BART Wants to Hear from You
Please join the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) in Dublin, CA, as it seeks input on two critical issues. Translation services and child care are available if requested 72 hours prior to the meeting. Refreshments will be served. Topics for this series of meetings include:
Temporary Fare Reduction Options
BART has a surplus for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010, due to funds unexpectedly received from the State of California. BART is considering an idea for how to use these funds to show our appreciation for our riders, which is to implement a temporary reduction. This meeting is your chance to weigh in on a fare reduction option. Attend this meeting to hear proposals and provide your own input. Your ideas will be considered by BART’s Board of Directors.
Defining “Major Service Changes”
In accordance with federal guidelines, BART is seeking public input in defining what constitutes a “major service change.” Attend this meeting for an opportunity to contribute your voice to developing this definition.
The Meeting will be held at Dublin Public Library 6:30PM – 8:00PM on Monday, June 14. For more information, please contact June Garrett, BART Government & Community Relations, at (510)464-6257 or jgarret@bart.gov.
6:07 AM on June 14th, 2010
I can’t make the meeting but would love for an online submission- Most are just too busy in their lives to take a night off from family to join this meeting.
I’ve taken the subway systems in most major cities in the world and can say that BART needs to do the following:
1) Redo the inside of cars- no more gross carpeting- Put down plastic style flooring- Same goes for the nasty upholstery. No other major city has carpeting and upholstery as they hold stains, smells,etc and look bad pretty fast.
2) Pretty up the stations. No one likes going to a station and having it look so run down. The market st station is an embarrassment for me to bring people to..
3) Use more advertising- This is probably needed in order to pay for the above items— I would love to see “Oracle” branded trains, “Apple” Trains, “Chevron Trains” etc– That is, a number of trains that are totally branded by a large company (ones that can afford it).. Inside the trains could be ONLY ads from that company– outside of the train can be totally vinyl wrapped like this:
http://www.amcacanada.ca/Sites/omac/images/Cies_Products/vinyl%20train.jpg
You could perhaps even get sponsorship for each station (much like you get with football and baseball stadiums.. Why not?
4) Get rid of 2 things that seem rediculous: One, drop the computer voice stuff in the stations. Record a nice voice saying, “Dublin bound train arriving in 2 minutes” and all those other times,etc Once recorded, they can be digitized (or do that from the beginning). There is no need for computer voice stuff from 1990. Also, most BART on-train announcements lack any enthusiasm and are barely audible- Those should be prerecorded too (most major cities have the same).
If you make the trains nicer, and the stations nicer, then the experience is better— I think many people would consider using BART for weekend transportation to the city if it just was a nicer/cleaner experience–
I know that I”m only a once every few months BART rider but I”m sure every-day BART riders would like the improvements too– plus with the ad revenue perhaps fares could decrease–
6:37 AM on June 14th, 2010
1. I can’t make this meeting, but does anyone else think BART should put the money away for a rainy day? It seems like they are always having financial problems and now they need to spend money? I would imagine there must be requirements to spend it? I hope that is why they are doing this…
2. John Z – Did you get a mailed invite from California State Senator Loni Hancock for an event at the Dublin Public Library? Its this Thursday. Its called Facing the Budget Crisis and says, please join Senator Loni Hancock and other Tri-Valley area State Representatives for an Interactive Event. Take the Budget Challenge. Try your hand at balancing the California State Budget. Thursday 6/17 – 6:30 – 9:00pm. The Dublin Library Community Room. For more info call 510-286-1333. Co-Sponsored by Next 10.
- I would love to go but can’t make this either, but I think citizens of the community should definitely attend. The wording almost makes it sound like we are invited to a challenge to balance the budget… because our legislators can’t?
7:24 AM on June 14th, 2010
Hi Anonymous – I wish that I could attend the meeting with Loni Hancock. Unfortunately, I have another meeting scheduled for the same date and time.
Cheers, John Z.
7:48 AM on June 14th, 2010
Maybe some of AD’s readers will be interested in attending.
11:16 AM on June 14th, 2010
This meeting serves three purposes. 1. State Senator Hancock will essentially be asking the public to do the work she was elected to do for her. 2. State Senator Hancock is essentially using public money to secure her base and reach new voters in Dublin. 3. State Senator Hancock is part of the outreach campaign to make sure Senator Barbara Boxer is re-elected.
4:29 PM on June 14th, 2010
Temporary fee reduction? That totally does not make sense to me. Remember not long ago, they had problem agreeing on the employee’s outrageous salaries package and almost paralyzed our only public transit for most bay area residents. It seems to be more like a political card they are playing with our residents. Instead of reducing fee, they should keep it as a reserve for the rainy days, and streamline the process of replacing the old trains. As we all know, there are train delays periodically, due to the “MECHANICAL PROBLEMS”. Due to the many MECHANICAL problems, we would have enough problems to keep our huge technical support groups busy and have reasons for them to work overtime and getting paid well. I am sure all bay area residents need is not about the temp reduction, it is a reliable train system in which all stakeholders are accountable to the final users. We are far from there yet. By upgrading the system, it will dramatically reduce the on-going maintenance cost and of course may lead to consolidation of different department. It could be a painful process for some BART employees, who have been enjoying the favorable work condition for them of getting good pay. However, it will ultimately makes BART a financial viable and accountable organization to all of us.
2:44 PM on June 15th, 2010
A few comments above are very concerning. Anytime I see that someone blog about the Republican or Democratic party and make a view political and take “cheap” shots I become annoyed. This is one of my favorite websites to gather data and views on our community. Lately I find the comments about political views disturbing.
4:11 PM on June 15th, 2010
Why disturbing? Is it because some of the comments are not pro- (your whatever) party? But keep in mind this is a free forum and people can exercise their first amendment rights.
Going back to check what comments may annoy you, I can only remotely find a comment about State Senator Hancock and US Senator BB. Is that what you are complaining about? Should we just all praise they did a great job? Would that make you happy? You are the one that is too politically charged and biased.
12:12 PM on June 16th, 2010
Go get some diapers if you are annoyed.