The BART benefit

By Editorial

A San Jose connection to BART has been promised for years. Despite a new study that places the line in doubt, politicians and researchers should give it another chance.

The extension was sold to voters four years ago as an extension past its current terminus, in Fremont, through Warm Springs and eventually to the Santa Clara CalTrain station, across the street from the university.

The recent study, done by the regional Valley Transportation Authority and published Sunday in the San Jose Mercury News, effectively casts doubt on a $4.1 billion extension to the decades-old Bay Area Rapid Transit subway system.

But a new report shouldn't be the final say. While some sample statistics state that in some cases driving a car is quicker and freeways â€" particularly 880 â€" will become more jammed, that shouldn't throw away an extensive plan that makes BART synonymous with the "Bay Area."

The rise in gas prices and freeway congestion should underscore a vital need for alternative modes of transportation, particularly from the South Bay to Oakland and San Francisco.

CalTrain, will open its weekend service soon, which will operate at higher speeds as an effective solution for San Francisco commuters. CalTrain passengers can also transfer at Milbrae to BART.

Yet these solutions effectively ignore East Bay travel. San Francisco isn't the only destination for student weekends and commuters; many cities that BART currently services serve as homes for many commuting students.

If future reports indicate that a BART extension would be one of the largest wastes of money in a public transportation report, as the current VTA study claims, then it should be scrapped. Until then, it shouldn't hurt to give it another look.