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.