Bay Bridge Bicycle & Pedestrian Path Open Around the Clock in Time for Bike to Work Day – Thursday, May 10

Adapted from a Caltrans release

The California Department of Transportation will keep open the Bicycle and Pedestrian Path on the East Span of the Bay Bridge for 24 hours each day for a ten-day period, starting Thursday, May 10 at 6:00 AM through Saturday, May 19 at 9:00 PM.

“Active Transportation – cycling and walking – is a vital element of the Bay Area transportation picture,” said Caltrans District 4 Chief Deputy Dan McElhinney. “The CHP and the bicycle advocates worked very closely with us to develop this proposal. We are very grateful for their efforts and support.”

Caltrans convened a working group comprised of the California Highway Patrol, Bike East Bay, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to initiate the pilot, which will start in conjunction with “Bike to Work” Day on Thursday, May 10. The Bay Bridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Path on the East Span of the Bay Bridge extends 2.2 miles from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island. Currently, the path is open daily from 6:00 AM until 9:00 PM.

“Caltrans’ most impressive bike-friendly facility to date is getting more bike-friendly,” says Dave Campbell, Advocacy Director of Bike East Bay. “We look forward to everyone getting used to all-hours access on our new signature bridge.”

“We’re excited to see a pilot, which will let local government test how expanding access on the Bay Bridge People Path will help meet people’s needs,” said Janice Li, Advocacy Director with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “We look forward to learning from having the path open without limitations for 10 days this Bike Month.”

The pilot follows the April release of the Caltrans District 4 Bicycle Plan, a comprehensive study of ways to expand the current bicycle infrastructure and improve access for cyclists throughout the Bay Area. The plan can be accessed at dot.ca.gov/d4/bikeplan.

Information about the Bicycle and Pedestrian Path may be found at: Baybridgeinfo.org/path or Twitter @BayBridgeInfo