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What is Caltrain like for commuting in the South Bay? Would it make sense to rent near a Caltrain station in one of the cheaper cities and commute to the Silicon Valley area?
Beware that if you buy a Clipper card, they tend to "forget" your deposit without recourse. The fine is $250 for being caught without proof of payment or jail.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
There's a sort of "feedback loop inversion" effect in play where transit caters to extremes of poverty and wealth and not the middle. For example, Palo Alto's Caltrain stops are not high-end real estate because transit runs through it - they're high-end because they have become a major destination for tech workers over the course of a few decades. On the other hand, West Oakland BART is within easy reach of many majo…
>BART's deployment there is effectively transit as a "handout" policy Is that really how it's framed?
Prime examples of how public pressures escalated the cost of the system are the Berkeley subway and the Ashby Station. After originally approving a combination aerial and subway line through Berkeley, that city later came to oppose the plan in favor of a subway-only line, which was much more expensive. The new plan necessitated redesign of the Ashby Station from an aerial to a subway facility. Extensive controversy and hearings ensued for the next 2 1/2 years, finally to be resolved by Berkeley residents voting to tax themselves additionally to finance the changes they wanted. Next, a Berkeley City Councilman filed a successful suit to redesign the Ashby Station, yet a second time, asserting the use of skylights in the original plans was not a true subway design. [0]
And indeed, the "nicer" stops on BART tend to be underground, while the "inexpensive" ones are mostly aerial alignments adjacent to freeways. (See the history around "freeway revolts" and you get a similar picture of class/race division.)
Related somewhat: Atlanta median income down MARTA's Red line (travels North to South) http://news.wabe.org/post/atlanta-biggest-gap-between-rich-a...
Surprised no one has mentioned the Delmar divide in St Louis.
> edit: Keep down voting squares.
I'm looking at moving to the bay area in the next few months. I've settled on fremont but im looking at renting. Assuming rent linearly correlates with the costs here it does not seem that bad a cost or commute (relatively speaking). Any advice or cautions?
Definitely consider proximity to transit: the current surge in employment has lead to a surge in traffic jams. The three main transit systems are BART, Trains (Ace and Amtrak Capitol Corridor), and the Dumbarton Express bus.
Feel free to ask followups -- I'm a born-and-raised.
Related somewhat: Atlanta median income down MARTA's Red line (travels North to South) http://news.wabe.org/post/atlanta-biggest-gap-between-rich-a...
Here's one for DC: http://www.estately.com/washington-dc-real-estate-by-transit...
Now chart it for AC Transit transbay buses and weep at how much you've been getting ripped off just because you don't want to take a bus to work
The transbay busses are slower because they get stuck on the bridge. 8 minutes for bart to cross the bay vs 1hr for a vehicle on the bay bridge during rush hour. If I'm wrong, I would be pleasantly surprised.
I'm looking at moving to the bay area in the next few months. I've settled on fremont but im looking at renting. Assuming rent linearly correlates with the costs here it does not seem that bad a cost or commute (relatively speaking). Any advice or cautions?
What is Caltrain like for commuting in the South Bay? Would it make sense to rent near a Caltrain station in one of the cheaper cities and commute to the Silicon Valley area?