After a seven and a half hour meeting on Thursday, August 7th, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) agreed to close the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge multiuse path Monday through Thursday.
We were deeply disappointed by this decision, which gives up 4 miles of Bay trail to cars for half the week on a critical Bay crossing, a dangerous precedent to be set. During the meeting and in the hundreds of emailed comments, we heard from dozens of people who regularly ride across the bridge and will be forced into traveling by car.
We feel that BCDC, an agency that is supposed to safeguard public access to the Bay shore, got this one wrong. But given that the vote went as it did, we want to explain what will be changing for those traveling between Marin and Contra Costa County.
What is changing?
The plan led by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and Caltrans, and rubber stamped by the Bay Conservation and Development Commission on Thursday, August 7th will do the following:
Beginning in October of this year (we will share the exact date when we learn it), the bridge will change from a 24/7 multiuse path (depicted in “Original Pilot” below) and return to its pre-2019 configuration every week Monday through 2 PM Thursday, meaning what is now the multiuse path will be a roadway shoulder (depicted in “Pilot Extension” below). During the days when a multiuse path is closed, a shuttle service with a bike trailer will operate over the bridge.
What does this mean for riders?
For anyone crossing the bridge on Thursday after 2 PM, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday before 11 PM, your experience will be the same. The bridge path will remain open those days, and will be accessible to people walking or biking.
For anyone trying to cross the bridge between 11 PM Sunday and 2 PM Thursday, you will have to rely on either the new shuttle service or the Golden Gate 580 bus.
How will the shuttle work?
There are some things we know here and some things we don’t.
Here’s what we do know:
- The shuttle will come every ~20 minutes
- It will be free to use
- Operating hours will be 6 AM – 8 PM Monday through Wednesday and 6 AM – 2 PM Thursday (at which point the pathway will reopen)
- Pickup and drop-off will be in Point Richmond at the Tewksbury Avenue bus stop and at Point San Quentin near the scenic viewpoint
- Seating will be available for 10 passengers and their bicycles
Here is what we do not know:
- Whether the shuttle will accommodate bicycles with front racks/baskets (transit bus racks typically do not)
- Whether the shuttle will accommodate recumbent bicycles/tricycles or adaptive cycles
- Whether the shuttle will accommodate heavier e-bikes that may require the riders to lift them onto the trailer
- Whether the shuttle will accommodate bicycle trailers intended for pulling children or cargo
Anyone who has ridden the bridge will know that a large share of bikes/trikes fall into at least one of the above categories. What’s more, people riding the bikes mentioned above are less likely to be a stereotypical recreational road rider.
This means that the shuttle/trailer is least likely to accommodate:
- Older adults
- E-bike commuters
- Disabled riders
- People traveling with children
- Riders of utility or cargo bikes
These are the people we worry this decision will exclude from this 4 mile segment of the Bay Trail and critical link between the North Bay and East Bay.
Ultimately, a bike shuttle is a tool of last resort. A shuttle that formerly served the RSR Bridge corridor was cut due to low usage. Similarly, we expect to see much lower use of the shuttle than of the pathway at present.
Can people ride the bus?
The RSR Bridge is only served by a single bus route, the Golden Gate Transit Route 580 (schedule linked here). This route has similar stops to the planned shuttle, stopping in Point Richmond and Francisco Boulevard in Point San Quentin.
For most people aiming to cross the bridge, the 580 bus will be an inferior option to the shuttle. The bus comes only once an hour and can fit only 3 bikes, with a number of restrictions spelled out here (e.g. no baskets or front racks, no bikes over 55 lbs., no trikes or recumbents). Unlike the shuttle, the bus fare is $7.50 cash or $6 via Clipper Card/Clipper App.
However, the shuttle service will stop at 8 PM, meaning that between 8 – 10 PM, there will only be Golden Gate Transit service over the bridge. The last eastbound runs (toward Richmond) will be at 8:55 and 9:54 PM. The last westbound runs (toward San Rafael) will be at 8:48 and 9:48 PM.
What do I do if I miss the last bus?
After 11 PM Sunday and 10 PM Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday there will be no way to cross the bridge on a bike or via public transportation until the shuttle and bus service resume at 6 AM. Those hoping to cross the bridge during that period will have to wait until 6 AM or rely on a personal connection to drive them and their bike across.
Other than that, the only option would be to use an AC Transit All Nighter route, which allows travel between the East Bay and San Francisco, and the Golden Gate Bridge, which is open to bicyclists 24/7. The closest stop to the east side of the RSR Bridge is Richmond BART (4 miles, directions here). The closest stop to the west side of the RSR Bridge is the Salesforce Transit Center in San Francisco (21 miles, directions here)
How long will this closure extend?
The plan is for this configuration to be indefinite. Between October of this year and the end of 2028, the plan is to convert the multiuse path into a shoulder/breakdown lane. After that, MTC and Caltrans’ ultimate goal is to convert what is now the multiuse path into a third westbound automotive lane, with one of the three lanes serving as an HOV lane (see the depiction below).
At this point MTC is maintaining that the permanent HOV lane would operate Monday-Midday Thursday with the multiuse path being open Midday Thursday-Sunday and that a daytime shuttle will continue to run during the HOV hours.
We would not be surprised to see this plan change in the next few years. As return to office increases traffic on Thursday and Friday, there will no doubt be calls to further curtail the multiuse path. And if shuttle use is as low as we expect it to be, MTC may decrease service from shuttle vehicles to a single van.
What happens after this 3 year period?
MTC and Caltrans are currently in the process of evaluating the environmental impact of adding an additional lane of traffic on the upper deck, as well as any engineering constraints involved in that.
If they determine that such a project is feasible and funding is allocated for it, the third lane would have to be approved by both the MTC and BCDC boards. This would likely take place in late 2028 or early 2029. These meetings will present another opportunity for advocacy on behalf of the multiuse path and its users.
Please sign up for our Richmond-San Rafael Bridge interest list below to receive additional updates. After the new configuration starts in October, we’ll have another post providing our feedback on the shuttle service.
A big thank you to everyone who signed the Bike East Bay petition, sent an email, or spoke at the meeting. Progress does not always move in a straight line, and there will be time in fight again in the future.