Advocates Fight Potential Loss of Bike/Ped Access to Richmond-San Rafael Bridge 

Robert Prinz from Bike East Bay and Warren Wells from the Marin County Bicycle Coalition contributed to this post.

Bay Area bicycle coalitions, with support from a broad range of local groups plus statewide and national advocates, have been fighting for over a year to keep the bike path on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge open 24/7. The Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) will hold a final vote to decide the fate of the path on Thursday, March 20, 2025.

CalBike will attend the March 20 hearing and testify, and we hope you will, too, no matter where you live. If you’ve ever ridden over this bridge, you know the value of having bike access connecting the East Bay and Marin County. You can testify virtually; sign up to be notified when the item comes up. 

A local fight with statewide implications

CalBike doesn’t usually get involved in campaigns for local infrastructure, other than offering support when asked. Our local partners are excellent at this advocacy and know their territory better; plus, we don’t have the capacity to weigh in on the many local projects throughout California. However, we feel the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge fight has statewide implications and calls for support from allies around California.

Last year, we signed onto a letter in support of the path with many other organizations.

A brief history of the RSR Bridge bike/ped path

Advocates, including CalBike, have worked for decades to gain bicycle access to all of the Bay Area’s toll bridges. CalBike has supported measures to keep the bicycle and pedestrian pathways on our bridges toll-free to ensure the broadest access, including the passage of AB 2669 in 2024, making toll bridges free permanently for people walking and biking.

Securing a path on the Richmond-San Rafael was a decades-long effort. The path, placed in what was formerly a breakdown lane, opened in the fall of 2019 for a four-year pilot period. It has proven immensely popular and spurred cities on both sides of the bridge to upgrade their bicycle infrastructure to improve access. Automated counters installed on the bridge show that more than 400,000 people have walked or ridden across the bridge since the path opened. Many of these are people going to work, school, and other destinations across the bridge — trips that would likely be by car without the bike path. 

For more information on the project, visit the Bike East Bay or Marin County Bicycle Coalition websites.

Bridge access threatened

Opponents of the path started a movement to get rid of the path on Mondays through Thursdays, converting it into a car breakdown shoulder by moving an existing zipper barrier. The shoulder would be converted back into a biking and walking path only Thursday evening through Sunday evening under this plan. 

The plan includes a shuttle for people who want to cross with a bike, but the hours are limited, it wouldn’t accommodate adaptive bicycles, it will only come every half hour outside commute hours, and future funding is uncertain. People biking and walking would have continuous access to the Richmond-San Rafael crossing for just three days out of the week.

Those favoring adding more traffic on the bridge cite increased pollution in Richmond and worsening traffic, even though the air quality study they point to does not show an impact from the path. Emissions data has shown reduced pollution on the upper deck where the trail was added but increased pollution during winter months on the lower deck with the additional car lane.

Caltrans data shows only a slight increase in commute times. Travel speeds on the upper deck of the bridge are lower since the path was added and there’s been a significant reduction in collisions on that level, while the number of crashes has increased on the lower deck where a third car lane was added. 

Ultimately, attempting to “fix” car congestion by making it easier to drive will lead to more traffic, more pollution, and just as much congestion. Induced demand is real, no matter how much people want to wish it away.

Protecting the right to bike and walk everywhere

Bicycle and pedestrian access to California’s bridges is crucial. Bridges are vital links between communities that can’t be replicated on surface streets. This is particularly true in the Bay Area, where bridges provide connections across the snaking arms of the San Francisco Bay.

The Richmond-San Rafael pathway pilot has been a success. People bike and walk across the span for recreation and commuting. Moving forward, we need more options for active transportation, not fewer. 

CalBike is showing up to speak up for bridges that serve everyone. We hope you will too.