Friday, September 26, 2008
Finally! Sheesh
It's about damn time that the Bay Area Railroad Transit (BART) extends to San Jose! Friends and cousins woulda been a lot more accessible growing up as a South Bay Area Pinay teen without a license or car. Freedom wouldn't have been as coveted and rebelling wouldn't have been as instinctive. Well, maybe. Do you know about how many times I wish I could have just hopped on the BART to explore the rest of the Bay? San Jose is a part of the Bay Area even though folks try to say otherwise (I've never run into that kinda mess, but I know some who have). It would have been a hell of a lot easier to seemingly escape or at least be physically absent from my present if the BART in San Jose was around when I was younger. The stigma of public transportation probably wouldn't linger with me still. It would have been fun to learn about how to operate the BART in addition to the VTA in elementary school.
The point is, this promise to invest in public transportation aids and positively impacts communities that seek alternative means to get to work (especially since a large population of the people you rub elbows with on public transportation are from poor and working class communities). Now people can foresee a tangible backup to the increase in gas prices. Also, a BART extension into (a) San Jose stations(s) would alleviate traffic, present more traveling and commuting options, offer a unique experience in terms of the interpersonal interaction and accessibility to the rest of the Bay. If we're talking about diversity by mere representation (which shouldn't always be the case), then tell me where the hell else people could see an old Asian man with his farmer's market goods sittin pretty and comfortable next to a white woman in a business suit? Where else can you see a Cal student casually conversing with a high school teacher taking his students on a field trip? Backyards get bigger and worlds become smaller with this $239 million project. Talk about sprawl; San Jose is an urban city that can seem disconnected to the rest of Bay, but now, and most importantly, the rest of the Bay can revel in San Jose's greatness.
State approves $239 million for BART extension to San Jose
By Gary Richards
Mercury News
Fulfilling a promise made nearly a decade ago, the California Transportation Commission on Thursday unanimously approved spending $239 million to help build the BART extension into Santa Clara County.
The money will be parceled out over the next five years. The state has now committed $760 million to the $6.1 billion project, matching the amount that Gov. Gray Davis pledged in 2000.
source
// posted by Janice @ 12:06 AM 
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