Commuters protest Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bike pathway

RICHMOND As Bay Area cyclists plan to participate in Bike to Wherever Day frustrated commuters gathered Wednesday at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to implore authorities to remove a bike lane during much of the workweek in a move they say would help alleviate traffic Since a multimodal pathway pilot initiative on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge has acted as a four-mile connection for cyclists between Contra Costa and Marin counties hours a day seven days a week Before installing the pathway the third lane of the bridge had been a breakdown lane since the s The pilot operation has been lauded by selected including bicycle advocates environmental groups and the Berkeley Richmond and Albany councils who passed resolutions in promotion of the pathway last November But others have argued the bike path is underused and worsens traffic troubles for auto commuters especially when accidents occur on the bridge during peak voyage hours Business leaders elected functionaries and union workers gathered near the westbound toll booths Wednesday morning to reiterate their struggles and demand the breakdown lane return at least partially We cannot put the recreation and pleasure necessities of a small meager over the transportation and commute demands of those utilizing this bridge for work every day reported Lauren Goode a Richmond resident and a procedures associate for the Bay Area Council a business advocacy group More than a year ago cycling advocates were bracing the breakdown lane to return The Metropolitan Transportation Commission had planned to ask the Bay Conservation and Advance Commission for permission to reopen the pathway as a shoulder for drivers or crisis vehicles to use during collisions or other issues that could stall traffic on Mondays through Thursdays The lane would reopen to cyclists and pedestrians over the weekends and a free bike shuttle organization would be available when the pathway is closed according to an application summary A vote on that request by the Bay Conservation Evolution Commission was scheduled for April but was postponed after the California Department of Transportation requested for more time to amend the application Applicants now have until days before July to reactivate the permit amendment application before it is withdrawn permanently according to a March letter from the California Department of Transportation to the commission Those who assistance reopening the lane as a breakdown lane stated the issue is an urgent quality-of-life matter Theresa Foglio-Ramirez a daily commuter and member of Laborer s International Union of North America Local which represents construction workers in Marin San Francisco and San Mateo counties mentioned she leaves her home by a m every day to avoid major delays because leaving just minutes late can add to minutes to her drive It s horrifying Roglio-Ramirez reported It takes away hours from my life With the amount of time I ve spent commuting I could have earned another degree A investigation by California Partners for Advanced Transportation Machinery and commissioned by the Department of Transportation uncovered that fewer cars are traveling across the bridge toward Marin County per hour and that peak hour traveling times can vary given that stalled vehicles can t exit progress lanes But the analysis also asserts that those traffic changes haven t significantly increased congestion on the bridge compared to and levels Drivers are also slowing down reducing emissions and while collisions during peak weekday morning hours have increased by on the bridge collisions have decreased overall by the record exposed Meanwhile about people in the winter and in the summer use the bike path during weekdays Those figures jump to between and on weekends the research exposed Between seven and pedestrians cross the bridge daily depending on the weather according to the examination Rather than pushing to close the path Robert Prinz advocacy director with the nonprofit Bike East Bay noted the issue should be focused on improving mobility for everyone regardless of how they choose to commute He called on Marin County agents to invest more into infrastructure and lauded Richmond leadership for already doing so with projects like bike lanes from the BART station Richmond Greenway and Bay Trail And other projects meant to improve car passage like the removal of toll booths on the bridge slated to begin this month should move forward before the path is discarded Prinz revealed It s about how people move and how they can get things done that they need to get done in the day Prinz announced The question is how do we unlock it We do that not by removing facilities It s by providing more opportunities