BART Rolls Out New Fare Gates
By Shiraz Kamran, Staff Writer
As passengers tap their cards on the displays, tall fare gates swing in to let them through. The new plexiglass barriers are part of an initiative to increase security in and around the numerous Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations.
The development and research of the new gates began in April 2023 when the BART board of directors chose S Traffic, a South Korean based company, to design and install the fare gates. Since Dec. 2023, BART has been replacing the old triangular gates. They began the effort by implementing a prototype at the West Oakland station and completed the upgrade on Dec. 28.
“The [new gates] are taller and plexiglass, so people can see through them ... and they have a mechanical lock which makes them more difficult to push through,” Manager of Media Relations for BART Jim Allison said.
In addition to increasing security measures, the new gates are also designed to be more accommodating.
“Some of the gates are wider, which is to accommodate people who are in wheelchairs or other mobility devices,” said Allison, “We made sure that throughout the design process that we involved [members of the disability community] ... so that these sensors detected wheelchair users and ... people with luggage and strollers and bicycles.”
As for the local station in Lafayette, there are plans to upgrade it further. The proposal aims to enhance both bikers' and pedestrians’ experiences.
“[The city of Lafayette] started a joint project with [BART] to make it more accessible[and] more bike friendly ... this summer,” Mayor of Lafayette Susan Candell said. “The goal of this next phase is on the south side, because that's probably where we see the most ... access with bikes and pedestrians. And so we continue to work with them to make the access to our downtown better for all modes of transportation.”
As BART upgrades stations, it continues to partner with local areas to improve the user experience.
“[Lafayette can] expect a beautification of [the station] and also more expanded pedestrian [areas, and] all these wonderful things on the South side of the station,” Mayor Candell said.
