Filthy BART trains have riders screaming ‘yuck’
Q The last time I rode BART was not a pleasant experience. My sister and I were returning from the city. The train was full, but I saw two open seats toward the back. I soon realized why. There was a homeless guy with his pants pulled down to his knees stretched across three seats and blocking the fourth seat. His butt was facing into the aisle. The smell of him took your breath away. — Donna Hurley A BART riders continue to despair over conditions on the trains, especially with the homeless and BART’s inability to ticket seat hogs. Many say BART’s attempts to “sweep” the trains of riders at the end of the lines and keep cars clean don’t work. Q You can go to the Dublin/Pleasanton station any morning and find homeless sleeping on the trains. I do not doubt it is the policy of BART to clear the trains, but in reality it does not happen always. BART needs to listen to the public and go to the stations and see what is going on. — Michael Collins, Pleasanton A If you see people sleeping on the train who are taking up multiple seats or causing other problems, use the BART watch app to request a welfare check from an officer who will awaken the passenger to ensure they’re OK. Q I have no problem with the homeless on BART. But does BART think that the homeless who use the trains as a lavatory should be tolerated? Yes, it will take resources, time and effort to alleviate the homeless situation and unhygienic conditions. These issues, however, can’t be ignored. — Diana J. A So many agree. Look for criticisms like this to spur some action. Q BART should be able to provide a safe, efficient and clean transportation system, but what it actually provides is a barely reliable, filthy system. — Gina Gornick A And … Q Thank you for addressing a very important issue on the homeless sleeping on BART. I have been riding BART since it opened, but BART has lost control. … BART management has absolutely no idea what occurs on their trains. … I, too, have witnessed someone urinate on a train and received the same disingenuous and careless responses from the folks running the BART watch app. … Not only is it plausible trains arrive at the station with homeless people already on board but it is occurring with more and more frequency. And I am not just talking about a single individual tucked in a corner sound asleep. I’m talking about someone who has set up camp, taking a minimum four seats. … Trains are filthy and panhandlers are everywhere. The areas stink of urine and you must watch out to not step in human feces. — Owen Hill, Genaro Espiritu, Kathy Mason, Janice Torbet, Dan Allari and countless others
A YuckJoan Gary Richards for a chat noon Wednesday at www.mercurynews. com/live-chats. Contact him at mrroadshow@ bayareanewsgroup.com.