BART is about compromise. This station is cleaner, that one more convenient; this one has parking, that one is closer to home. Some stations reflect their surroundings, some had more money put into their design, and some are just nondescript holes in the ground.
With that in mind, and following on the report about the transit system's safest and most dangerous locales, SFist brings you a BART station power ranking based on actual ratings, objective and subjective judgments about the places themselves, and safety concerns. We've looked to Yelp yes, real people have taken the time to rate all 44 stations crime statistics, rudimentary and opinionated ratings of convenience (with regard to bathrooms, parking, and working escalators rather than geographic location), and completely subjective appraisals of architecture.
But not all BART stations are created equal. For example, architect and artist Ernest Born's brutalist style elevates Glen Park's BART station the top of this list. Here, a marble mural at the mezzanine's west end and warm skylights make for an unusually pleasant commuting experience. Also, the fact that this is the only BART station in the city proper with its own parking lot makes it a shoo-in for first place.
Other architecturally exciting stops include Downtown Berkeley, with its cylindrical entryway of stained glass windows picturing the UC Berkeley botanical garden. That comes it at number four, as points were deducted for general craziness and poor upkeep. By contrast, the pristine San Bruno BART (with perfect parking for SFO) clocks in at number three, and is the sort of stop that makes you wonder why other stations can't clean up their act. Also, stations San Bruno and the convenient, clean Rockridge (#2) get extra points for escalators that always work, and are not clogged with poo.
Low crime also helped elevate Glen Park to the top, but higher rates of violent and petty crime pushed other stations down the list. For example: Bay Fair, Hayward, Fruitvale, Concord and North Concord/Martinez stations were the top five stations for violent crime per capita in 2014, and their rankings reflect that. Any station highlighted for criminality was marked down. And yes, the most criminal activity at any station is reportedly at Powell Street Station, as earlier reported, plus that station is un-scientifically rated the smelliest, so guess where it lands on the list? Last, I have a particular bone to pick with my local 16th Street Mission stop, so that one's ranking (43 out of 44) can be chalked up to bias.
Yelping about a BART station isn't necessarily time well spent (here I am ranking them...) but I'm personally glad that folks took the time. Some throw-away comments like "It's bart... 2 stars" and many a urine-soaked aside make these comments worth reading. And there's even an overall rating for the BART system on Yelp. It's three stars.
Without further ado, our official ranking, based on a sum total of points in three categories (overall appeal and convenience, architecture, and Yelp rating), with a maximum high score of 15, a two-point deduction for high crime, and a one point bonus for the least crime.
- 1. Glen Park
- 2. Rockridge
- 3. San Bruno
- 4. [tie] Downtown Berkeley
- 4. [tie] SFO
- 6. Millbrae
- 7. South San Francisco
- 8. Richmond
- 9. North Berkeley
- 10. West Dublin/Pleasanton
- 11.Castro Valley
- 12. Embarcadero
- 13. MacArthur
- 14. Lake Merritt
- 15. Montgomery St.
- 16. Walnut Creek
- 17. 19th St. Oakland
- 18. Balboa Park
- 19. Colma
- 20. Orinda
- 21. Union City
- 22. West Oakland
- 23. 12th St. Oakland City Center
- 24. Concord
- 25. Lafayette
- 26. North Concord/Martinez
- 27. 24th St. Mission
- 28. Daly City
- 29. Pleasant Hill/ Contra Costa Centre
- 30. South Hayward
- 31. Dublin/Pleasanton
- 32. Ashby
- 33. Civic Center/UN Plaza
- 34. El Cerrito Plaza
- 35. Bay Fair
- 36. El Cerrito del Norte
- 37. Coliseum
- 38. Fremont
- 39. Hayward
- 40. Fruitvale
- 41. Pittsburg/Bay Point
- 42. San Leandro
- 43. 16th Street Mission
- 44. Powell St.
Where a select few scores were tied (toward the bottom of the list) a few ties were arbitrarily broken. It's not science, but here's the "science" behind the ranking.
