Weekend Roundup: BART Ridership Still Going Up, More Speed Cameras Needed…

Here are three quick Streetsblog news nuggets to start your weekend.

BART ridership growth continues, sometimes exceeding pre-pandemic numbers

This is thrilling and didn't happen by accident. In 2023 we ended 30 minute waits on nights and weekends, and ever since, BART weekend ridership has been climbing, faster than weekday ridership.I championed this change for two years before staff made it happen, and it's worked as we had hoped.
— Rebecca Saltzman (@rebeccaforec.bsky.social) 2026-10-26T18:45:15.249Z

As seen in former BART Board Director Rebecca Saltzman and Seamless Bay Area co-founder Ian Griffiths’s posts above, BART ridership continues to grow, with Sunday ridership now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. According to BART, weekday ridership is now at 223,280, up 14.3 percent from the same month last year.

Advocates stress the importance of passing the Regional Transit Measure next week to make sure these improvements continue. “The hard-fought reform of Bay Area transit is well underway and producing results,” wrote Griffiths in a Streetsblog commentary last week. “The question before voters is whether to provide the resources needed to sustain and speed up that progress — or greatly undermine it by slashing funding.”

Walk San Francisco wants more speed cameras

A speed camera on 7th near Broadway in Oakland. Photo: Streetsblog/Rudick

As reported, San Francisco’s speed camera pilot continues to show remarkable results, in some cases reducing speeding by as much as 90 percent where they’re installed. Walk San Francisco wants the state to double down on the technology. From a recent Walk SF post:

But the current state law allowing San Francisco to pilot speed cameras limits the number of locations to just 33 – a far cry from what’s needed given how rampant speeding is citywide. We need drivers to go consistently at safe speeds everywhere, not just here and there.

Walk SF is looking toward new state legislation that would allow more speed cameras in San Francisco, plus allow additional California cities to be able to harness this lifesaving technology.

Walk SF has set up an “action network” page asking advocates to write to lawmakers to get to work on such legislation, so that speed cameras can be rolled out everywhere.

High tides taking out Woodstock

Lastly, make sure to check for real-time updates and alerts before trying to take the free water shuttle between Oakland and Alameda.

From the water shuttle’s service alerts page.

High tides are apparently overwhelming the docks, forcing cancellations of runs for several days this week. As of this writing, the shuttle service is suspended yet again. Recall that over the summer the boat was down for weeks because of engine issues. While still a beloved service, it’s clearly not dependable. A reliable, permanent solution, such as a bridge, needs to be found to let bicyclists and pedestrians get between Western Alameda and Oakland. Again, the money exists to build a bike-and-ped bridge or a robust, purpose-built water shuttle, but Caltrans and Alameda County, with the support of local politicians, are setting funds alight on more freeway widening.