The Fractiousness of Bay Area Transit

From outside, it can appear that the San Francisco Bay Area is very good at transit. But when you look deeper, you'll see that the system of regional governance makes change and improvements for commuters nearly impossible, says Yonah Freemark.

1 minute read

September 30, 2010, 9:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Freemark writes:

"Though one agency, BART, provides service to much of the region, most of the other transit operators are confined to their limited districts. This means that buses in San Francisco are run by one group, while those in Oakland and San Jose are operated by two others. Each has its own staff, own maintenance facilities, and own priorities."

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, meanwhile, "is structurally suburban-oriented because each county, rather than city, is represented."

Which results in Oakland, a city of almost half a million people, has no direct representation on the commission.

FULL STORY: Is Effective Decision-Making Possible at the Regional Scale?

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 in Next American City

Government / Politics Transportation California Oakland MTC

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