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agree with most of the other comments in this thread, but would add - BART is an extremely filthy and dangerous transit system by any 1st world standard, and I

agree with most of the other comments in this thread, but would add - BART is an extremely filthy and dangerous transit system by any 1st world standard, and I say this as a lifelong transit rider. - Oakland, Berkeley, & Richmond govs/regs are business unfriendly & tech hostile. It's a traditionally poor working class area undergoing massive housing displacement & the political class is all old money or non-profit types.

e40 8y ago
- BART is an extremely filthy and dangerous transit system by any 1st world standard, and I say this as a lifelong transit rider. This is hysteria. I have many coworkers who ride BART on a daily basis for 15+ years and not a single reported incident from any of them, other than stinky homeless people that very rarely ride during peak hours.
- praneshp 8y ago
  > I have many coworkers who ride BART Have you personally taken BART on a consistent enough basis? I took it two days a week for a significant length of time and calling it filthy is not hysteria at all.
- jakelarkin 8y ago
  http://www.ktvu.com/news/bart-investigating-3-violent-deaths-in-the-past-week http://www.ktvu.com/news/bart-investigating-3-violent-deaths... https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-s-approval-rating-plummets-as-riders-13550578.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-s-approval-... slightly depends on your entry/exit stations but I would regularly see crack/heroin use, defecation, deranged meth heads screaming and/or picking fights. I doubt I am alone in this.
- i_am_nomad 8y ago
  Seconding a couple of other replies here: it is not hysteria. In the 20 years I've lived in the Bay Area, BART has gone from tolerable to completely revolting.
- enahs-sf 8y ago
  Definitely not Hysteria. I have inhaled second-hand crack smoke walking up the stairs at Civic Center, watched a man defecate on a crowded train, and saw a person get stabbed in the past 5 years of riding BART. It's not this bad in NYC or LA and I couldn't even dream of seeing things like this in Europe or Asia.
- sincerely 8y ago
  I grew up in SF, now live in Toronto and spend a lot of time in NY. Pretending that Bart/MUNI arent on a completely different level than other major cities is ridiculous.
- briandear 8y ago
  On BART: in 2017: 428 Violent Crimes: 293 robberies, 130 assaults, 5 rapes(!!). In 2007 -- 245 violent crimes. Ridership has increased 22% over the past decade, however violent crime has increased 75% over the same period.
  - jmtulloss 8y ago
    Fascinating. I'd love to read more... Where did you find these stats reported?
- superbaconman 8y ago
  As an out of state resident who needs to ride that train to get to the airport thanks for the warning. I'll keep my wits about me.
- jon_richards 8y ago
  I don't ride it often and haven't seen any violent crimes, but I've seen police remove quite a few people. Last time we had to wait a while as the police asked the guy to pick up his own used needles.
- baby 8y ago
  > This is hysteria I've taken public transit all my life and I'm scared every time I take the bart :/
omegaworks 8y ago
>It's a traditionally poor working class area undergoing massive housing displacement Kind of makes you wonder why the existing folks are hostile...

e40 8y ago

- BART is an extremely filthy and dangerous transit system by any 1st world standard, and I say this as a lifelong transit rider. This is hysteria. I have many coworkers who ride BART on a daily basis for 15+ years and not a single reported incident from any of them, other than stinky homeless people that very rarely ride during peak hours.

praneshp 8y ago
> I have many coworkers who ride BART Have you personally taken BART on a consistent enough basis? I took it two days a week for a significant length of time and calling it filthy is not hysteria at all.
jakelarkin 8y ago
http://www.ktvu.com/news/bart-investigating-3-violent-deaths-in-the-past-week http://www.ktvu.com/news/bart-investigating-3-violent-deaths... https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-s-approval-rating-plummets-as-riders-13550578.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/BART-s-approval-... slightly depends on your entry/exit stations but I would regularly see crack/heroin use, defecation, deranged meth heads screaming and/or picking fights. I doubt I am alone in this.
i_am_nomad 8y ago
Seconding a couple of other replies here: it is not hysteria. In the 20 years I've lived in the Bay Area, BART has gone from tolerable to completely revolting.
enahs-sf 8y ago
Definitely not Hysteria. I have inhaled second-hand crack smoke walking up the stairs at Civic Center, watched a man defecate on a crowded train, and saw a person get stabbed in the past 5 years of riding BART. It's not this bad in NYC or LA and I couldn't even dream of seeing things like this in Europe or Asia.
sincerely 8y ago
I grew up in SF, now live in Toronto and spend a lot of time in NY. Pretending that Bart/MUNI arent on a completely different level than other major cities is ridiculous.
briandear 8y ago
On BART: in 2017: 428 Violent Crimes: 293 robberies, 130 assaults, 5 rapes(!!). In 2007 -- 245 violent crimes. Ridership has increased 22% over the past decade, however violent crime has increased 75% over the same period.
- jmtulloss 8y ago
  Fascinating. I'd love to read more... Where did you find these stats reported?
superbaconman 8y ago
As an out of state resident who needs to ride that train to get to the airport thanks for the warning. I'll keep my wits about me.
jon_richards 8y ago
I don't ride it often and haven't seen any violent crimes, but I've seen police remove quite a few people. Last time we had to wait a while as the police asked the guy to pick up his own used needles.
baby 8y ago
> This is hysteria I've taken public transit all my life and I'm scared every time I take the bart :/

omegaworks 8y ago

>It's a traditionally poor working class area undergoing massive housing displacement Kind of makes you wonder why the existing folks are hostile...