While good car insurance
is plentiful on the West Coast, California
is currently facing a huge housing crisis. The average home in most major cities costs over a million dollars. To combat this, the government is considering the subsidization of housing for those who need it most. Building new structures to house California's growing homeless population would obviously cost a lot of money. However, according to Curbed San Francisco
, there's a big conversation surrounding the utilization of decommissioned BART trains. We know that these vehicles are solid means of transportation, but could you actually live in one? Who came up with this idea?
Activist Alfred Twu was inspired to create his own mock-up drawings of BART housing (or "abartments") on Twitter. The public transport company had recently announced that it was planning to decommission some of its older trains.
The San Francisco Inquirer
reports that a total of 670 railway cars will be retired. BART reached out to its customers, asking for ideas on how to reuse the cars. BART has considered museum donations, harvesting scrap metal or parts from the cars, and even pop-up food trucks. Twu proposes that each rail car would make a decent two-bedroom apartment, given the 650 square feet available.
His drawings also detail how easy it would be to stack the cars on top of one another to save space. Each car would be attached to a central core structure, with accessibility through elevators and stairways.
How feasible is BART train housing?
An empty train car certainly has the means to provide comfortable living accommodations. You can fit a lot of furniture inside, as well as a motorized scooter or similar small vehicle.
We've seen the same happen to abandoned shipping boxes and other public transportation vehicles. In fact, San Francisco used to have an entire community that lived in recycled cable cars.
The only major hurdle that must be overcome is figuring out all of the logistics. Building the center core itself would be expensive. You also need a location that could accommodate the structure and each of its cars.
However, a new law will force BART to accommodate new dense housing structures near each station's entrance. BART cars would be easier to implement on the allotted land since you wouldn't have to build completely new apartments. The law goes into effect on July 1.
MORE: Car Transport Customers Should Consider Shipping Cars by Train Rather Than by Truck
When could construction begin on BART train housing?
Unfortunately, construction can't begin until the federal government approves funding for this project. Twu first made his post in 2019 and there hasn't appeared to be any recognition from California officials since then. BART's fleet retirement process won't even be finished until late 2023.
Twu also reiterated that he didn't even mean for his drawings to be taken seriously.
He said that hoped that his drawings would inspire more conversation about housing and responsible recycling. Even if it doesn't happen in this situation, there's a lot of promise behind recycled train car housing.
MORE: Amtrak Plans to Add Over 50 New Routes, Is It Enough to Replace Cars?
Repurposed BART trains could make it easier to get better car insurance
When you don't have a permanent address, it can be difficult to purchase an auto insurance policy. Car insurance providers use your geographical location to judge your likelihood of car accidents
. If you live in a busy city with a lot of traffic, your auto insurance rates will increase. Without that information, an auto insurance company can't give you an accurate premium. If you offer a temporary address, the provider will likely decline your coverage until you have a permanent residence. BART housing wouldn't just provide citizens with a permanent address: it would also make it easy for them to purchase great car insurance.
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