M3.5 Transportation

The public transportation system in the San Francisco Bay Area could be revamped to be more efficient and clean. While we do have transportation above and underground, the system is still not as efficient as we see in other countries. Transportation within the central part of the city is great, but getting out to the more residential areas can be time consuming.

I live in Visitacion Valley, which is by Cow Palace in the City. When I first moved to the home in 3rd grade, the only way to get into the city would be with the 8 bus. It wasn't until I was in high school when they finished building the muni line so that the T train could take residents into the city more efficiently. Overall, it is still much more efficient to drive so I use my car almost every day. With a better public transit system, I would be able to use my car less and ultimately contribute less to the overall pollution in the city.

Having used public transport in other cities such as London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Singapore, it makes me a little embarrassed of the SF transport system. These other cities have their transport systems underground, which is more efficient as it faces less traffic delays. They also seem to have more trains and routes expanding outside the center of the city. While visiting these cities, I found myself to walk a lot more and use public transit because it was so much more cost effective and efficient than taking a cab.

Bart is great and efficient (most of the time), but it would be even better if they could run more trains and issue new trains. The transit stations in the city are usually dirty and run down. It would not hurt to have the stations remodeled to make a more welcoming feel to both residents and tourists.

MTA Train in Singapore