BART

Oakland skyline and San Francisco Bay

The Biggest Transportation Winner on the Nov. 4 Ballot

The ballot measure generating the most new transportation funds approved by voters this month was in Alameda County, Calif. Voters chose to double an existing sales tax to one percent and extend it to 2045, raising $7.8 billion over 30 years.

November 16, 2014 - Contra Costa Times

East Bay BRT Project Receives $81 Million in Federal Grants

Don't confuse East Bay Rapid Transit with Bay Area Rapid Transit: one's a bus, the other heavy rail. But calling it a bus does not do justice to what will be the Bay Area's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line composed primarily of dedicated lanes.

November 13, 2014 - San Francisco Chronicle

Two Proposed San Jose BART Stations on the Chopping Block

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) officials have sparked a controversy after announcing that they are likely to cut two of the four proposed stations, one in San Jose and one in Santa Clara, from BART extension plans.

November 4, 2014 - San Jose Mercury News

Late-Night Buses to Run When BART Service Stops

Alameda-Contra Costa Transit* and Bay Area Rapid Transit are considering a one-year pilot program that would provide transit service after BART's Cinderella-esque closing time.

September 16, 2014 - Contra Costa Times

BART Rolling Out New, Modern Fleet

BART and Bombardier Transportation have completed a two-part, $1.5 billion deal to modernize the BART fleet. The new cars are expected to test in 2015 and commence operation between 2017 and 2021.

January 10, 2014 - The Press Republican (Northeastern New York)

BART Headed Back to Bargaining Table

BART and its unions were tantalizingly close to resolving a long labor dispute two months ago when they reached agreement on a new contract. But a provision overlooked by negotiators has scuttled the agreement and sent both back to the drawing board.

December 12, 2013 - Sf Examiner

BART Wants to Revisit Recent Labor Agreement

For those who though the Bay Area's transit labor woes were settled when an agreement was signed last month: think again. BART's board of directors has ordered managers to reopen negotiations after they realized a key concession had been overlooked.

November 17, 2013 - Los Angeles Times

A Successful Commuter Shuttle that Serves more than Commuters

The Emery Go-Round is a shuttle service that meets the "last mile" challenge that prevents many commuters from using public transit. Unlike other commuter shuttles, it serves the greater Emeryville community as well. And the buses are full.

November 14, 2013 - NPR

BART Workers Strike Over "Work Rules"

For the second time in four months, during which time negotiations had continued, BART workers went on strike Friday morning, creating huge challenges for the 400,000 commuters who rely on it daily in four Bay Area counties.

October 18, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

Bay Area Preps for Yet Another Transbay Closure

This time it's not BART that's closing down. In fact, BART will be running 24-hour service after the Bay Bridge shuts down Wednesday at 8 pm for five days in preparation for the opening of the long-awaited, new eastern span on September 3 at 5 am.

August 27, 2013 - The San Francisco Examiner

California Ushers in New Rail Age

A new rail age is dawning in California, thanks to high-speed rail; BART's impending "fleet of the future"; and more, says Projjal Dutta, director of sustainability at NYC's MTA. If successful, this will mean a major reduction of car use and sprawl.

August 14, 2013 - Future Cities

Governor Keeps BART Trains Rolling

BART commuters were undoubtedly delighted to board trains on Monday morning thanks to Gov. Jerry Brown's last minute action to return BART employees to work for one week while a panel investigates why negotiations have stalled.

August 5, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

BART Unions Give Notice: Strike on Monday

Same drill, round two. After almost a month of apparently fruitless negotiations, the unions gave a 72-hour notice of going on strike. Unless an agreement is reached, 200,000 Bay Area rail riders will need to find alternatives for the Monday commute

August 2, 2013 - San Jose Mercury News

Gridlock Grips the Bay Area

Long lines for transbay ferries and the limited number of free charter buses operated by BART, packed AC Transit transbay buses, and traffic crawling on the S.F.-Oakland Bay Bridge show the effects of the BART strike on day two.

July 3, 2013 - KCBS

Bay Area Braces for BART Strike

Unless an agreement between two BART unions and management can be reached, the Bay Area may experience traffic gridlock on Monday if the heavy rail network shuts down, leaving riders in S.F, the East Bay, and Peninsula with considerably fewer options

July 1, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

In San Francisco, Massive Waterfront Projects Bring Transportation Challenges

A new arena for the NBA's Warriors and a $1.6 billion mixed-use development south of AT&T Park are among the projects planned for San Francisco's waterfront. But a transit system already at capacity presents a formidable challenge for planners.

March 8, 2013 - The San Francisco Examiner

'Modern' Cable Car Coming to Oakland in 2014

BART's Oakland Airport Connector will not look at all like the familiar cable car found across the Bay, but will be propelled by a moving cable similar to the Clay Street Hill RR in S.F. almost 140 years ago. The 3-mile ride to OAK will be 8 minutes.

January 3, 2013 - San Francisco Chronicle

S.F. Giants Celebratory Parade Causes Transit Surge - Records Broken

The Oct. 31 parade to honor the World Series-winning San Francisco Giants resulted in record-breaking numbers of riders taking BART, Caltrain, SF Muni and ferries to attend the parade who were accommodated by increased service. Why not continue it?

November 4, 2012 - San Jose Mercury News

BART Celebrates a Big Birthday, and Faces the Challenges of Middle Age

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. The "first in a new generation of American rail systems" when it was built, BART now faces the challenges of declining health and keeping up with the times.

September 11, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

BART Disruption Shows Regional Dependence on Transit

The June 14 shut down of BART's Transbay Tube that transports 110,000 daily East Bay/SF riders on four of the five BART lines resulted in one of the worst commuter nightmares the region has seen, showing how indispensable BART is to the Bay Area.

June 18, 2012 - San Francisco Chronicle

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.