SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) - San Francisco will not be the next Detroit, despite many people fleeing during the pandemic, that's the forecast from the Bay Area Economic Institute.
Their researchers released yet another report backing the need for a second transbay rail between San Francisco and Oakland based on the belief public transit ridership will rise again.
Their 'megaregional' transportation plan would link 21 Northern California counties together by unifying existing rail agencies and building a second transbay BART tube.
While working with BART and the Capitol Corridor, they envision a more seamless, faster connection into the Sacramento, San Joaquin and Monterey regions.
Some may question the timing of this plan given the economic blow by the pandemic but the council's executive director believes people will return to the Bay Area.
It's important to plan a vision for the future, because these projects take decades.
"And what BART and Capitol Corridor are looking at is a vision for travel 20 years from now, and we know remote work is probably here to stay to a certain extent, but we don't think city centers are dead, we don't think that every meeting will be virtual from here on out. We still do think that people will go to office buildings, they will eventually go to sporting events, they'll go to concerts. They'll make those leisure trips. In person business meetings will again happen,” executive director Jeff Bellisario said.
Plus he thinks it's better to be prepared in case the new Biden administration and the state make a future investment into California's transportation.
For some perspective, construction on the current transbay tube between San Francisco and Oakland started five decades ago in 1964.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/3t3TZVT
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