James FangTransit

Time for BART to beach?

BART to the beach: Let's begin the dialogue

Imagine a time in the future when BART trains whisk commuters underground to stations in San Francisco's Western Addition and the Richmond District. BART passengers could enter stations along Geary Boulevard all the way to Ocean Beach. Sound difficult? Maybe not.

The time is now right to begin the dialogue with residents and stakeholders of San Francisco - particularly the west side of San Francisco - to see if it is feasible to bring BART to Ocean Beach.

For years regional rail planners and BART representatives have looked at the idea of extending the system westward toward the Pacific Ocean. There is a good reason for this.

The Geary Boulevard corridor is one of the most heavily-used transit routes in America, carrying more than 50,000 transit riders per day on buses. Yet it can be a long, slow ride.

Think of how seamless and convenient the commute would be, not to mention the jobs created for San Franciscans, if BART to the beach became a reality. Construction, operations and indirect jobs would be created by the nation's greenest transit agency's expansion to the beach. The plan would contribute to the economic revitalization of San Francisco and west side neighborhoods, where many of us, like me and my wife, live, shop, dine and look forward to raising a family.

Our friends at Muni have made a yeomen's effort to transport riders from San Francisco's western neighborhoods. BART has complemented Muni by taking 330,000 daily riders out of cars - meaning less pollution and congestion. As well, BART has a 96 percent on-time service rating and its reliability is reflected in surveys, where nearly nine out of 10 riders would recommend the system.

The Sunset, Richmond and Western Addition represent a large population base in the City and one of the largest geographic areas as well. Neighborhood businesses and residents would be well served by rapid transit service to all parts of the Bay Area.

Muni has taken the leadership in planning exclusive bus lanes in the median on Geary Boulevard, but only west of Van Ness Avenue.

Over the years, there has been significant public interest in having BART extend westward, where Muni bus service could be cut back or eliminated. On one hand, Muni service is favored because it appears more feasible in the short term. That may be true, but in the longer term there is merit to considering a BART alternative.

Clearly, BART over the years has shown its ability to design and operate such an extension.

BART planners expect that by the year 2050, 800,000 riders will use rapid transit rails daily - a nearly half million increase over the 330,000 daily riders using BART today.

To accommodate those passenger loads, the system needs significant upgrades. BART would bear the financial responsibility of the BART to the beach extension so the burden would not fall exclusively on San Franciscans to construct a second "transbay tube." This, in effect, would create a second BART line to San Francisco with additional stations, easing the burden on already congested facilities in the City and enhancing regional sustainability.

A recent regional rail planning study recommended a BART transbay tunnel with a new San Francisco line possibly linking Alameda with the south of Market area by the year 2050. That study also took a preliminary look at a Geary Boulevard extension.

I believe "BART to the beach," as some have coined it, is worth further study. Sure, it's probably a future dream. But so was BART itself. Consider this: Planning for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system began in the mid-'50s. The first trains didn't start operating until nearly 20 years later.

James Fang is the president of BART's board of directors.