The 12th Street station in Oakland, California will provide an initial test of a rail transit safety technology known as screen doors. Screen doors are rare in the United States, but not in other parts of the world.
Funding from the $3.5 billion Measure RR is allowing BART to test out "screen doors" on the platform at the 12th Street BART Station in Oakland.
"BART is looking at screen doors as a long-term way to deal with overcrowding at Embarcareo [sic] and Montgomery stations," reports Roger Rudick. "The idea is with the screen doors more people can squish onto the platform without the risk of someone falling onto the tracks."
Screen doors are in place most famously in Paris and in many other parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. But no North American transit systems (of the non-airport-people-mover variety) have adopted the technology yet. According to Rudick, screen doors in other countries are also paired with driverless trains. "It’s hard to imagine that screen doors, if they succeed, wouldn’t lead to serious calls for BART to go driverless too, at least on some lines for part of the day," writes Rudick.
FULL STORY: Screen Doors Coming to Oakland BART Station
The Many Ongoing Public Transportation Projects of the Bay Area
The San Francisco Chronicle offers a round-up of 11 big transit projects, by Caltrans, BART, SFMTA, and others, making progress around the bay.
BART Closes $35 Million Deficit
Cost control and revenue generation measures prevented service cuts.
BART to Raise Fares in January
The transit agency says it needs more state and federal support to meet its operating costs and avoid a growing budget gap.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?
Pedestrian Deaths Drop, Remain Twice as High as in 2009
Fatalities declined by 4 percent in 2024, but the U.S. is still nowhere close to ‘Vision Zero.’
King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents
The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.
Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing
Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie