May_1971 — Page 34

Arrival indicator light

Richmond Sacramento St ✪

Concord Lafayette O Fremont O Hesperian Blvd O

Condition when door will open for arriving train

Richmond

Concord

Condition when door will not open for arriving train

-

↓

Exit

Exit

Entry

Gate below

Gate below

(arrow unlighted)

Gate below (arrow lighted)

(arrow unlighted)

BART

Tickets

Signing is obviously going to be very important and also important is the provision - suggested in the standards of room prior to the barriers for people to sort themselves out and read the signs without being elbowed by, or irritating, the fast flow or regular com- muters who move by habit. The typo- graphy and layout of signs is best des- cribed by illustrations and a few ex- amples are given here.

On the platforms, what kind of protection will the waiting traveller enjoy? Architects have been required to provide canopies of at least 350ft. in length, i.e. half the length of the longest train, and also screens or other vertical shelter elements for at least 25 per cent of the canopy length. At rush hours in bad weather this length of screening could seem rather sparse. But it must be remembered that this is California (albeit Northern California). In the event, the released designs in-

32

Entry Gate below (arrow lighted)

Muni

Gates

dicate side screening throughout canopy length. They also illustrate the difficulty of integrating such light- weight elements with the heavy struc- ture of an elevated railway in a way that is aesthetically satisfying yet honest.

At first sight, Reynolds & Cham- berlain's Fruitvale achieves integration but the blandness of the convect V- section apron quickly generates sus- picion. At Pleasant Hill, by Masten & Hurd and Joseph Esherick and Asso- ciates, the canopy makes no bones about being an addition. But this is hardly a solution to the problem; and the steel-section uprights are going to cause some unsightly staining. (The sunbreaks incorporated in this screen will surely be appreciated, however.)

Escalators were to be provided in both directions only at island-platform stations. At side-platform stations there would be escalators only in the

direction of peak travel. Lifts for the public would not be provided at all.

However, subsequent agitation has resulted in the designation of central stations and alternate suburban sta- tions as 'Handicap access' stations, meaning lift facilities. It is assumed that the handicapped will in any case have someone to drive them to the sta- tion and will therefore be able to select a suitable station without great inconvenience.

No free fares

The fare collection system has a great influence on station design. It would have been nice to report that BART's sponsors were prepared to make the first major experiment in free public transportation, but this is not so. Fares will be based on journey length and passengers will both enter and leave through gates that are releas. ed by the insertion of a valid ticket. (A charming provision of the standards is that the barriers and ticket machines should avoid 'an exaggerated visual emphasis on security or evident dis- trust of the passenger'.)

There will be two types of ticket, single fare and 'stored' fare. That latter type requires complicated machinery, since it is a form of bulk purchase tic ket on which the passenger may make any journey he wishes, until it is ex- hausted, or the value of the ticket is renewed. The reading machine within the exit gate assesses the cost of the ride and reduces the value of the tic- ket. This is done automatically by 'reading' the station origin which was encoded on the ticket at entry. An al- ternative to the 'stored fare' ticket is one that has the exact value of a num- ber of rides between two specific points.

Train screens

When fare collection is self-service the role of the 'ticket collector' as- sumes a new dimension, it is hoped that most BART stations will be one- man affairs and the architects must therefore provide a location for the 'station agent', as he is called, which will enable him to give information and assistance to passengers, supervise the fare collection equipment, control circulation, supervise the platform and the areas not directly visible to him by means of closed circuit television and cope with special conditions as they arise.

At the track side of the platforms,

Far East BUILDER, May 1971