BART directors will meet today to discuss possible changes to their new fleet. Riders with disabilities are expressing concern that the new model will pose serious problems for them.
The fleet of the future is coming in 2017, but some of the details are still being hashed out.
The BART board of directors is meeting today to discuss several issues, including changes to the floor plan to better accommodate people with disabilities. One of the biggest issues discovered in a survey last year came from wheelchair users and blind customers who have concerns about the 'grip poles' mounted in areas that could block their path. The board will be asked to approve changes to the floor plan. Including moving the poles to widen the path and put a wheelchair symbol on the floor to remind people to yield to customers in wheelchairs. BART is also planning to remove the poles in some locations when test cars arrive next year. But it's not just those modifications that has those passengers excited for the new ride in 2017, BART promises the fleet of the future will be quieter, cooler and more comfortable.
BART is also looking for ways to pay for the infrastructure it needs for a growing Bay Area population. The San Francisco Examiner reports BART is asking San Francisco for $1 billion to help pay for its share of maintenance which would go to buying more cars for the fleet of the future, revamp the city's aging BART stations and modernize the train-control system. How they get that money is another issue. Some ideas discussed in the examiner include a sales tax, vehicle license fee, or general sales bond, but first the discussion about the floor plan on the new cars.
The meeting starts at 5 p.m. in Oakland.