{"id":472321,"date":"2026-09-22T21:34:17","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T21:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/472321\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T21:34:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T21:34:17","slug":"two-item-tuesday-failure-to-fund-transit-would-double-bay-bridge-traffic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/472321\/","title":{"rendered":"Two-Item Tuesday: Failure to Fund Transit Would Double Bay Bridge Traffic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are two quick stories of interest to the safe and livable streets community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you like awful traffic, don\u2019t vote to fund transit<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"768\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/baybridge.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-365066\"  \/>All cars (and one truck) clogging up all the lanes on the bridge. Photo: Streetsblog\/Rudick<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re a driver who thinks Measure RTM, the regional transit funding measure that will appear on the November ballot, doesn\u2019t affect you, think again. \u201c<a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.spur.org\/publications\/research\/2026-09-22\/bumper-bumper\">Bumper to Bumper<\/a>,\u201d a new study from SPUR and infrastructure consulting firm Jacobs, finds that if the regional measure fails, traffic delays on the Bay Bridge could double. From a <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sf.streetsblog.org\/2026\/09\/01\/transit-month-kicks-off-amidst-do-or-die-funding-push\">\u201cConnect Bay Area\u201d campaign<\/a> statement about the study\u2019s takeaways:<\/p>\n<p>Bay Bridge delays could more than double. Average morning and weekday evening traffic commutes would both increase \u2013 with evening bridge commutes reaching one hour and 15 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Caldecott Tunnel delays could more than triple. Westbound morning peak delays are projected to rise from 7 minutes to 27 minutes, while eastbound evening peak delays could increase from 13 minutes to 40 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Highway 101 could nearly double in peak-hour delays. BART and Caltrain station closures and transit service cuts could potentially add 30 minutes to the drive between San Francisco and San Carlos.<\/p>\n<p>East Bay highways commute times could spike. Evening traffic on I-580 at 680 in Dublin would double (13 minutes to 27 minutes) and I-580 at SR-13 in Berkeley would more than double (8 minutes to 20 minutes)<\/p>\n<p>SR-4 congestion could more than double (13 minutes to 27 minutes in the morning) in areas impacting Antioch, Pittsburg and eastern Contra Costa County.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The consequences extend beyond traffic. The SPUR-Jacobs Study estimates:<\/p>\n<p>$3,280 in additional annual transportation costs for displaced riders<\/p>\n<p>$476 million annually in lost productivity across the region<\/p>\n<p>184,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually<\/p>\n<p>430,000 people would lose direct station access, losing the ability to walk, roll or use some form of micromobility to reach a station.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhether you ride transit or not, no one will be spared the dire impacts from the dramatic service cuts that will occur if we fail to pass the Regional Transit Measure,\u201d said Libby Schaaf, President and CEO of the Bay Area Council and former Mayor of Oakland. \u201cFrom store clerks to security guards, nurses to teachers, students to seniors, everyone will feel the pain and cost of a region with less transit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more, check out the <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/article\/bay-bridge-delays-transit-death-spiral-22441989.php\">San Francisco Chronicle<\/a> and <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sf.streetsblog.org\/2026\/09\/18\/the-measure-rtm-campaign-kicked-off-yesterday-the-fate-of-regional-transit-is-in-your-hands\">past Streetsblog coverage<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">City of San Mateo wants to raise speed limits in front of schools. Really.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"589\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Speed-kills-1284x738x0x0x1284x738x1683234763.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-495306\"  \/>Chart from the <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/visionzeronetwork.org\/resources\/safety-over-speed\/\">Vision Zero network<\/a> showing the fatality rates when people are struck by drivers at different speeds<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sf.streetsblog.org\/2026\/08\/10\/study-cities-must-integrate-vision-zero-principles-into-all-planning\">cities around the world<\/a> work to reduce speeding and make streets safer, the City of San Mateo is poised to make them more dangerous by increasing speed limits. From <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sf.streetsblog.org\/2025\/07\/10\/call-to-action-car-brains-try-to-remove-san-mateo-committee-member-for-opposing-widenings\">Peninsula advocate Mike Swire<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday evening, family members and concerned residents will descend on the <a href=\"https:\/\/sanmateo.primegov.com\/Portal\/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=11223\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">San Mateo City Council meeting<\/a> to demand immediate safety improvements on Alameda after a child was hit and injured in front of Aragon High.\u00a0 They are outraged that the City Council is considering raising speed limits here and in front of other schools.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last Monday a young driver hit and injured an Aragon student in a crosswalk on Alameda in front of Aragon High School.\u00a0 Alameda has been the site of several deadly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcbayarea.com\/news\/local\/1-dead-in-fiery-single-vehicle-crash-in-san-mateo\/4113887\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">crashes<\/a> in recent months and parents are demanding the City do more.\u00a0 Parents and other residents have sent <a href=\"https:\/\/actionnetwork.org\/letters\/make-alameda-safer-no-more-kids-getting-hit-at-aragon-high-and-baywood-elementary?source=direct_link&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">almost 5,000 emails<\/a> to City leaders, expressing concern for their children. Street safety has become the #1 issue in the local City Council race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, the City Council will be considering <a href=\"https:\/\/sanmateo.primegov.com\/api\/compilemeetingattachmenthistory\/historyattachment\/?historyId=0074e0d3-3d1a-40f4-99b2-d93c3a7b1b10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">raising speed limits on 19 street sections<\/a> in San Mateo.\u00a0 Residents are up in arms as the proposal includes increased speed limits near Aragon High (site of last week\u2019s crash), San Mateo High (where, in March, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/sanfrancisco\/news\/san-mateo-family-advocated-more-pedestrian-safety-measures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">a driver hit a family of three in the crosswalk<\/a>, sending a father to the ICU and crushing the skull of an eight-year-old), and Nueva High School.\u00a0 The City is considering raising speed limits to 50 mph on J Hart Clinton, adjacent to the <a href=\"https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/griK4taZUbhYEHnUA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Ryder Park Playground<\/a>.\u00a0 Higher speed limits will increase driver speeds, increasing the likelihood and severity of crashes.\u00a0 Parents and residents have sent over <a href=\"https:\/\/actionnetwork.org\/letters\/sm-city-council-dont-raise-speed-limits-we-dont-need-drivers-going-faster?source=direct_link&amp;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">900 emails<\/a> to Council in opposition to the proposed increase in speed limits.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you live or work on the Peninsula, add your name to Swire\u2019s <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/actionnetwork.org\/letters\/sm-city-council-dont-raise-speed-limits-we-dont-need-drivers-going-faster?source=direct_link&amp;\">Action Network page<\/a>, <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sanmateo.primegov.com\/Portal\/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=11223\">comment at city hall<\/a>, and support safe streets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Here are two quick stories of interest to the safe and livable streets community. If you like awful&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":472322,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[109921,101,103,102,104,106,105],"class_list":["post-472321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-francisco","tag-promoted","tag-san-francisco","tag-san-francisco-headlines","tag-san-francisco-news","tag-sf","tag-sf-headlines","tag-sf-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472321","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=472321"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/472321\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/472322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=472321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=472321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=472321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}