Bike Path to San Francisco By way of Treasure Island Is Just for the Sturdy and Assured – Streetsblog San Francisco

It was raining and chilly that Saturday morning and it was so tempting to stay under the covers. But the long-awaited bike link from the Oakland Bay Bridge to Treasure Island was due to have a ribbon cut, so the old bike was pulled out and a good breakfast inhaled.

We knew that the ribbon cutting was really about the new on and off ramps from the highway to the island, and we had no illusions that we would find a Bike Eden. Finally, in recent years, the bike connection to the island has been cut off at weekends to allow the cumbersome ramps for cars to be built, and not because a bike connection would be complicated or expensive.

The rain subsided, forming a mist in the background, and it proved to be a perfect day for driving up the long, slow incline of the bridge. It was very quiet this morning; So far, only a few riders or hikers have been on the road – they probably stayed under the covers. Still, it was a surprise to see from a distance that there were no waiting media vans, no cameras, and no dignitaries assembled at the designated location. Was everyone afraid of getting wet?

We did not expect that one of the dignitaries would arrive by bicycle. This project is entirely within the city of San Francisco, but there is still no way to cycle from San Francisco to the islands. The current route benefits day riders from Oakland, Emeryville and Berkeley, Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island, as well as people who bring their bikes in transit from San Francisco.

A cyclist stopped at the designated spot for the ribbon cutting and looked at his phone. Another driver stopped by because he was checking out the rest of the route. We all traveled from the East Bay to witness the ribbon cutting: a city planner, a longtime cyclist and advocate, and myself.

We joked that a little rain sent the dignitaries inside, but after waiting a few more minutes we realized it wasn’t a joke – they might have settled elsewhere. So we made our way along the designated bike route to the Treasure Island administration building, where we found a couple of fancy shuttle buses waiting to carry people.

We arrived at this fabulous Art Deco building—which would offer stunning views of San Francisco if it weren’t for the cars parked in front of it—just in time to hear SFCTA Director Tilly Chang address the thanks to supporters of Bike East Bay and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition for their contribution to the bike path. Those advocates weren’t in attendance — some of them have taken on other jobs after years of meetings with the agency. But we were there! Two of us made it, we stood in the back with our bikes.

We missed most of the speeches and missed even more when a member of staff offered us coffee and snacks. As a working journalist on a small salary, I appreciate a good Costco croissant, but believe it or not, that wasn’t what fascinated me on a cold, wet Saturday. I wanted to celebrate the opening of the cycle path seven days a week and see the route.

On the way there we had raced over the small mountain of Yerba Buena Island. The Bay Bridge Freeway cuts through a tunnel in the heart of the hill, but the bike route — and the ascents and descents — winds uphill and over the mountain before dropping to the flat sea level of Treasure Island. We were distracted by the stunning views of San Francisco and the rush to find the event.

But on the way back there were no distractions. The steep hill rose high before us. At the bottom, beautiful new landscaping helped make a short set of switchbacks more enjoyable than the rest of the ride, which was merely a steep uphill tarmac track alongside the road. I had to walk; My cycling colleague was able to stay on the pedals, but we rode at the same speed.

People: It’s steep. I came back a few days later to check out the route to town (by ferry). My first impression – that this isn’t a hill for someone not quite sure if their brakes are working properly – was confirmed when I encountered a cyclist standing to one side, contemplating the way down. Ahead, Macalla Road turned so steeply that it disappeared from sight. The driver was equipped with cycling gear; she had a high quality racing bike; she looked prepared. But when I pulled up next to her, she said everything that had been on my mind since that first Saturday ride.

A camera just can’t capture the steepness here. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog

“I’m terrified,” she said. “How did that come about? What were they thinking? San Francisco needs one or two employees who actually ride bikes to realize they need to build something better than that.” In the end, she turned around and refused to walk down the hill, even though the ferry to San Francisco was right there .

It cannot be overstated that this descent to Treasure Island is not for the faint of heart; It is not suitable for cargo bikes, children or families. It’s definitely not for e-bikes with potential braking issues. If you’re a confident mountain climber, you’ll have fun, but definitely don’t skip the ABC quick check (air, brakes, crank and chain, quick release, fast ride) before you head out.

Take this warning seriously.

The view back down the Strait from the Treasure Island Ferry. I still can’t really describe how steep it is. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog

On Saturday, both of us, who had cycled all the way there, raced back to the viewpoint on the shuttle buses (slowly up the hill). The ribbon had already been ceremoniously torn with scissors several times in the administration building, but there were more speeches and a “photo opportunity” in the park with a view of the bridge.

Again we waited in vain. Obviously this reinforced my belief that bikes are better as we got there well before the buses.

But when they finally arrived, the shuttle drivers dropped them off at a spot far above us – and completely unreachable from the bike path. To get to where the event was to take place, the dignitaries would have had to cross a high-speed ramp and walk around the outside curve for a few hundred yards. how much fun How dangerous! Welcome to my world!

At least you can see us in the background of their photos. There we are, way down in the background, behind a fence. It looks like we photographed the event.

Happy to be photo bombarding this motor vehicle centric event with bikes together with @currymel.@prinzrob 👆🏻👆🏻 pic.twitter.com/i7zfoLEtIl

— gregm123456 (@gregm123456) May 7, 2023

That was absolutely the perfect metaphor for the day. Bikes were never the focus of this project. The bike route is attached to an existing vehicle route and while parts of it are great, like the switchbacks at the bottom of the hill, much of it is impossible.

It’s also obviously not finished yet, so hope shouldn’t be given up. On my follow-up ride I could see that at a point where cyclists are supposed to switch places on a sharp bend and cyclists are going in the opposite direction – it’s painted green but very confusing – another cycle link is being built across the underpass.

It’s just not open.

It’s well marked but if a few more cyclists come out here there will be chaos. To the right, on the incline, the two directions switch places. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog

And this is an “intermediate project”. These on and off ramps were built to allow the other, more gently sloping road on the other side of Yerba Buena Island to be closed and its bridges rebuilt. The SFCTA says cyclists will one day have the choice of either safely navigating a gentler climb or choosing an improved two-way bike route over this steep trail.

Also, one day there will be a bike path on the west side of the bridge.

At least that’s the current plan. Proponents who have been working on it for years, including Bike East Bay’s Dave Campbell — who is among those who have turned to other ventures — describe plans changing constantly as the actual building of a busy road up this steep incline has met unexpected obstacles . Yes, as Caltrans director Tony Tavares said when I asked him about it, there were certainly “space constraints” when planning this transition route. This is in the nature of the building infrastructure.

However.

Access to these islands by car is already very easy. Housing is expanding on both Yerba Buena Island and Treasure Island, and San Francisco has made it possible for people to hop on and off with private vehicles (even if they discuss congestion pricing, which is fair, since the only way to do this is by car). to reach or leave the island is a boat or a bridge). ).

But as usual, bike access was not taken seriously. The restriction of 24-hour access for the cycle path – but not for the car path next to it – is condescending and dismissive. It’s ridiculous to pretend that a 17 percent gradient is a reasonable compromise for any bike route. The assumption that nobody wants to ride a bike becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when bike routes end like this.

This is the only warning sign of what lies ahead. That’s Alcatraz Island out there in the bay. Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog

But people drive it. We met two young men who were floating down the bridge on e-bikes on the “wrong” route – the south side of Yerba Buena Island, which is “closed” to bikes and will soon be closed to all vehicles for several years. They knew exactly what they were doing. They grew up on Treasure Island, and one of them still lives there, mulling over the $3,000 her family was offered to move out of their affordable rental home.

According to too many traffic planners, people like her don’t really exist. At least they don’t matter, especially compared to people who travel by car.

The new driveways are really nice. This is the bridge in the background (looking east here) Photo: Melanie Curry/Streetsblog