The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday in the noon hour.
QUESTION: When you ride BART or are waiting at the station, do you feel safe? Also, do you think there should be BART cops on every platform at every station?
Talk about it….
38 comments
I feel safe on BART. I mind my own business, and practice public transportation etiquette. Granted, BART isn’t as safe as it used to be, but it was only a matter of time. It’s public transportation.
Yes, I think there should an officer at the station and on the trains. A police presence is always a good thing. Crime will still happen, but it never hurts to have an officer around.
Been on BART one time. Disgusting!!! Will never make that mistake again. There should be law enforcement on every train as well as stations.
I don’t ride BART often enough, the last time was about 4 or 5 years ago from Pittsburg to Concord and I felt fine. But then I am not afraid of scrungy looking people either and will walk right pass them.
From what I’ve been reading and seeing on the news about crime on BART, I’ve come to the conclusion that BART police should not only been seen on the platforms, but should be patrolling the trains as well.
No I don’t. I stopped riding because it’s a huge mess.
Bart needs more police/security. Rules need to be enforced.
Nope. One of the reasons I left my job, so I no longer had to use BART to commute. Took less money, but peace of mind is priceless.
Doesn’t really matter how street-smart you are…if you mind your own business…or have access to an invisibility cloak. The problem with bart is that the cops don’t have the support of mngt..and the public…and punks know it.
BART was horrible years ago when I had to take it to work in SF. It has progressively gotten worse with the homeless riding it all day long, their wonderful odors, the free for all begging and the total lack of respect for other passengers.
Plus we get to spend a fortune parking at the stations and paying ridiculous fare increases.
Can you tell I really love BART and the crooks that run it!
I’m fine with BART as long as I only have to take it about .17 times per year. For a few years there in the beginning I saw POs hiking through trains almost every time I rode. I think it’s a real shame BART Board members never have to take it.
I simply don’t feel safe because the General Manager, is reflecting Directors attitude of being anti police. The result is the cops are simply uninterested in taking a chance on loosing their jobs because they aren’t supported. That means ignoring a lot of stuff. Who can blame them?
Hell no!!! Even if you mind your own business and are capable of defending yourself I never want to put myself in that situation. Riding BART increases your odds exponentially for being put in a dangerous situation and that’s why I stopped riding that disgustingly dirty, poorly managed system.
BART has 48 stations, and 206 cops making 110-160K$ a year. Perhaps one officer assigned to each station to patrol the whole property two shifts per day. As for the trains, how about a uniformed conductor/security guard aboard some trains in rotation to report illicit activity so that the cop is waiting at the door at the next station. This would be expensive but people make the long commute into the City because that’s where the big bucks are. If they want better security they can afford to pay for it.
Not only do I not feel safe on BART, I don’t feel my car will be safe parked there either.
For most part l have not lived in areas where Bart was not conveninot, Foster City, Marin, Benicia, Several years ago when l lived in Concord (where I still live) and worked at Macy’s Walnut Creek, l found myself without a car for a couple of months and took Bart l felt safe. Since then l have only taken it a couple of times, at Christmas time to the city, it was night, l was with a few friends, and felt safe. From what l hear from frinds in the City and from the news, seems like most of the problems is in the City and Oakland area. I don’t think l would take Bart alone at night in those areas.
I feel safe, most of the time, but have definitely seen a brawl and out of control people on the train that concerned me because they might have a weapon. I also think riders are sitting ducks if there were ever a terrorist with ill intentions.
The police presence is an interesting question. I definitely think there should police every three stations or so, and they should be moving around between the fair gates, platform and on and off the trains instead of sitting in cars. But I also think BART is ridiculously expensive and the riders shouldn’t have to pay for BART police to do their basic function.
Though I have had no unpleasant experiences on BART, that probably is because I ride it only to special events in San Francisco….. maybe 3x per year and during daylight hours.
However, because of vagrants loitering or begging, I have felt threatened when walking from Brünhilda through the parking lot to the pay kiosk. And I have an irrational fear that someone, either accidentally or on purpose, might push me off the platform onto the tracks.
Not always. A cop on very platform is ridiculous. There is not a cop on every block and you would not want to pay the taxes to do so. Charging it to the riders only would make the cost of riding BART too much.
We take it to SF. Yes, it’s filthy and disgusting, but it’s better than taking a car into the City. I’d prefer not to have my windows smashed out. I’ve been on mass transit in NYC, Chicago, Denver and several Asian countries. They’re all clean and maintained. I don’t know why Bart can’t figure out how to do the same.
I, too, have ridden transit all over the world and NEVER seen a system as dirty and dangerous as BART. So many things are going wrong that I have to assume the problem starts at the top. Until management starts paying attention — to lighting, cleanliness, bathrooms, staffing, etc, etc, etc, — it will not get better.
I do not feel safe parking at BART, waiting for BART or riding BART. Thankfully I only ride it occasionally to San Francisco to avoid driving into the city. The people roaming around are downright scary. Not all the scary is homeless. I see plenty that are riders like me, however, they clearly have no concerns for other passengers. People shout, threaten, smoke, drink, do drugs, have sex, fight, sleep, pee/poop, etc….it’s just gross. I’m afraid of making eye contact with some people. Riding with friends/family makes me scared, I would NEVER ride it alone. It makes me so mad that we are reduced to “allowing” bad things to happen out of fear of getting involved.
The last time I rode Bart by myself was back in 2000 , from Walnut Creek to Concord,…daytime fine. But I will not ride Bart alone or at night anymore. Only use it to go to S.F. 2-3 times a year.
Really should have more police action to cover Bart in station and on trains.
On Bart, I do carry pepper spray. Earlier this year bought, but have NOT carried yet, a Stun Gun, with removeable clip (disables it) to keep it from being use on me. Just the noise alone it makes is freaky loud.
Funny you should ask. Just last night on the way to work (10:20 pm) there were 20 of us or so in this train car – and a raging loon was threatening to kill us all. Screaming I people’s faces, following people up the isle as they chose to vacate their seat and move to a different train car…just another Wednesday.
As a fairly large and intimidating man, I personally had never had an issues, but a few months back we took a train from SFO back to Walnut Creek on a Saturday night, and it happened to be the last train of the night going to the East Bay. We had suitcases with us and couldn’t move easily. By the time we got to 12th St. Station the entire train was filled with drunks, weirdos, and rowdy kooks. My wife was petrified, thankfully our son was asleep, but we did get verbally accosted and a man tried to put his crotch right in my wife’s face. Alcohol or drugs were definitely a factor, and I exercised restraint to avoid ending up in jail or the hospital myself, but the entire train felt lawless.
It could have ended worse than it did, we made it home safely, but it was definitely the last time my wife will ever step foot on BART. She definitely did not feel safe, and it was the first time in a very long time I thought I may have to get physical with someone. Uber for the win.
That last BART train on Saturday night really is something else.
Why can’t they have police officers patrol a platform, board the next trains, walk through the cars, get off at next station, repeat?
I absolutely DO NO feel safe on BART! It’s really sad what it has become. The last time we were on it on 2 different occasions there was a man with a butt of a gun showing! Why do we not have metal detectors there? Most of my friends will not ride it . BART has to come up with something. It is such a convenience but so scary to use!!
I do ride BART to SF by myself, on occasion. It’s usually okay, but I stay alert regarding what’s happening around me.
BART should definitely keep non paying riders out. If a station agent suspects trouble, they should alert the police. Non paying, large groups of people entering together, vagrants, etc.
Unacceptable!!! Vote these arrogant boards members out!!! BobPowers the so called new manager already showed us he’s more concerned with politics than the safety of the passengers or doing what’s right.
Here’s the president of the board: https://www.bart.gov/about/bod/bodMembersDetail_09
People…. He doesn’t care about you… Vote him out… He’s a clown. Check out his cute little facebook page. It will tell you all you need to know.
Unfortunately, because we only work in SF and don’t live there, we don’t get the opportunity to vote him out. We should be able to vote him out even if we don’t live in SF. Big problem, they never leave.
Nope, no, not at all. I don’t feel safe riding BART and stopped riding years ago and go to great lengths to avoid riding into the city with my family. Last time, any 2years ago week night and car taken over by a group of dancers who got hostile once the riders were not paying for their dancing. Be real. Between the panhandling and the downright violence that BART is likely afraid of being sued for, this is a system ridden by freeloaders and the mentally ill.
I’ve been taking BART to work every weekday for over 20 years. And through my job in Oakland I often have to travel during the day to Berkeley or San Francisco. I can honestly say that I’ve never felt physically in danger on a train. Grossed out and annoyed for sure! I think I feel more unsafe around the station, especially in the evening. Lots of unsavory characters around Concord, so I make sure to get up early enough to park in a lot close to the station. Especially since I go to the gym after work three nights a week. It wasn’t always like this, though. I used to regularly walk to the overfill lot, often later at night. But no more. And I can’t believe that 10-15 years ago, I thought nothing of going into the city to meet friends on a Saturday night and take the last train home, often solo, from the Mission to Concord! Would never do that anymore! And it’s not just because I’m 10 to 15 years older!
This is so disappointing to read all the negative responses to Bart. I hope Bart representatives are reading all this and taking it seriously. It’s disgusting to read how unsafe people feel riding this public transportation. I remember when Bart opened and it was great as a teenager to take Bart to San Francisco for the day. I would never take Bart now as an older adult by myself. I hope Bart officials will read all of these comments and start doing something about it. It’s so sad that everything has become about money and not about public safety.
It is clear, upper management of city and county are only interested in their next raise.
I feel fairly safe on BART because I’m a guy and I’m 6’2″ – If I were a woman or a person of shorter build I would only feel safe if I were armed with pepper spray – and even then I’d be on edge. BART is a lousy operation. The stations are dodgy – and if there are so many people using it to commute please figure out how to have food and drinks available in the stations – maybe even have a food car. I almost never see a single BART employee when I use BART. I suspect there are too few employees that are too highly paid.
As with most things in public it depends on time and location…
When BART is busy I don’t have any concerns.
I don’t ride BART late any longer but when I did – sure if you are in a public space with few people around and you are going through certain stations sure it can then get a little dicey on how safe I feel.
But that’s true for just being in public in locations and at times when there aren’t many folks around.
Have not felt safe on BART since the 90’s. When my Wife and I travel to SF we go via ferry. It’s more expensive sure but its an enjoyable trip with rare bums and junkies aboard.
No. I commute every day to SF and am in an uncomfortable situation at least once a week. There should be an armed officer on each train. Once those doors close, you are on your own. Especially in the transbay tube, 7 minutes to the next station. Last month a woman was slashed with a box cutter going through the tube and the attacker was not apprehended until the train reached Oakland West. On Monday a very aggressive young man got on the train in Pleasant Hill screaming “F&%k BART” at the tops of his lungs, and throwing things. (Apparently he lost his job because BART was late.) I was scared and moved three cars down. Unfortunately, the same man came through this car also but eventually left. I saw him get off the train at MacArthur and finally felt less anxious. I’ve been commuting on BART on and off for over 25 yrs. This is the first year I can say I no longer feel safe.
I don’t ride BART anymore either for all the negative reasons expressed on this topic.
I rode the metro trains traveling to and from Paris for a week a few years back and found the trains to be clean, comfortable and I felt totally safe. I am ashamed of the BART system in the bay area. And I am ashamed that visitors from other countries who unknowingly travel on BART are subjected to the filth and violent behaviors in the train cars, in the stations and on the platforms.
I agree with you. I am ashamed of our society in the USA in general. Disrespect, no manners, rude angry self-righteous behavior is a big part of our current culture. Add those components to stealing your personal property and violence and you have a nasty transit system called BART. I absolutely have to ride BART but hate every minute of it. It is dangerous and stressful to be among savages. It may be only a few savages but one could wreck your life!
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