Closing bridge bike lane midweek doesn't go far enough
It's a partial move that fails to address complaints about underutilization of the bikeway.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Caltrans are considering a move in the right direction regarding the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge's upper deck bikeway. Unfortunately, it's a half measure that won't relieve the span's traffic congestion.
The proposal is that the bridge's moveable traffic barrier would be utilized to protect the current bike and pedestrian path on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. On Mondays through Thursdays, the barrier would move to the side with the additional space set aside as a shoulder for use by disabled vehicles and bridge maintenance.
It's a partial move that fails to address complaints about underutilization of the bikeway. The upper deck's westbound third lane should be used similarly to the third lane on the bridge's eastbound lower deck for auto, bus and truck traffic on weekdays, including Fridays. That upper deck lane could be made available to cyclists and pedestrians on Saturdays and Sundays.
According to MTC, the bikeway has “between 80 and 250 users daily, depending on the day of the week and weather.” About 40,000 westbound autos cross the bridge on weekdays.
When the bike lane is closed, cyclists can be accommodated as they were before 2019 when the transbay bikeway opened. Caltrans should again provide bike-rack equipped shuttle vans. Golden Gate Transit buses take Interstate 580 across the bridge from San Rafael to the Richmond BART station. It already operates using buses equipped with bike racks.
The need for a breakdown lane and space for bridge maintenance can be accommodated as it is now on the bridge's eastbound lower deck. Electronic “open” and “closed” signage indicates if the third lane is open or closed for needed purposes.
The claim that huge amounts of expensive work is needed on the Marin side to accommodate traffic coming from a newly reopened upper deck third lane seems dubious. Before the temporary water pipeline was installed during the 1975-76 drought, the bridge operated with three lanes on each deck.
The 580 freeway from the bridge to Highway 101 accommodated that configuration for years. While bridge traffic has since spiked, 580 between the bridge and 101 shouldn't be significantly impacted from three westbound bridge lanes since the volume of traffic will be unchanged.
The March 19 article in the IJ stated: “The lane hasn't intensified vehicle traffic, which has been an issue along the corridor long before the (bike) lane was installed.”
While I can agree that statement is true, the popular clamor to remove or restrict deployment of the bikeway comes from an obvious idea: The westbound third lane would be far more productive if utilized by the upper decks' 40,000 motorists instead of 250 bikers and hikers.
***
The Marin History Museum is celebrating Women's History Month with an exhibit entitled, “Petals and Ice, the Adventures of Louise Boyd.” It focuses on a formidable San Rafael woman, Louise Boyd, whose name is well known due to Boyd Park and the Boyd mansion, then known as Maple Lawn and now the Elks Club.
Boyd was a wealthy socialite, Arctic explorer, photographer and philanthropist. She and her husband, John Boyd, donated Boyd Park to the city as a memorial to their sons, John and Seth, who died unexpectedly in their adolescence. The Boyd Gatehouse at 1125 B Street, the family's guesthouse, is now the Marin History Museum and the exhibit's venue.
Starting in the 1920s, Louise Boyd took the unusual path of becoming an explorer of the Arctic. In recognition of her endeavors, a portion of Greenland was named “Miss Boyd Land,” and a waterway was named Louise Boyd Bank. During her lifetime, Boyd went on seven Arctic expeditions by ship and dog sled, conducting scientific research, including geological studies to determine the origin and history of the fjords and glaciated valleys in Greenland.