This post attempts to simplify BART and the bond required to cover its maintenance costs into a situation individuals are more familiar with, a car and loan.
Every year, you've done all the required maintenance to keep it running and even make it nicer. You've changed its oil, replaced the seats, generally kept it in reliable condition. But now maintenance is getting more expensive and things like the motor just might stop working. You can't miss work because your car doesn't work. You need to do something. You call your mechanic and share your worries. She has done a great job through the years keeping your car running and you trust her. She says their are three options.
This example with the car are similar to the situation we face with BART. The times match when BART was constructed (1972). The costs of buying and repairing the car are proportional to the original cost to construct BART ($9.3 Billion in 2016 dollars), the estimated cost to maintain BART (>$10 Billion over the next 10 years). Determining the cost of replacing BART with a better system will be the topic of the next post.
I hope this was helpful to get an intuitive sense of the decision the BART Board and voters get to make in November. Should we continue to maintain our Lincoln or should we upgrade with the times. I do support the 2016 BART bond but we need directors who know how to build a transit system that won't need another bond in 10 years.
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