Cushy Seats Matter, Says BART

The San Francisco Bay Area's BART rapid transit system is being remodeled, which requires new seats. Planners are getting riders to weigh in -- literally -- on seat comfort.

1 minute read

April 27, 2011, 7:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


BART's designers infamously made the decision when the train was being built to have 2 sliding doors per car instead of 3, which slowed down loading and unloading considerably. Now BART staffers are working to remedy that, but a move to 3 doors will mean a narrower seat. Planners opened a "mobile seat lab" to solicit opinions on the change:

"Vince Cabrieto twisted his body into different positions, but he just couldn't find the right fit in the test seat for the BART train car of the future.

No matter what he did, he bumped shoulders or sides with the slender woman seated next to him.

"There's not enough elbow room," said Cabrieto, an Antioch man with a medium build. "I can't see sitting in this seat on my regular BART ride to Oakland.""

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 in Tr-Valley Herald

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Nithya Ramen talks to an older man. She is smiling and wearing a yellow dress. They are both outside.

Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor

Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.

November 7 - Los Angeles Times

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.