4 ms·

These kind of pseudo-public-feedback surveys where the solutions available are presented as a limited set of options, all funneling towards what the agency want

These kind of pseudo-public-feedback surveys where the solutions available are presented as a limited set of options, all funneling towards what the agency wanted to do in the first place, really bug me. You've got an entrenched bureaucracy that's paralyzed by a dysfunctional relationship with unions and a We've Always Done Things This Way™ mentality presenting what they think are the only options for fixing a system like BART. Not one word about eliminating waste, improving efficiency, or innovation. Just a thinly-veiled complaint about budget shortfalls and an obvious plea for a sales tax increase to fill their coffers. It would be wonderful if BART actually solicited public feedback on ways to improve the system. We're right in the middle of the most vibrant tech corridor in the nation, if not the world. You've got innovators and entrepreneurs that ride the system every day, many of whom would leap at the chance to fix an outdated, bureaucratic culture like the Bay Area Rapid Transit. This is just an advocacy page for a bigger BART budget.

spikels 12y ago
All the choices offered are spend more or tax more. Haven't they been budgeting for the "$$$$$ $" in needed maintenance and repair all along? It appears that BART was never run to be sustainable but would require period bailouts to just survive. We can do better than this!
apsec112 12y ago
Where does all the money go? The Bay Area, and NYC even more so, spend far more than anywhere else in the world for an equivalent level of rail service. The "Central Subway" (only 2 km of tunnel!) will cost $1.6 billion; at the end of the day, that money is going into someone's pocket. Whose? As far as I can tell, nobody in local government has the foggiest idea - the contractors all hide what they're doing under a cloak of darkness. Maybe FOIA should be extended to private contractors for contracts over a certain amount.

spikels 12y ago

All the choices offered are spend more or tax more. Haven't they been budgeting for the "$$$$$ $" in needed maintenance and repair all along? It appears that BART was never run to be sustainable but would require period bailouts to just survive. We can do better than this!

apsec112 12y ago

Where does all the money go? The Bay Area, and NYC even more so, spend far more than anywhere else in the world for an equivalent level of rail service. The "Central Subway" (only 2 km of tunnel!) will cost $1.6 billion; at the end of the day, that money is going into someone's pocket. Whose? As far as I can tell, nobody in local government has the foggiest idea - the contractors all hide what they're doing under a cloak of darkness. Maybe FOIA should be extended to private contractors for contracts over a certain amount.