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Old 10-04-2008, 01:31 PM
 
82 posts, read 237,417 times
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I am new to the area, living in the East Bay. I need to work in Burlingame Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and I'm planning to take the BART between Orinda and SFO. How safe is the BART at night for a single female on a Sunday at 8pm arriving in Orinda around 9pm. Any advice? I've only ridden once before with a male friend.

Thanks!
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Old 10-04-2008, 04:16 PM
 
655 posts, read 1,978,108 times
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It's perfectly safe; you'll be fine. SFO has lots of travelers at all hours, so at 8 pm that station will have people around. I imagine Orinda is quieter at that hour, but it's a pretty mellow/safe station anyway. And I've always felt perfectly safe as a single female on the train itself.
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Old 10-04-2008, 04:17 PM
 
Location: southern california
61,289 posts, read 87,188,930 times
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i have been mugged on the BART system.
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Old 10-04-2008, 04:18 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,641 posts, read 67,257,397 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by artemis78 View Post
It's perfectly safe; you'll be fine. SFO has lots of travelers at all hours, so at 8 pm that station will have people around. I imagine Orinda is quieter at that hour, but it's a pretty mellow/safe station anyway. And I've always felt perfectly safe as a single female on the train itself.
agreed.
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Old 10-04-2008, 04:19 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,641 posts, read 67,257,397 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948 View Post
i have been mugged on the BART system.
Ive been riding BART for 20 years and that's never happened to me. Of course, it could happen, but it could happen anywhere.
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Old 10-04-2008, 04:30 PM
 
Location: southern california
61,289 posts, read 87,188,930 times
Reputation: 55551
Quote:
Originally Posted by 18Montclair View Post
Ive been riding BART for 20 years and that's never happened to me. Of course, it could happen, but it could happen anywhere.
since i have not been mugged in my living room i tend to disagree.
strangely no stats on BART crime at all on google

BART Musings: Why I think there needs to be more BART police presence at Civic Center station?

Last edited by Huckleberry3911948; 10-04-2008 at 04:54 PM..
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Old 10-04-2008, 05:56 PM
 
655 posts, read 1,978,108 times
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While I agree that it theoretically could happen, it could also theoretically happen just about anywhere where you encounter other people. (People occasionally get carjacked even in some very nice neighborhoods, shopping at Trader Joe's in Walnut Creek or Alameda, and in fact some people *are* robbed in their own homes, too.)

The point is that it is extremely, extremely rare. I only know of one person who's had a problem, and that was in the Macarthur BART parking lot (which is below, and not especially visible from, the station) at night, which isn't a place I generally recommend. I've never known it to happen on a train, and that particular train route is pretty heavily traveled (it's the main East Bay connection after rush hour, when the Berkeley/Richmond trains stop) so you're extremely unlikely to be alone or even in a small group at that hour. Really, I wouldn't worry about it.

If you're still worried, though, just do a quick review of street smarts---don't carry more cash or cards than you need; know where you're going and walk there with confidence; stick with others if there's one empty car (it's okay to get off and change cars on BART if someone is making you uncomfortable--you have time); know where the car intercoms are on BART in general (usually at one end of the car and clearly marked, as is the emergency brake---both good to know in any emergency). Stay in lit areas. If you're headed to a new place for the first time at night, you might consider calling a cab to meet you at the station so that you can see the route and walk it the next time. Be aware of your surroundings, but don't spend time being paranoid---it attracts attention, and you'll also have a lousy time while you're worrying.

If you do get mugged, particularly as a single woman, the biggest thing to do is to give armed muggers what they want without resistance. I remember in a community training on the East Coast, our neighborhood officer said that the best way to get yourself shot was to say "Go ahead, shoot me!" despite what the movies might have you think. Also remember that, especially in the Bay Area these days, muggers are often youth who may be as scared as you are. But they have the weapon, so do whatever is asked of you and don't scare them by trying to make a getaway, etc. (You can get into self defense options, fighting back, etc.---but I still say if a mugger has you on brute force and/or has a deadly weapon in hand, it's just not worth the gamble.) Try to calm yourself by looking for and remembering things about the mugger--eye or hair color, something nearby that's the same height, a mole, a slogan on a shirt---that you can later tell police.

The chances that you'll need to use these tactics are slim, especially in public spaces like BART with lots of people around, but having a plan in advance will help you rest a little easier.
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Old 10-04-2008, 06:09 PM
 
Location: San Jose, CA
7,688 posts, read 29,084,385 times
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I walk to my workplace in Burlingame from the Millbrae station all the time and never have any problems. Never had issues on the system either. There are cameras in all the cars and police on hand at all stations.
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Old 10-05-2008, 11:16 AM
 
Location: Brooklyn
821 posts, read 1,034,147 times
Reputation: 154
Quote:
Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948 View Post
since i have not been mugged in my living room i tend to disagree.
strangely no stats on BART crime at all on google

BART Musings: Why I think there needs to be more BART police presence at Civic Center station?
There are no stats cause thats a political move to hide the truth and fix the numbers.
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Old 10-05-2008, 08:36 PM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,795,449 times
Reputation: 23659
I'll add to the people who say "I ride BART all the time and it's fine!" I don't ride that often, actually, but enough to give a valid opinion... not once have I felt unsafe, even riding alone to/from Richmond. And I'm a young(ish) decent looking female, so if anyone's going to get messed with, I make a good target.

Edit: I would be careful in the parking lots, however, if you plan to drive to the station... not that I've had anything happen, but they're usually sketchier than the actual trains.
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