Richmond-San Rafael Bridge How to Save a Bridge – Preserving the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Pathway
After months of waiting, we finally have details about when the future of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge path will be decided. Two meetings, on January 16th and March 6, will be the times to speak up for preserving the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge pathway.
Background
In early 2024, we learned that the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Caltrans proposed reducing access for people riding and walking across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to just Fridays and weekends. MTC/Caltrans’ proposal would return the bridge to its prior state, with two westbound lanes and a shoulder, every Monday through Thursday. The multi-use pathway, which has been open 24/7 to this point, has served over 400,000 biking or walking trips, roughly 40% of which have taken place when the path is proposed to be closed.
While MTC has committed to a shuttle in the near term, questions remain about what types of bikes can be accommodated and how long such a shuttle will be in operation (a shuttle that used to operate on this route in the early 2000s was discontinued due to low use).
MCBC and our partners at Bike East Bay, Rich City Rides, and the Trails for Richmond Action Committee (TRAC) have firmly pushed back against this proposal. Click here to read our arguments against it, first outlined in the summer of 2024.
To date, three East Bay cities (Richmond, Albany, and Berkeley) have passed formal resolutions in favor of a 24/7 pathway, as well as the West Contra Costa Transportation Commission (WCCTC). Over 3,000 individuals have signed a petition supporting a 24/7 pathway, and over 70+ environmental and advocacy organizations from across the Bay have joined our letter.
The SChedule Going Forward
The ultimate decision on the fate of the pathway lies in the hands of an agency called the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC). There will be two upcoming meetings where they will consider MTC’s proposal:
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Thursday, January 16th, 1 PM: Board “workshop” to review the proposal and ask questions of staff. No decision will be made at this date.
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Thursday, March 6th, 1 PM: Final board decision on whether to approve MTC’s proposal.
How To Support the Pathway
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Sign the petition (if you haven’t already done so) on the Bike East Bay website, which can be found here.
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If you represent a group and want to add that group’s name and logo to the letter, email Robert Prinz at robert@bikeeastbay.org.
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Provide public comment at either of the upcoming meetings. If you must pick one, the March 6th meeting will be more critical. But comments on 1/16 are welcome. You can attend in person (375 Beale St, San Francisco, Yerba Buena Room) or give comments via phone or Zoom (link for 1/16 meeting and 3/6 meeting). Note that remote comments may get cut off depending on attendance. You can email a comment using this link.
WHAT TO SAY
Here are some things to consider when writing your comment:
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Keep it brief. For spoken comments, the less time each person speaks, the more people will get to comment.
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Make it personal. Talk about how the RSR Bridge path has changed your travel habits, particularly if you’ve taken a job you wouldn’t have or bought an e-bike to ride over the bridge.
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Stay polite. As frustrating as this may be, do not be rude in your comments and instead focus on the benefits of what we have now or the consequences of changing it.
If there is one thing we should leave you with, this decision is very much still up in the air. Your voice, and the voices from the bicycling community, have the power to maintain this critical pathway if we speak up for it.
If you have any questions, please reach out.
Support RSR Bridge
You can support our work to keep the RSR Bridge open for bicyclists and pedestrians by donating to marinbike.org/give.
members make it happen
Supporters like you, who speak out for safer places to bike and give to MCBC, make projects like these possible. Thank you! Want to support this work? Give here. We’re working hard to ensure that there is always a full pipeline of projects in development so we can keep making Marin more bikeable every year.