A bus lane on the Bay Bridge?
A state assembly member is in talks to explore a bus lane on the Bay Bridge and though it’s in it’s very early stages, response from commuters is surprisingly mixed.
“It’s packed every day,” said Ephriam Colbert from Oakland. “I think it’s a great idea. I mean, it’d get me here faster. Maybe cut it down to 25 minutes which would be nice.”
It all started a week ago, when state assembly member Rob Bonta took to social media, asking for bill ideas. More than one constituent responded asking for a Bay Bridge bus-only lane.
“I think it has promise but it has challenges,” said Bonta.
He says there was a bus-only lane on the Bay Bridge about 60 years ago, but drivers rallied to have it removed.
“It’s a different time now,” Bonta said. “We still have a strong car culture but there are also people who don’t want to use cars, or use them less, and use public transit more. But it needs to be a compelling option.”
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Not so compelling for commuters like James Feng, who says traffic on the bridge isn’t the real problem.
“I feel like I don’t know how big of a difference it would make because I usually commute on the bus going home and I don’t have any problems really with traffic,” said Feng. “It doesn’t seem that bad and I usually take a 5 or 6 o’clock bus It’s usually after the Bay Bridge where it gets hard.”
Bonta said he’s considering traffic on either side of the bridge – it’s not just the bus lane – it’s the approaches, exits, and traffic as a whole that must work to get everyone moving and this potential bill, on the table.
