The Brief
- Business leaders, police, labor unions calling for an end to dedicated bike lane on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge during work week.
- They argue only 21 cyclists use it Monday-Thursday and crews need open shoulder to clear crashes.
- MTA suggesting compromise where bike lane is used on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, but bicycle coalition skeptical of this plan.
RICHMOND, Calif. – A group of business leaders and community organizations are calling for an end to the dedicated bike lane in the westbound direction of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.
Marin County leaders, the police union in Richmond, labor unions and the Bay Area Council say they want a six-year-old pilot program using the third right lane of the bridge as a dedicated bike lane – instead of using it as a shoulder to clear crashes – should end, saying it’s led to delays for the morning commute – an average of 20 minutes every day – for tens of thousands of drivers.
The group also said that on average, only about 21 cyclists use the bike lane to get into Marin County for the morning commute during the week.
“The challenge is, nobody wants to say ‘I shut down a bike lane,’” Bay Area Council COO John Grubb said in an interview. “Bike lanes can be a really good thing. It’s just in this location, it’s just not working.”…