Carrying things on a Bike, on a Bridge

If you want proof that engineers and designers who come up with bike routes are often not bike savvy, consider that 2nd Street is a designated bike route through Oakland's Jack London Square: It cuts right through the wholesale produce market, there are stop signs at virtually every intersection, and the street is lined or blocked with forklifts and delivery trucks. Even when a bike route is through a quiet residential neighborhood, what's with all the stop signs? The idea behind biking is to keep your momentum going, not to be forced to stop and start dozens of times. That's why I avoid designated bike routes and boulevards due to the greater amount of traffic and the preponderance of stop signs that seem to crop up at every intersection.

With the early part of today free, I spent time running errands and doing laundry before cycling to Sweet Maria's to pick up some green coffee. I threw one pannier on the rack and began winding my way through the back streets of Berkeley and Oakland. I won't tell you the route I took since, frankly, doing so might increase the number of bikes on my little bit of asphalt heaven. So stick to the bike lanes and the main thoroughfares or stay in your car and drive on the freeways, nothing to see here, move along ...

With three pounds of green beans loaded, I lamented the fact I'd be driving to the airport later. Since I'd be sitting in a car (undoubtedly in traffic), why not take the long way home on this bike ride? So I rode 7th Street to Maritime and cycled the eastern span of the Bay Bridge. I've cycled the bridge a half dozen times or so, but each time there seems to be something interesting going on with the deconstruction of the old cantilever section. This day was near perfect as the path was mostly empty. If you haven't cycled the bridge and gotten a close look at the old span, I suggest you do so before it's gone. At the rate they are going, it won't be long before the old bridge is history. And once the old span is gone, work will begin on completing the bridge path to Yerba Buena/Treasure Island.

Milestones and Changes

Somewhere on Adeline Street, between San Pablo Avenue and 12th Street, it happened. I completed my 6000th mile of cycling for 2013. My goal was to see how much commuting I could accomplish with my bike as opposed to using a car and to reduce my CO2e contribution to the Earth's atmosphere. Based on previous research,  I calculate my cycling contributed 445 pounds (202 kg) of carbon dioxide. Driving those 6000 miles in a car would have not only been less fun, it would have contributed 5,714 pounds (2592 kg) of carbon dioxide. Keeping 5270 pounds (2390 kg) of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere is, well, ... a start.

I didn't have any students at KOAK today, but needed to go there anyway to pick up some cycling gear I'd left behind when I flatted the other night. A beautiful day, blue skies as far as the eye could see, calm winds, warm temps, and the San Francisco Bay waters were mostly still.  On my way home today, I decided to take the long way and ride the eastern span of the Bay Bridge. This was my sixth trip across the bridge and even though it was Christmas Eve day, there were fewer pedestrians and cyclists than expected.

Construction on the new bike/ped path approach seems to be progressing

Mist on the water

It had been over a month since I last rode the bridge and this time I saw obvious signs of the slow, methodical demolition of the old cantilever span. If you haven't made time to ride or walk the east span and you want to see the old bridge, you still have time.

Upper deck being methodically removed, bracing added ...

A section close to the new span, debris shield installed ....

Once the old cantilever section has been removed, completion of the ped/bike path to meet Treasure Island will begin. That's currently slated to be completed sometime in 2015.

All these changes and milestones got me to thinking about next year. What should my CO2e goals be for 2014? I haven't finalized them yet, but one goal is to sell one of our cars. I'm biking so much that eliminating one car wouldn't be a hardship. Quite the opposite, it would save us money on insurance, license/registration, fuel and maintenance. Another goal would be to log more miles and while that is possible it will require thoughtful discipline: Less chasing down and dropping youngsters on fixies, a slower and more efficient riding speed, continued emphasis on riding safely, staying injury free, and avoiding illness. Perhaps 7000 miles of cycling for 2014 is achievable, but the main goal is to continue to keep my CO2e down and set an example for others: You can drive less, get more exercise more (walk or bike), be healthier and happier, and generate less CO2e to boot. Think about it ...

Cycling the New Bay Bridge

The delays in approval and construction may have been gratuitous, the cost overruns inevitable, the political wrangling regretable, but you can forget the naysayers' pronouncements because the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge is stunningly beautiful. Including the pedestrian/bike path in the design was an excellent decision because it gives citizens and taxpayers an up-close way to view the bridge.  A busy work schedule on Tuesday kept me from attending the official opening ceremony for the Alexander Zuckermann Bicycle-Pedestrian Path, but yesterday I found time to cycle the new bridge on my commute to work at the Oakland Airport. Beautiful cycling weather made for a heady and inspiring experience.

Rules, Rules, Rules

Local TV news reporters, always looking for drama, claimed in a story last night that bicyclists are exceeding the 15 MPH speed limit on the new path. I can say that bike speed is not a problem westbound due to the uphill climb and the prevailing winds. Controlling your bike speed when eastbound can be a challenge given the inevitable tailwind, the downward incline, and the fact that many cyclists don't have bike computers or any objective measure of their speed. I was riding my brakes on most of my return trip (eastbound). When I got home, I checked MapMyRide and found that I actually exceeded the 15 MPH limit, reaching a top speed of 17.2 MPH at one point. My bad.

On my 1 hour visit I saw hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians, I didn't observe any cyclists going excessively fast. I did see numerous CHP officers on bike (I said "Hi" but most were not very friendly). I also saw many users blithely ignoring the trail markings of where pedestrians should walk and where cyclists should travel. Are Americans generally so clueless? Sadly, it seems many of us are clueless. When given instructions on what to do, many of us just do as we please, apparently insisting that liberty and freedom relieve us of any responsibility to be good citizen and to occasionally think of others. Ah, America!

Trail to Somewhere

As it stands, the Zuckermann path does not go all the way to Treasure Island/Yerba Buena. Being that the path is on the southeast side of the bridge, the old bridge is in the way of constructing a landing for the path. The completion of the landing is scheduled within a year or two, depending on who you talk to. Even as it currently exists, the path is well worth a short bike ride or longish hike. Not only for the views, but for a close up look at both the new structure and the old bridge.

Approaching the bridge from Shellmound Street in Emeryville, you can see all of the old pavement and structure that was removed over the Labor Day weekend to make way for the temporary ramp to the bike path.

The temporary ramp to the bridge is constructed of wood with a steel plate overlay.

There are turnouts at regular intervals along the path where you can sit on a bench, catch your breath, or appreciate the old bridge that served the Bay Area so well for over half a century.

Gleaming White and Graceful

I heard an architecture critic say on the radio last week that the new Bay Bridge span was okay, but didn't have the iconic beauty of the Golden Gate. I disagree because these two bridges came from different generations. I find the arcing arrangement of cables and the single tower to be ... dare I say it ... breathtaking. Riding back to Oakland, I found myself marveling at the amazing contributions we can make to our communities and to generations yet-to-come, once we find a way to cooperate, roll up our sleeves and get to work. Consider the tens of thousands of person-hours that went into the design and construction of this structure or just stop and enjoy the view, but by all means do visit the Zuckerman path. Remember that the process of dismantling the old cantilever span will start soon, so you may want to get a last look at the old bridge before it's gone. Like me, you may find yourself realizing you are two-thirds of the way to reaching San Francisco and conclude that continuing the path the rest of the way is a no-brainer.