The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) wants to make it safer for passengers to get to and from its stations. Safe Trips to BART is an action plan for eliminating traffic crashes that result in severe injuries or fatalities on public streets that connect to BART stations. This plan marks the first time a transit agency in North America has led a system-wide assessment aligned with Vision Zero, an internationally recognized strategy for road safety. Safe Trips establishes a framework for how public agencies can work together to protect vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and bicyclists, and improve access on these roadways.

Arup led the development of the plan through research, analysis, and technical guidance. As part of the consultant team, Safe Streets Research & Consulting delivered industry-leading research and predictive safety analysis. The plan incorporates input from extensive stakeholder and public engagement led by the consulting firm Circlepoint, also part of the Arup team.

BART’s plan sets forth a way forward for reducing life-altering crashes on public streets surrounding its stations. Reducing severe injury and traffic deaths on these roads requires collaboration with other agencies, as the first-mile and last-mile connections are under local jurisdiction or state control. This actionable set of strategies and design options will help to bring significant safety improvements across the San Francisco Bay Area in support of Vision Zero.

Key findings

The consultant team analyzed five years of crash data on public streets to identify the safety trends, crash patterns, and risk factors to inform the action plan. Within each station’s study area, the team established the High Injury Network, a set of public roadways where higher concentrations of fatal and severe injury crashes happen. This tool helps practitioners identify where to prioritize resources for greatest impact.

The analysis severe crashes on public roadways in BART station study areas are disproportionately represented. They contain twice the rate of severe crashes per mile as compared to streets further away. Higher-speed streets account for nearly half of fatal and severe crashes even though they only represent about a quarter of public street miles. People walking, biking, or on a motorcycle are almost 10 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured when involved in a crash compared to vehicle occupants.

A group of people sitting around a table discussing a map

Arup led the development of the plan through research, analysis, and technical guidance. 

Safety measures toolbox

Bolstering safety on public streets leading to BART stations will require consistent, proven methods. Arup led the development of a toolbox of systemic safety measures to counteract risk factors found on high injury roadways. Combining industry best practices with principles from the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe System Approach, the toolbox synthesizes proven research into a resource for easing implementation tailored to the Bay Area.

Countermeasures were determined based on cost-benefit, feasibility, and local context. High-impact strategies like dedicated bike lanes, accessible sidewalks, barriers to unsafe crossings, and grade separation have the power to physically eliminate the riskiest conditions. Other methods — such as strategies to reduce vehicle speed, improved traffic signaling, and visual cues — can protect both transit riders and motorists.

By embedding evidence-based methods for achieving road safety into the plan, Arup supported BART and its partner agencies in shifting from reactive fixes to systemic improvements.

Focus station action plans

To ground the framework in local context, BART focused on public roadways in seven station areas: Balboa Park, Coliseum, Colma, Concord, Hayward, Milpitas, and Richmond. 

Arup led the analysis of the station study areas, delivering a set of grant-ready fact sheets with conceptual design recommendations. Drawing from the toolbox of countermeasures, each action plan outlines recommended safety measures that are practical and supported by local stakeholder input. 

A group of people in safety vests waiting to cross the street

BART and the Arup team visited each of the seven focus station areas in the study.

A group of people in safety vests crossing the street next to a stop sign and railroad crossing

Arup led the analysis of the station study areas, delivering a set of grant-ready fact sheets with conceptual design recommendations. 

We greatly appreciate the Arup team’s support on this trailblazing project. Working collaboratively with us, they delivered outstanding analysis and outreach support. We were particularly impressed by their deep expertise in roadway safety research, their strong outreach capabilities, and their ability to navigate complex bureaucratic processes while maintaining efficient project delivery.

Kamala Parks

Principal Planner, BART

Partners & collaborators

Safe Streets Research & Consulting / Circlepoint