golden gate bridge | 511 Contra Costa

BART to Marin?

Northbound BART train in Marin County leaving Sausalito (February, 1961)
1961, a northbound BART train leaves Sausalito… in rendering form. Image credit: Eric Fischer
A lot of people wish the Bay Area’s widely popular rapid transit system would extend northwest into Marin; it’s a topic that has been discussed among Bay Area commuters and politicians since the 1940’s.
So why hasn’t it happened?  SF.Curbed recently covered the history of  proposals and potential routes to extend BART into Marin, it’s well  worth a read. Trapped in the past among many pieces of fascinating history was the idea to run BART along a lower deck addition to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Golden Gate Bridge: rapid transit below present deck (1961)
Rendering of BART underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. Image credit: Eric Fischer
Will BART ever extend into Marin County? Who knows, but BART is currently in the process of extending into Livermore, 37 years after proposals to do so were originally put forward in 1976. One of the concerns with moving BART into Marin was that it would induce sprawl, but the area has greater environmental protections now than it did in the 1960’s. In the meantime, check out SF.Curbed’s coverage for old renderings of what could have been and continue dreaming of being able to go just about anywhere in the Bay Area by rapid transit.

Year in Review: 2012

san-francisco-fireworks-2012-nye

Image credit: David Yu

511CC’s 2012 Year in Review

From the Caldecott Tunnel breakthrough to Bay Area transit agencies celebrating milestones for service, 2012 was a great year for biking, transit and transportation. Here are some of this year’s top stories.

Top Tweets

Some of our most popular tweets (number of link clicks) in 2012 linked to these articles:

BART pedestrian origin outliers
Image credit: Eric Fischer

2012 highlights

Here are some transportation highlights from the year.
JAN
511 Freeway Aid

FEB
WHEELS
 

  • LAVTA retrofits 30 Wheels buses to make boarding with strollers easier

 
MAR
Union Pacific from near Pinole, CA facing west

Image credit: Steve C.

APR

 

MAY
golden-gate-bridge

JUN
mission-bicycle-20090513-110748
 

JUL
sf-muni-bus
 

Image credit: torbakhopper

AUG
 

 

Image credit: Karl Nielsen/Metropolitan Transportation Commission

SEPT

 

Image credit:  Bay Area Rapid Transit archives

OCT
bart-subway-stn

NOV
Amtrak's Capitol Corridor
 

DEC
Opening of Municipal Railway, San Francisco
 

Image credit: SFMTA / John Henry Mentz

For more interesting articles and tips on biking, transit, and transportation in the Bay Area don’t miss our Twitter feed and our blog.

Golden Gate Bridge Turns 75!

Sunday, May 27th, will mark a significant day for the Bay Area as the Golden Gate Bridge will celebrate its 75th Anniversary! The nationally recognized landmark’s huge milestone will come with a lot of festivities and celebration.
Golden gate bridge
Photo credit: praphulm
In honor of this historic achievement a grand Golden Gate Festival will be on be held Sunday, May 27th , from 11am to 11pm with activities including: a fireworks show in the evening; a “Road Trip Through History” throughout the day in which vintage cars and motorcycles will be featured from 1937 – when the bridge was constructed – to present; live music and anniversary merchandise! For a full list of events happening on the Anniversary itself and throughout the year, see the anniversary’s event page.
Equally exciting as festivities, the anniversary will bet met with lasting site improvements: a revitalized Bridge Plaza, an upgraded Bridge Cafè (already finished), new overlooks, a Bridge Pavilion (the first in the bridge’s history) and more!
The bridge is sure to be an especially filled with visitors this Sunday, car parking will be severely limited so avoid driving at all costs– it is highly recommend you get there by foot, bike, or public  transit. There are plenty of alternatives to driving to reach the bridge festivities, be sure to check out the full list of a dozen or so transportation options that will help you get there.
For more information, visit the Golden Gate 75th Anniversary’s website and contact page.
 

Free rides for carpoolers are over – $3 toll to cross Golden Gate Bridge begins July 1, 2010

[Photo by Chealion]

Beginning July 1st, 2010 carpoolers will be charged a $2.50 – $3.00 toll to cross the Golden Gate Bridge.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle:

The bridge district’s board of directors on Friday [May 28, 2010] voted unanimously, and with little discussion, to charge tolls to carpoolers, who will also begin paying on the region’s seven state-owned toll bridges. Three-person carpools crossing the Golden Gate will be charged $3, 50 percent of the standard auto toll, and will be required to have a FasTrak transponder to get the discount.

Starting on July 1, 2010, the following rules and rates will be applicable:

  • The two-axle toll rate will increase from $4 to $5 on most of the seven state-owned toll bridges in the Bay Area
  • Time-of-Day pricing will be charged during weekday peak periods at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge
  • Carpools will be charged a discounted toll rate of $2.50, but vehicles will be required to have a FasTrak toll tag and to use a designated carpool lane to receive the toll discount

For a full list of toll increases by axle and commuting time for all state-owned bridges, visit the MTC toll increase information page.
Golden Gate Bridge to charge carpoolers $3 toll Read more: San Francisco Chronicle.