Not An Inexpensive Bike Lane

The study itself to determine the cost to place a bike/ped lane on the 1.75 mile span of the 4.5 mile San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge: $1.2 million. Identified funding sources: None.

"Cycling advocates consider it their top goal to have a biking and walking lane all the way across the bridge from Oakland to San Francisco to rival that of the Golden Gate Bridge. Inflation has increased the estimated cost...nearly double the $300 million price tag a decade ago, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission concluded in the draft study."

"We have a project that is technically feasible, but we haven't determined if it is financially feasible," said John Goodwin, an MTC spokesman.

One possible revenue source was identified by Dave Campbell, program director for the East Bay Bicycle Coalition: a temporary toll hike. Tolls were last raised on July 2010 to $6 peak. Compared to the $12 cash toll on the busiest bridge in the U.S., the George Washington, it would still be a bargain.

Thanks to MTC-ABAG Library