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Bay Bridge Commute

I started commuting across the Bay Bridge in October. Every day, rain or shine. I love it. There's always something to see. Sometimes I stop splitting, let a gap open up in front of me, stand up on the pegs and just enjoy the view.

I actually look forward to my commute every day - both ways. I think I'll go out to the garage and give the bikes a hug.

:party
 
<---Black KTM LC4 or silver SV650s, both with fighter plane style shark face decals.

2-3 days/week, I'm commuting WB at around 6:30AM, returning between 3:30-4PM. I come in on the left side carpool lane from 880N. Bridge is usually already backing up by then.

I usually split the #1.5 lane as I exit off whatever that first left lane exit is (Harrison?). I could shave seconds off my commute by changing to less congested lanes, but it's 6:30 in the morning so I don't wanna think that hard. Heading back over is always worse up until after Yerba Buena, things magically seem to clear up after the tunnel. I tend to stick to the far right as I also take the first exit on the right after the bridge. I definitely tend to move around more on the way back, but I'm inconsistent as I usually just kinda want to get back home without thinking too hard.

I occasionally do the same commute 3 hours later each way on Fridays (although I also take BART on Fridays a lot). It's probably about the same in the morning but godawful on the way back. Heading back to the East Bay at 6:30PM, I will definitely stay between the two outside lanes as I just don't want to bother fighting my way over and back in that clusterfuck.

On Saturdays, I do the 9:30AM EB, 6:30PM WB commute as well. I have to remember to not use the carpool lane on the left at the toll plaza as that lane always seems to get backed up with jackasses that haven't got FasTrak yet. I go for the FasTrak/carpool lanes on the far right, always easy peasy. The ride back I could almost do with my eyes closed on cruise control unless there's some kind of sporting event fucking things up.
 
I suspect once the new bridge is operational, we'll see less slow downs east-bound into the YB tunnel. The S-curve will be gone and we'll once again have a gradual curve.

East-bound towards Oakland, lane one appears to be the fastest, but perhaps only marginally so.
 
To me the commute is a combat zone especially so on the BB. I usually hang around the #1 lane depending on circumstances if someone wants to go faster than me that's fine I'll gladly let them by but don't appreciate some one pushing if there is nowhere for me to go. In other words, use a little common sense in the middle of the mayhem. See you out there in the morning.
 
I get very annoyed when someone just automatically moves over between 2 & 3 to get passed me, instead of giving me a chance to move over to let them by. I don't split slow, but I also don't split as fast as some of the others on the BB. If I'm splitting 1 & 2, its not good to have someone splitting 2 & 3 pushing the cars into me. Just be more patient, I'll get out of your way.
 
I stay to the left lanes when approaching T.I., going Westbound. Too many inattentive cars in the second to last right lane misjudge the left hand curve and go wide....if on a motorcycle...well, you can imagine the results of being pushed into the k-wall.

always a fun time on the BB though. :burnout
 
machete said:
I stay to the left lanes when approaching T.I., going Westbound. Too many inattentive cars in the second to last right lane misjudge the left hand curve and go wide....if on a motorcycle...well, you can imagine the results of being pushed into the k-wall.

always a fun time on the BB though. :burnout
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The way you ride in traffic it is :laughing
 
Mr Pepsi said:
I get very annoyed when someone just automatically moves over between 2 & 3 to get passed me, instead of giving me a chance to move over to let them by. I don't split slow, but I also don't split as fast as some of the others on the BB. If I'm splitting 1 & 2, its not good to have someone splitting 2 & 3 pushing the cars into me. Just be more patient, I'll get out of your way.
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I always wondered if that offended people. Sometimes I just plan ahead, see a slower splitter and click over to 2/3 and move on. I don't get mad at the slower rider or do it with an attitude, just keeping my pace.

I'm surely impatient, one of the reasons I commute on my bike.
 
Problem is, the cars push over to make room, if we are both trying to split on either side of lane 2 it can squeeze one or the other rider.
 
And BART union members are on strike, however it does not mean absolute shut down:

"Granting strike authorization does not mean a work stoppage will happen but it gives union leaders approval to order a walkout. The last BART strike took place in 1997, when the system's weekday ridership was 275,000, and lasted six days.

"With BART now hauling about 400,000 a day, a strike would almost certainly deliver gridlock to the Bay Area. However, it would have less of an impact during the Fourth of July holiday week when fewer people are commuting to work or school."

- http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-workers-vote-to-authorize-a-strike-4623305.php

Good luck on the bridge, folks.
 
Speaking of, was that a BARFer involved in the accident at the Toll Plaza this morning? Looked like a probable lanesplitting incident with a cager making a sudden dive for the carpool line while stuck in the regular toll lanes.

Rider was up and exchanging info with cager.
 
psychocandy said:
Speaking of, was that a BARFer involved in the accident at the Toll Plaza this morning? Looked like a probable lanesplitting incident with a cager making a sudden dive for the carpool line while stuck in the regular toll lanes.

Rider was up and exchanging info with cager.
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This one?
 

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Goin' about 90 baby comin' out the bay bridge tunnel
 
Ran into a lot of seemingly first time Moto commuters. They were worse than the cars. Heavy traffic up to the metering lights, but I get on right from west grand and the it o the far right car pool lane. Traffic after the metering lights was really light, but I was also on the road around 7:30, so not as many folks out yet.
 
pshelton said:
I commute on the BB every day. A lot of other posts talk about the left lane being for going really fast or passing only. Do you guys think that's true for the BB, where you have to start or end in a certain lane because of the on/off ramps?
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That is not the case on this bridge. There is no "fast lane".

As for getting off, the sooner you move to the exit lane, the better it is.

The left lanes are less windy, as the headwinds typically come from the NW, by the way.
 
Still commuting on the BB mornings and evenings. Those are my pics earlier in this thread from about a decade ago. Back then I was on one of my trusty KZ750 bikes, but now I am usually on a 1st generation Concours, which makes the lane splitting much more difficult due to the width of the bike plus hardbags. My bike is black, so I wear a hi-viz jacket and yellow helmet to get a little more attention. If I ever get my project bike on the road It should make the commute a little easier due to it being a smaller, lighter bike with cafe bars. Maybe I will get it done in time for my 65th birthday this fall.

People who do not do the BB commute do not understand how uniquely challenging it is for us motorcyclists. The lanes are much narrower than freeway standards, there are curves and exits on both sides of the roadway and on both ends of the bridge, it is a major bus and truck route, plus the car traffic is extremely dense (as are some of the drivers). It is also one of the most beautiful rides in the world, and different everyday due to changes in sunlight, fog, wind and weather. I am looking forward to hitting the new eastern span to see what that will be like.

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