a stroller on the train, especially when crowded. I've seen strollers causing parents and surrounding passengers problems on trains. Then there is the elevator issue-- elevator conditions are always an unknown-- they are either out of order, dirty, or too crowded. Finally, I just wasn't sure how my 4 months old would react to the loud squeaking of the train movements.

I have to say BARTing to the city with an infant isn't bad at all and certainly beats Saturday traffic across the bridge. We found enough space on the train both ways to position the stroller. We actually didn't have to deal with elevator or escalator issues because we were able to take apart the stroller and use the stairs. The little guy was calm throughout the ride. And as for germs...sure, sneezes and coughs were all around us as were shoes on the seats, but a bath as soon as we got home fixed that. All in all, the experience was fairly easy and we got to the city much faster than we would have sitting through traffic on 80.

Will we take the little one to the city by BART again? Definitely!

BART Collision Photo

Sure, we frequently experience delays but we seldom get to see the cause of our delay. This evening, two trains collided, causing 10-15 minute delays (which we've learned through the years really mean 15-20 minutes).

The photo looks like it's straight out of the movie set. Hope passengers were safe although Michael Cabanatuan of SF Chronicle reports that 9 passengers were injured. The last thing BART needs right now is another lawsuit and more bad PR.

Wi-Fi coming to BART! But it'll cost you.

Finally, BART is embracing Wi-Fi access, which I know many commuters have long been hoping for. However, as Rachel Gordon of SF Chronicle reports subscribers will be charged about $30 a month, $9 a day, $6 for two hours and $300 for a year's subscription.

With all the powerful networks and capabilities mobile devices are equipped with these days, I personally no longer see the need to use Wi-Fi on BART. I answer work emails and compose work documents on my Treo, and now the iPhone. Sure, I'll have to wait to pass the Transbay tube and other underground areas for an email to send, but the delay is relatively harmless.

So, would you pay for Wi-Fi on BART? Please vote and let us know!

No smoking means NO smoking - A note from a rider

This rant came from a rider. Another example of how some passengers have complete disregard for rules. Good for her for confronting the smoker!

******

I'm a regular BART rider getting on at the Concord Station. Waiting in the queue for the next SF train, I suddenly smelled cigarette smoke. Now, how many signs are there posted in and around the BART station that there is No Smoking, Eating or Drinking anywhere within the gates, platform and of course trains? Well I looked to my right and here’s a guy just puffing away. He seems to be a regular, that is, he seemed very comfortable with the routine and looked like a regular business commuter, not a traveler. There were already several people in my line, but none in his yet, but no one said anything. I finally yelled over that there is no smoking on the platform and that he should put it out. He sort of glanced at me, then approached the edge of the platform but didn’t say anything and I could still see the cigarette in his hand and smoke emanating from his mouth. I repeated myself and then said that I would call the station agent if he didn’t put it out. He quickly stated he was putting it out and, to give him some credit, he did dispose of the doused cigarette into a proper receptacle, and didn’t just smash it underfoot.



I mean, it seemed he thought it was perfectly fine to do so – probably has and no one ever says anything. Now if I can only get the guy who smokes near the end of the parking garage at Concord to stop or move into the open area – the smoke just collects and wafts throughout the entire first level of the structure – yuck!

Clock is ticking on my maternity leave...

Thanks to all of you who have been patient with the intermittent writing on BART Musings the past few months. I will be returning to work full-time first week of March and will no doubt have interesting observations to write about! I am still looking forward to my first BART trip with the baby-- I've chosen driving over BART the past couple of trips to SF mainly because of the time (around Noon), but in the next couple of weeks, I hope to take him to the Ferry Building and Pier should the weather cooperates and will write a full evaluation of just how baby-friendly BART facilities are.

BART Police Shooting at Fruitvale - Your Take? (Updated)

We've all heard about the recent BART police shooting at the Fruitvale Station and the victim's family's decision to sue BART for $25 million. While we wait for the facts on what exactly happened and why a gun and not a Taser was used, the bottom line remains that an unarmed man on the ground was killed. Yet, I personally cannot understand how the victim's attorney came up with the figure of $25 million. Some of the comments on SFGate got pretty heated and personal. I'll keep my mouth shut for now until further facts are revealed. What's your take on this mess?

Updated: I try to keep this blog clearly related to BART and commuting and have purposely kept out any political and personal perspectives. This event crosses these boundaries but my role is not to make any judgment but to encourage conversation. However, somehow, people have publicly made this a racially driven occurrence, which I strongly disagree with. How is this incident racial profiling? How is this police brutality? Can't it be due to the officer's lack of hands-on experience with force? Or perhaps his lack of training? Why must we jump to the conclusion that this shooting was driven by race? Yes, it is frustrating that we have not received any formal statements from him concerning what happened, but how can we immediately paint this as an "execution" because of color? Now ironically folks are describing the victim as a saint, a martyr. This man had a record! Of course he did not deserve to die but he is no saint. He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Yes, there is plenty of police brutality and racial profiling in this country but that shouldn't be the immediate explanation for everything. I will now focus back on BART and commuting but I needed to get this out of my chest!



On an unrelated note, please see the BART Musings interview feature #3 below.

BART Musings Special Feature-- Interview #3 -- A former DC Metro commuter's take on BART

The third Q&A features Mike Disharoon, a former Washington DC Metro rider and current BART commuter. Sharing his experiences with the DC metro, Disharoon offers an interesting take on BART's strengths and weaknesses. His overall satisfaction with BART is between a 8 and 9, which most of us would consider as quite high. Perhaps those of us who've mostly lived in the Bay Area and have not tried out other transit systems on a long term basis don't realize how efficient BART really is. That said, there are still improvements (some very basic ones) that need to be made. Thank you, Mike, for your time and perspective.


BART Musings Special Feature-- Interview #3 -- A former DC Metro commuter's take on BART


1) You used the Washington DC Metro for quite some time before moving back to the Bay Area, how would you compare the Metro to BART, in terms of efficiency, ease of use, service, reliability, and finally, cleanliness?


It’s an interesting comparison because the systems share many striking similarities since they were built in the same era (along with Atlanta’s MARTA system): hexagon-shaped cars with upholstered seats, a mix of urban underground and suburban above-ground stations, and fares that vary by distance.


I think the biggest difference is that the Metro is much more heavily traveled than BART – about 800K daily riders compared to about 375K for BART – and as a result the commuters are much savvier: people stand on the right and walk on the left on escalators, crowds naturally part outside of car doors to let people off before trying to get on (a personal pet peeve of mine on BART), and on crowded trains people actually move down the aisles so that more people can get on.


Of course, the downside is that the trains are MUCH more crowded, and chances are you’ll never get a seat during commute times unless you get on well outside the city core. And they really pack those trains – I wouldn’t recommend anyone claustrophobic try to ride the Metro during commute hours. One thing that helps is that while Metro trains are very similar in design to BART, each car has three sets of doors (instead of the two found on BART) making loading a bit more efficient.


BART really shines in terms of reliability. The Metro trains don’t really run on a set schedule, so unless you can check their real-time arrivals info on your computer or phone you need to get down into the station to be able to tell when the next train is coming (which can be particularly frustrating on nights or weekends when trains run 20 minutes apart). Metro also has much more frequent delays (particularly on their overloaded Red Line), and the lack of set schedules means you often have numerous trains backed up in the city core; it’s not uncommon to stop and wait several times in the tunnels between stations as you wait for the train ahead to clear out.


I generally find the systems to be similar in terms of overall cleanliness (trash on the ground and the condition of seats and carpeting), but the stations on the Metro system are magnificent compared to their BART cousins – particularly the underground stations (http://flickr.com/photos/mikedish/946693416/in/set-72157601088905588/). Throw in the fact that the directional signage and maps on the Metro were coherently designed (http://www.vignelli.com/home/transportation/washington.html) in a way that is both effective and attractive, and the Metro offers a much more pleasant overall aesthetic experience compared to BART.


2) What are three characteristics of the Metro that you wish BART would adopt?


1.

Use color-coding for different lines. BART will always be a difficult system to navigate due to its unique trunk-line issues (“wait, which of these four lines do I need to take to get to Walnut Creek?”), but taking advantage of the existing color-coding on the system maps would at least help new and infrequent riders make better sense of how to get from point A to point B. Using the color-coding would also help people navigate the abbreviated lines that run during commute hours (like yellow-line trains that stop at Concord rather than Pittsburg/Bay Point).
2.

Extend serviced on weekend nights. Like BART, the Metro runs until midnight during the week, but on Friday and Saturday nights it stays open until 3am or so. For public safety reasons alone I think BART should offer similar service until the bars close on weekend nights to help get drunk drivers off the roads. Perhaps using the limited stations model that BART ran last year on New Years Eve would be a way to extend service hours past midnight while containing costs somewhat (though I assume that noise complaints are also a major factor in shutting service down at midnight).
3.

Increase building density around BART stations. It amazes me that we have this extensive public transportation option in the Bay Area, yet few large apartment buildings or condos are built near the stations (outside of downtown SF and Oakland). If we’re serious about getting more cars off the road completely (for both environmental and traffic related reasons), one of the best things we could do is provide more ways for people to be completely car-free – like building more apartments and condos that are walking distance to BART. High-density residential building is something that can be seen along most of the Metro’s more suburban routes, like the Orange Line corridor in Arlington, VA, where each Metro stop is surrounded by several ~10-story apartment buildings. Having density like this also supports enough walking distance retail that people can live completely car-free aside from the occasional Zip Car rental for picking up larger items.


3) What do you like least about BART? Why?


Personally, my biggest problem with BART is the lack of timed transfers for reverse-commuters like myself (i.e. when I get to MacArthur on an SF-bound train I have to run downstairs then up to the opposite platform to get to the Richmond-bound train that always seems to leave right as I’m getting to the top of the stairs), but I can’t make a good-faith argument that this is a truly monumental problem for the system (main-flow commuters should clearly be the priority there). So I’d say my biggest problem that doesn’t just affect people with commutes like mine is the midnight service shutoff on weekends.


4) What do you like most about BART? Why?


After getting used to the “hope a train is arriving relatively soon” randomness of the DC Metro, the scheduled trains on BART are a treat. Combined with the recent real-time arrivals feature that I can bring up on my phone, I can be fairly confident that I’m not going to rush out of the office or dinner with friends only to find that the next train won’t be arriving for another 15 minutes.


5) You have a fairly short commute in terms of distance between work and home, why do you choose to take BART? How has it worked out for you?


I take BART every weekday from Rockridge to Downtown Berkeley, a three stop trip that only takes me about 25 minutes door to door if I time things right. While this isn’t enough time to really get comfortable and make any serious progress on a book or anything, in my opinion it’s still light-years better than driving in terms of stress, annoyance, and cost, and has allowed my wife and I to go down to just one car (which she drives to her non-BART friendly job in Pleasanton). I also get regular exercise walking to and from the stations, which is a great side benefit.


6) You've recently had the opportunity to experience transit systems in South America. What are some characteristics that stood out? How are they different from BART? Anything that BART can model after?


The two systems I recently had the chance to ride were Buenos Aires’ Subte and Santiago’s Metro. Both are purely underground systems with small cars that would have trouble on long, outdoor lines like those found on BART, though they are effective for the big crowds that ride each system. The technology is a bit lacking as there are no signs that notify riders of the time to upcoming trains, and with no air-conditioning they leave the windows wide open in a way you’d never see on BART. One other interesting difference is that the Santiago trains run on rubber tires (I assume inflated though I couldn’t quite tell), making for an incredibly smooth ride in comparison to other systems.


The upside is that both systems are incredibly cheap: $.25 a ride in Buenos Aires, and about $.30-.60 in Santiago depending on if you ride during commute times or not.


Given that these systems are vastly different than BART in numerous ways, there isn’t much that I think we can model. One aspect the Buenos Aires system handles well is identifying the line that a given station serves by coloring all the signage to match (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_(Subte_de_Buenos_Aires)) and in some cases the wall tiles as well (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/9_de_Julio_(Subte_de_Buenos_Aires)), which is a big help when transferring. Unfortunately, that’s not something that would be very useful on BART since so many stations serve multiple lines.


7) How would you rate your overall satisfaction with BART and why? 10 being most satisfied.


I would rate BART as an 8, maybe even a 9, because it consistently achieves it’s fundamental purpose: it gets me where I want to go in a relatively straightforward fashion, and I rarely have delays of 5 minutes or more along my (albeit relatively short) commute. I’d love to see upgrades in the directional signage that would add a bit more order to the chaos and generally upgrade the look and feel of the overall transit experience, but those are extras that are hardly the top priority for the system.


8) Rockridge Station as your point of origin each morning, how do you deal with the tight parking situation there? How well do you think BART handles parking in general?


Thankfully, my apartment is only a 10-minute walk from the station so I don’t have to worry about parking. I generally think that we should be encouraging people to park at BART to keep their cars off the major highway choke points (the Bay Bridge in particular), but clearly we need to price the parking in a way that will help demand to better match the existing supply and prevent shortages (not to mention generate revenue for the system).


Parking is a valuable resource, and while I don’t have much of a problem with subsidizing it for BART given that it ultimately gets cars out of the more gridlocked areas of our transit network, charging a nominal fee prevents shortages and should still represent a significant cost savings for commuters whose only other option is driving to their location and paying for parking there.


I’m not that familiar with the history of how BART has handled parking, but I think it’s unrealistic and unreasonable to expect free parking given modern realities. And of course my preferred solution is to build more housing walking distance to BART!


9) Do you use BART on non-work days? How well does BART suffice those needs?


My wife and I will often take BART into San Francisco on weekends for dinner or general entertainment, as the combination of speed (20 minutes from Rockridge to the Embarcadero, faster than we could ever drive and park) and cost (fare vs. bridge tolls, parking, and general car wear and tear) just can’t be beat. I only wish BART had a more extensive network for intra-San Francisco transit, though the Muni Metro isn’t a bad option. I also use BART for traveling to sporting events (primarily Warriors and Giants games), where even with the usual post-game rush I generally get out quicker and easier than if I drove and parked at the game.


10) What is the one improvement you'd like to see BART make immediately?

Extend service hours on the weekend for at least two additional hours. Maybe we can pay for it with some federal bailout money…

BART track fire between Lafayette and Walnut Creek

Have you heard about the BART track fire this evening? If you were on one of the disrupted trains, let us know how you felt BART handled the situation? Were you well informed? How helpful were the bridge buses?

Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Thank you for yet another year of support and time you've given to BART Musings. I absolutely enjoy reading everyone's opinions and have learned quite a lot. I am still on maternity leave but will return to full time work first week of March. Meanwhile, I will continue to read, hear, and observe anything and everything related to BART and BART passengers and post the most interesting on this blog.

Thanks again for all your support! Happy New Year!

BARTing with the Raider Nation

Let's get one thing straight first. My husband and I are longtime 49ers fans (great game, by the way!) but he was recently invited by a vendor attend the Raiders-Texans game in a luxury suite and appreciatively accepted the invitation. He figured the suite experience itself will make a Raiders game bearable. He decided to take BART to the Coliseum to avoid potential traffic on and off 880. He looked up the BART schedule for both ways and off he went to the Raiders game.

The first thing that went wrong was BART's next train signage. When he arrived at the platform, it said next train, 2 minutes, and 22 minutes. He waited 10 minutes and the next train was still 2 minutes away. Then, suddenly, the train that was supposed to arrive in 2 minutes disappeared! Without any announcements on when the next train will arrive, he and others waited and waited...it took him 1 hour and 15 minutes to get from Orinda to the Coliseum. Ridiculous.

Now, once he FINALLY got on the train, the BART ride itself was quite "interesting". Inside, there were many Raiders fans, of course. A few of them were actually drinking beer on the train! Where is the BART police? Apparently, there were 2 groups of fans drinking; one drinking Corona, the other drinking Bud. When they saw each other drinking and appearing intoxicated, they happily, and loudly toasted each other and screamed profanities related to the Raiders. How lovely.

Not that all Raiders fans are like this of course, but this experience only reinforces the stereotypes of what most associate with the Raider Nation.

Anyhow, my husband's BART experience to the Raiders game was quite negative-- while he did enjoy the suite experience, he left at half time to beat the BART crowd in the return trip.

Yet another reason to take BART....

$5 tolls! My goodness, the frequency of increases is starting to get ridiculous. Yes, I know this is for retrofitting but what percentage is truly going into that? And what about the money previously put aside to complete this project? I'm sure there is an obvious answer for that as well but the bottom line is, at this rate, in this economy, we're not far from a $10 toll. The "just take it out of the people's pockets" mentality will never go away.

Drive or BART..what I ended up doing on Saturday night

If you had a chance to read my previous post, you'd know that I insisted on driving while my husband wanted to take BART into the city on Saturday night for a semi-formal company holiday party to avoid weekend traffic across the Bay Bridge.

Well, as adamant as I was, I conceded and took BART into the city in my dress, high heels, accessories and a heavy coat. I really had preferred the comfort and cleanliness of our own car but gave in to BART for two main reasons: 1) with a 7 week old precious little thing at home, both of us wanted to enjoy the open bar and did not want to be the designated driver, and 2) my husband swore that the Palace Hotel was less than 10 steps away from the BART exit.

I hadn't been on BART for some time since I've been on maternity leave so the ride was QUITE interesting. Sure, there were a few people dressed nicely to attend the opera, holiday concert, or company banquet, but there were PLENTY of interesting characters as well. I was also shocked just how crowded the train was-- it was more crowded than a weekday peak train! Or perhaps, we were just lucky enough to pick the train with the most passengers going to the airport with huge suitcases. I also witnessed plenty of passengers who reminded me just why I used to carry a bottle of Purell with me to work. One guy picked his nose and grabbed on to the safety bar, one women scratched her inflamed acne before holding on to the pole, while another sneezed into the hand that held on to the handle. I made every effort to balance on my high heels without touching anything but my husband. The air was stuffy and my eyes started itching too for some reason.

But as we arrived at Montgomery (or should I call it Dubai Tourism Central), I was pleased to find out that Palace Hotel was indeed about 8 steps away from the exit. For that, I was happy to have taken BART. "Let the party begin" I thought...I conceded for the right reasons.

The party was wonderful!! I had the opportunity to meet and chat with some very nice people who made the evening very fun and entertaining! He certainly works in a company with some good, decent people. My husband and I had a great time and safely took BART home. It was a lovely evening.

So, in the end...yes, I conceded but I was glad to have taken BART although I have to say, it was an unpleasant ride to the city being overly crowded and full of passengers who did not care much about personal hygienes....but hey, that's BART, and I'll be back on there full time soon enough. I guess the important thing is that we had a good time and we were safe. Thanks to all who chimed in.



Oh, and p.s. GO BRUINS!

When BART just isn't an option...at least in my eyes

Now, tell me if you side with me or my husband! It's a funny situation really. Tomorrow night (Saturday) is my husband's company holiday party. I'd categorize it as a semi-formal affair. Being on maternity leave and spending most of my days with my precious newborn son, I've sort of been looking forward to dressing up and spending a nice evening out while my in-laws take care of the little one. I have my dress picked out and will be wearing a coat I've never worn before. Bottom line is...I'm looking forward to an adult evening and dressing up.

Now, my husband just said that we should take BART instead of driving because the Saturday evening traffic will be horrible. Yes, I know the traffic will be awful and we had already set expectations that the drive across the Bay Bridge will take a long long time. But to take BART to avoid traffic? I can't wear a light black dress on the train! My legs will be exposed and with a strong wind passing by, who knows what else?!? It's just not feasible. I'd much rather be sitting in traffic but in the comfort of our car! If I was dressed in pants or even a long dress with long boots, yes, BART is not a problem. BART to Giants games? Sure! But I just don't think BART is the ideal mode of transportation for a semi-formal affair! Not to mention the forecast indicates RAIN tomorrow evening..which of course will make traffic worse, but will make BART ride wet and slippery too! I'm not arriving with my hair and dress half-wet.

Am I wrong here? I'm pretty adamant that we're driving in traffic tomorrow night.

BART Musings Special Feature-- Interview #2 -- A daily commuter

The 2nd interview features a frequent rider/daily commuter since 2005. The questions simply focus on how he views BART and what he likes/dislikes about it. I'd say his opinions of BART are actually fairly positive but he's just started taking BART since 2005, relatively recent. I'd like to compare his responses to someone who's been taking BART for close to 10 years...the differing opinions would be interesting to read. (Thank you to the interviewee for giving his time!)

BART Musings Special Feature-- Interview #2 -- A daily commuter


1) How often do you take BART? Which stations are your origin and destination?


I ride BART an average of 3-4 days per week round trip between Pleasant Hill and Civic Center station. To and from Civic Center, I transfer and ride the MUNI metro out to the Sunset district.

2) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being most satisfied, how would you rate your BART commute experience? Why?


At this point, I would rate it a 7, for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's been awhile since BART has served up any truly awful delays. If you would have asked me back in the Spring of '07 when they were having all of those computer problems and massive delays, I would not have been nearly so generous. Also, when you compare it to the awful lack of reliability and slowness that I experience on the MUNI portion of my commute, it makes BART seem pretty reliable.

3) How do you feel about BART's destinations? How well do the routes serve your needs?


The routes serve my needs reasonably well at this time, it goes most places I need to go and is usually a reasonable alternative to driving into downtown San Francisco or Oakland. One thing I have always thought would be intelligent for BART would be to offer service along the 680 corridor... basically linking Walnut Creek BART with Dublin/Pleasanton BART a stop along the way at Bishop Ranch.

4) How do you feel about BART ticket prices? Why?


I feel that prices are reasonable. It costs me $9.30 round trip from Pleasant Hill to Civic Center and back. Bridge toll alone would cost $4.00, and there is no way I could make it to the far side of the city and back on $5.30 worth of gasoline, even at today's low prices. Nevermind parking costs, wear and tear on the car, and time lost to traffic each way. BART seems a bargain by comparison.

5) How do you handle parking? Do you believe BART should charge for daily parking? How do you feel about BART increasing the parking fees?


I used to use reserved parking, which worked pretty well, and seemed a fair cost for convenience. Once I moved a mile and a half away from the BART station, I started riding a bicycle to and from the station, so parking is a piece of cake. I actually think riding the bike is faster than driving and circling the parking garage is.

I think that charging for reserved parking is a good idea, so long as there are people willing to pay, and there is ample parking still available for those who do not want to pay the premium. I think that a modest daily parking fee is fair, since it is a fee for use of the facility. I don't agree with raising fees much beyond a dollar or two because I think it would tend to discourage more people from taking the train.

6) Do you feel that BART's train interior serve the needs of passengers well? How can it be improved?


They need to finish removing those filthy carpets. It would be nice to see some more racks or open areas where airport-bound travelers could stow their luggage. Also, more grab handles for standing riders, and I really like the idea of adding a third set of doors in the middle to help people enter and exit the trains faster. If I'm making a wish-list, I'd also add a display in each car that tells you the name of the station you are at, and the name of the next station you are approaching.

7) What do you like most about BART? Why?


The thing I like most about the BART system is that it is fairly consistent and reliable (at least it has been lately). I have pretty good assurance that I will get to work on time and home around the same time each day. The thing I like most about riding BART is that it allows me to use otherwise-lost commute time for personal pursuits that I otherwise don't really have the time for. In the morning, I get to read the paper cover-to-cover, in the afternoon I can usually read a good 25-30 pages of a book. In a household full of kids and family obligations and the stress that accompanies that, it is nice to be able to have a solid block of time twice a day to decompress.

8) What do you like the least about BART? Why?


The thing I like the least about BART is the infrequency of service. Nothing is more galling than getting to the bottom of the escalator and seeing that the Bay Point train just left, and the next one won't be there for 10 or 15 minutes. They really ought to be able to provide more frequent service, particularly on the busiest line. This does not seem to be a problem on most other metro systems I've riden on.

9) Do you have commute alternatives? Why do you select BART?


My only real alternative would be to drive myself into the city. I choose BART because it is more attractive than driving. Driving would mean having to pay for gas, bridge toll, battle traffic all the way into and then through the city, then have to pay for daily parking once I arrived. Then, I would have the fun of fighting traffic all the way home. I find driving in traffic to be frustrating and stressful. Given that as my alternative, I'd prefer to have a comfortable train ride each way and deal with the occasional delay or bothersome fellow passenger.

10) How many years have you taken BART? Do you feel like it has improved or gotten worse in general? Why? Please consider all elements from customer service, ticket pricing, train schedule/routes, on-time ratio, train operator performance, station condition, to train interior...etc.


I have riden BART daily since 2005. I have riden it intermittently since the 1980's. I'd say that overall, BART has gotten quite a bit worse, but I don't really blame BART for that. I have far more unpleasant rides today than I recall having in the distant past. BART 20 years ago was essentially the same from an operational standpoint, but it was much less crowded, and there seemed to be far fewer rude, disgusting, or frightening fellow passengers. I can't really blame BART for that, I think that is more of a symptom of society in general.

Valid complaints from a regular BART commuter

I received this email from J.A.B., a regular BART commuter and completely relate to his reaction to such annoying and inexplicable behavior from fellow riders. Honestly, I think there are 3 types of riders: the first are people who just get it and always know to move efficiently and considerably, the second are people who are just plain clueless and are unaware they get in other's way, and the third are people who just don't give a **** what they do and what others think.

J.A.B. brings up some very valid points in his rant below! Tell me if you relate or not! I certainly do! Even though I've been on maternity leave for over 2 months now, reading these scenarios still brought out some sighs and chuckles!




I have to vent about a couple things I observe and experience way too frequently on BART that I consider serious breaches of the etiquette of the daily commute. (For the proper definition of ‘etiquette’ in the rush-hour commute environment please see me in person during 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. on most weekday mornings.) These breaches are annoying to me every time I see them happen or experience them, so I should label them offenses, because that is what they are. They have no redeeming social value whatsoever and on my best days they annoy me. I wonder if others have noticed and experience them too, and what your reactions and thoughts are.

The first is the inexplicable pausing near the top of the up escalator by the walking traffic line. If you haven’t experienced this just simply get in the line that walks up the escalator, the one on the left. If it’s not completely packed you will find yourself going up at a certain pace then, depending on the length of the line, you will halt. This could happen 3-4 times as you go up. When you get close enough to the top you will see the cause: people pausing significantly or stopping altogether as they near the top of the escalator. Why, people? Why? You’re walking up the escalator, which are pretty big steps, bigger than the actual stairs and those in your home or where you work. Then, just as the steps get smaller as the escalator reaches the top, you stop or slow way down. Why? You’ve already done the hard part, you walked up the steep high steps. Now you get to the top, where the steps get smaller and smaller until it’s flat and you slow way down or stop. Why? It is actually getting easier at that point but you all pause or stop like you have to jump that last 5 feet.

I note that some women are wearing what I consider difficult shoes and I understand why they need to tread cautiously. But I also notice that frequently those women don’t slow down as much as the real offenders. They get it. Probably because they’re 4-inch heels taught them how to negotiate that part. But the rest of you: Why? If someone who does this has an answer I’d love to hear it. If you’ve never thought about this, perhaps you should pay attention at that moment of your commute and ask yourself why you’re doing it. (I also note that this seems to be less of a problem on the down escalators. For some reason folks seem to be able to handle this particular problem a little easier going down.) And this happens every single day, without exception.



The second issue is what I call the “I want/am going to occupy the space where you’re standing,” regardless of whether the train is stopped or moving. When this happens while the train is moving it is especially egregious. Either way it is an offense. This one happens in different ways but a typical one is like this: I will be standing (because I ALWAYS have to stand, which I generally don’t mind, BTW). I will be standing in my spot, wherever that may be, and someone will come up and say, “Excuse me.” By their words you might think they want to go past. In some cases I know it is impossible for them to, either because I’m standing right next to the door or there are just too many people on the other side of me. Whichever, they’ll come up and say “Excuse me” indicating they wish to pass. But they don’t: instead, they want to occupy the place where I’m standing. Sometimes I know this as soon as it happens (see above); sometimes I don’t realize it until after it has occurred. This morning, e.g., I experienced the latter. I got on a car where all the seats were taken and there were a handful of people (4-5) standing in various spots. The middle of the car was unoccupied with standers so I went there, as did one other commuter. The other 10 or so standers were either gathered around the doors or spread out in different spots, none of them near where I was in the middle, except for the one guy, about 2 feet away. At the next stop about a dozen or so commuters got into the car. One came up behind me, said “Excuse me” and when I leaned over as far as I could to let her pass, she simply stopped where I was. Now, there was no reason for this kind of proximity, this doubling up of standers in the aisle, given the available space in the car. BTW, I have experienced that kind of crowded conditions but that is when there are about 50 people standing in the car, which was nowhere near the case this time. The only thing I could imagine was her motivation was to be next to one of those handles that are on the seats (not the poles or the overhead bar). Essentially what she wanted was to occupy the space where I was standing.

Another frequent example is I’ll be standing and the train is still moving but someone, overeager to exit the train, gets up from his/her seat and seeks to stand where I am standing. This one bugs me even more for a number of reasons, (1) it’s a safety hazard to make some move while the train is moving, (2) it assumes I cannot move out of the way when the train stops and people are exiting, and (3) it is basically you telling someone to “get out of my way,” which your mothers should have taught you is rude.

Now, half (maybe a little less) of the time I would be willing to relinquish my space. But I want people to be honest about it. I want them to say, “Excuse me, I want to stand where you’re standing. Would you accommodate me?” If you don’t realize you’re doing this, please be a little more mindful of your actions and others. If you want pole position at the door to be the first off, go there and stand there, like the rest of us do when we want pole position, or make the move when the train has stopped. But don’t ask someone to move so you can have his or her space just because you want it and without a good reason, especially when the train is still moving. That is rude, plain and simple. And rudeness in the commute is no good for anybody. Thank you for listening.

BART Musings Special Feature-- Interview #1-- David Vartanoff, Transit Enthusiast/Historian

As promised, I am doing a few interviews with those with a different perspective on transit who can offer their point of view on BART. The first Q&A was with David Vartanoff. David has been intrigued by trains since he was very young and long followed and studied trains from different locales. Below is my conversation with David. Special thanks to David for offering his time and opinion. I know I certainly learned something and I hope all the readers will too!

BART Musings Q&A with David Vartanoff

Q: You are a multi-decade transit enthusiast/historian. That is extremely interesting. Can you tell us a bit more about what that entails? Which transit systems have you traced, experienced, or researched.

A: I have loved trains, subways, streetcars from infancy. Railfan is the polite term. That said, I spent many hours during summers in Chicago riding, watching the L and mainline RRs there. After Granddad gave me a camera at age 11, I began documenting trains on film. Since then I rode the last day of streetcar service in DC, the last day of the 'North Shore Line' between Chicago and Milwaukee, sampled the Cleveland/Shaker Heights Transit Lines, the last 4 Baltimore streetcar lines and living in Philly as both "transit" and main line commuter. When I lived in NYC, I rode nearly every route end to end and both the last run of the Myrtle Ave El, and the first service on 6th Ave to 57th (since extended through new runnels to Queens). In the post BART new systems era I have sampled DC, Boston, LA, Baltimore's new lines, Portland, Sacto, and San Jose. Not having got off this continent, my knowledge of foreign systems is indirect.


Q: What do you think are BART's strengths? Have they changed throughout years?
BART's 'strengths' are decent time reliability and convenient train arrival signage. I should say both of aspects were unreliable in the beginning.


Q: Which transit systems would you rate as amongst the best in the US? In what ways can BART learn from them?

A: Chicago and New York, despite mistakes and need for more routes, both cover at least a great deal of the neighborhoods. Both systems have cleanliness issues but as a rider a dirty train @ 3 AM beats walking home. BART needs to offer high usage discount passes with better fare integration with bus systems.

Q: You were at BART's opening day, and the opening days for many of the new routes. Do you feel that BART has met passenger expectations? As you've read from the comment sections on Bartmusings.com, many passengers have complaints about BART. Complaints from no parking, to frequent delays, to unclean stations, to not enough safety handle bars on trains. Do you think most passenger complaints are legitimate? Are these complaints common in other transit systems?

A: Depends on which of the promises anyone believed. BART said in pre-revenue propaganda, seats for everyone trains every 90 seconds. The cars had NO hand-grabs for standees when delivered. Never did they achieve the 90 second headways. BART was sold to the voters as Buck Rogers space age public transit, and NOT a subway system. As such, the carpeting and comfortable seats were supposed to connote upscale commuter rail ala LA Metrolink. Ridership, however, is greatest in the very urban core BART tried to discourage. Note that urban riders pay a higher % of the net cost of their trips.

As to service quality, ALL systems tend to generate complaints. That said, BART's on-time stats are good; most times I ride, I am not delayed much. The cleanliness issues are really class issues. Suburbanite who come with high cleanliness expectations are unrealistic. Without frequent cleaning, which is not economically feasible, such expectations will never be met. Some years ago there was a website called The Weekly Breakdown for Chicago riders to vent. Their complaints were more serious--broken down trains, broken faregates etc. Similar complaints come from New Yorkers. Bay Area suburbanites' cleanliness expectations of BART will never be met.

Q: What are some of BART's weaknesses? In what ways would you like to see BART improve?

A: BART has an extremely poor routes, station design and locations. The cars are overly cushy instead of practical. There is NO 24/7 service, yet it has an overcharging fare system, and no express service.

Q: Now, let's focus on commuters. How do Bay Area commuters differ from others you've witnessed?

A: As I've mentioned, Bay Area commuters have unrealistic expectations of comfort. They also do what I consider "silly" lining up at platforms and exhibit "amateur commuter" behaviors like staying seated until the train has arrived at their station.

Q: Do you ride BART? What's your personal opinion of it, as a passenger?

A: Yes although as I do not have a regular same location job, my usage is random as to both time and route. While I believe I have a valid view of BART, ultimately this interview is my opinion, others will see things differently.

Q: How and where can we find some of your writings on transit systems if we want to read more of your work?
A: As a long term Rescue Muni member, Google will find many of my comments in the RM yahoo group.

Decreased BART Ridership

All these talks about giving up seats to this or that person....it might soon enough become a non-issue as BART ridership continues to decline. During the spring and summer when gas prices were ridiculously high, a lot of folks turned to BART. Now that prices have dropped significantly, many of the new riders have gone back to driving. At the same time, with the weak and vulnerable economy, layoffs have taken even more riders off BART, leaving the trains with more room (according to KRON4)!

Are tough times ahead for BART? We definitely should lower or rid any expectations that improvements will be made to the trains and stations in the foreseeable future.

The Experiment Controversy

You all know by now that I purposely and silently watched for a few months whether passengers would give up their seats to a very pregnant me or any other pregnant women in need of a secure space to sit. The end result was that no one offered their seat. While this suggests that good manners no longer exist, another school of thought is "all you need is ask". I agree with both, and realize that yes, we very much live in a society where if you want something, you better go after it!

I adopt that school of thought in pretty much all aspects of life, from work, to keeping my place in line, to finding a good shopping deal, but maybe I'm old fashioned because I was taught to also give to those who need it more than you. There may be very few people, if any at all, who think like me; who would voluntarily and instantly vacate their seat (designated handicapped seat or not) for the elderly, disabled, a very young child who can hardly stand, or anyone who looks like they might need to sit down, including a pregnant woman.

Yes, I know we can ask for the seat but the point was to see if anyone is considerate enough to offer. Alas, the answer is clear.

A moment of BART appreciation

New motherhood has been wonderful although time to myself has gotten scarce. Thanks for everyone's continuing support and patience. I will still try to write whenever I can, and post the interviews as well (one day soon, I hope)!

Today, my husband, a daily car commuter, needed to take BART to SF for a meeting and then back to East Bay for work. The thought of taking BART to multiple locations and then back did not please him at all, in fact, he contemplated on driving this 3-destination trip until he saw how awful the traffic was. Well, his verdict? How easy BART was! Yes, as often as we all complain about BART's little quirks and imperfections, it is a great and fairly efficient system that has simplified our lives!! Nice to acknowledge that sometimes! If I had to drive across the Bay Bridge daily to get to work, I'd probably age much faster and would have lost quite a few hairs from frustration.

A quick question for train operators out there!

My sister flew in to visit me and the baby today and she told me that the train operator mumbled each station name upon arrival...she says it was inaudible and incomprehensible practically!! Luckily, she found a seat within viewing distance of a map so she counted and cross-referenced each station with the route map. She even said that 2 couples (also with luggage, coming from SFO) missed their stops because they couldn't hear the station announcements!!!!

I've written about this before, if you recall....when I ride transit systems in Europe and Asia, it's generally a loud, clear automated recording in native language and English (most of the time too, not always). But why not BART??

Also, do train operators feel that they should announce each stop loudly and clearly? Is it considered their responsibility to? It should be!!!

More parking fees from BART coming-- fair?

In a crunch to balance their budget, BART has decided that one of the ways to generate extra $$ is to increase fees at 7 stations. Check out Rachel Gordon's article on SF Chronicle, if you haven't already.

It's a tough time for everyone right now, so I understand that something MUST be done. BART is also postponing refurbishment of trains, which makes very good sense at a time like this. However, isn't there something else they can do that does not involve parking fee increase? Or anything that will take more out of our shrinking wallets?

It's a boy!

Just a quick note that I delivered a week prior to due date and am now a mom of a healthy and precious baby boy!!! We are loving every second with him and enjoying new parenthood!

More to come on BARTMusings soon, including interviews with BART employee, passengers with varying needs, a train historian, and passengers with widespread international train commuting experience. These will be posted gradually during my maternity leave as well as some interesting BART related news, for example, the next post I'm about to make!

Monday, 10/20, last day to register to vote!

All of you likely are already registered since it seems like our little community here on BARTMusings is pretty well-informed and involved but just in case you've been too busy to do so, or know a friend who has yet to do so, voter registration ends midnight Monday!

I've kept politics out of this blog and will continue to do so because that is not what BARTMusings is about. But I definitely encourage everyone to go vote! As for me, I'm a permanent absentee ballot voter, and have casted my vote already.

I'm now 4 days away from my due date...any day now! So please do excuse me if I suddenly stop blogging for awhile...although, I'm happy to say that I've got a couple interviews in progress :) Stay tuned!

Thoughts? Extending Pittsburg/Baypoint line to Antioch

BART officials held a public meeting Monday night and will hold another on Friday regarding a projected $500 million extension that would continue BART light rail service from the Pittsburg/Bay Point station to Antioch, a 10-mile extension.

I am all for it IF and ONLY IF they appropriately increase the number of trains from Pittsburg/Baypoint to SF to accommodate the expected exponential increase in ridership!! Also, build/use more trains with fewer seats and more handle bars! We will need it with all those new passengers onboard. Peak hour trains are already maximum capacity on most days-- some adjustments will definitely need to be made if this extension becomes reality!

BART newbies a good thing but also problematic

Got an email from a reader today who brings up a very good point. I've actually written about it a couple times and often think about it while riding BART. The previous wave of gas price surge, plus the trend to be green, have certainly increased BART ridership, as we all know and experienced firsthand! But how quickly do these new passengers learn to adopt some BART rules and etiquette? Based on my observations, NOT VERY QUICKLY!

They take up 2 seats with briefcase, purse and luggage, they don't know the proper way to line up, they block doors, they eat/drink (but so do BART vets), they don't prepare their ticket in advance of entry, they ride on the wrong side of the escalators...amongst many other little things. Not a huge deal most of the time but you can certainly ID who's new on BART and how's not.

The reader today had wanted to raise an important point...he/she asked for a DIRECT LINE to BART because:

i need to make a suggestion that they begin to more stringently enforce the "no bikes on escalators" rule. with increased ridership comes newbies and people who don't care. and the bart station agents are all over the place in terms of enforcing the rule.

All the BART employees out there who read this blog, can you help? We know about the contact us page on the website, but is there anything else we can do to get some rules enforced??

A couple thoughts and 10 things I won't miss about commuting daily via BART

I am now on maternity leave and 3 weeks ahead of my due date. And while I won't be riding BART daily for awhile, I certainly will still be riding or experiencing it in some way as I will have family visiting who will likely use the system, I will also soon gear up for the BART employee/passenger interviews that I had been planning to conduct (thank you to those of you who volunteered!!), and when the time is right, I want to see what it will be like to ride BART with an infant. Wouldn't that be interesting? A whole new experience and something completely new to write about.


I thought a good way to kick off the maternity leave is to write a few top 10 lists in the next couple of weeks addressing the good, the bad, the funny, and the ugly.

So 10 things I won't miss miss about BART commuting?

10) Fighting for parking spaces with another car
9) Dashing up the escalators to get to platform level only to see the train depart
8) On a particular warm day, sitting next to someone who is unlucky enough to suffer from bad body odors
7) Smelling someone's hearty breakfast, lunch, or dinner, while they are chomping away
6) Being hit in the head (while seated) by a standing passenger's laptop bag while he adjusts his position and moves around his arms
5) Grabbing the last available seat only to find out that it is partially wet and you don't know why
4) Getting dirty looks and comments from airport BART riders when you nicely ask them to remove their suitcases and bags from the TWO other seats they are preoccupying
3) Train getting held up because someone pulls the door open to come in while it was closing (once the train was delayed for over 5 minutes because of this!)
2) Seeing someone spill coffee all over the floor or on other passengers when it could easily be avoided....at least it didn't spill on me I guess although a couple times, it came close
and # 1 is......
1) Arriving late at Civic Center Station, dashing like mad up the escalators to try to catch the company shuttle only to get on street level and see the shuttle pass right by me!!!


That was fun! The next list will be a positive one!

Final Experiment Update

If you recall from a few months ago, I was doing a little "experiment", well, more like a social observation, where I, as a pregnant woman increasing in belly span by the week, would see if anyone gives up their seat for me.

Now at 37 weeks, I've reached my last day of work, and I am not at all surprised to report that the number of passengers offering me a seat is ZERO. I understand and have heard all the potential reasons why people do not...they don't want to assume someone is pregnant, they may not have seen you, or pregnant women are not "handicapped". True, very true, and if you read my previous entries about the "experiment", you'll know that I do not feel that I am entitled in any way and am proud to hold on tightly to the safety bars to maintain my balance at this late stage in the pregnancy.

Still, I can't help but wonder, has our society become so self-centered? All those excuses aside, many expectant BART passengers do look undoubtedly pregnant and some clearly look like they need to take a seat, and even during those moments, no one gives up a seat?? Or a frail older woman struggling to stand straight is right in front of this seated young man, and he turns around the other way and goes to sleep. How can one do that??

This is not about me, it goes way beyond that. Frankly, I'm disappointed that we've become such a selfish and uncaring society. Of course there are still considerate people out there who believe in helping others, but seems like that population in dwindling.

One thing I know for sure is that I will continue to give up my seat for anyone in need. Call me traditional, but I still believe in respecting elders and helping those more in need. And in many years from now, when my first born grows up, I will teach him the very same thing.

Still in need of volunteer interviewees!!

A couple weeks ago, I made a post seeking any BART employees or passengers who don't mind being interviewed by me during my upcoming maternity leave to keep this site going and to provide everyone out there with differing perspectives on BART. We all can be educated on actual facts and diverging perceptions, yes, passengers AND employees both.

I only have received an email from one expressing his willingness (thank you again!) and perhaps have a possible 2nd through a personal acquaintance whose brother works for BART.

As I've indicated, you can certainly remain anonymous! The purpose is education, not to get anyone in trouble! Employees who want to shed some light on how BART truly works? Any passengers out there who've seen BART transform through the years?? Or any first timers willing to share their experience and evaluate BART's ease of use? Let me know!! bartmusings@gmail.com

Thank you!

BART SFO Route to the rescue again!

I can't say enough good things about the option to ride BART to SFO! I've said it many times here but here I go yet again! This past weekend was an extremely busy weekend with family and friends visiting but because they are able to easily take BART to the airport, it has made our life easier! Especially now, with the direct routes from Pittsburg/Baypoint to SFO, my family no longer worry about transfer points. I supply them with the ticket, and off they go! They love that we skip the Bay Bridge traffic, the 101 traffic, and the airport local traffic. They love the fact that BART brings them right into the airport quickly and easily.

It's a great option to have!!!

Do BART Police Cars Need Sirens?

On a jammed freeway, I saw a BART police car, not equipped with sirens on top (the top was just plain and flat like a normal vehicle), honking nonstop with their hazard lights on, and trying to cut off other cars to get ahead. Weird sight. Do they really have another emergency to attend to? If there really is such an urgency, wouldn't the stations just call the local police to take care of the matter? Does BART police really need to get from one station to another in an urgent state? Because without sirens, by the time they get there in that traffic, I can't see them being of any help anymore.

It was just a weird sight. I'm not doubting their importance, but it is quite awkward seeing them honk nonstop with their hazard lights on in order to try to get around....if there's such a need, why not just install sirens? And what type of emergency would require BART police over ambulance or the local police force who can get there a lot more quickly?!?!

Interviewees Needed!

In my upcoming maternity leave, I plan to keep this blog active and kicking with new personal experiences, observations, news, and...feature interviews with BART employees and passengers.


Of course, I will need your help to make that happen. I know that train operators, station agents, BART administrative staff, BART management, and BART police have read this blog and often share their perspectives and opinions, sometimes critical, other times spiteful and mean, but most of the time, fair. The rest of us have many questions about BART and BART's future. If any of you are willing to be interviewed by me (I can do this anonymously too), please do email me at bartmusings@gmail.com

From the passenger's perspective, I'd like to interview 1) a long-time BART commuter, 2) a recently converted new BART rider, and 3) a mother with children who must ride BART to get to their destinations. If there are any of you out there who don't mind sharing your perspective, please do email me at bartmusings@gmail.com. I am more than happy to keep your name confidential.

PLEASE give this invitation a moment of consideration! It will only help both sides more clearly understand their differing perspectives. Thank you!

Now, in case you're wondering, can she interview? :) Legitimate question! I have a grad degree in Communications, and I work with press daily in my job. Hope that'll calm your nerves a bit. Thanks in advance! :)

BART's policy on train temperature, does anyone know?

Can any of you share with the rest of us BART's official policy, if there is one, on train temperature control, or is it up to the train operator's personal discretion? Asking because too often when the train is over-packed, with body temperatures rising, on a scorching day in the 80s/90s, the AC is not on. But yet on a cooler but still sunny day in the high 60s, like much of this week, the AC would be blasting, and passengers are shivering.

Just would like to learn what's behind the decision making here. Please do share! Thanks!

Cellphone use by train operators

Heard a question posed on KGO News Radio this morning. Should cellphone by all train operators (manual, computer operated, computer assisted, any and all types) be banned?

With the recent speculations around one of the causes of the tragic LA commuter train/freight train crash fresh in mind, I definitely think YES, please BAN ALL cellphone use by train operators of all types. I don't mean banning phones just the use of them during train operation. I know BART train operators work with a computer assisted system (please correct me if I'm wrong here!) but I still would prefer that they do not use cellphones at all. On several occasions (and I've written about this), I've heard chatters that got picked up through the intercom systems and were being broadcasted onto the trains. That certainly does not make passengers feel safe, not to mention it gives off a very unprofessional image. Of course, I know only a small percentage of BART train operators do that, but hearing a train operator's conversation about their weekend plans and hearing cuss words is not something you forget easily!

What do you guys think? If text messaging really is one of the causes of the terrible LA train crash, it is absolutely ridiculous and should never have happened!!! So I vote for banning all cellphone use by train operators! It's the responsible thing to do.

Raising peak hour fares to spread out demand? I say NO!

Have you heard of BART's latest idea? Because of the sharp rise in BART ridership the past year, specifically during peak commute hours, BART is thinking of raising fares during high-demand hours in order to encourage some riders to change their train commute schedules, making the trains a bit less crowded.

I ride during those hours and if the raise the fares, I will still ride during those hours. I have responsibilities at work and cannot just stroll in at 10:30am or leave at 3pm!

BART says it'll make the system safer? Perhaps. It sure gets crowded but there are other ways to accommodate more passengers. For one, CHANGE the configuration of the trains...REMOVE the cushioned chairs layout and replace them with benches! That will increase train capacity by at least a bit.

The definition of "crowded train" is completely different than what a "crowded train" is in Europe and Asia. Not that I want us to follow the standards of Tokyo and Hong Kong subways where max capacity means every body that patrolmen can push into the trains (that is frightening) but there are other things BART can do to accommodate more passengers during peak hours. I vote for seat reconfiguration!

Meanwhile, rising gas prices, the trend and pressure to become "greener" have pushed more commuters onto BART. Isn't that a good thing?

Please do not punish those of us who already have to work hard to keep up with the dimming economy!!

Those who need to be the first to get out of the train

I've written about this before but it's fresh on my mind again because I just don't understand why there are certain people who MUST be lined up right in front of the train doors way before the train stops and door opens.

Here's an example of I'm talking about: A woman who has been standing at the back of the train since MacArthur (leaning against the in-between glass doors to the next car), behind crowds of other standing passengers in a very packed train, begins pushing her way through all those people as soon as the train enters the Transbay Tube. I've seen her before, she's a BART commuter. So I know that SHE knows from her daily rides that more than 50% of the train exits at Embarcadero and she really does not need to push and shove everyone that early just to line herself up in front of the exit.

As you know, no one moves towards the doors until the T.O. announces "Now approaching....Embarcadero Station" while the train waits for the train in front to empty out, and we feel the brakes really set in. This woman can easily walk out leisurely with the rest of the passengers at that time. It'll probably take her 10 more seconds to exit. But instead, she insists on pushing and shoving people out of the way, "excuse me, excuse me, I am getting out at the next stop," while her two huge bags bumps into arms, legs, and faces. I've heard people tell her a few time, "So are the rest of us, lady! Just wait!"

Aside from her, I've seen others who do the same thing. They push through crowds way before exit time in order to line themselves up right in front of the door.

Not sure why people do that! Maybe they have a connection to catch? That's the only logical explanation I can think of.

Experiment Update - 2

Well, remember my little social observation on whether anyone would offer a seat to me as a pregnant woman? Again, I have no expectations and do not feel entitled to anything. I am now at 33.5 weeks and certainly much bigger than a month ago. I can still stand capably, but when standing, I certainly prefer leaning against a wall or door to help me balance and rest. I haven't fallen inside the train (did fall on escalators but that's my fault for being in a rush) so I guess my sense of balance is still manageable. However, all that aside, even while looking extremely pregnant, no one has yet to offer me a seat, not in the designated disabled seating area nor general seating area.

It's OK-- I'm fine, but this being part of my little "experiment", I just have to report the results so far. Doesn't matter that the seated passengers are young, middle-aged, or older, men or women, no one has asked me if I'd like to sit down, despite seeing my growing belly.

I am not judging-- I feel like I can still stand at the moment. When the time comes when I can't anymore, I will have no choice but ask one of them if I may sit instead. For now, I'm just observing....and seeing if and when I will actually meet that very FIRST volunteer.

Digital Device Dominance

This week, with many schools back in session and folks done with vacations, trains have definitely gotten fuller. With the fuller trains, I've also noticed a new trend. There are now more people using digital devices (laptops, ipods, treos, blackberries, iphones..etc.) to pass time on BART than reading paper-based books, newspaper and magazines.

The new dominance of digital devices on BART is consistent in every train car I've sat in. I'd even say it's now about a 60-40 split...60% using digital devices to preoccupy themselves during the ride. I've even personally contributed to this new trend. I used to bring in a magazine to read daily but now, with my new iPhone, I've got more than enough to read right in my palm. It's so easy!

Perhaps this will mean that we'll see less unwanted newspapers and magazine subscription postcards being left as trash all around the train!

I need to learn to slow down!

I've always been a fast mover, and that includes how I move within and around BART stations and trains. I always walk up and down the escalators, I always have my ticket in hand when I exit/enter, and I move at a very quick pace and do whatever possible to avoid wasting even a second since a second could mean missing the company transfer shuttle!

Yes, I know, I sound like nut case, but that's just how I've always been with BART. However, now being 32 weeks pregnant, I have not slowed down, until I learned a tough lesson today!

With time to spare today, I really should have calmly rode up the escalator on the right side to let my body rest, but of course, being the eager beaver that I am, I wanted to get up on the platform faster so I can get a good place in line to hopefully secure a seat on the train. So, I walked (or more like jogged) up the escalators quickly. Until...I totally fell hard! It was not a pretty sight. I didn't slip down the escalators but I was on my knees and took me awhile to get back standing with my big belly and all. My body shook...took me a little while to recover.

I learned my lesson. I need to slow down for the safety of my child! I really should not be moving so fast anymore because frankly, I am not the same person that I used to be, at least not physically. How scary!



On a separate and more positive note, I am glad football is back...both NFL and college. It's been depressing forcing myself to count the few positives to the dismal Giants' season, but now we at least have other teams to keep us preoccupied, although we still need to restrain our expectations with those teams too. I am a 49ers fan but as for my college team, I'll keep that under wraps since I may just upset some of you Cal/Stanford fans. :)

Making a living INSIDE BART trains

During a smooth ride this morning, I saw a kid, he's probably no more than 6 years old, selling a Costco-sized box of Snickers bars for $2 each, up and down the trains. I believe his mom, who appears to be no more than 25 years old, was standing at the end of each train, monitoring him, carrying another Costco-sized box of Snickers. It doesn't look like these chocolate bars are affiliated with any organizations or fundraising efforts. It purely looked like they were selling it...as is.

Although he is quite a cute little thing as he walks up the aisle, saying "Anyone want to buy a Snickers bar? $2 only. Snickers? Snickers? ", there really is something wrong with this picture.

While he was within my view, 2 Snickers bars were sold. The box was half empty...so he must have made some sales in other train cars. I think he could have done better in the afternoon as passengers tend to be more in need of a sugar boost. But then, I guess food isn't allowed on BART to begin with...yet another reason he shouldn't be selling these candy bars on the train.

Shouldn't he be in school? How can his mother let him do that up and down the trains? Has someone alerted the train operator?

But then again, I had to think from their perspective. Maybe they are struggling to keep food on the table and need this money? I don't know what to think but I hope this is just a very temporary solution for that family.

Did I help them or embarrass them instead?

For a sleeping Monday morning, I was pretty darn observant. I generally read my Treo, my magazine, or stare blankly at the window, but today, for whatever reason, I saw two passengers wearing brand new tops to work: one woman had the size sticker on (a long strip of adhesive that says L L L L L) and a man who had a price tag from Nordstrom sticking out of his left sleeve!

I was surprised that I was so observant! Not one but TWO passengers?? Maybe it's because my husband just wore a brand new shirt to work and I had to do the tag check on him....but for whatever reason, I felt obligated to tell them.

So I politely told them both. They were very embarrassed and immediately removed the size adhesive and price tag. What I didn't MEAN to do was make everyone around us look at them and chuckle!

Hope I didn't embarrass them too much. I really only had good intentions in mind!

Experiment Update - 1

On August 4th, I mentioned a little experiment I am conducting on BART. It's really just for fun and I expect nothing profound out of it. I was really just curious how often do seated passengers offer up their seat to a visibly pregnant woman who may or may not be struggling with balance. I'm further along in my pregnancy now (30.5 weeks to be exact) and certainly visibly pregnant. I'm not huge but anyone would recognize that I am expecting. So far, no one has offered me a seat. It's OK, I'm holding on and balancing just fine on my own still. Not expecting anyone to offer me special treatment since in the years of people-watching on BART, I rarely witnessed seats being offered to pregnant women.

Were you affected by the cracked rail this morning??

Luckily, today was my San Jose day...I go to SJ once a week since most of my department is based there.

I heard the delays were pretty horrendous this morning, platforms were packed beyond standing room capacity, passengers were confused and frustrated, tourists demanding refunds, kids crying and screaming, and no one could easily figure out what was going on since the announcements over the PA were inaudible and BART personnel were not readily available to answer questions. With the heat, I can only imagine how bad things were.

Were you personally affected too? How bad was it?

Anyone else got the Olympics fever?

I've been watching the Olympics telecast nonstop-- even when the results are already known! I've always enjoyed watching swimming, but even events like beach volleyball, diving, and ping pong have been fun to watch. Every evening this week, I'm just glued to the TV, flipping between different Olympics programming channels. It's exciting! Whether it's Phelps, USA Basketball, or something as obscure as handball, I'm glad the Olympics are here. I'm actually more of a Winter Olympics fan but this 08 Olympics has been addictive to follow.

Now, why am I talking about this? Seems like lots of people have caught the Olympics fever. I hear people talking about it on BART platforms, trains, lines at supermarkets/drugstores, lines for coffee...etc. Olympics has actually brought some level of friendliness to the daily commute! I haven't personally initiated any conversations around Olympics w/ strangers but I've had strangers commenting to me about Michael Phelps and asking me if I saw....I, of course, watched all his events and responded accordingly!

So, do you have the Olympics fever too?

One more week of comfort and relaxation on BART before....

We have one more week of comfort and relaxation on BART before some local universities begin. After that, lots will be more packed, seats will no longer be vacant, trains in general will just be more crowded and tighter. Then after Labor Day weekend, parking lots will be over max capacity like pre-summer days, and there will be limited standing room on trains again.

The summer months are just so pleasant because we get to experience a more leisurely BART experience due to everyone taking vacations, colleges being out on break, people minimizing their work hours...etc. It's been a nice break from the typical hectic peak commute scene! :)

It'll be tough to say goodbye to these pleasant days. Enjoy this week, everyone!

BART train operator misses a turn! Nothing about BART surprises me anymore

Something I thought couldn't happen on BART happened this morning. Not during my ride, but the ride of a reader who was kind enough to let me share her story with everyone here. A train apparently took the wrong route by missing a turn. Is this human error? Computer glitch? It can't purely be a computer glitch without human data entry...

You've GOT TO READ THIS STORY below. Thanks, C.T. for sharing!


This morning I got on the 8:29 train from Hayward (headed toward Richmond), and all seemed well. I was peacefully reading my newspaper and ignoring the train conductor announcements, when I noticed that we had pulled into the West Oakland station.



Okay, I did get on the right train? The Richmond line does not go to West Oakland. We had been moving kind of slowly, but I didn’t think anything of it. The conductor (is that what they call them?) comes on in a CLEAR voice (unlike the monosyllabic station announcements) and mentions that we missed our turn. We missed our turn? WTF? How do you miss a turn on a train? Apparently, there was a little “computer” glitch that caused the train to head to San Francisco instead of Richmond.



We were detained at West Oakland and turned around. The conductor walked through the train to the other side (you know the snake-like qualities of BART are somewhat amusing) and headed to the other end, so that we could indeed head toward the North Bay. You could hear passengers everywhere whipping out those cell phones calling their bosses to explain their tardiness in advance. Somebody’s job interview DID NOT GO WELL.



Anyway, my usually uneventful 30 minute BART ride, turned in to a 60 minute ride. Thankfully, I didn’t have to transfer.