Bay Area
BART to Install New Fare Gates Systemwide by 2026
If you’re catching a BART train a few years from now and something looks a little different, it’s probably just the station’s new fare gates catching your eye. BART’s Board of Directors recommended at its March 23 meeting that it move ahead with purchasing the $90 million Next Generation Fare Gate project, which will see the agency install new fare gates in all stations by 2026.
By Kathy Chouteau
If you’re catching a BART train a few years from now and something looks a little different, it’s probably just the station’s new fare gates catching your eye.
BART’s Board of Directors recommended at its March 23 meeting that it move ahead with purchasing the $90 million Next Generation Fare Gate project, which will see the agency install new fare gates in all stations by 2026.
The new fare gates are anticipated to deliver an updated look and improved experience, per BART, which said the gates’ state-of-the-art technology will reduce fare evasion; enhance access for people in wheelchairs, cyclists and those with strollers; and optimize reliability and maintenance needs.
STraffic America, an urban mobility innovation company, was recommended by BART to receive $47 million for the project and will work with staff to “stress-test” the as-yet-undetermined new fare gate designs later in 2023.
BART expects the new gates “to have clear swing barriers that will be very difficult to be pushed through, jumped over or maneuvered under.” Gone will be the familiar orange fins from the 700 current fare gates.
BART said the new fare gates will not only be able to process large crowds with Clipper cards quickly, but also will have 3D sensors able to detect riders in a wheelchair, or with a bike, stroller or luggage so that they are given extra time before the barrier closes.
LED lighting will illuminate the swing barriers and the pathway, and the ADA community is providing input to STraffic on the design.
BART Board President Janice Li said the new fare gates “will transform the rider experience and will deliver immediate improvements to safety and reliability.”
She said the agency researched worldwide best practices regarding fare gate designs to help inform this purchase and is grateful to local, state, and federal funding sources who have stepped up to support the project.
BART said it has secured $73 million of $90 million for the new fare gates project, with funding from BART funds (Operating-to-capital allocation and Measure RR) $23 million; county transportation agency funds $28 million; federal funds $15 million; and state funds $6.5 million.
The agency added that it stringently vetted vendor proposals for the project and committed to subcontracting 11% of the work to Disadvantaged Business Enterprises.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
Bay Area
State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
By Carla Thomas
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco.
The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.
More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.
Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.
“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.
“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.
“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.
By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”
Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”
Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”
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