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What Do the Two New BART Directors Need to Know?

The transit agency welcomed two new directors to its board Thursday. What should their priorities be?

Two new BART directors were sworn in Thursday at the agency’s HQ in Oakland. Zakhary Mallet, who represents District 7, said one of his priorities is to investigate the possibility of a new station that would serve San Pablo, Pinole and Hercules. The new District 3 rep, Rebecca Saltzman, said her top priority was to keep BART running smoothly, according to the Bay City News Service.


What would be your top priority for BART: bikes, parking, new lines, cleaner trains, more trains during commute times, safer stations, 24-hour service, or something else?

After Mallett and Saltzman were sworn in, the board elected director Tom Radulovich of San Francisco as its president and Joel Keller of Brentwood to be its new vice president.

Keller said BART needs to make sure it raises enough money to pay for its long-term capital needs, which he said are at least $7.5 billion.

He said one way to accomplish that goal is to get state leaders to lower the two-thirds threshold currently needed to pass bond measures that benefit transit agencies and other governmental entities.

"The two-thirds threshold is such a high burden that even balanced measures have a tough time passing," Keller said.

He said the threshold should be lowered to as low as 51 percent.

-Bay City News Service contributed to this report. 
 

Tony Bongiovanni December 20, 2012 at 10:53 pm
It's time for BART to come our way, fellow Pinoleos. Maybe a Hercules transit station near where the Market hall.
We're a working class area and we deserve access to BART. It will also help keep us out of, and decrease, freeway traffic every day. Right now, If we want to go anywhere we have to drive, even though we pay for BART through our homeowner's taxes. Del Norte or Richmond station just doesn't work for me. Cmon Pinole, Let's make it happen
David December 20, 2012 at 11:53 pm
Immediately cut all pensions down to a maximum of 2/3 of the average of the worker's BASE salary over all the years worked for BART.
End paying for any medical care for retirees over 65. They have Medicare. Cut all salaries to market-rate. No mechanic in the private sector makes $150k plus benefits. No clerk who sits on his/her butt all day in the equivalent of a train station makes $100k in the private sector. Fire all "maintenance workers" who supposedly work on the escalators and elevators. Replace them with negotiated service contracts with private industry/suppliers of escalators/elevators. After all that, now see how much money appears to upgrade rolling stock, stations etc. Now stop whining about how "hard" it is to extract more money from taxpayers.
Jack Meehan December 21, 2012 at 01:29 am
In tha past, BART extensions (from El Cerrito, or downtown Richmond) were stalled by disagreements among the communities . . not just the routing, but the space needs for possible stations, especially PARKING! Think back: BART was to remove "many cars from the freeways". But the didn't realize the stations would be the "many cars'" destinations. The crunch we see today (overflow parking, fees, reservations, etc.) show how SUCCESSFUL BART has become. Yes, we need (and deserve because we've been paying for it for HALF A CENTURY!) BART service other than the feeble link by WestCat. A renewed convention of communities should begin formal discussions with the new BART board members.
CT- West December 21, 2012 at 02:18 am
A few things they should know or already know.
1. The late evening trains from San Francisco to Bay Point smell so strong of pot smokers you can almost get high from it. 2. Most of the train operators mumble so you can't make out the next train stop. 3. If Bart keep letting their employees dictate their wages they will go broke, most are overpaid and Bart keeps shifting off the expenses to us . Starting pay for Bart Police ...starting mind you.... $125 grand a year ,, Get real Bart.
David Yamaguchi Roe December 21, 2012 at 04:07 am
Extend BART North of El Cerrito Del Norte.
Kim December 21, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Extend BART to San Pablo and Sycamore Ave in Hercules (the vacant Market Hall), It's has been just a talk for decade for BART to reach out to Hercules, and nothing had happened although we, as homeowners, are paying BART but can’t really use BART services since it only stops in Del Norte Station. Hercules is a commuter's city with congested Freeway, Moved the Hercules Transit Center to the current location is waste of money and hassles to many commuters.
Carolyn George December 21, 2012 at 12:44 pm
The extension of BART to San Jose will be essential in relieving the strain on HWY 80/880.
Jerrold "Jerry" Parsons December 21, 2012 at 03:21 pm
BART to Contra Costa Community College in San Pablo, Hilltop Mall in Richmond, and then to the Dynamic City of Hercules.
Tony Bongiovanni December 22, 2012 at 03:07 am
I'm glad to see others feel the same way about BART coming out towards Pinole/Hercules.I don't follow the comment about San Jose relieving traffic on 80. It won't change a thing on our side of the MAZE. but if it does, it will really have an impact when we get our deserved BART station, decreasing traffic even more .I say we do everything in our power to make this happen
Ellen Hershey December 22, 2012 at 03:24 am
It's great that BART is now serving bicyclists, except that cars havoe not been retrofitted to accommodate them. As a result, bicyclists have no choice but to crowd near the doorways, obstructing other passengers trying to enter or exit trains, and taking up seats and space that are supposed to be reserved for seniors and people with disabilities. Come on, BART, we can do better. Create a realistic plan for accommodating bicyclists on board.
John Stashik December 22, 2012 at 03:27 am
Don't forget about non-bikers on the trains. They needs seats too.
Eileen W December 24, 2012 at 06:41 am
Where did you get his salary info? It is completely wrong and misleading. Bart mechanics make about $25/ hour to start. Over time their hourly rate goes up. Those at the upper steps make ~$35/ hour, typically after 20 or so years of repairing and maintaining trains. This adds up to an annual salary in the $50-80 k range.
D. Mehrten December 30, 2012 at 12:33 am
Teach the operators to time announcements to moments when the train isn't shrieking. Keep the track grinder(s) in operation all the time; schedule that maintenance activity periodically instead of waiting for the public to get frustrated and have to petition just to get some sleep. Do more to keep panhandlers out of paid areas and especially off trains.
Emmy Swenson March 27, 2013 at 07:39 pm
I like your plan having stops along the way. Especially where there is space for parking like Hilltop Mall area. Hercules has been the problem since the 1980's. There are lots of undeveloped areas west of San Pablo Ave in Hercules. Could even have BART go on to Rodeo. We've paid into this since the 1980's. Extend from El Cerrito Del North. This should help their parking problems with BART too.

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ted friedman June 18, 2013 at 10:08 pm
The name is weirdly spelled, but not this weird. It's Caffe, not Caffee. I've only typed these wordsRead More a thousand times.
ted friedman June 19, 2013 at 11:06 am
Correction. Your Patch editor, Charles Burress is misspelled here.
ted friedman June 19, 2013 at 11:09 am
I could blame those cut-ups, typographers in the basement typing onto big circular steel plates