New signage at the Bay Bridge toll plaza alerts drivers to the new carpool toll.
Photo (c) 2010 Barrie Rokeach

Tolls are going up on the region's seven state-owned toll bridges this week, on July 1, with non-carpools paying $5 in most cases. The situation is different for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, where Caltrans and MTC's Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) are introducing variable pricing to better manage congestion. On this bridge, the region's most heavily used, motorists will pay more during weekday peak periods -- $6 -- and less during off-peak periods (either $4 or $5, depending on the day of the week). The hope is that a percentage of motorists will alter their schedules to avoid the peak-hour premium charge, and thereby reduce congestion for everyone.

The toll package also introduces a first-ever toll for carpools on state-owned bridges -- in the amount of $2.50. While carpoolers and vanpoolers will now pay instead of traversing the bridges for free during commute hours, they will still enjoy the time-savings afforded by traveling in the diamond lanes --- so long as they sign up for a FasTrak® electronic toll collection account. (A new $3 toll for carpools is also going into effect on the Golden Gate Bridge, which is operated by a separate district.)  Click here for more details (http://www.mtc.ca.gov/tolls/).

In related news, the toll plazas at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and the Antioch Bridge have been modified to make way for dedicated high-occupancy vehicle lanes so as to give carpools and vanpools a time-savings advantage. Read more here (http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/press_releases/rel500.htm).

The toll-hike package will help to fuel completion of the region's bridge seismic retrofit program, and particularly the upcoming retrofits of the Antioch Bridge and Dumbarton Bridge. 

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BATA has expanded its FasTrak® retail distribution network this spring to make it easier than ever for motorists to enjoy a faster commute. New FasTrak customers can now obtain toll tags at more than 125 Walgreens stores around the Bay Area as well as at some 100 Safeway supermarkets and two dozen Costco warehouses.

New customers who pick up a FasTrak toll tag at a participating retailer from May 15 to July 15 can get up to $10 in free tolls.

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Photo by Noah Berger

If you regularly ride BART, S.F. Muni, Golden Gate Transit, AC Transit or Caltrain, chances are you've noticed posters and decals announcing the arrival of Clipper^SM. As of mid-June, the Clipper card is replacing TransLink® as the universal card for riding public transit in the Bay Area.

The card is named for the clipper ships of yore that revolutionized transoceanic travel and opened up new trade routes to San Francisco. MTC and its transit agency partners are hoping that the Clipper card will similarly accelerate travel around the region by bus, train and ferry. In keeping with the nautical theme, the official launch took place at the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park on June 16.

Featuring a stylized pattern of sails -- reminiscent of the clipper ships -- against a blue background that evokes the sea, Clipper is an all-in-one transit card that keeps track of passes, discount tickets, ride books and cash value, while recognizing and applying all applicable fares, discounts and transfer rules.

"Load it. Tag it. Go." That's the motto for Clipper, which will allow riders to easily transfer between systems without the nuisance of paper transfers, buying multiple tickets or carrying exact change.

During the introductory period, Clipper cards will be free. To get your card, log on to clippercard.com, call 877.878.8883, or visit one of the participating retailers such as Walgreens (see the list at the clippercard.com website), or a transit ticket office. The card also will be available through transit benefit programs at the workplace.
 
As Clipper is phased in, paper tickets will be phased out. And more transit systems will be getting on board, including SamTrans and Santa Clara County's Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) later this year.
Clipper is a project of MTC in collaboration with Bay Area transit operators and Cubic Corporation.

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Workers position the tower on the ship.
Photo by Joseph Blum

The Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) is eagerly awaiting the arrival of a cargo ship carrying the first tower sections for the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge's iconic self anchored suspension (SAS) span. The shipment departed from Shanghai on June 18, 2010, aboard the Zhenhua 18, and is set to arrive in Oakland in early July.

While workers at the Zhenhua Heavy Industry Company Ltd. (ZPMC) in Shanghai were readying the tower pieces for shipment, crews here on San Francisco Bay were installing framing to guide the tower placement, and continuing to install the innovative span's wing-like deck pieces, also fabricated at ZPMC in Shanghai.

BATA is partnering with Caltrans and the California Transportation Commission to deliver this seismic safety project.

See images of the tower being loaded onto the ship at: http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/photos/tower_loading.htm

And see images of recent East Span construction activities here at home at:

(C) 2010 by Barrie Rokeach

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Three conceptual designs for Gateway Park were unveiled at a public workshop held in early June in Oakland.  The "Relax and Regenerate" option would emphasize the visual and natural regeneration of the site while minimizing new structures and visitors' impacts. Under the "Getting There" concept, the highest value would be placed on getting visitors to and through the park and onto the East Span bike/pedestrian pathway, and providing amenities mainly appealing to walkers and bicyclists. The "Great Destinations" option ratchets up the level of activity and amenities, and calls for marquee attractions. Possible elements include a ferris wheel, an aerial gondola that would take visitors from one end of the park to the other, a full-fledged transportation museum, and a destination restaurant and other eateries.

If you missed the meeting, you can still weigh in on the options at the Gateway Park website.

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