I just got off a BART train carrying Willie Brown from Oakland to SF. Seriously.
“It’s the only way to get there,” says The Real Mayor disembarking (with two blonde companions who politely thanked him for appearing at their East Bay event) at Montgomery Street and walked up the steps complaining only mildly about the exertion. “It wasn’t my idea.”
Oh, yes. That we know, Willie. That we know. His Real Mayorness was wearing a blue cashmere windowpane check suit with brown fedora. Style, baby, style – 24/7/365.
511: Heaviest traffic congestion is expected between 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. OK.
BayBridgeInfo: Updates on #baybridge closure/eyebar repair coming at 5:30 pm today, stay tunedqQ It is 5:30 right now! What’s up?
CBS5: Caltrans Eyes Thurs. PM Bridge Reopening yeah, and I am eyeing the new iMac. I think Caltrans and I need to get used to disappointment.
Chron: Newbies push BART to ridership record I love that they said “newbies.” “People seem like they’re getting used to it,” said one commuter. Good for “people”!
Bay Bridge repairs will face extra scrutiny “”We will not reopen the bridge until it is safe,” says Caltrans spokesperson Bart Ney. WELL THAT IS COMFORTING.
Motorists starting to cope 3,366 motorists drove into the city on the GGB between 5 and 6 a.m., today, compared with 3,005 drivers on Wednesday.
Resignation reigns over hellish commute Drivers “starting to cope,” but transit riders are kind of miserable. This might not be that different than regular life.
AP: Traffic lighter as Bridge closure enters 2nd day Was it really? You tell me.
KCBS: Telecommuting to Fight the Traffic Crunch “Telecommuters sometimes complain about the lack of social interactions, but a recent survey found that of 1,500 hi-tech professionals, 37 percent would take a 10 percent pay cut if they could work only from home.” I’m sure that has nothing to do with the specific personality type of the typical “hi-tech professional.”
Caltrans Hopes to Open Bridge Thursday Night It’s been easier to work on the Bridge today because the wind’s not as bad. However, “a lot of the workers were complaining about ‘chilly fingers’ as they can’t wear gloves for the type of work they’re doing.”
SF Slows Down “Bike messengers who zip in and out of traffic all day applauded the traffic pause, one saying it’s suggestive of what city planners are attempting long term on Market Street: fewer cars, less noise more peace.” Already looking forward to the Streetsblog article on this!
ABC7: Bay Bridge remains closed “Caltrans is now saying that inspections detected movement in this area of the bridge before Tuesday’s disaster and engineers were already well along in planning this repair. But repairing a bridge may be easier than repairing Caltrans’ credibility with the quarter-million people who drive across the structure every day.” Yeah, no shit.
Businesses impacted by bridge closure “The unexpected Bay Bridge closure has actually been good for business for 81-year-old Robert Mohead. He’s been selling newspapers for years, and for the last decade he’s been exchanging papers for coins at Oakland’s Rockridge BART station. Paper sales have been brisk the past two days, with commuters trying to stay on top of the headlines.” Holy shit, we’ve figured out HOW TO SAVE PRINT!!!!
BART: BART customers shatter previous ridership records
“BART’s transbay ridership this morning is up 60% as compared with a normal Thursday morning. Typically between the start of service and 10 a.m. BART would carry about 55,200 passengers between the East Bay and San Francisco. This morning, transbay ridership increased by 32,900 riders for a total of approximately 88,000 transbay riders.”
SFist: Photos: Another Day Without A Bay Bridge “Eastern SOMA still remains joyfully (albeit eerily) quiet.”
SFBG: Bay Bridge closure puts naked clowns on my radar Guardian reporter makes a friend while trying to find an uncrowded BART station. The upside of not telecommuting! Or downside, depending on your stance on Naked Clowns.
Akit’s Complaint Department: Rookie BART Passengers: Tips to an easy commute 11 helpful hints, including “When using the escalator, standees should stay to the right, and people walking up the escalator should stay to the left.”
Muni Diaries: How has Muni fared in the face of no Bay Bridge? “Pretty normal” says commenter Erik.
BayNewser: Poll: What’s Your Source for Bay Bridge News? asks for comments from readers on who they’re tracking. So far responses are Twitter from news orgs that include us (thank you!), KTVU, and KCBS.
Transbay Blog: BART Sets Ridership Record During Bay Bridge Closure Check out their “traffic snapshot, depicting the state of the Bay Area’s freeways around 6:20 p.m. on the night of October 28, the first day of bridge closure.”
Photos: Beth Spotswood, from Thursday night’s commute
