Billion dollar bike path for the Bay Bridge?
Rob,
In 2009 the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) approved $1.3 million for a study to explore a pedestrian/bike path on the western span of the Bay Bridge.
In Dec. 2009 the study said it would cost $500 million.
In Nov. 2014 MTC is dishing out another $10 million for a new study for a pedestrian/bike path.
Who knows how much the new proposal will cost?
Rob's comment:
The last study put the price tag as high as $1 billion (Bay Bridge 'bike path to nowhere'). The sky's the limit! I've been tracking this idea for years. No price is too high for taxpayers to pay for projects that benefit the bike zealots.
Willie Brown likes the idea:
Hey, the Willie L. Brown Bridge might get its own bike lane and walkway, just like that span on the other side of Yerba Buena Island. What a great idea. I’m looking forward to leading the first walk.
Willie Brown is what I call a Development Democrat, indifferent to how much projects cost or if they make any sense as long as they create union jobs: Dig a hole and fill it with money.
So is Jerry Brown. When asked about the cost overruns on the Bay Bridge, Governor Brown said "Shit happens."
Labels: Bay Bridge Bike Path, Bicycle Coalition, Central Subway, High-Speed Rail, Willie Brown
posted by Rob Anderson @ 12:50 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Can you imagine the outrage from cyclists if they were forced to pay a toll like drivers must every single day? With the low amount of cycle traffic the fee they would have to pay just to upkeep the bike path would probably have to be $$20.
Rob, you've said you don't own a car. Presumably you may need to walk across this bridge at some point. Do you really want to cross on a shared sidewalk with bikers passing in close quarters?
Pedestrians and bikers are going to use the bridge. Fact.
If auto traffic is going to cross this bridge quickly and easily, pedestrians and bikes have to be kept safely off of the primary lane. The other option is for them to use that 8 to 12-foot wide lane, effectively blocking traffic.
You want this bike lane/sidewalk.
No, I can confidently say that I will never want to walk across that bridge. I've walked across the Golden Gate a couple of times, and it's a much overrated experience. Unless a bike lane is constructed/added to the bridge as it is now, there won't be many cyclists or pedestrians even trying to cross the bridge---on the west span, that is---in traffic. They will just get a ticket.
Didn't we just spend $5.4B on car drivers? How much would be a fair amount to spend to accommodate other road users?
Post a Comment
<< Home