My Platform - 13 Specific ways to make BART better for you

By Bob Franklin

Coordinate between Transit Operators: To bring in an era of cooperation, not competition, between the 29 separate transit operators in the Bay Area. AC Transit and BART compete in many ways. Only by working together can public transportation be a viable alternative to driving.

Make BART Cheaper!!!! To make BART cheaper - group discounts, regional fare structures, volume discounts. BART cannot financially compete with a group of 3 or 4 travelling into SF. But BART could compete if there were a group pass discount. BART offers a maximum discount of 6.25% for the majority of BART riders, on a $30 to $60 ticket. BART is expensive and should consider rewarding its loyal users. The Commuter Check program is an alternative in the mean time to lower BART costs through an employer-based pre-tax benefit program. Ask your employer about this great program.

Late Night BART: Public transit needs to operate later at least on Friday and Saturday nights. Work with AC Transit through Regional Measure 2 (money raised when bridge tolls went from $2 to $3) to offer this service.

Regional Fares: If you take a bus to BART, then BART, then another bus, you pay three fares. Bob is proposing zonal fares, so you pay one price per area in which you travel. Then you won't have to worry about the cost of fares, but only about taking the fastest combination for your needs.

Diversify BART's Energy Supply:
BART is a giant user of electricity, spending over $23 million each year to power its system. Diversity in sources of this electricity (wind, solar, geothermal,...) is the responsible and financially prudent thing to do, to limit the exposure to potentially wild swings in the energy market and to show our respect for the environment.

Share Adminstrative Functions: A consolidation of identical functions within transit agencies (i.e.: payroll, accounts payable,..) is a future savings within the public transportation industry, as dollars become increasingly scarce. BART is currently upgrading its computer system with a $35 million software upgrade, initially for its payroll and procurement departments. This new system has the ability to incorporate other agencies' work rules, and thus can be shared as a gesture of good will with BART`s partners in public transportation. With 29 separate transit agencies in the Bay Area, the more we can cooperate the better we will all be.

Consolidate Procurement: To seek out procurement deals with other agencies to obtain better contract pricing. BART is a specialized, unique agency, but BART can still seek purchasing opportunities with other agencies.

Reach Out to the Community: To reach out to all groups equally within the District to ensure their needs are being met. (seniors, low income, City Carshare, Rockridge's "UnderBART", Transportation and Land Use Coalition, BEST, the Castro Valley Farmers Market Group, the City of Berkeley, the City of Hayward, the City of San Leandro, the newly renovated Bay Fair Mall, the Piedmont Avenue Neighborhood Improvement League,...). For example, BART charges full price for City CarShare to park in its reserved parking lots. This nonprofit could receive free parking if more than one roundtrip on BART is generated by each car. They also want little green beetle stickers on BART's map by stations that offer this service. In general, to make BART a partner, not a competitor, with other agencies - this is needed to build a comprehensive transportation infrastructure and would benefit all the partners.

Increase Accessibility to BART through Parking Lot Management: To use parking lot management as a tool to increase accessibility to BART - charging $2 for 125 spaces (a fraction of a parking lot) would be enough to sponsor for the local community a free shuttle or for some other community driven improvement to make BART more accessible. (i.e. "UnderBART" at the Rockridge station could benefit from this to deal with the separation barrier that the BART station causes between the two sides of College Avenue, making this area brighter and more welcoming.)

More about Parking: Add carpool spaces at stations that do not have them, amend BART's one for one parking replacement requirement, offer to share the parking lots on weekends and evenings with the neighborhood, charge for all weekday morning parking at stations where demand clearly outstrips supply.

Improve Internal Relations: To improve internal relations between labor and management by making this a priority. Internal problems at BART distract from what should be the main focus of the organization: serving BART customers and building a great public transportation system in the Bay Area.

Station Area Improvements: North Berkeley: To add a small transit village with shops that capture Berkeley's character, developing ridership at one of the slower stations in the system. Downtown Berkeley: A better transition from the street to BART, to be tied into a future hotel. Real-time street-level train departure information. Bay Fair: A safer station, with improved walkways to the Bay Fair Mall. Rockridge: A cleaner station with real time train information at street level to allow people a few more minutes in the business district (instead of waiting on the platform.) Also, a shared parking lot with the Rockridge business district, when the BART parking lot has extra capacity. Fixing the area under BART to make it more accessible and inviting is also a priority. San Leandro: A pedestrian mall, connecting downtown San Leandro with BART. To better maintain this station and deal with the pigeon problem. BART's noise is another problem for the surrounding area. Hayward: Development of an office building on BART property adjacent to the station. This plot of land is an eyesore to the community, with the new City Hall and housing in the area. The station is also dirty and could use a sprucing up, to better fit in with its surroundings. Macarthur: Parking validation machines would be helpful, to deter non-BART riders from parking at the station and working nearby. This would free up parking for people wanting to take BART. A Transit Village would energize this area, offering housing units and businesses to serve the community.