BART

For years now, civil engineers have given America's aged infrastructure a "D" grade and warned that if we don't do something soon, it's simply going to fall apart.

As regular riders are aware, BART trains are quite old. Some have been running for more than 40 years, and date back to when the BART system first started operations in 1973. And although additional cars were purchased in the 1980s and 90s, the average age of a BART train is 30 years.

"Induced demand" is the idea that building and widening roads doesn't make traffic better--it makes it worse. Late last year Caltrans finally acknowledged that, yeah, it's probably true that all the work they've been doing for the past few decades has been for naught.

Last week, the White House and members of Congress renewed a commitment to completing "ShakeAlert," a prototype early warning system developed at UC Berkeley that alerts users via cell phones and other means of an earthquake in progress. Although it can't predict earthquakes, it sends a signal a few seconds before the most violent shaking starts, giving people a chance to duck under a table or take other precautions.

As the City of Millbrae inches closer to final approval of plans for new construction at the Millbrae BART/Caltrain Station, officials have quietly proposed adding new traffic lanes and traffic signals to intersections near the station. The traffic expansions aim to cram even more auto traffic through the area, worsening already hazardous conditions for people walking or bicycling to and from the station.

Tomorrow, Thursday, January 28, the BART Board of Directors will review environmental documents for Phase I of the proposed Coliseum Transit Village, which will bring 110 housing units to a parcel that's in walking distance of the Coliseum station. The hope is construction will start in November of this year, with completion two years later.