I'm annoyed that a homicide on Oakland's jurisdiction (Apgar & MLK) is reported by the media as somehow related to a particular BART Station. I looked at a map and Apgar & MLK is in no way directly connected to the station - there's no roadway nor sidewalk access to the BART station. I doubt the victim(s) were BART riders. Of course, the SFChron might need to do this to sell a few extra papers.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/31/MNGMUPORM.DTL&feed=rss.news
...and a four-car Richmond train, uh, someday.
Sure enough there's seats galore on the Dublin/Pleasanton train. Which, of course, gets nice long trains...and doesn't go through a logical interchange point for the East Bay-only train. Oooh, let's change at Bayfair! Or Fruitvale, where i'll wait 20 minutes.
The Richmond train then appears and is packed to the gills.
I'm sorry I wanted to go to Berkeley from downtown, BART. Maybe if i self-flagellate this will work out better? Really, i'm desperate here.
Does anyone even pay attention to the Destination Signs on the front of the Trains? I tried to read one when a train was coming into the Concord station last week, but couldn't even see it. They really seem to be worthless to me and take a heck of a long time to change when they go bad.
I noticed this while getting on my car yesterday. There's blue lino tiles and then all of a sudden - beige tiles. Did they run out of blue tiles? Is this a decorative accent? As I exited my car I looked into the next car and saw that it didn't have the accent tiles - just blue lino tiles.
I have had it! I am sick and tired of the bicyclists wheeling their non-folding, full-sized bicycles onto a Standing-Room Only train that is a commute train and already off limits to them. I've had three so far this week and a co-worker had three today (all friends standing together) on her car. On today's train, we had a BART officer with his dog walk the car (past the two people eating their breakfast). He got off in Lafayette. First officer I've seen on a train in at least 6 months!
Yo BART, either enforce the regulations that you have on the books or get rid of them. You can't have it both ways. Here is what I would like to see.
1) The station agents stop bicyclists from getting into the station until the next train to come in is not a commute train.
2) BART police know full well that MacArthur is the station that these scofflaws get on at. Put a BART cop on the MacArthur platform and tell them that they cannot get on a commuter train.
3) When anyone gets off a BART train in the city (Embarcardero, Montgomery, Powell, Civic) with a bicycle, their ticket is checked. If they rode on a commuter train, they are held and ticketed by BART police.
I'm a little upset because invariably, these people block the handicapped seats or doorways. Since I have a walking disability, this is more than a nuisance, in case of an evacuation, it could be dangerous.
Thanks for letting me vent, but I am totally serious about this. And apologies to the poor BART officer at Montgomery who got the brunt of my vent. I promise I won't do what I said I would.
The Greek Crip
i was bored at macarthur this afternoon while waiting for my train, and had my new camera with me. so what better to do than take a bunch of pics! lol
got a few of em, and posted them to my photobucket because the flikr things isnt working or something. let me know what you think and which are your favorite.
oh and thanks to that t/o for not getting too pissed when i took a pic of her! she was leaning out of the trian and turned towards me at the last minute. thanks for smiling and not scowling!
ok, so I know I am am probably late, but I was riding BART today to see how service was to the airport. I was pleasantly surprised to see that cell service goes beyond Civic Center and is actually fairly decent up until 24th street. This is the only time I will give BART any props this year; the service still sucks and the trains stink.
I know from the BART web site that there are high value tickets; i.e. $45 (worth $48) and $60 (worth $64). However, I have no idea where to buy these tickets. Every ticket machine I go to only offers $20. What the heck am I doing wrong?
Dear All,
As I walk onto the platform at Concord this morning, some guy lights up a cigarette 10' from the stairway. While waiting for the train, he smokes it and doesn't seem to have a care in the world. Meanwhile, I'm downwind. As I sit in my handicapped seat, someone who reeks of smoke stands nearby. At MacArthur, this 5'11" woman (short-haired dishwater blond) again gets on the train with her #*&$ full-sized bike and proceeds to stand in the middle of the doorway. Thinking it won't get any worse, the train stops in the tunnel because someone broke the door and the train in front is now out of service. We finally pull in to Embarcadero and bike lady gets off. Having reported her before, I am hoping that the agent/BART police will cite her. Oh no, she walks right by 2 BART police officers on her way to exit at Embarcadero! When I get off at Montgomery, another biker runs down the escalator with his bike on his shoulder. The usual agent is really good about stopping them, but he is not there. His sign is "No bikes before 9:10 a.m." still there on the window.
Dear BART - if you are listening or if you even care. Here's my recommendation.
1) Start ticketing these miserable, illiterate (can't seem to read the signs or the BART schedule about when bikes are allowed), inconsiderate bikers. Block them from even getting on until the commute is OVER!!!
2) Start enforcing the regulations you already have on the books (no smoking in paid areas, bikes during commute hours (both ways), the handicapped loading /unloading zone (Chief Gee, that the blue loading zone in front of the BART stations that you don't seem to be willing to enforce, etc..
3) If there are actually undercover police on the train, it would be nice if they would start enforcing the above laws, for the rest of us who do obey them.
Or, take the laws that you don't care about/don't have to enforce if you don't want to, off the books. Then we can have anarchy on the trains and maybe the passengers will start doing the enforcing - obviously, BART can't be bothered.
The Greek Crip
If you are at one of the end stations and a train is just coming into service out of the train parking lot how can there already be 5 bums asleep in the seats before any normal passengers get on?
It finally happened. I went over the edge about a bike rider on BART. It was a few minutes before 6:30PM on a Pittsburg train and there was a biker sprawled over two seats as the train was going through downtown San Francisco. How many times have I seen a biker taking up two (or more) seats during the commute and ignoring people who end up standing.
I got on the train and here was a young lady sprawled over two seats with her legs and backpack, and her bike parked in a way that blocked the second seat. She was sitting in the first forward facing seats adjacent to the wheel chair area. There were other seats available but because I get off in downtown Oakland, and since Pittsburg trains tend to be packed, I choose to sit as close to the door as possible. So I asked the biker if she could please move. She told me there were other seats. I said she was going to have to move eventually since the train would be full by the time it left SF. She made a major production of moving her bike and her belongings. She told me that she was a biker and saving the environment and I was probably a driver. She told me that she probably had further to travel than I did and she had to come all the way from San Mateo. I told her she shouldn?t be on the train because it was too early for bikes and she was not entitled to two seats. By now, a woman in her 30?s pointed to an available senior/disabled seat next to her and I told her those seats were for seniors and disabled persons (my other pet gripe on BART). Then a young woman behind me began to lecture me on how glad I should be that this biker was saving the air from pollutants, how rude I was being, and how everyone on the train was on the side of the biker. For a minute, I thought I?d been time traveled back to junior high school. At this point, I stopped responding to anyone and just waited for the seat to be clear for me to sit. The biker still made sure she was sprawled over part of the aisle seat and said I should have left it to a thinner person to ask her to move. I sat down, opened my paper and ignored her.
This is the aspect of biking that infuriates so many people, which is the attitude of superior entitlement. A lot of bikers are polite on BART. They try not to block doors. They stand with bikes. They don?t take up two to four seats. They ask if someone wants to sit if they are blocking seats. Then there are the jackasses like this young lady who plops down during the commute, takes up two seats, plugs in her Ipod, and tunes out. And when asked to move, is rude and whiny. Riding a bike doesn?t guarantee you a place in heaven or a part in Al Gore?s next global warming documentary. It just means you either (1) prefer this means of transportation (and good for you, I support the use of alternate means of transportation) or (2) you can?t afford a car. It doesn?t mean that celestial lights hover over your head and that you have achieved sainthood.
You're great! Appreciated your helping without me even having to ask.
My DH got into my account and now knows who I am so I am going to lay low. I had to delete some blogs even before I got to really read them. I am still around I am not going anywhere.
There are very few mid-day parking spaces at North Concord BART. I got there right at 10:00 a.m. and there were only a few spots left and I couldn't believe how many parkers with large vehicles are going over into the spot next to them when they could have parked a little bit better and stayed within their lines. Until the developments are done, there is still plenty of parking in the far lot so if they want to take up two spaces or park crooked they should go out there. This type of parking should not be tolerated in Mid-Day. Cite the creeps. It also seems like alot of people must be parking in there before 10:00 a.m. and not getting cited.
Dear All,
Instead of having tickets that are worth 50 cents and get me 5 rides, I now have a ticket worth $4.20 and only get 4 rides. BART does not seem to think that the disabled deserve the new passes that are RFID or something that has more than $24.00 on it.
I would like to propose this to all those who have tickets with an excessive amount of dollars that cannot be used one way. Get the refund envelopes (they are post-paid) and put your single (that is the key) red ticket in it with your address. They will send you back a check to cash for the amount. And, every time you have a ticket (mine will have $4.20 on it), use another of their envelopes so they have to issue another check. I figure that if there is one working brain in their upper-management level, they will get the hint and either 1) increase the red ticket value up to $48.00 or get the new RFID system to work with the disabled.
This would, I guess, be classified as a sort of protest for them to bring the disabled users into the 21st century.
The Greek Crip
This may sound so silly and I am the biggest preacher of "you make your own happiness" so if you're not happy, adjust something in your life and then just be happy.....so I need to take my own advice.
The measure of you real success
is the one you cannot spend -
it's the way your child describes you
when talking to a friend/
Happiness comes of the capacity
to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to
think freely, to risk life, to be
needed!
First off, I tell you guys everything, this is trust!!!LOL
Ok,so the last two men I dated,one for 3 yrs, one for 2,neither of which chose to be a father, and both broke my heart, and I met them at church. LOL Yeah, I can see your eyes rolling from here! LOL Even our rev says the sharks swim here too! LOL
So, DH and I went to see this movie Saturday night. I decided to make my own "bucket list" of things I want to do before I die. I limited it to five for now. Everyone else feel free to join in...
Somebody shoot me now. I got my application to join the AARP this past weekend. Shouldn't it be illegal to be eligible for the AARP and still have stepkids in middle school? I'm too old to give a crap about the PTA or science fair anymore.
Ugh...BART smells bad enough already....but I hate these pothead morons who decide to smoke a "fatty" right before boarding the train and then proceed to stink up the entire car. Today I could practically smell them before the doors opened!
first posting! =)
for the thoughts of what I would love to do to the BM, I would be put away for a very long time, hell, they would throw away the key!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! grrrr..... What the hell have I allowed her to do to me? I am not a violent person, nor am I angry...usually! But she pushes and pushes and pushes the buttons, one day at a time.
With the advice of DH's Attorney and a person who actually teaches investigative classes, I am going to start classes on becoming a Private Investigator. Who would have thought my years of experience catching my ex's in lies made me an expert at catching people in lies!!!! I never thought I was practicing investigative skills. DH's Attorney wanted me to do this because I caught BM red handed in a ton of lies and she may use me for other cases if I get registered in my state.
What
happened
to my perfect
picture?
What
happened
to the
Cinderella
story?
A perfect
family
in the
white house
with 2.3
kids
and
the white
pickett
fence?
What
a joke -
Did anyone else watch this last night?
Anger and outrageous behavior are narcissistic in nature!
Glad someone's finally seeing the light. Wish the word would get to these crazy BM's.
Yesterday was my SS 6th Birthday and his mom didn't even call him. She calls every tues, thurs, and sat. At the begining of this month we cut her phone time back to sat only, due to a very bad event that happened at Christmas. We never told her that we where cutting her time back so every tue and thur for the past three weeks she has still called and text messaged...except for last night!! And it was his birthday! No call tonight either. I suppose she will call tomorrow night and use the excuse "Well your dad won't let me talk to you on tue and thurs anymore, so I didn't think he would let me talk to you." That's just a guess but it's not like she is going to tell him the truth.
tad long but funny and PG 13, minors need not read
so i met this guy a while back
he seemed like a cool dude and we got along nicely
at that time he gave me his number but i lost it ( maybe that was a good thing)
SD16 has been gone 8 days and we have been threatened to have her dropped on our front porch AGAIN because BM is mad that SD flunked english and gets no credit for that class. She is now 4 1/2 credits behind for graduation in 2009.
Okay, I will try posting this blog again..technical issue lost blog earlier.
So FH received e-mail back from psycho and one of the things she criticized him for was that he doesn't acknowledge her new child? Umm, excuse me? Since when do we have an obligation to be a part of her new kid's life. BTW-this child is 6 mos. old. How much acknowledgement can we give this kid anyway?
This is something I am HOPING BART takes account of a FIXES! Whistle stops are when a train stops in the BART yard to drop off/pick up employees. My gripe is when the train SITS THERE and makes me miss my connecting bus! I catch the Dumbarton Express @Union City BART. These buses only come every 1/2 hour. After a while, there are no more 'express' buses (ones that get on the 101 to Palo Alto). The non-express bus ride is over an hour.
There are a lot of times when the freakin' exchanging operator is NOT on the platform waiting and we sit there! BART needs to be more considerate of it's riders. We are PAYING CUSTOMERS! These operators are already AT WORK! We are trying to get to work! If they aren't exchanging operators, they need to get off the train quickly and let us get going! If the train is already running behind, they should have to try another train or drive or take public transportation. We do it! Exchanging operators need to have their ASSES at the platform waiting for that train, not leisurely walking to the train when they feel like it! I travel from Oakland to Palo Alto on public transportation.
Missing a bus can add almost another hour to my commute time. They should be dinged or fined when they make the train late. They are inconviencing a lot of people. BART - TAKE HEED! There are a lot of riders pissed about this. They just don't know where to complain!
Cyclists using BART are required to lean their bikes against the wall, pass through the fare gate, exit the emergency gate, get their bike, and go back in. Unless, of course, there is one of the wide handicapped accessible gates.
BART is blocking the emergency gate at the northernmost faregate set. First it was a paper sign and one cone. The cyclists opened the gate anyway. Then 2 cones. Then 3, then 4. BART really does not want us to use that gate.
Problem being that this is the crossover point from Caltrain. Cyclists on Caltrain ride in the northernmost car that exits right in front of this gate. Everyone else is exiting further south, some walking to the north gates, causing a big cluster. It's simplest and easiest to just use the north faregates, but we can't use them without violating BART policy. And I'll tell you what, I'm not missing a BART connection because BART doesn't want me to use that emergency gate, so I can sit on the cold outdoor platform at Millbrae 15 more minutes.
this past week i have noticed a bunch of tape all over the floor inside of the station with cryptic markings on it. it looks as if they are possibly markings for moving or adding more addfare machines, but i am not sure. additionally, there is neon spraypaint on the ground right where you enter the parking structure that seems to be marking some sort of underground lines. can't remember if it said PG&E or AT&T, but it was one of those.
i've heard there is a transit village in the works for WC. are these markings for that, or something else? anyone have an inside scoop?
Does anybody know what the current status is with accepting Commuter Checks in any manner other than exchanging them for paper tickets? I've been an EZ Rider user for 6 months now, and I love the ease and convenience it provides. But the company I work for is starting to use the commuter check program, which means I basically have to give up EZ Rider and go back to paper tickets for part of the month.
Has there been any movement with the EZ Rider program within BART to take your commuter checks to a station agent or someone and have them just credit your EZ Rider account with the funds?
What is the current status of Translink at BART? The Translink website still says that BART and MUNI will be rolling it out this year which contradicts everything I've been hearing on this forum.
BART needs to get its head out of its a** and get it together.
I've driven by this thousands of times and have been comfortable with compacency but now I'm just plain curious: There is a section of track that leads up to a trailer off of Highway 4 between Willow Pass Road and San Marcos. There are almost always cars there, and sometimes trains (powered down, out of service, etc.).
So...what is that area? Who sits in the trailer?
Saw this guy on BART this morning... of course it was an airport train and although he's not doing anything terribly wrong (he's lounged out pretty nicely into the wheelchair area and generally being an asshat taking up more room than necessary, but...) I thought it amusing and thought I would share. Don't worry rafa, I'm not after your job as resident photog. ;)
He had on eye shades, headphones, and a neck pillow. He was slouched down with his feet propped up on his leaning luggage so as to get the maximum reclining position possible. I love how he stacked his bags to lean like that...
Continuation from here
Here are the two new bridges between the new parking garage and the movie theater. I think the glass one is called the Sky Bridge. For some reason the Sky Bridge reminds me a lot of the Apple Store in downtown San Fran.
I walked by a sign yesterday on my out of Tanforan and wondered how they are going to enforce this? Camera? Bart Patrol Officer? Parking lot attendant?
Strange thing happened here at BART RAGE last night. An entire topic in which I pointed out the limitations of BART Police's dealing with the homeless problems and mildly criticized what I believe to be wrong information posted by SHRAPNEL has disappeared. I am sure that this must be a glitch and not some abuse of power by a moderator. Anyone have a clue as to what happened?
Just curious to know what other stations besides Montgomery are going to get free coffee? I'm surprised this isn't sponsored by Starbucks.
It was 6pm and I was headed south on BART - the Millbrae train. I was reading my pocket pc's newspaper rss feeds when this kid walks in thru the sliding doors and sits across from me in the quad seats. Right away I noticed a smell of booze/vinegar coming from the guy. I was thinking - wow - you must of been drinking a lot to smell like that. Two minutes later he pulls out a 40 from his jackets inside pocket. He takes a couple of gulps and puts it back in his jacket. It seems that he was timing it so when we are in between stations he takes a drink. He looked to be in his late teens - early twenties. I was about to say something to him, but he got off on the next stop.
I'm feeling empowered.
Yesterday was MLK day and I had the day off. I told DH that because he didn't have the day off SS could not stay with me because he doesn't listen. (Read previous post for more info.)
I think it's been a long day for both of us but I am downstairs while my FH is in our room being a jerk. It is all over his son's behavior.
My FSS is 8 and is at that age where he is really testing limits, I think he can be a brat most of the time and especially when he doesn't get his own way. The thing that triggered his fit tonight?? I asked him to pick out some of the clothes that were in two bags my FH got from his nephews and see what he wanted to keep. The rest we would donate. It's not that difficult--I was folding the laundry today and did not even ask him to put his clothes away. All I wanted was for him to look through the bags and see if there was anything there he didn't want to keep. I asked him a few times like 3 or 4, and so did FH. He kept whining that he wanted his Dad to help--translation he wanted Dad to do it for him, like everything else.
DH is out of town till Thursday and we were waiting for SD16's grades to be posted. I told him I would check the ParentConnect web site when I came home from work. Apparently he got a call from BM saying that she had called the counselor who told her that SD16 had failed all four of her finals and had actually flunked a class.No credit for that one at all.
Let me start by saying that this has nothing to do with DH, EW or SKs. I have to get this out.
When I was a teenager my step dad had an affair and got the woman pregnant (she is only 4 years older than me). He left my mom for a while then came back a couple of months later and acted like nothing had happened. He told her he never wanted her to bring it up again.
I called BART on their bullshit about improving service, putting more trains on, making them run more frequently, etc.
In fact what I have seen is the same short, overcrowded cars, the same interminably long wait times, but now, I've also seen 10, 15 and 25 minute delays the last several times I've ridden BART.
Has anybody else noticed this?
Does anybody have any actual information from BART about exactly what improvement they have put in place after their widely publicized propaganda campaign about "improving" service?
it's 5:34 and everyone else left more than half an hour ago. everyone else actually wants to get home to their homes and families.
i will pick my son up from daycare and then go to the dreaded hellhole with the two worst kids in the world.
Imagine this folks. All was well in Colorado Girl's world. BM was behaving herself and I even saw her on Saturday and didn't feel the need to regurgitate my lunch. I also complimented her new haircut, it was actually pretty cute. Everything seemed to be going pretty good. BM had agreed last week to the new parenting plan/child support order. DH's lawyer just needs to draw up the paperwork and both parties need to sign, and once this happens mediation can be cancelled (scheduled for next Monday). This all needs to happen before Friday or they are still going.
Based on the sage advice given to my last post, I am changing my tactics in the situation with SD(24). Thank you all! This forum is such a sanity-saver!
Oh, I would LOVE to completely ignore SD(24) and never see her again! Trouble is, I am under pressure from my DH to resolve issues with SD(24) because he has a large extended family and wants everybody to "just get along." My DH often defaults to mediator and peacemaker (can anyone say ?enabler??). He took so much abuse from his ex that he doesn't see that his adult daughters are acting just as abusive toward both him and me. It?s how they learned to behave growing up.
I feel so good since discovering this website, I have searched and searched for answers to my issues, and I have read about how to deal with anger and how to improve myself thinking this whole time it was me who was the problem, it is so refreshing to know that I am not so bad or crazy or angry, that it just might be something I can not do anything about except remove myself from the problem, which is a shame cuz I love my BF and I want to spend my life with him, (we were engaged but I broke it off) but his kids are such a big problem that I do not want to end up another statistic --I jumped into my first marriage I will not do that again!!
They finally had a memorial service for my friend who took his life two weeks ago tomorrow.
I was dreading it because I just don't do very well at those things. I'm not the hysterical, throw myself on the casket type, but I just seem to come unglued and droop and I can't keep the tears in my eyes. There wasn't a casket and I didn't see an urn or anything and I wasn't about to ask about it. I was blinded by tears and I just sat quietly as I could. It was heart wrenching.
This past weekend was a nightmare! Now I feel like I need a vacation! At dropoff SD12 comes stomping over to us, tells us she doesn't want to be with us, doesn't want to go with us but BM was making her, and slams the car door.
So this weekend was actually pretty good. MIL decided to stay away for another couple days, so she'll be back tonight rather than the original plan of saturday afternoon.
It was nice to have the house to ourselves and relax with the kids. The patriots are going to the superbowl, WOOT. 18-0 baby lol. I won a bet with DH....the payoff was great but I'll spare the details lol.
H is gone another night- tonight. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being at home alone with his kids.
He cooked alot of things yesterday. He cleaned the whole house by himself because I was at work. Today the fridge is full of food, but they'll probably still complain that there's nothing to eat.
so here i am
erasing pictures of you
ones i found by accident
the ones i knew i kept
just to be sentimental
now they turn up
ugly as can be
showing me what i lost
showing me what could of been
I just came to the realization that I do not love my step daughter. I don't hate her either. It's hard to explain. I have no Bio kids, nor do I want any. So I really don't even know how to love a child.
First timer!!! Thank God for StepTalk.
Today, I must say, I am at the end of my rope. Not only do I have to deal with the constant demands of a full-time job, parenting my teenage son and the stress of making ends meet with endless bills, now I have a new marriage - a blended family as it were. New Husband and new SS and SD. New stress to add to the old stress. Why Hubby can't tell his son "Let's See" as opposed to "It's up to her" is beyond me. Throwing me into the role of decision maker to his son is a position I don't want. Sooo I've told Mark (not husband's real name) don't make me the fall guy-time and time again.
BART has been a constant source of frustration for me. I rarely get a seat on the train unless it's during off-hours (between rush hour). When I used to work full-time, I stood a good amount of the time. So what's the big deal, you might ask? I have multiple sclerosis and walk with a cane. My mobility and balance are severely limited and I certainly don't have the strength in my arms anymore to hold onto a bar while the train is moving. And yes, I have even asked for a seat to no avail. I don't know if they think I'm trying to pull a fast one on them to get a seat because I'm young (in 30's) or what, but it's very frustrating.
So who sit in the handicap/senior seats? Everyone who shouldn't be sitting there including the following repeat offenders:
* 20-something-year-olds who pretend to sleep while listening to their i-pods
* Middle aged business men who conduct work on their laptops
* Mothers with baby strollers
* Bicycle riders who sit in these seats and put the bike in front of them
* People with large suitcases going to the airport( my personal pet peeve)
Placards are posted behind the seats to inform riders that it is federal law to provide seating to people with disabilities, seniors and others who may need assistance. The message is also displayed on the monitors at each BART station. Do people read or better yet, do they care? Some do, but most don't. Ironically middle-aged women offer seats before others do.
Here are my suggestions to BART:
* Monitor and enforce the law; if BART police can come on the trains with dogs then they should also be able to enforce the seating (ask to see the tickets and RTC cards); impose a hefty penalty of $500 to those in violation.
* Install heavy-duty, overhead racks above all seats so backpacks, luggage, etc. can be stored without clogging up isles and without taking seats near the door needed by seniors/disabled people.
* Install bike racks in designated cars (i.e. one in the front car and one in the back) away from escalators and elevators that handicap/seniors use to get down to the train and enforce the bike rule even during off-peak hours.
* CLEAN the cars! Elderly people and some people with disabilities have compromised immune systems which means they get sick easily. Only picking up garbage from the trains won't help. Disinfect the cars, clean the window sills (they are filthy with dirt and saliva), replace the seat covers with something more conducive to cleaning or something that is easy to remove and replace monthly, and disinfect the metal bars which harbor bacteria.
* Run more trains during the weekday, not just during the weekend.
I want something done about this. If simple changes like these can't be met, why are we even paying for a rate increase?
Now it looks official. The signage is now up.
This is a continuation from my earlier story here
I actually want BM to find this and see things from our perspective. I am inclined to believe that she has because I put a link to this site from myspace, which is how she tracked my thoughts before. She currently does not want to speak to me directly. Early on when I 1st met my FSS, BM actually showed him pictures of me from myspace, saying, "Is this the woman your father is with?" At that point, the poor kid said I was not.
So I went to the doctor yesterday! I'm only 7 and 1/2 weeks! I thought surely I was further along. We had an ultra sound to see the baby and got to hear the heartbeat. I have to let yall know that now I feel better about the whole thing. I am still freaking out about telling SD but I am beginning to realize I just have to deal with it. Now I'm a lil scared about the baby tho. It's all so real. My doc said that I could have a lil depression early on expecially with all the extra stress due to BM and SD. But he told me to make sure I'm staying active even when I'm tired.
Hey Everyone,
Just an update to let you all know I am staying and if anyone is leaving our house it is the SD. I love my husband too much for that girl to ripe us apart.
The wonder woman (BM) decided to get involved yesterday and called SS to see what was happening at our house.
I've been struggling with this for quite some time. It started in the beginning when SD was 7; when we first started getting visitation with her. I was DH's constant before SD came into the picture on a normal basis (usually the kid is always there, then the stepparent comes into the pic).
Hey guys
So I dont know if anyone else has noticed this (and im sorry to post a topic I couldnt find the admins email) but if you go to www.bartrage.com and your not logged in, the site isnt updated. The last post shows like 3 mins ago and the date was like 3 weeks ago. The top post is Thats what you get for sleeping during rush hour... However, when logged in its fine....
Ive deleted cache cookies etc and has happened on multiple comps....
Just wanted to let you guys know
This is completely off subject... but since we are all parents here, I thought it was important....
My ex husband dropped by this evening to bring my daughter home. He received a text message from A doctor friend of his who has his practice in Anthony, Texas. I guess this doctor is primarily located out of Dallas, Texas but runs a practice here as well. He informed my ex that he just saw his first case of "cheese" overdose here in El Paso....
BART Promotional Policy ? raises based on bedroom performance
These days promotions are few and far between. After more than five years working as an executive assistant to the General Manager of BART, one woman found herself receiving two promotions within six months. Marcia DeVaughn was recently promoted to the position of Executive Manager, putting her into a top leadership role at BART. It also earned her a substantial pay increase. Mere months after her brilliant promotion, Ms. DeVaughn received an even more substantial promotion. Beating out six other candidates, she was promoted to the position of Deputy General Manager, making her the number 2 manager at BART.
Was Ms. DeVaughn a diamond in the rough, an ingenious leader hidden amongst the numerous other BART employees as an executive assistant for years until she could shine? It is possible. However, it seems far more likely that Ms. DeVaughn was not shining in the workplace but out. Sources report that Ms. DeVaughn has been living with Paul Oversier, Assistant General Manager of Operations, first at her home at 528 Victoria in San Francisco and now at a condo at 200 Lakeside in Oakland. Was Ms. DeVaughn deserving of her promotions or are tax payers funding rewards for sexual liaisons at BART?
Ok, so WTF is with trains that get stuck at the platform? When a TO closes the door, typically a station platform releases a train on its' merry way, but from time to time the system mucks up and the train has to sit with its' doors closed for several minutes. Is the overall system down? Is there something wrong with that train?
Even if someone blocked the doors, it is 2008, and BART shoud have accounted for thids is system upgrades by now.
Okay BM was playing games with FSD'hair but now it's back to the shoes.
She keeps sending her over to our house with the snowboots she bought her, which are too small and refuses to send her back in the brand new boots we had bought about a month ago. She claims they are too big and told FSD that she will keep them at her house to wear next year.
any bm's out there for advice on this one?
sd (13-yrs) is displaying behavioral problems, biting hitting spitting on bf. also, most recently sd acting sick and missing school - very convincing too (only beginning of 3rd quarter and sd has missed 3.5 days). sd forgets to take her medicine (medicine could be making sd ill). talks back to bf and me, always arguing/bickering.
well, i guess flunking last semester and having H threaten to stop paying for college wasn't enough to show SD that it's important to go to class.
She called me today basically crying today because she was on the waiting list to get into this one class...the professor told her, "just come to class and do the work, and I will assure you a spot"- she has only two other classes beside that one. Well, she didn't keep attending the class, she skipped it twice, and school has only been in session for about 10 days....
Guess what? Ss came home from school sick yesterday. So I gave him some medicine last night, set up his vaporizer and hoped for the best. Well he's still sick this morning and since it is Bm's day we had to call her to come pick him up.
Morning everyone.... update time lol
Surprisingly, last night went really well what with the mother in law gone, but I got some very disturbing news from DH.
This is a strange one on my behalf because normally I would have freaked out, but I dont know what happened because I took it all very well. Remember I mentioned how he had gotten those texts from BM the other morning and he told her to back off? Well, yesterday when I got home from the gym, he told me that he had spoken to her for about an hour while I was at work that day. Told me all about the things they talked about, how she said that she didnt have anything against me except for the fact that I got what she wanted. Went on to ask him questions like why he cheated on other girlfriends with her, but he wont cheat on me with her. He told her he's in love with me, it's not just some person he's dating, it's his future wife she's talking about. I guess there was more to that effect, her wanting to know why I'm so different and why he treats me so much better than anyone else. Told him that her biggest problem is my kids because they get his attention 24/7 and he loves them so much, and they love him so much, THEN went on to tell him that HER daughter, my future SD8, loves me so much and she has no idea what I did to get that kind of trust from her so quickly. SD apparently wrote a story for school that included me and my kids when she went into her dad's side of the family. What shocked me most was my lack of anger at hearing about this conversation. It really didn't even bother me that they talked without me there because of his openess about what they talked about I guess.
not too eventful, but I want to not for myself, when I'm reading these memories
again stayed at work until late.
when I got home SD actually asked me to take off the shirt I was wearing(mine) so that she could wear it to go out. It's too small for her, I bought it that way on purpose.
My DH have been married a little over a year. The skids have made my life a living hell since I moved into the house. Rude comments and disrespect along with their mental issues. Their BM is a nut serious issues like crazy and talks shit about me and DH all the time.
OK ANOTHER PAYCHECK WRONG! WTF IM GETTING TIRED OF THIS SHIT! iVE HAD IT!!!!!
I would estimate 60% of all paychecks to the train operators are short. BAP payroll system is flawed and was not designed for schedules such as train operators! It is costing them 100s of 1000s of dollars to keep this system! AUUGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Sorry for the vent...I'm just sick of being #2 in this relationship..Sometimes I wonder why I stick around for the love part of this whole situation..."golden child" is coming to visit this weekend and of course everyone has to make it a big huge situation...I've never asked for a pat on the back or credit for the crap I have done and gone through for my fiancee...This is the way it's going to be every other weekend...he's going to get to do whatever he wants here and go places whether he behaves or not....I can see it now...and of course my daughter will be shit on all weekend...I don't know how to change this blame game bullcrap...my daughter is getting blamed for his little "spoiled brat" actions he pulls...his family is telling HIM it's my daughter who is teaching him this crap...AHEM...my daughter isn't spoiled!
I haven't posted in a few days as DH has been off of work and hogging my laptop which has driven me absolutely crazy. Thank God he's back to work tomorrow.
I'm seething over recent developments with DH and Precious and I'm not so certain I can be nice much longer. I've found out that DH bought his motorcycle in a low attempt to "buy" Precious to stay here at our house. DH won't admit it as I've confronted him about it after I found out that BB bought P a new dirtbike for "her" house (the same BB who doesn't pay CS). The school psychologist met with P today and confronted him about his lying, lack of remorse, and blatant rudeness, ignorance, and defiance at school and home. The SP said P told her he's not going to do anything at home/school because my DH doesn't do anything and that me, my DD, and P do everything. WTF?!?! I'd like to know the last time he lifted a finger to help out. SP said he has absolutely no remorse for hurting me, his father, or my daughter. SP said he showed absolutely no remorse or concern when she mentioned that he may fail school this year. Why would he? He's been conniving with BB behind DH's back to move in with her. I told DH everything that was said and you'd think he'd be pissed off beyond belief that his son would trash him to the SP, but not DH! DH was in P's room all night watching TV and hamming it up like it never even was said. I told DH that she suggested P be seen by a professional because he needs help, but of course, nothing will be done. P was also quick to tell her that all DH does is yell, yell, yell.....he's securely driving the nails into DH's coffin and I can't believe my DH is tolerating this. WHY? Why is he doing nothing to help this situation? I just don't understand. I am at a total loss.
told me last night that they loved me. I almost cried. Their mother is such a bitch that it is so hard for me not treat them how i feel about their mother. They live with their grandparents b/c BM's BF father told her that her and her kids can not live with them.
was looking at apartments today, at the graduate school that I hope to get into- and their handbook says that they will call CPS if any child under 12 is to be found left alone at home.
I thought that at 8 1/2, my son would be ok at home for an hour or so, if I had no choice, but apparently the state doesn't think so.
I have to say my relationship with my husband has totally changed since the experiences with his satan spawn children. Not to mention I am a step-grandmother at the ripe old age of 27 to make matters worse.
It goes up, it goes down and with every down swing there is a click that jolts the upward swing of the otherside....
That is my life and I think I'll take a break for a while. I have to say that if I don't watch the stupid ball go up and down, back and forth....what is it that I'm missing? (For those of you who are clueless, please reference my earlier blogs and see that my mood is completely based on my reactions to this pendulum...or better known as the bipolar BM.)
My DH is in the military. Thus there are times when he is gone on TDY, Deployment, etc. BM has refused me to pick up SD (even for a day) while DH is gone.
Do any of you have a similar situation (SM or SD)? Are you still able to pick up SKid(s)? Do you guys even tell BM when DH is out of town?
I put my cell phone through the washer and dryer.
It doesn't work anymore.
Now H called from the plane "Can you pick SS up from his mom's house on your way home from work?"
I said, "No, I don't have a phone, I can't call and tell him that I'm there- why can't SHE do it?"
Finally I have something positive to write! It's about my own daughter but what the hell...the new medication is working for her..she's like a totally different kid! We hit a bump the first couple days..she can't swallow the capsules so I have to mix the meds in her breakfast and it was upsetting her stomach but now we've ironed out the wrinkles and it's working!
My Dh jumps through them regularly. I am really annoyed this morning. My Dh jumps through hoop after hoop to please his bd and ex wife. It just burns my ass. I am sick of saying anything because when I do I feel that he does not hear me at all and I end up feeling like my feelings don't matter, only bd's and ex's do. And anyway he just comes up with justification for his actions.
I havent been on or posted in weeks...I took this positive view and tried to run with it,,,counsling...Okay, so it appears to have some positive but when DH's daughters do something wrong then the couseling and our previous look at how to handle situations get tossed back out the door. My stomach has been in this twisted knot since Sunday and Im not sure what to do,, Sometimes I wonder if my feelings or emotions are correct,, guess thats why we are going to counseling along with other reasons... Okay so Sunday,,, my BD comes to me and tells me that the phone is going to ring and she tells me who will be calling and I needed to take that call. I thought to myself, "What is going on".. Well to make a long story short,,, My SD14 took one of her and my daughters friends cell phone, took a random number and starting texting the number. It so happened to be the uncle to the friend, this man is 30, married with three kids. She is texting him wanting to know his name, how old is he, can they get to know each other, she even sent a picture of herself to him.......THE WIFE calls me at home Sunday night and tells me what is happening. I was shaking and kept saying I am sorry and I am so embarrassed.. She forwarded to me some of the texts. My DH sits her down, my daughter, and both of us to talk to SD,, she claims she thought she knew the guy,, Yeah right,, she didnt,, it was a lie,, ANYWAYS,, DH took her cell phone away.
One question I have for anyone who could give some insight. Why wouldn't my SD move in with her BM if she is so unhappy in our house. There are no court orders where she has to be and she is 18 why
As some of you know the BM in our case refused to let us have SD on the day we were supposed to over Winter Vacation. We even went to BM's apartment to pick up SD the correct day, but only to find no one was home. Called police---they told DH to call BM. No answer. So the police (and us) left.
Does anyone feel sick before visitation weekends? We have SD over every other weekend. Before, DH would pick SD up from school. BM would call them and ask them to drop by her house to pick up clothes (whatever). This stressed me out...now, we have more clothes at our house and DH tells BM "no, we have clothes for her." I don't know if it was excuse to interact with him or what, I don't know.
I should have added that the my SD suffers from major depression and should be on medication but doesn't take it. My husband tried shrinks but goes once and quits. My SD's mother is a looney tune as well so therefore his daughter lives with us.
Here is a link to the article in sfgate
thanks to
Bartmusings.com
Article Link
I just recently got married a year ago and have inherited 3 stepkids 2 boy older out of the house. I stepdaughter 18yrs old living with us. The releationship with her and I has been very unhealthy to say the least.
This morning DH got a panicked call from SD from school. She was in the office, NOT in trouble, but wouldn't tell him what was wrong. Just that she had been trying to call me for a half hour and I wasn't answering and she needed to talk to me.
So, DH's mother went out of town today, hallelujah! She'll be gone for about a week, which is so nice, I can't even tell you. Haven't gone into that much since my time here, but we live with his parents at the moment, and for any of you thats ever lived with your man and his parents.... you feel my pain.
Hey, I have been doing alot of asking to general riders and employees if they ever heard of bartrage. Most of the employees said yes even the janitors! I was shocked that some of the riders heard of it and the majority has not.
I was thinking if someone who is good with sigs or poster can make one and upload it on this site. I'll print it out and start giving some out to riders about this site. I let people around me know to check this site especially when we are sitting around on the platforms wondering what's going on. Just a thought about getting more people aware of this site.
I'm standing at Mac waiting on another Richmond train because the previous so called Richmond train headed towards Pittsburg. I and at least another passenger disembarked at Rockridge bewildered. The overhead sign clearly stated Richmond and the other platform clearly stated Pittsburg. There were no announcements stating there would be a change in platforms. More bewildering is the Pitts. train that was approaching Mac didn't arrive behind the train I was on at Rockridge. I've known trains to switch platforms occasionly at Mac but normally there are a bunch of announcements and the trains might hold an extra second or two. Didn't happen In this case.
Further exasperating matters was when I asked a person at the booth (one of three sitting in the booth)at Mac what was up with the trains, he (small Latino fellow with glasses and black and gray 'Supervisor' jacket) shrugged hus shoulder and said, "... that stuff happens sometimes." This is the kind of response that I can see pissing off riders and have them bitching about high paid do nothings on this site. I know they put up with a lot of stuff but c'mon, is that the best response he - especially as a Supervisor could give ? I should've taken his picture and shamed him on the site. If I were the only person who thought they got on the wrong train, I would have shaken it off and thought just I was tripping. Again, AT LEAST one other person on the last car got off at Rockridge wondering the same thing.
BM is planning to get Sd from us tomorrow, her attorney sent ours what is supposed to be her occupational driver's license. Our attorney noticed the license was first faxed at 11p.m. Monday night to her attorney by AUSTIN BAIL BONDS.
On the way home yesterday I saw what looked like a really rushed/bad patch job. Wouldn't it be nicer/cleaner to just replace the panel rather than use patch?
I felt sorry for the guy sitting in this pic. These girls were talking all the way from Montgomery to SFO. Yeah he could of moved - I wonder why he didn't move?
SD is not allowed to even mention our name at her mom's house. We simply do not exist. She has been trained not to think about us while over there and after all these years SD tells me she doesn't. She forgets we exist as well.
I just had to get this out or I feel like I'm going to explode! Went to counseling last night with live-in DBF. We began counseling over 1 1/2 ago. It has come to a point where I had to set a major boundary with his 2 daughters to not be around me or my son any longer. They live full-time with their BM and my DBF sees them and spends time with them on the weekends and during the week. The two daughters have been emotionally abusive towards me and my son for years. Due to the fact that my BF is upset with my recent decision, we went to counseling to see what our therapist had to say about it. At the counseling session our counselor points out that she sees no problem with me setting such a boundary after how they have treated us over the years. My DBF thinks that it is unreasonable and "we" the counselor and I are making his daughters out to be "monsters" (his words) When this issue is addressed in the sessions it is always with respect to their "behavior". The girl's are 15 and 18 years old now and old enough to know right from wrong but my DBF continues to make excuses for them and there are "never any consequences" so the behavior continues. They boldly lie to him about everything regarding me and my son. They always respond "that didn't happen". He thinks they can do no wrong and would never "lie to him". Since he always believes them and that they are perfect and does nothing to change their behavior or have any consequences, I feel I have no other choice but to not put myself or my son in any other situations to where they are "allowed" to treat us this way and get away with it. This includes no more vacations, trips, dinners etc...together with them. My DBF has never shown "any" empathy for my son and I with regards to this situation and has even gone so far to say "that we look for things" to make them (his daughters) look bad, when I or my son report to him their behavior. I really feel that my son and I have been repeatedly victimized not only by his two daughters but by my own DBF's thinking and lack of empathy understanding. His lack of sympathy and empathy has me really re-thinking continuing with a relationship with him. My DBF even went so far today to say that he see's his daughters behaviors as being a "disability" and they can't help how they treat us! That is the craziest thing I've ever heard in my life. My son has Autism and that is a disability! Any one else gone through this and stayed together?? At this point, don't think I can continue the relationship with him. What do you think?
For the most part, my SD6 and I have had a good, loving relationship over the past 4 years. Three weeks ago I gave birth to a little boy and since then I find that SD is completely getting on my nerves.
The SD came over on Sunday, F and I were fighting here and there for stupid reasons. He can be so jealous sometimes and it takes a major blowout for him to realize I have SO much more to be jealous about than he EVER will. Granted, my divorce isnt final yet, because BD is being a piece of crap when it comes to signing the damn papers, even though he's engaged as well. I dont know what that crazy woman is thinking, marrying the man who cheated on his wife with her for 4 years and now wont sign the freakin divorce papers. I think she's a little dim, huh? Anyways... I have so much more to be jealous about. I mean, I never talk to BD unless it has something to do with the kids, and even then it's very quick and painful. Like ripping off a bandaid real fast. *grimace*
Guess what happened this morning?
Well, H is out of town and he wanted me to wake up SS and make sure he went to school. That means dragging my butt out of bed an hour early, through the snow to the bus stop...
As some of you know, my ss lives with us 2/3 time. He goes to his mom's on Thur. and 2 weekends out of the month. Ss has been having some problems in a couple of his subjects at school. We work really hard with him when he is here. We really don't do anything but focus on helping ss (making sure he does his homework, grading it, etc.) Then Thur. rolls around and ss goes to his mom's house.
Ok so I want to hear stories of whether or not your situation with BM improved or got worse when BM got married. Little background for those who don't know me. DH and I have been married 2 1/2 years. We have my BD14, SD11 and SD6. DH is primary custodian for his 2 and my daughter is with us all the time. BUSY!
So my soon to be SD is now approaching the age of 2. And seeing how her life has changed since I have come in it about nine months ago, my fiancé and I have determined it is time to take the BM to court.
I haven't called home since I got here because it is a logistical nightmare plus I hate when you try to call and then you get voicemail or answering machines. That is the worst because you hear the voice of the person you love but it is a recording so it is so empty you know?
It is mind boggling to me. I thought most of us were in the same sinking boat. It seems like many of the valuable people that contribute to this site are being driven away....Anne, GoingCrazy, Daddysgurl, Nymh, Cruella (at one point but came back )Empty Risks, Mocha, evilsm, proudmom, and on and on.
Has anyone attended a quinceanera (like a sweet 16th but for Mexicans)...it's basically like a wedding...or a wedding where the parents were separated? Maybe each parents has already found a significant other or not. My SD already told me that she's expecting my husband to walk her down the aisle, and that her mom wants to walk on the other side. My husband told me that he won't do it because I'm his family now...and so is SD. But I don't know if he'll actually have the balls to tell SD that and if BM will pressure him into doing it. It bothers me to see them portray a "family unit." Maybe I sound selfish and maybe I should be thinking about SD...but I can't help myself.
I haven't seen it. SD saw it...she said she didn't like it. Normally she'll elaborate on the story and why or why she didn't like a movie..but she couldn't explain why for this movie. She said it was something about a stepmom, a bio mom, a son, then the daughter finds another man to marry who has a daughter from a previous relationship...
From the mouth of a fare evader:
"Shouldn't you be worrying about real crimes?"
Uhhhmmmm? Are you committing a fake crime?
Then it morphed into,
"Yall police is jus' hatin'"
Yes. The police are just "hatin'" because YOU chose to sneak in without a ticket, and did so right in front of a police officer.
Ah, it must be so hard for you because the world owes you something. That's probably why you have such a hard time, all of the time.
A little about me - I've been with my now husband for ten years. For the first seven years, he saw SD minimally (BM was always there to supervise). He got tired of dealing with BM's crap so he gave up trying.
How does one deal with harboring an intense amount of hatred towards an individual; one whose presence is eternal to this lifetime unless a drastic decision is made to rule out the one person you truly love and are in love with to rid your life of the one you despise.
Last night while cleaning my closet (which happens about once a year) I found a stack of old BART tickets with various amounts remaining. So my question is... If the tickets are more than a year old do they still hold the value? I plan on taking all 45 tickets in to be consolidated into one ticket, but I want to be sure before I hold up the line for about 30 minutes. Can anyone help me?
BART Tracker reports on arriving San Francisco area BART trains in real time, using a system tray icon.
It uses BART's new "Estimated Arrivals" or "BART System Status" feature, that reports on the current up-to-the-minute status of arriving trains at every BART station.
Does anyone know when construction is going to be completed? Parking is so bad there now that I don't even bother anymore. I'm hoping that once the new parking station is open that there will be plenty of parking in the mid morning.
ok, ive been a long time lurker and this is my first time starting a post. i've contacted the bart police twice in two days and have been very satisfied with the response.
ive read you guys here complaining that all people do is complain and not take action. so tuesday when there was a biker in the first car, i told him it was illegal. he got on the daly city train (24th street for whatever reason) at fruitvale. when i told him bikes werent allowed in the first car he rolled his eyes and took a seat (still in the first car). the train was pretty crowded and this asshole was taking up like 3 seats with his bike. so as we emerge from the tunnel towards west oakland, i called the bart police. i'm continuing to give the lady the info as the doors open, and she tells me a cop is on his way up the stairs. we sat there for a minute or two, and next thing i know a cop walks in, pulls the guy off, and i am guessing wrote him a ticket. we sat with the doors open as the guy was given a ticket by the cop and then left. very quick service and professional too from this guy, asian, mid-30s.
yesterday, i was on a richmond train at coleseum/oakland airport. it was standing room only, and there was this bum in the back taking up two seats and stinking up the entire train. i gave my seat up to a senior, and asked him if he wouldnt mind moving some of his junk so i could sit down. hey, i was desperate, and had a long ride ahead. he looked up, rolled his eyes, and put his head back down without moving any of his crap. so as we were leaving fruitvale i made another call to the bart police. at lake merrit we sat there for a quick minute and next thing i know, three cops, a man and two woman, get on the train and ask to see his ticket. he starts yelling some crap about how he has rights and he knows the constitution and some other nonsensical crap. the cops pulled him off the train with quite a bit of resistance. as the doors close i can see them handcuffing him. totally weird.
well, the point of my post is two things.
first off, the men and women of the bart police have a pretty tough job, and from what ive seen these past two days in a row, they do a great job. i gotta give them some recognition for that. and their response time for both calls was really quick! thanks so much you guys and gal really did make my ride easier.
second this is a question for officer shrapnel or any other bart cop that posts here. when the cops were pulling that bum off the train, he was yelling that they didnt have a right to pull him off. at one point the lady cop without a uniform said, "just get up and come with us, yes we do". my question is, i called the police, and they identified the guy mostly because of the smell and i told the 911 operator what he was wearing. they didn't ask who called, i would have happily said that i did. but since there was no civilian identified as being the complainant, DID those cops have a right to pull him off without getting my complaint first? i dont know if that makes any sense, but something to do with his rights or something? not saying they were in the wrong, i certainly do appreciate their quick response and resolution of the problem.
thanks so much.
BART directors will meet today to consider introducing hourly bike locker charges and hiking annual locker fees.
Read it all here:
http://www.examiner.com/a-1148713~BART_mulls_bicycle_fees.html
Just read.
http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/521082131.html
Please lets not do this on BART
BART related. Just ewww
Pls read my subsmission to BART. They are so RUDE!!
Any comments?
BART COMPLAINT:
I am appalled and outraged at the type of employees that BART has hired. I was entering the Dublin/Pleasanton station this morning at approximately 6:25am to catch the BART train into San Francisco, when my BART ticket indicated I needed to see an agent, which I did. The middle-age lady, who looked to be African-American, stated that she would need to write a voucher for me. I asked her if you she could kindly speed up the process. I wanted to make sure I caught my BART train that I take everyday.
She responded in a complete, unprofessional manner. ?Don?t tell me to hurry up?if you want to hurry up, you should go buy a new ticket over there (pointing to the ticketing machine).?
I replied that I just wanted to catch my BART train. I asked for her name since I wanted to file a complaint, but she refused. When I asked another employee, in the booth with her, a middle-age African American man with a ?CAL? navy blue cap, he did not give me her name.
As the lady finished with giving me the written voucher, I said, ?I?m going to file a complaint.? She responded, ?You go ahead, you asshole, and fuck you.?
This kind of service is unacceptable and someone needs to be reprimanded or some type of disciplinary action needs to be embarked. Using profanity is completely inappropriate and unprofessional. I have been a constant rider of BART system, and found it to be wonderful and of great convenience, but employees like today have made me have second thoughts about using BART. In addition I am sending this complaint to the local television stations. Thank you for your time.
IT'S BETTER TO STAND THAN RISK YOUR HEALTH. 10 WORDS.
Ok BART management was given approx 5 plans or schedules to pick from. They picked the least desirable of the 5! Oh its true! I shit you not!!!! So you get more trains, slower service, and a price hike! OUCH I think we need a public outcry!!! But Im just an operator and what the hell do I know.
Car #1836 SF to Dublin/Pleasanton tonight was digusting. Seriously smelled like POOP! I know, I'm supposed to get "on the horn" and advise the T/O. But really, who feels like getting on the intercom in front of a packed train and say with a straight face "yes Mr. T.O, we have a stinky situation in #1836, some filthy rider has pooped in his (has to be a HE) pants and it smells worse than a public toilet in Union Square"? Second to last car. Riders were fidgeting a lot but I was only one of three that eventually left for the end car. One woman had her hand over her mouth making other riders even more uncomfortable.
I repeat, CAR 1836, One Eight Three Six, Mil Ochocientos Treinta Y seis, 1836, 1836, 1836!!!
Is there anyway to determine what route Car #1836 will take tomorrow? I would avoid it all costs, even if the maintenance yard does clean it. As you know if you've ever stepped in poop, the smell never goes away. Even worse, just knowing that someone in all likelihood unashamedly pulled his pants down and took a serious dump in CAR 1836 is enough to .
Please BART, take CAR 1836 out of it's misery. It will never be the same.
Hello,
More than a month ago, a high-value ticket of mine was caught in the machine at Dublin/Pleasanton. It was torn in half, so the station agent there wrote me a pass and I got out without problems at Civic Center. As it was near midnight, I didn't deal with the ticket until the next day. I went to Ticket Exchange in Civic Center and the man there told me to talk to a station agent for an envelope to mail it in. I talked to the station agent, who only gave me an envelope with an Oakland PO Box on it.
I mailed the ticket, stapled together, with a note that had my name, address, phone number and email.
Since it has been so long I had almost forgotten I even mailed it! I called BART today to ask what I should do about this and the man who answered the phone told me that in the future I should get a receipt from the station agent and have the agent mail it. Well, that doesn't really help me now with my missing $30!
He gave me a number to call about the tickets, and when I called it I got BART engineering. So I'm using this form.
All I want is to know where my refund is and why it has taken so long. Is it lost in the mail? Why wouldn't the station agent have known what to do?
Midmorning a rail cracked between Glen and Balboa Park Stations. As a result, trains were single-tracked and every Daly City train became a San Francisco / 24th Street train. From what I heard, passengers were stuck in the TBT for 20 minutes as trains clogged the downtown SF trackway.
Anyone with P&W or M&E know the inside scoop? Any passengers got horror stories to share? Any Station Agents or Train Operators have any really irate passengers?
Apparently I am a 'skank ass bitch' for reclaiming the four square seats back from the homeless dude sleeping there this morning. I didn't realize that ' no apology or nothin' was ample excuse to 'kick my face in'.
Is it bad that I get a good amount of glee from waking this guy up? I just hope he doesn't get squirrley on me and make me call BPD.
She's in critical condition at SF General. Read more about it here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/07/BA31UAV51.DTL
and here
http://www.njudahchronicles.com/
Here is a pic with the new signage showing you what my northbound train is now called ( the 9am train) - DUH!! We knew this back in December, but it's weird. I'm just used to the lady computer voice saying - "Dublin/Pleasanton train now approaching"
It's kind of hard for her to announce San Francisco/Pittsburgh-Bay Point. Someone from Bart should look into that. It kinda sounds like she's stuttering.
Why aren't there sound walls around those station located in the middle of a freeway? You put an elevated platform on a freeway median in the middle of traffic and surround it only with a chain link fence? I use the Castro Valley station to commute into SF and the sound and wind on the platform is a real pain. I don't need the nice "view" of the traffic, so can we please get a sound wall between the passengers and the autos?
I was in the mess today trying to get to the airport and I was taken back as to how much verbal and phyical abuse the station crew was getting. They matained a very impressive professional stance. They even had to call the pd on this one guy who was flying off the handlel. Well done to all of the crew who tried to keep it together when things got crazy.
It is great to have this venue available to rant and rave about BART. I don't hate BART, matter of a fact, I think it was an awesome accomplishment back when it was conceived and built. I think they (BART management) are ignorant
about a lot of what is going on and are a little out of touch with reality. As we have growth in population in Contra Costa, Alameda and even Santa Clara counties, politicians felt it necessary to go to the San Francisco airport. Yes, let's try and have BART go as many places as possible, and I know many people utilize BART to SFO (although not enough), but I still don't see a lot of traffic going to SFO, just like don't see a lot of congestion on the freeways after 7pm or the weekends (in general).
UPDATE: the richmond bridge is partly open from what i hear. BART Service past 24th street is STILL CANCELED!
UPDATE 2: Shrapnel says that there is a bus bridge btwn 24th and Balboa. Stay with BARTRAGE for further updates as they become available
BART trains heading to San Bruno have hit a tree at 24th street. Trains are stopped as crews try to remove it. Two trains hit it.
BART has released the following:
There is train disruption at 24th St. Mission between 24th St. Mission and San Francisco and Peninsula Stations due to an obstruction on the track. There is no train service beyond 24th station.
In other non bart news:
101 HAS BEEN TOTALLY SHUT DOWN! Both directions. The Richmond bridge IS TOTALLY CLOSED due to two overturned trucks. CHP is stopping everyone trying to cross. Also SF streets are in gridlock.
That is the only news so far and I will be updating this as more comes in
editors note: so glad i dont take bart today
So big storm hits the Bay Area. I was on the Richmond train going towards San Francisco from the Peninsula. All of a sudden, at 16th St., the operator has the first 2 cars of the train evacuated. I've never seen that happen. Anyone know the deal???
All of the trains leaving SF this afternoon and p.m. JAMMED packed like sardine cans. Riders seemed to be in a frantic state of mind more anxious than normal. My co-worker who lives in Walnut Creek said the Pittsburg-BP train was so crowded, people standing could not even move their feet while standing. Predictably, those standing did a lot of "BART surfing". Hang 10!
I was at Montgomery around 5pm waiting for my usual 5:23 p.m. Dublin-Pleasanton train. The platform was PACKED. As a Richmond train opened up, people swarmed the train pushing their way in. I saw one guy lean his hips with all his might into the crowd to try to force his way in. Serves him right for being such a turd. While he was pushing, his glasses fell off just as the door was closing. He was stuck inside the train, while his glasses landed on the platform tile. As the train departed, I could see him banging his fist against the door, and it wasn't hard to read his lips either.
Same thing when we reached Embarcadero. Not the "usual" commute crowds. Something was going on. A lot of riders had the same expression on their faces like "WTF?,I donno what's going on?".
No game or concert. When I got home, I checked the events calendar. LEts see, 5pm-Orange Bowl on Fox, 7:30pm-College Basketball FSNBA+ Stanford vs. UCLA, Sharks vs. Calgarry Hockey, 9pm-NBC The Apprentice, ABC-Grey Anatomy, No Warriors game.
Oh wait, just got an e-mail from friend saying it's the IOWA State Caucus, whatever the hell that is, that caused this afternoon's commute frenzy.
So now that I got my a** corrected about fares and inflation, I justed wanted to state that I never mentioned inflation; someone started into inflation and higher electricity costs. All that I complained about is BART making up this "cleaner trains" BS and the 33% increase in service.
Yes $12 a month may not account for much, when u consider that I know pay $11.20 to catch BART to and from work, but doesn't mean that they are justified in giving better service to a small population of riders while the majority of us suffer.
How are they (BART) going to increase service with longer running times for the PBP & Richmond to Milbrae and SFO everyday, plus increasing the frequency of trains on weekday evenings and weekends without making shorter trains overall? Oh wait! they have an invisible fleet of cars just waiting to be used along with more TO's.
Look BART obviously answers to know one, not even the voters who put the politician board members in their comfy positions to run the system. I realize there is nothing I can do but take it up the a** and fork over more money, but all I want is better service (for my extra $12) first, then they can work on trying to expand to make a few extra people happy.
And for the record, I get pissed when I have wait 15 minutes for a train, I still don't see the argument in reducing the wait time by 5 minutes.
When I arrived for my morning commute at Dublin/Pleasanton this morning, they were running 8 car trains into SF. For my evening commute from Montgomery, it was an 8 car train again. Is this going to be the new standard of service? I get charged 30 cents more per ride, and they're still running the trains every 15 minutes and running 1 or 2 less cars. I thought the fare increase was to run trains more frequently, at the least. The DP cars were packed in the morning and evening like sardines. I hope this is only a temporary situation.
as annoying as I found having to go from SFO to Millbrae via San Bruno just now- I was far less annoyed than the 15 people I counted getting