Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Anniversary Ride: a Bittersweet Celebration

At least 60 bicyclists celebrated the sixth anniversary of access across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, with a round-trip group ride Sunday morning from Richmond BART to the Jean & John Starkweather Shoreline Park entrance at the San Rafael landing. Until 2019, there was no bike access at all on the bridge.

While the mood during the 18-mile ride was upbeat on a warm and sunny day, the loss of the bridge bike lane during the work week weighed heavily on many advocates. In October, Caltrans began moving the barrier on Sunday nights and Thursday afternoons to ban cyclists from crossing during most of the work week, giving drivers access to all six lanes.

From the Marin County Bicycle Coalition:

Due to shortsighted decisionmaking at MTC and the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), access to the RSR Bridge multiuse path was slashed in half after nearly 6 years in use. Not once in the history of the Bay Trail has there been such a massive rollback, all in service of providing a breakdown shoulder for cars. Despite the setback, MCBC and our advocacy partners across the Bay will keep fighting to restore 24/7 access to the trail, ensuring that you don’t need a personal motor vehicle to get between the East Bay and Marin. The next opportunity to engage will come in 2028, when our public officials will decide whether to invite thousand more cars on the bridge every day, or to say “no” to perpetual freeway expansion and reinstate the 24/7 pathway.

Meanwhile, that blow, that shortsighted decision, fell last August, after the aforementioned BCDC decided to force everyone who commutes across the bridge to experience the daily grind of traffic, even if they ride a bike. Still, that didn’t stop Sunday’s bicyclists from playing music, experiencing a joyous ride, and enjoying the views. A few more photos of the ride are below.

Note: Streetsblog San Francisco will be off tomorrow, Veterans’ Day, Nov. 11.