PG&E outage map at around 8:50 p.m on June 8, 2015. Image: PG&E. Click here or on the map for the most up-to-date version. Update, 10:35 p.m. A squirrel that scampered into a substation in El Cerrito caused the outage that deprived much of the East Bay of power for two and a half hours, according […]
BART
Posted inCrime & Safety
BART promotes suicide prevention line as incidents spike
Mental health advocate Kevin Hines speaks in front of the new BART signage listing the Suicide Lifeline Number. Photo: Seung Y. Lee BART hosted a press conference in its downtown Berkeley station Tuesday to announce a new campaign to combat a recent spike in suicides on its train tracks. By mid-March, there had already been six crashes and five fatalities, […]
Posted inCrime
BART Police tower in North Berkeley prompts questions
The slightly askew SkyWatch tower in the parking lot at the North Berkeley BART station. Photo: Heidi Sachs When a slightly wonky-looking tower with a look-out cab on the top recently appeared in the parking lot of the North Berkeley BART station, local residents started asking questions. What was it for? How did anyone get into that […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Downtown Berkeley BART reopens after fatality
MacArthur BART station at around 7:15 p.m. after the downtown Berkeley BART station was closed due to a person under a train. Photo: Mori Yagi MacArthur BART station at around 7:15 p.m. after the downtown Berkeley BART station was closed due to a person under a train. Photo: Mori Yagi Update, Dec. 5: The person who died after being struck by […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Man tries to jump in front of BART train in Berkeley
Two people have been rescued from the tracks since Saturday at the North Berkeley BART station. Photo: Austin Cross A distraught man tried to jump in front of a train at the North Berkeley BART station Sunday night, the day after another man tried to commit suicide in the same station, authorities said. According to the […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Update: Man taken to hospital with moderate injuries after incident at North Berkeley BART; station has re-opened
The North Berkeley BART station. Photo: Ryan Anderson BART has closed its North Berkeley station after a report at 4:26 p.m. Saturday of a person under a train. Scroll to the bottom of this post for updates. According to a statement from BART, the victim was reported under a train traveling from Richmond to Fremont. BART is […]
Posted inCrime & Safety
Brief power outages interrupt downtown Berkeley
BART rolled in an emergency generator to downtown Berkeley because of some brief power outages this morning. Photo: Siciliana Trevino PG&E fixed a power outage that affected around 1,900 customers around 2 a.m. — only to find that the fix malfunctioned and caused “momentaries” in downtown Berkeley around 10:45 a.m. The first outage affected the 2300 […]
Posted inCity
Council weighs in on new downtown Berkeley plaza plans
For the first time last week, the Berkeley City Council weighed in on improvements planned for the downtown Berkeley plaza and BART station. (Click the image for details.) Image: BART Berkeley’s main downtown plaza is set for some major changes in the next few years, and the Berkeley City Council had a chance to share […]
Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety
BART Police arrest juvenile in robbery series
Image: Google Maps Police have arrested a juvenile near the North Berkeley BART station in connection with three robberies at gunpoint that took place over eight days in June, authorities said in a statement Friday afternoon. Police said each of the incidents took place at about the same time and location, with victims reporting a […]
Posted inCommunity, Events
In Berkeley, public provide feedback on new BART car
Members of the public explored a model of a new-design BART car located at North Berkeley BART station on April 29, 2014. Photo: Colleen Neff Bay Area Rapid Transit took its New Train Car Project to the North Berkeley BART station yesterday, allowing the public to provide feedback on the interior and exterior of a life-sized […]
Posted inCity
Berkeley BART plaza plans ‘not a bad first start’
BART hopes to create a more inviting, safe plaza both day and night. Note the walkable clear skylight over the station below. Image: BART plaza BART hopes to create a more inviting, safe plaza both day and night. Note the walkable clear skylight over the station below. Image: BART plaza More than 100 people attended an open house Monday […]
Posted inCity
BART extends kayak hours, but only in last car
BART announced today that kayaks are allowed on trains at all hours, but are limited to the last car of trains. Photo: Paul Kamen By Paul Kamen The BART Board of Directors announced today that kayaks will now be allowed on BART trains at all hours, including the peak morning and afternoon commutes. Formerly, kayaks had […]
