By Noor Rizvi — A group of transit advocates organized by Transbay Coalition were thrilled to have State Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan join us for a bus ride-along last week! In a time when politicians and decision-makers seem disconnected from the public, one of the best ways to help elected officials truly understand the transit rider […]
This past year was the most successful year yet for Transbay Coalition’s work to improve transit, biking, and street safety throughout the Bay Area. Thank YOU for helping make that happen. Whether you donated, volunteered, came to an event, or spoke out for a better transportation system in the region, you made our region a
Two major projects completing the ring of rail around San Francisco Bay advanced in recent weeks. The $12.75B project to bring BART from Berryessa to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara broke ground. The project is now estimated to start rail service in 2036. The groundbreaking took place before VTA received a commitment from the
On Friday, VTA announced that the federal government would fund $5.1Billion toward the BART Silicon Valley project, about 41% of the cost of the project, currently estimated at $12.7 billion. This leaves a gap of $1.2Billion from the amount that VTA had been requesting, and a gap of $700million to complete the project, following the
The City of El Cerrito Design Review Board and Planning Commission are having a joint study session on Wednesday, January 17, starting at 7pm at City Hall in El Cerrito. The meeting packet (linked here) contains all of the latest information regarding the plans for the transformational project at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station.
At last week’s BART board budget workshop addressing the agency’s financial challenges, a number of BART board members encouraged exploring consolidation with other agencies. Board Chair Janice Li suggested that BART explore expanding the BART district to incorporate San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties into the BART district. Li also encouraged exploring consolidations, especially focusing
In September, BART changed its schedule to be more regular throughout the day and week. The new schedule eliminates 30 minute waits on evenings and weekends, providing at least 20 minute frequency throughout the week. The tradeoff for the additional service was a reduction of frequency from to 20 minutes at some stations during
Recent customer surveys of BART and Caltrain riders show similar patterns in trip purposes. For both brands, 61% of trips are work commute trips. About a quarter of trips using both services are for social, recreational, and other non-commute purposes. The agencies ask the questions slightly differently so the responses aren’t completely comparable. In
Recent customer surveys of BART and Caltrain riders show that walking, bicycling/scootering, and public transportation account for the largest share of station access – 59% for BART, and 71% for Caltrain. For both brands, the share of walking/biking/transit has increased in recent years – up from 50% since 2018 for BART, and up from 64%
In late February, the BART board held its annual board workshop. Major themes this year were financial stability and improving customer experience to regrow ridership. The need for a sustainable funding strategy including new funding was front and center given the change in work patterns affecting BART revenue. BART’s ridership historically has closely tracked downtown
At this week’s MTC Programming and Allocations Committee meeting on Wednesday morning and BART board meeting on Thursday morning, the Bay Area’s regional planning organization and largest regional transit agency are starting to grapple with the impending financial crisis when federal Covid relief funding runs out as transit ridership has been returning gradually. The Bay
INTRODUCTION The El Cerrito Plaza Bart’s selected development team shared their updated vision for transforming surface parking lots into housing and public spaces in July 2022. We encourage you to view the latest plans here. The development team also has a survey online where you can give feedback for each page in their plan documents.
In May, following requests from the BART board and San Jose City Council the VTA board agreed to move forward with two parallel review processes to investigate opportunities to improve the project, looking the potential for: Entrances on both sides of the street – important for passenger access and safetyBetter, easier passenger access to station
BART recently announced that an open house will be taking place at the Plaza BART station in between Central Ave and the north turnstiles. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, July 20, between 4:00 – 6:30pm. According to BART, the development team will be presenting their latest design concepts for the site. Additionally, staff will
Please sign our petition and spread the word! Below is why this action is important: We have a once in a generation opportunity to transform the El Cerrito Plaza BART station into a vibrant gathering hub with mixed-income housing, shops, restaurants, and public spaces. A thoughtful plan will enhance and serve the existing neighborhood residents
At this evening’s VTA board meeting, in the agenda item to approve the first stage of the major construction contracts for the BART Silicon Valley Extension (item 7.7), Mayor Liccardo has submitted a memo calling for reviews of the project to explore important improvements to rider experience and the urban fabric of San Jose, including:
On December 7, multiple public commenters spoke in support of the memo from San Jose Mayor and colleagues seeking welcome improvements to rider experience and urban design including additional station entrances and better transit connections, and urging review compared to the previously studied twin bore design, which would make it easier to solve the problems.
On December 2, the BART board supported a review of the BART Silicon Valley project to assess the current design against the twin-bore alternative studied in the EIR that may be able to deliver better rider experience and safety at lower cost. Directors Saltzman and Li expressed concerns about the ballooning cost estimates for the
This afternoon, San Jose City Council will discuss the project bringing BART to San Jose. Mayor Sam Liccardo authored a memo joined by colleagues Jones, Peralez and Davis urging VTA to take steps to improve the projects from the perspective of urban design and transit connections. The memo elevates a number of needs that have
The BART board will be meeting this Thursday 10/28, starting at 9am. The BART El Cerrito Plaza TOD will be on the agenda. More specifically, the board will be deciding on the what range of BART passenger replacement parking spaces will be built on the BART property. Staff has recommended a range of 100-250 spaces.
