Update on Richmond San Rafael bridge bike access

[Rob Hawks]

Hi all,

I received this in email this morning. Added emphasis on the takeaway:

rob hawks

Join the Monthly Giving Circle to become a part of the ongoing movement for better biking! Dear Rob, We did it! Caltrans has withdrawn its proposal to deny 24/7 access for people biking and walking on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Their proposal would have converted the trail into a car breakdown shoulder every Monday through Thursday, limiting access to only Friday-Sunday for those who walk, bike, or roll across. Along with our allies, we mobilized thousands to speak out against this, and our voices couldn’t be ignored! This is a huge victory, but we can’t let our guard down - as this proposal may return. Become a monthly donor to Bike East Bay today to ensure continued access to bicyclists on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and beyond. You’ll be joining more than 550 people who donate to Bike East Bay monthly. Originally, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) was going to vote on this proposal next Thursday, April 3rd. Yesterday, Caltrans pulled their proposal. Make no mistake - our voices made the difference here. Without our mobilization, the proposal likely would have moved forward. For the past year, Bike East Bay worked with our partners and we: Secured support for the trail in five unanimous government agency resolutions: The City of Richmond, the City of Albany, the City of Berkeley, the West Contra Costa Transportation Commission, and the Bay Trail Board of Directors. Organized more than 75 community organizations to sign a letter supporting the trail. Rallied 265 comments in favor of the trail to the Bay Conservation and Development Commission ahead of their first hearing in May 2024. Organized to get more than 4500 signatures on a petition to support 24/7 access. Even with significant support, this has been an uphill battle, as we face well-funded opposition spreading misinformation and straight-out lies. We are celebrating the fact that this time, bicycling and pedestrian access was victorious. Campaigns like this take time, resources, and energy. Sign up today to become a monthly donor, starting at just $5 a month. We need 50 new monthly donors or increases from current monthly donors to ensure we can preserve 24/7 access to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Thank you for supporting us throughout this campaign, we couldn’t have done this work without your support. I look forward to seeing you riding the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge trail soon.

Ride on, Dani Lanis Advocacy Manager

[Eric Walstad]

WooHoo! Thanks to all the folks that helped to keep the bike lanes in-place!

Eric Walstad

#8160

[Ernesto Montenero]

I am so surprise. 

Great day for cycling in the SF bay.

Congratulations all the hard work paid off.

Ernesto

 

Ernesto Montenero

Sustainable Technologies

 

 

From: sfra...@googlegroups.com <sfra...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Rob Hawks
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2025 8:44 AM
To: SF Randonneurs <sfra...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [SFRandon] Update on Richmond San Rafael bridge bike access

 

Hi all,

 

I received this in email this morning. Added emphasis on the takeaway:

 

rob hawks

 

 

Ride on, Dani Lanis Advocacy Manager

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[Eric Larsen]

Amazing - the power of collective action!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sfrandon/BL0PR01MB4116D79053326ACB90262276D7A02%40BL0PR01MB4116.prod.exchangelabs.com.

[Drew Levitt]

This is good news, but the Bike East Bay email unfortunately overstates the magnitude of the good news. Their website provides a more nuanced summary of the situation: Caltrans has postponed the hearing and vote on the proposal, but they can still submit the proposal, or a revised proposal, in coming weeks or months. My sense from brief conversations with some advocate friends is that we should expect Caltrans and MTC to return with a modified proposal sometime between now and June, so continued vigilance and engagement is warranted. Still, Caltrans/MTC clearly concluded they didn't have the votes at BCDC for their current proposal to succeed next week, and that fact alone is testament to the power of our advocacy, so let's keep up the pressure and hopefully we can achieve a longer-term success in the coming months.

 - Drew Levitt

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sfrandon/CAPyocvWQH_j8JR5MZTQ5ivqEZbHd12xAPLGKKHd_aR_Q%3D_Mysw%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Drew Levitt

drew....@gmail.com

+1 775 553 8488

Pronouns: he/him/his

[Jon Spangler]

Rob and all,

The March 26 letter from CalTrans (attached below) requesting time to amend the permit states that:

 "the current application for a permit amendment will be withdrawn permanently unless we reactivate 

the application in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of the extended review period, which 

we agree is now July 12, 2025, 180 days from January 13, 2025, when the current application was completed." 

In other words, look for CalTrans to submit an amended permit application to BCDC on or before June 12, 2025.

No one expects CalTrans to walk away without submitting another proposal, although they apparently counted the votes

and withdrew their application rather than to lose the BCDC permit vote on April 3.

Bike East Bay and the Marin Bike Coalition are the lead advocacy groups in the fight to keep the RSR Bridge Path open. 

The BART Bicycle Advisory Task Force (BBATF), to which I have belonged since 2011, is working closely with both groups.

Stay tuned and keep your advocacy and letter-writing skills sharp: this is not over yet...

Jon Spangler

Vice-Chair, BBATF

[DBC RBA]

+1 to what Jon and others have said. Like many of you, I’ve been working closely with/Caltrans up in Sac in the capacity of Sac’s bike advocacy organization. Do not lose hope AND do not lose vigilance. Caltrans does not accept change, especially when it comes to bike/ped issues easily. 

Keep the pressure on!

Deb Banks

RBA, Davis

Exec.Dir. Sac Area Bicycle Advocates

Sent from the Rivetress’ Phone

On May 3, 2025, at 6:10 PM, Jon Spangler <goldco...@gmail.com> wrote:

Rob and all,

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<2025-03-26 CALTRANS Request to Amend RSR Permit flat.pdf>

[Robert Prinz]

Thank you for the responses and support everyone!

Heads up for anyone on the mailing list for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge trail opposition group called the Common Sense Transportation Coalition (a front for the industry lobbyist group Bay Area Council), the most recent update they published to their list is fully inaccurate. They mentioned a new July 17 meeting date for the trail access vote, which we confirmed with Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) staff is incredibly unlikely.

Their message also claimed that the proposal is now for an HOV lane instead of a breakdown shoulder, which MTC staff also confirmed is not accurate. This misinformation follows a string of inaccuracies and outright fabrications from their previous correspondence as well, so I encourage everyone to not take anything they share at face value.

Anyone who is interested in following this issue and getting accurate information and ways to engage can sign our Bike East Bay petition at BikeEastBay.org/RSR (if you haven't already). Right now we are hearing that the earliest the trail access vote could be rescheduled is August but possibly later. We should know more in about two weeks. In the meantime we also received some very interesting info related to the previous, cancelled votes in March and April, and will be sharing this with everyone on the campaign list soon.

Thanks again,

Robert Prinz | Advocacy Director
Pronouns: he/him
Mail: PO Box 1736 Oakland, CA 94604
Office: 466 Water Street Oakland, CA 94607
P: (510) 845-7433 x5 | E: Rob...@BikeEastBay.org

[Elaine Astrue]

Revealed: MTC Canceled Bridge Bike Lane Meetings Because Staff Findings Showed it Should Stay Open

Signed the petition! This summer I'll be looking for the updates on the latest MTC and Caltrans tactics aimed at pressuring BCDC staff to change their recommendation (see bold text below).

From Bike East Bay:

What's Next?

MTC and Caltrans are still trying to bring the trail closure proposal back to BCDC sometime in Summer 2025. This will happen in August at the earliest, possibly at the BCDC meeting date on the 7th or the 21st.

Everyone who has signed our petition (click here) will get an update as soon as the vote has actually been rescheduled. We have asked MTC staff to not schedule the item this time until they are 100% confident about their proposal.

We have learned that MTC staff are trying to negotiate a deal, providing additional bike/walk facility funding in return for approval of the trail closure. But the standard set in the draft BCDC staff report is very clear, that “maximum feasible public access” means keeping the trail open 24/7.

We need individuals to speak up and help hold decision makers accountable to this standard, especially if the BCDC staff recommendation changes significantly ahead of the next scheduled vote.