Caltrans took advantage of that closure to add more prominent lane markers that warn motorists when they’re starting to drift out of their lanes, Caltrans spokesman BART Ney said. Crews also applied an anti-skid coating on the metal joint plates there.

Caltrans said they expect the accidents to decline as motorists get more familiar with the S-curve and the need to slow down there. The curve is located on Interstate 80 just east of Yerba Buena Island in part of a new detour that will be in place until the new east span of the Bay Bridge is opened in 2013.

Click here for more bridge information from Caltrans.

 Read about a San Francisco Muni worker allegedly punching a teenage girl in San Francisco, and misdemeanor charges being filed against a BART train operator for allegedly making lewd advances to a female passenger he invited into his cab on a moving train.

In case you wondered, it’s against BART safety rules to invite a passenger into the train cab.

Neither of these transit workers were rookies. The Muni ticket agent had 24 years with Muni, and the BART worker had been with his employer for 14 years.

The BART train operation has resigned, curtailing disciplinary proceedings against him.   

“Though data suggest that cycling fatalities have actually fallen nationwide,” reads the LA Times story, “one new study suggests that the injuries cyclists suffer in traffic accidents are becoming more severe.”

In a related stories, advice is given about what motorists can do to minimize the risk of hitting bicyclists, and what bicyclists can do to protecting themselves from being struck.

Here’s one tip for drivers,  ”Give them (bicyclists) space: Recognize that bicycles have a right to the road and may legally take the full lane. Allow at least 3 feet of space while passing.”

Here’s a highlight for cyclists,” Situation: A motorist traveling in the opposite direction turns left directly into your path.

Strategy: Slow down as you approach an intersection, and try to make eye contact with drivers who might turn into your path. Try to anticipate their actions and be ready to take evasive maneuvers. If the car turns into your path, turn with them, in the same direction.”

For any interested cyclists, the East Bay Bicycle Coalition lists classes on bicycle safety , including ones in Fremont Nov. 10 and Berkeley Nov. 14 and 15.
 

And much as that statement is true, we at the newspaper tried to take an admittedly crude stab at the cost of that aggravation. Our estimate: $7.5 million. This was based on an assumption that motorists who cross the Bay Bridge were delayed an hour a day in their commuting. Read how we made the estimate.

Rough as the estimate is for the value of time lost, the estimate reinforces the finding that the biggest hit from the recent six-day closure was on motorists, even though bridge operators took a hit of some $2 million in lost toll revenues.

The bridge closure had some upsides for some .  Some San Francisco residents appreciated less traffic in their neighborhoods with fewer cars entering the city.

BART had a huge surge in ridership, even though it was not enough to prevent the train system from reporting a 3.5 percent reduction in passengers for the entire month of October as compared to the same month in 2008.  BART officials hope some of those new passengers will stick with BART, but it remains unclear if the system can increase ridership after the bridge closure. We will have to check for November ridership figures to get an idea. 

All in all, though, if the public asks who suffered most from the bridge closure, the answere seems clear: the public.

Some say the six-day closure underscores the importance of finishing retrofits on Bay Area bridges to minimize risk of those bridges being knocked out of service by major earthquakes. We have about four years left before the new east span of the Bay Bridge opens, and seismic retrofits on the Antioch and Dumbarton bridges are now being planned.

Share you thoughts below.

This is one beat up freeway. I drive it regularly and try to steer around potholes and dips in the road while staying within my lane. I’m not alone. Bus drivers complain to Caltrans they also try to maneuver around road flaws on the I-680 from Alamo through San Ramon  

In the repairs today, crews will pour asphalt into a depression in the pavement at a point near where the freeway crosses over Livorna Road, Caltrans said.

I tried last night on my way home to identify which hole or slump was the worst culprit and the likeliest to be the repair site today. I failed to locate the bad spot because there are so many flaws in the road in that area, including one where cars do a thunk as they pass over uneven pavement.

So I’m glad Caltrans is fixing a bad spot in the highway, but I’m looking forward to the more comprehensive freeway rehab next year.