To:
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Caltrans
Bay Area Toll Authority

Right now, there is an unprecedented opportunity to create a safe, space-efficient and environmentally friendly travel option for people crossing the Bay during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Currently, car-free options to travel across the Bay Bridge are limited as a result of reduced public-transit operations and the absence of any routes for biking, walking and people-powered mobility. A shared-use path on the Bay Bridge will provide a socially distanced, affordable and traffic-free transportation option for travelers between Alameda and San Francisco counties. The path can be built for less than two days' worth of BART’s annual budget and will take only two to three months to build with available funding, according to an independent engineering analysis. It can deliver on long-standing transportation and environmental goals in the region, including:

• Statewide vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals stipulated in SB 743 and AB 32
• MTC’s mandate to increase non-driving commutes to 60% of all trips throughout the Bay Area by 2035
• Caltrans’ five-year goal to:
  • Reduce statewide per capita VMT by 15%
  • Reduce statewide GHG emissions by 15% below 2010 levels
  • Triple the number of bicycle trips across the state
• A top priority project in Caltrans’ 2017 District 4 Bike Plan
• A critical gap closure in the Bay Area Trails Collaborative’s planned 2,500-miles-plus regional trail network, which would connect 8 million Bay Area residents to schools, jobs, services and open spaces

MTC and Caltrans need to act quickly to implement a shared-use path on the Bay Bridge, in partnership with outer East Bay communities as well as low-wage workers, Communities of Color and people with disabilities across the region who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and may be seeking alternate transportation routes across the Bay.