Down the Tube: Part II

Several friends have asked what is so fascinating about non-motorized access to the Posey Tube. I'm not sure how to answer other than to say that it's hard to find a more poignant illustration of the imbalance between motor vehicle facilities provided by the State and those provided to non-motorized transport (i.e. walking or bicycling). The single, narrow sidewalk called the Posey Tube Trail is meant to be shared by two-way pedestrian and bicycle traffic. It is so inadequate it seems medieval, especially when you consider that bicyclists traveling in opposite directions have to lift and then dangle one bike over the railing so the other can pass. The only reason that this arrangement is allowed to continue seems to be that the conditions inside the tunnel limit the number of people willing to use the trail. And those users are not influential or well-heeled. But this was all hearsay. I had to transit the Posey Tube myself to see the conditions firsthand (video at the end).

The first thing that strikes you is the narrow space between the steel pipe railing and the tiled wall. It would be uncomfortable for two average-sized people to walk side-by-side. Adding to the challenge for cyclists is a seam right in the middle of much of concrete pavement, an indentation that tends to cause your front tire to stray in ways you'd rather it didn't. The sidewalk seems to get slightly wider in the center of the tunnel, only to become narrower at the ends. I didn't take measurements. I didn't have time.

I transited from Oakland to Alameda on a Tuesday around 12:30pm, on my way to work at the Oakland Airport. The vehicle traffic was light and the air was not as profoundly polluted as when I first peered into the portal a few weeks ago. I measured the sound level with an iPhone decibel meter app at 85 to 105db. Not pretty, but not much louder than inside a BART train (sorry BART - your cars are very noisy). There's a headwind the entire way because 1) the vehicle traffic is headed toward Oakland and 2) the giant ventilation fans on the Oakland side draw fresh air in from the Alameda side.

The first 20 yards of the sidewalk are especially difficult given the 3 inches of clearance on each end of my handlebars. Now you know why all the young hipsters ride fixed-gear bikes with incredibly sawed-off, narrow handlebars: They make it easier to transit the Posey Tube, of course! I had recently installed new handlebars on my Prole and it's a good thing I had trimmed 25mm off each end.

Others have written about how filthy the tunnel walls can be when coated with soot from diesel exhaust and what one writer described as "human disappointments." Lucky for me, the walls of the Posey Tube seemed to had been recently pressure washed. I slid against the wall a few times and I was wearing a light colored shirt and came away without any visible dirt or stain.

I didn't encounter an opposite-direction cyclist during my trip. My commuter bike is heavy and lifting it over the railing was something I'd rather avoid. I did encounter two pedestrians: One, a smartly dressed young professional, the other a man who seemed to have all his earthly possessions stacked onto a dolly. Good thing he had not yet begun to transit the tube with his dolly - that would have been a real challenge.

When I reached the Alameda side, I carried my bike up the stairs rather than continuing on the narrow path. Once past the man and his stuff and being careful to not step in some human excrement, I looked back as I rode away and marveled at the primitive, dangerous, and inadequate facilities the Posey Tube Trail provides and the message it sends to those of us who choose not to drive motor vehicles.

My thanks to Hamish for the lending me his GoPro Hero3 for this project.