S.F. Bay Conservation and Development Commission Adopts Resolution Supporting Direct Bicycle Access On the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge
Today -- Thursday, October 17 -- the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) officially adopted language supporting direct bicycle access on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. This resolution came on the heels of two studies (which Caltrans participated in) that showed that direct bicycle access* on the bridge would be feasible, affordable, and safe.
The motion was made by B.C.D.C. Commissioner Wayne Bell, who is the Deputy Secretary and General Counsel for the State of California's Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. The language adopted was as follows, "The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission supports the goal of providing safe, direct access for bicyclists on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge after the completion of the seismic retrofit project. To achieve this goal as soon as practical, the Commission requests that the California Department of Transportation immediately being working with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (which is the entity responsible for providing the funding for any further modifications and improvements to the Bridge) on the development of a Project Implementation Document for such bicycle access. The Commission further requests that Caltrans provide bicycle access for the Bridge as soon as funding is available for the project by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. The Commission directs its Executive Director to transmit the text of this motion to the Director of Caltrans and to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission."
Over the last month, several California State Legislators wrote letters to BCDC and Caltrans requesting bicycle access on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge including: Senator John Burton, Senator Tom Torlakson, Assemblymember Carole Migden and Assemblymember Joe Nation.
On October 15, 2002, the Marin County Board of Supervisors also unanimously passed a resolution in support of direct bicycle access on the bridge. This resolution states that "The Marin County Board of Supervisors encourages Caltrans, within 120 days of the completion of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge seismic retrofit project, to install a bicycle lane on each deck of the bridge that would be buffered using techniques such as striping, signage, Botts dots, and/or pavement texturing."
Bicycle advocates have been working for access on the Bridge for nearly 30 years, and considered this outcome to be significant, "This is a huge leap forward for the project," says Deb Hubsmith executive director of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition. "Bicycle access on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will provide a means to increase transportation capacity without increasing congestion. It will provide a needed alternative to the automobile, while also providing for a healthy commute with stunning views of the Bay. This Bridge provides important connections to multi-modal transportation centers including BART, the Larkspur Ferry Terminal and the San Rafael Transit Center."
*Note: Direct bicycle access refers to utilizing the existing shoulder of the bridge to provide for bicycle access. In the 1998 Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Public Access Feasibility Study, this work was estimated at costing only $1.5 million.
