© 2025 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bike and pedestrian access to be reduced on Bay Area bridge

A 2021 oil spill in Richmond caused nearly 760 gallons of oil to spill into the San Francisco Bay.
Flickr user Darin Marshall
/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/darinmarshall/5167773/
A 2021 oil spill in Richmond caused nearly 760 gallons of oil to spill into the San Francisco Bay.

Access for cyclists and pedestrians across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge will be limited this fall.

The Berkeleyside reports the bike and pedestrian path across the westbound, upper deck section of the bridge will be open from Thursday afternoons through Sundays.

The paths had been open on a 24-hour basis when they were opened in 2019. But police and fire emergency teams argued the lanes hampered their response times to vehicle breakdowns.

The Contra Costa News reports the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission last week overwhelmingly approved a proposal to restrict access to the paths in October.

Caltrans says it plans to use the bike-pedestrian path as a breakdown shoulder for vehicles, as well as use test the lane for carpools and buses.

Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.