100 years from now, how many millions of people do you think will live in the East Bay? Where will they want to go and what will be the best ways for them to get around? How much will our climate and communities change in a century?

As we learned from the last century, relying on expanding highways and cars to handle the region’s travel needs means traffic, pollution, dangerous roads, and our communities getting divided by highways.

What would a better way forward look like for the century ahead?

If, by the year 2124, the East Bay will have more people than Los Angeles, Singapore or maybe even Hong Kong does now, then perhaps it will need its own subway system.

As technology and policies progress, could the East Bay be home to a subway system with local trains as often as every 2 minutes connecting Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, and other communities?

Recently, transit advocates put together a hypothetical map of a subway system built around the imagined needs of the East Bay in the not-too-distant future. Cap off Bay Area Transit Month by joining the East Bay Transit Riders Union and Transbay Coalition in taking a look at the “East Bay 2124 Subway” and using the idea as a springboard to imagine & discuss the future of transportation in the East Bay.

About the map creators:

Ethan Finlan is a transportation professional and advocate, and freelance urban policy researcher and writer, who resides in the Boston area. He is passionate about finding ways to make people's lives better through high-quality, sustainable mass transit. For five years, Ethan led the advocacy effort to improve Greater Boston's commuter rail system by advocating for an all-day frequent transit system. Originally from San Diego, Ethan frequently visits California and the Bay Area, regularly using transit to travel the region.

A Fairfax County, Virginia native, Brad Gabel never thought he’d ever be into urbanism. He specifically avoided going to college in the big city, and instead went to school in a college town — State College, Pennsylvania. Brad graduated Phi Beta Kappa in mathematics from the Pennsylvania State University. He then developed a further interest in urbanism after his first NYC Marathon. An avid runner since age 14, he has completed eight NYC Marathons. His combined interest in math and urbanism has led him to concentrate on efficient transit networks. An actuary, Brad is a member of the Society of Actuaries, and currently resides in Newton, MA.