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"content": "\u003cp>It’s a driver’s nightmare: You’re driving on the Bay Bridge from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> to Oakland, and your car grinds to a halt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But whether it’s your car’s transmission, tire pressure or you simply ran out of gas, who are you meant to call?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to Caltrans to learn exactly what you’re meant to do in this situation. Keep reading for what to do if your car breaks down on the Bay Bridge or other bridges around California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(And if you’re wondering if the Bay Bridge will be closed during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078991/i80-101-closure-san-francisco-weekend-april-17-18-19-bay-bridge-detour-traffic-alternative-route\">this weekend’s I-80 closure through San Francisco\u003c/a>, the answer is: the bridge won’t be closed, but it \u003cem>will \u003c/em>see traffic impacts Friday-Monday from this 1.6 miles of freeway closure and detours.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pull over, stay inside the vehicle and call 911\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you can, drive to the shoulder and once there, stay in the car. While some drivers’ instincts may be to exit their vehicle and try to see what’s wrong — or say, \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/930hj5/reminder_if_you_get_a_flat_on_the_bay_bridge/\">fix a tire themselves\u003c/a> — officials strongly recommend you:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Stay seated in your car\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Turn on your flashing hazard warning lights\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Call 911\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064591\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064591\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/250129-BayBridgeCables-16-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/250129-BayBridgeCables-16-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/250129-BayBridgeCables-16-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/250129-BayBridgeCables-16-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two lanes are closed as crews perform routine cable inspection and maintenance on the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge’s western span on Jan. 29, 2025. This work is part of a Caltrans effort to ensure the bridge’s long-term safety and durability, as the steel cables are inspected for corrosion and other potential issues. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If your car didn’t make it all the way to the shoulder and you’re still in a lane (or if there is no shoulder), stick to the same plan and be extra-sure to turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers that you’re stationary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By calling 911 \u003cem>first\u003c/em>, drivers can “report to the California Highway Patrol what their location is,” said Lori Shepherd, Caltrans’ public information officer for San Francisco County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#WhatifIbreakdownontheGoldenGateBridge\">What if I break down on the Golden Gate Bridge?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>CHP will contact the Caltrans Dispatch Communication Center, which then sends out a tow truck. This applies both during the day and night, no matter the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s normal to be stressed when you have car trouble like this, and you might also be panicking about the traffic your stall is already causing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s normal to be stressed when you have car trouble like this, and you might also be panicking about the traffic your stall is already causing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/KCBSAMFMTraffic/status/2011872678718947405\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So if you don’t know what to say when you call 911, just focus on telling the operator \u003cem>where \u003c/em>you are. “Remember, ‘911, I’m on the Bay Bridge, I need to talk to CHP’ — and that says everything,” Shepherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You should also mention which span of the Bay Bridge you’re on, and in which direction. The western span is near San Francisco, while the eastern span is the newer portion closer to Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrans asks that you do not exit your vehicle unless directed by emergency personnel once they arrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Should I call my own tow truck?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>No: You cannot call a private tow company to pick you up from the Bay Bridge — or any other bridge managed by Caltrans — unless cleared by an agency supervisor. “And that would be in an extreme situation,” Shepherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is because outside tow companies are not allowed within the toll zone of any of these other bridges, unless they receive that Caltrans clearance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You may, however, need a tow truck later after you and your car have been removed from the bridge — more on that below.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How long till help arrives?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>CHP considers breakdowns on the Bay Bridge an emergency,” Shepherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After you call, Caltrans will send a tow truck from one of its dispatch centers located near the toll crossing zones on either side of the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11949500\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11949500 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Men in orange and yellow work clothes and white hardhats clear a homeless encampment using large machinery. A white pickup truck is seen being hoisted into the air and hauled off.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caltrans workers clear garbage from the Wood Street encampment in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They won’t have to come from very far to get a motorist,” added Shepherd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Caltrans emergency tow service is completely free, but the tow truck will \u003cem>not \u003c/em>take you and your car home. The truck driver’s job is to remove your car from the freeway and move it to a legal parking space, one exit after the toll crossing on whichever side of the bridge works best for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How much will all of this cost me?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After the Caltrans emergency tow service gets you off the bridge for free, getting back home or to an auto shop is the part where you may have to call a private tow company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And “all services provided by those outside tow companies will come at a cost that is not controlled by Caltrans or the state of California,” Shepherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What if I have a AAA membership or another form of roadside assistance?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you get roadside assistance through AAA or your auto insurance, call them directly and make sure to tell them \u003cem>when \u003c/em>you need to leave the spot where the Caltrans emergency tow service dropped you off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have AAA membership already, the organization said that drivers can access instant roadside assistance by buying a \u003ca href=\"https://mwg.aaa.com/automotive/roadside\">“Classic Membership” package\u003c/a> along with a $75 fee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have AAA, another option is to call 511 and ask for “Freeway Assist” to alert the \u003ca href=\"https://511.org/driving/assist\">Freeway Service Patrol\u003c/a>.[aside postID=news_12078991 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260408-I80Closure-11-BL_qed.jpg']In some cases, this service will be able to help you for free if you ran out of gas or your battery died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you’re worried about cost, be warned: The most expensive option in this scenario may be calling a towing company \u003cem>without \u003c/em>having roadside assistance from AAA or your insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrans officials confirmed with KQED that drivers should follow the same emergency procedures above if their car breaks down while driving through the six other toll bridges the agency manages in the region:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Antioch Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Benicia-Martinez Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Carquinez Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Richmond-San Rafael Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>San Mateo-Hayward Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Dumbarton Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Remember: turn on hazard lights, drive to the shoulder, call 911 to contact CHP, and wait for Caltrans’ tow services to arrive while staying in your car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One exception: If your car breaks down while driving on the Golden Gate Bridge, it will be a different agency that will help you out after you call 911.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to several tow companies in West Oakland, which all noted that the size of your vehicle and how far you need to go will influence how much you could end up paying — with some towing services charging hundreds of dollars per hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "It’s a stressful situation for any driver. But transit officials have a plan to safely get you off the bridge — so here’s who to call.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>It’s a driver’s nightmare: You’re driving on the Bay Bridge from \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> to Oakland, and your car grinds to a halt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But whether it’s your car’s transmission, tire pressure or you simply ran out of gas, who are you meant to call?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED spoke to Caltrans to learn exactly what you’re meant to do in this situation. Keep reading for what to do if your car breaks down on the Bay Bridge or other bridges around California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(And if you’re wondering if the Bay Bridge will be closed during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078991/i80-101-closure-san-francisco-weekend-april-17-18-19-bay-bridge-detour-traffic-alternative-route\">this weekend’s I-80 closure through San Francisco\u003c/a>, the answer is: the bridge won’t be closed, but it \u003cem>will \u003c/em>see traffic impacts Friday-Monday from this 1.6 miles of freeway closure and detours.)\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pull over, stay inside the vehicle and call 911\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you can, drive to the shoulder and once there, stay in the car. While some drivers’ instincts may be to exit their vehicle and try to see what’s wrong — or say, \u003ca href=\"https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/930hj5/reminder_if_you_get_a_flat_on_the_bay_bridge/\">fix a tire themselves\u003c/a> — officials strongly recommend you:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Stay seated in your car\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Turn on your flashing hazard warning lights\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Call 911\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064591\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064591\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/250129-BayBridgeCables-16-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/250129-BayBridgeCables-16-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/250129-BayBridgeCables-16-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/250129-BayBridgeCables-16-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Two lanes are closed as crews perform routine cable inspection and maintenance on the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge’s western span on Jan. 29, 2025. This work is part of a Caltrans effort to ensure the bridge’s long-term safety and durability, as the steel cables are inspected for corrosion and other potential issues. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>If your car didn’t make it all the way to the shoulder and you’re still in a lane (or if there is no shoulder), stick to the same plan and be extra-sure to turn on your hazard lights to alert other drivers that you’re stationary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By calling 911 \u003cem>first\u003c/em>, drivers can “report to the California Highway Patrol what their location is,” said Lori Shepherd, Caltrans’ public information officer for San Francisco County.\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Jump straight to: \u003ca href=\"#WhatifIbreakdownontheGoldenGateBridge\">What if I break down on the Golden Gate Bridge?\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>CHP will contact the Caltrans Dispatch Communication Center, which then sends out a tow truck. This applies both during the day and night, no matter the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s normal to be stressed when you have car trouble like this, and you might also be panicking about the traffic your stall is already causing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s normal to be stressed when you have car trouble like this, and you might also be panicking about the traffic your stall is already causing.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>So if you don’t know what to say when you call 911, just focus on telling the operator \u003cem>where \u003c/em>you are. “Remember, ‘911, I’m on the Bay Bridge, I need to talk to CHP’ — and that says everything,” Shepherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You should also mention which span of the Bay Bridge you’re on, and in which direction. The western span is near San Francisco, while the eastern span is the newer portion closer to Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrans asks that you do not exit your vehicle unless directed by emergency personnel once they arrive.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Should I call my own tow truck?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>No: You cannot call a private tow company to pick you up from the Bay Bridge — or any other bridge managed by Caltrans — unless cleared by an agency supervisor. “And that would be in an extreme situation,” Shepherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is because outside tow companies are not allowed within the toll zone of any of these other bridges, unless they receive that Caltrans clearance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You may, however, need a tow truck later after you and your car have been removed from the bridge — more on that below.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How long till help arrives?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>CHP considers breakdowns on the Bay Bridge an emergency,” Shepherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After you call, Caltrans will send a tow truck from one of its dispatch centers located near the toll crossing zones on either side of the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11949500\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11949500 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut.jpg\" alt=\"Men in orange and yellow work clothes and white hardhats clear a homeless encampment using large machinery. A white pickup truck is seen being hoisted into the air and hauled off.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/05/RS58520_063_KQED_WoodStreetOaklandCalTrans_09082022-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Caltrans workers clear garbage from the Wood Street encampment in Oakland on Sept. 8, 2022. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“They won’t have to come from very far to get a motorist,” added Shepherd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Caltrans emergency tow service is completely free, but the tow truck will \u003cem>not \u003c/em>take you and your car home. The truck driver’s job is to remove your car from the freeway and move it to a legal parking space, one exit after the toll crossing on whichever side of the bridge works best for you.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>How much will all of this cost me?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After the Caltrans emergency tow service gets you off the bridge for free, getting back home or to an auto shop is the part where you may have to call a private tow company.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And “all services provided by those outside tow companies will come at a cost that is not controlled by Caltrans or the state of California,” Shepherd said.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What if I have a AAA membership or another form of roadside assistance?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>If you get roadside assistance through AAA or your auto insurance, call them directly and make sure to tell them \u003cem>when \u003c/em>you need to leave the spot where the Caltrans emergency tow service dropped you off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have AAA membership already, the organization said that drivers can access instant roadside assistance by buying a \u003ca href=\"https://mwg.aaa.com/automotive/roadside\">“Classic Membership” package\u003c/a> along with a $75 fee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you don’t have AAA, another option is to call 511 and ask for “Freeway Assist” to alert the \u003ca href=\"https://511.org/driving/assist\">Freeway Service Patrol\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>In some cases, this service will be able to help you for free if you ran out of gas or your battery died.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you’re worried about cost, be warned: The most expensive option in this scenario may be calling a towing company \u003cem>without \u003c/em>having roadside assistance from AAA or your insurance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrans officials confirmed with KQED that drivers should follow the same emergency procedures above if their car breaks down while driving through the six other toll bridges the agency manages in the region:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>Antioch Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Benicia-Martinez Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Carquinez Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Richmond-San Rafael Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>San Mateo-Hayward Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Dumbarton Bridge\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Remember: turn on hazard lights, drive to the shoulder, call 911 to contact CHP, and wait for Caltrans’ tow services to arrive while staying in your car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One exception: If your car breaks down while driving on the Golden Gate Bridge, it will be a different agency that will help you out after you call 911.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to several tow companies in West Oakland, which all noted that the size of your vehicle and how far you need to go will influence how much you could end up paying — with some towing services charging hundreds of dollars per hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>For most of the past year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/caltrans\">Caltrans\u003c/a> contractors have conducted a far-from-routine physical on an 89-year-old patient: the monumental western span of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-bridge\">San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a process completed in September, engineers opened up the massive main cables that support the bridge’s double-deck roadway between Yerba Buena Island and San Francisco’s Rincon Hill to check on conditions inside. The results from that exam are due by early next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last time crews looked inside the cables was in 2003, during a major seismic upgrade project. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission said this year’s checkup was the first systematic \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/news/bay-bridge-work-focuses-suspension-cables\">investigation \u003c/a>of the 25-inch diameter cables since the Bay Bridge was completed in 1936.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To Bart Ney, the chief spokesperson for the Caltrans office that covers the Bay Area, the Bay Bridge is one of the engineering wonders of the world. During a late-night visit to the bridge earlier this year, he recited some of the features that make the bridge unique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re standing on a very special bridge,” Ney said, during a stop on the upper deck. He pointed out that the western side of the bridge is actually \u003cem>two \u003c/em>spans, each of which ties into a humongous center anchorage that, he noted, “has more concrete in it than the Empire State Building.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064387\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064387\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers opened the main cables on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to inspect the more than 17,000 individual wires that make up each of the main cables for the first time since the bridge was built 90 years ago. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Metropolitan Transportation Commission)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12025258\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1403px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12025258\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1403\" height=\"865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo.jpg 1403w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo-800x493.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo-1020x629.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo-160x99.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1403px) 100vw, 1403px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(left) Hand-wrapping the south cable span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, circa September 1936. (right) The south cable saddle during construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, circa November 1935. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Beginning last fall, ironworkers and engineers moved along the main cables, removing the outer housing at select locations to expose the tightly packed bundles of galvanized steel wire inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re doing out here is we’re taking a look at the main cables that actually hold the deck up that you drive on,” Ney said. “And so, at 10 different locations, we’re going inside the cable, we’re opening it up, and we’re testing the steel inside of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each cable consists of more than 17,000 wires that were spun into place, bound together, tightly compressed and painted with a special protective paste before the outer housing was installed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12019920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12019920\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The suspension cables of the Bay Bridge on the bridge’s western span on Dec. 19, 2024. Crews work to open the suspension cables to assess the condition of thousands of thin steel strands inside. This work is part of an effort to ensure the bridge’s long-term safety and durability, as the steel cables are inspected for corrosion and other issues. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At each of the 10 testing locations, workers used hammers and mallets to drive large wedges into the tightly packed bundle of wires. Engineers gave the wire a visual inspection, snipped out short sections for laboratory testing and then spliced those cut strands back together. The inspection also studied how air moves through the interior of the cables — a concern given the bridge’s constant exposure to humidity and salt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority, the regional agency that oversees the Bay Area’s state-owned bridges, will use that information to decide whether to install a dehumidifying system to help protect the cables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of this project, crews also replaced a half dozen of the vertical suspender ropes that help support the western spans’ road decks. Ney said the ropes to be replaced were identified by engineers with Caltrans’ structural maintenance inspection team as part of an evaluation conducted every two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For most of the past year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/caltrans\">Caltrans\u003c/a> contractors have conducted a far-from-routine physical on an 89-year-old patient: the monumental western span of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-bridge\">San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a process completed in September, engineers opened up the massive main cables that support the bridge’s double-deck roadway between Yerba Buena Island and San Francisco’s Rincon Hill to check on conditions inside. The results from that exam are due by early next year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The last time crews looked inside the cables was in 2003, during a major seismic upgrade project. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission said this year’s checkup was the first systematic \u003ca href=\"https://mtc.ca.gov/news/bay-bridge-work-focuses-suspension-cables\">investigation \u003c/a>of the 25-inch diameter cables since the Bay Bridge was completed in 1936.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To Bart Ney, the chief spokesperson for the Caltrans office that covers the Bay Area, the Bay Bridge is one of the engineering wonders of the world. During a late-night visit to the bridge earlier this year, he recited some of the features that make the bridge unique.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You’re standing on a very special bridge,” Ney said, during a stop on the upper deck. He pointed out that the western side of the bridge is actually \u003cem>two \u003c/em>spans, each of which ties into a humongous center anchorage that, he noted, “has more concrete in it than the Empire State Building.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12064387\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12064387\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/11/251117-Bay-Bridge-Cables-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Workers opened the main cables on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to inspect the more than 17,000 individual wires that make up each of the main cables for the first time since the bridge was built 90 years ago. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of Metropolitan Transportation Commission)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12025258\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1403px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12025258\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1403\" height=\"865\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo.jpg 1403w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo-800x493.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo-1020x629.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/I0035379A_duo-160x99.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1403px) 100vw, 1403px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(left) Hand-wrapping the south cable span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, circa September 1936. (right) The south cable saddle during construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, circa November 1935. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Beginning last fall, ironworkers and engineers moved along the main cables, removing the outer housing at select locations to expose the tightly packed bundles of galvanized steel wire inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we’re doing out here is we’re taking a look at the main cables that actually hold the deck up that you drive on,” Ney said. “And so, at 10 different locations, we’re going inside the cable, we’re opening it up, and we’re testing the steel inside of it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each cable consists of more than 17,000 wires that were spun into place, bound together, tightly compressed and painted with a special protective paste before the outer housing was installed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12019920\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12019920\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/241219-BayBridgeCables-12-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The suspension cables of the Bay Bridge on the bridge’s western span on Dec. 19, 2024. Crews work to open the suspension cables to assess the condition of thousands of thin steel strands inside. This work is part of an effort to ensure the bridge’s long-term safety and durability, as the steel cables are inspected for corrosion and other issues. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At each of the 10 testing locations, workers used hammers and mallets to drive large wedges into the tightly packed bundle of wires. Engineers gave the wire a visual inspection, snipped out short sections for laboratory testing and then spliced those cut strands back together. The inspection also studied how air moves through the interior of the cables — a concern given the bridge’s constant exposure to humidity and salt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrans and the Bay Area Toll Authority, the regional agency that oversees the Bay Area’s state-owned bridges, will use that information to decide whether to install a dehumidifying system to help protect the cables.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of this project, crews also replaced a half dozen of the vertical suspender ropes that help support the western spans’ road decks. Ney said the ropes to be replaced were identified by engineers with Caltrans’ structural maintenance inspection team as part of an evaluation conducted every two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "the-relaunch-of-casual-carpool",
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"content": "\u003cp>Before the pandemic, casual carpool was a completely organic system of pickup spots and patient passengers looking for a quick, comfortable way to head into San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Casual carpool collapsed when the pandemic hit. \u003ca href=\"https://sfcasualcarpool.my.canva.site/casualcarpool\">But now it’s been relaunched.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC5435571911\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:00] I’m Ericka Cruz-Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. So back in the before times, you could stand in a designated pickup spot at more than a dozen places around the Bay Area and hop into a stranger’s car, zooming towards San Francisco in the carpool lane. Casual carpool was this completely normal and organic system of strangers carpooling with other strangers. Sometimes things got weird.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:00:34] I got into a car and the woman who was driving had her bird loose in the car. The bird cage was next to me in the back. There was bird sort of mess all over the place and I immediately got out and said I’m not riding in this car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:52] But for the most part, casual carpool was just a faster and more comfortable way of getting into the city. Until, of course, the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Camille Bermudez \u003c/strong>[00:01:03] Just as we were told five years ago to stay home, we’re also now being told five year later, hey, time to start coming back into the office. And so that is part of why we think now is the perfect time to bring casual carpool back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:18] Casual carpool is making a comeback, but it’s gonna depend on how many strangers decide to do the thing again. Today, the woman who is resurrecting casual carpool and how it’s going so far. So Dan, you went to the casual carpool pickup spot in Oakland on Tuesday for the relaunch. Can you set the scene for me? What did it look like?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:01:50] Yeah, so I got to the garage around seven o’clock, which in traditional casual carpool times was a little on the early side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:59] Dan Brekke is a transportation editor for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:02:05] Where this casual carpool spot is, is in a parking garage directly under the MacArthur Freeway. It’s not a cheerful spot, right? It’s kind of dingy, but it was one of the original casual carpool spots before the pandemic happened in 2020. I saw the organizer of this relaunch of the carpool, Camille Bermudez, putting up these silver balloons near the corner of Lake Park and Lake Shore to advertise the fact that there was something going on there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:02:46] I saw a few people waiting in the garage and it turned out most of them were news people. There was one car waiting, and she was waiting for riders to go into the city with her. She had a limited amount of time to wait. And so after, I don’t know, 10, 15 minutes maybe, she left. Then we’re getting to around 8 o’clock. Riders were appearing, getting in the cars, and they were taking off. Getting close to 8.30 now. There was 1 car waiting. There was a passenger in the back seat and a driver.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:03:21] I’m a reporter from KQED. If I ride along with you, can I interview you too? Yeah?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:03:30] And so I jumped in with them and we rode over to the city together just like old times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:03:36] She’s listening to KQED right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:03:39] It’s a great station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:03:41] It is!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:03:46] Yeah I want to ask you about the folks that you hopped in the car with. Who did you meet?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:03:52] So the people who picked me up turned out to be long time casual carpoolers and real fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:03:58] I mean, it seemed like a quintessentially Bay Area thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:04:01] I met Jahan Sagafi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:04:04] I was trying to do the math in my head, having done it from 2009 until the pandemic, I probably rode casual carpool, you know, 1,500 times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:04:12] And Melissa Abad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:04:14] Did you ever drive casual carpool in the past?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melissa Abad \u003c/strong>[00:04:18] I did. I drove it quite a bit. I’ve always worked in the Presidio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:04:24] Melissa was the driver and Jahan was the rider and I would say they were both really committed and for both of them something that impressed me was that they’re really into it sort of as an aspect of community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:04:41] And not just a community of people who already know each other and are loyal to each other, but people who don’t know each can pull together for that one moment and help each other out. I think that’s very Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melissa Abad \u003c/strong>[00:04:54] There’s also some nice conversation. I have some very memorable conversations over the years and there’s nothing I’ve never felt unsafe or it’s always been a great experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:05:07] Why not just take transit?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:05:10] The advantages, sort of efficiency things that people talk about, are just too good. For instance, you usually don’t have to wait long for a ride. Sometimes you’re getting a ride in a really nice car. It’s cheaper for everybody, right? Because the driver in a carpool is only paying half the toll and the riders may pay nothing. And the time savings is huge. On a bad day at the Bay Bridge toll plaza, You’re saving… you know, 20, 30 minutes probably. Look, I think the main thing is comfort. I mean, people are choosing to ride in a private car that’s not crowded. Maybe somebody has some nice music on, maybe they have KQED, and it’s quiet if they want it to be, and they can talk to these strangers they’re riding with if that’s part of the ride too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:06:23] As someone who does try and use public transit when I can, I totally get the appeal of casual carpool. I mean, we’re talking about comfort. You always get a seat. You’re not dealing with big crowds on a BART train. But of course it went away because of the pandemic, but we’re taking now because of this relaunch. And I want to ask you more about the person behind it. Camille Bermudez. I mean what is her story and why is she so invested in making casual carpooling a thing again?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:06:57] So Camille is a long time East Bay resident. She used to take the carpool with her father when she was a teenager. She went to high school in San Francisco. Her father worked on the Embarcadero downtown and she would ride in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Camille Bermudez \u003c/strong>[00:07:14] It is very much something that brings neighborhoods together, or can bring neighborhoods together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:07:22] You know, she used it before the pandemic, and then for her and everybody else, it went away. And it’s never left her mind that, you know, this is something that should come back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Camille Bermudez \u003c/strong>[00:07:34] When I did move to Alameda, knowing that I had maybe more limited options, I was looking for casual carpool and that’s when I really felt this is something that’s missing from our system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:07:46] You know, Camille, she is very, very determined and driven. I got this feeling every time I talked to her. And when we were out at the Lake Park Avenue Garage the other day, I mean, you can hear it in her voice. You can hear this really high-level energy in most of her exchanges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:08:10] As part of her determination around getting this thing together, I know she did this whole survey. What did her survey find exactly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:08:19] Well, what she was trying to find out was a general level of interest. And so she was asking people about their experience with it, whether they’d like to go back to it, where they would like to ride from, what time of day. She wanted to see what was viable for a relaunch. And I think where she started was, I want this thing to come back completely this summer. And she’s got reasons for thinking that’s possible. There are two main reasons. One is the fact that there are more return to work mandates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Camille Bermudez \u003c/strong>[00:08:56] Just as we were told five years ago to stay home, we’re also now being told five years later, hey, time to start coming back into the office. And so that is part of why we-\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:09:05] The other thing that she sees happening, and this is also very real, is that people who have electric vehicles or other zero emission vehicles and have been able to drive in the carpool lanes solo, because they have that little sticker that we’ve all seen, they’re gonna lose that privileged access at the end of September. So if they wanna still drive in a carpool lane and not cheat, they are gonna have to get on board maybe with doing real carpooling to get in those carpool lines. So she thinks those two things will really persuade a lot of people to get back to casual carpooling. Within a few weeks of really looking at the data, she told me, well, we’re going to narrow our focus to three stations. One in Berkeley, one in Emeryville, one in Oakland, the Lake Park Avenue stop. And then by the time we actually got to her designated launch day, August 12, That was down to one. She felt like the numbers she saw in her survey really only supported the official relaunch of one site, the Lake Park Avenue site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:10:14] Could casual carpool take away from public transit? I mean, we know BART and Muni and all these other agencies are already struggling. Could casual carpool make it worse, somehow?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:10:25] There is money that goes into the agencies from every rider, right? I mean, that is true. But if you think practically about how this works, I mean there were never that many people who used casual carpool. There was one pretty thorough study done before casual car pooling ended in 2020 that showed that Bay Area-wide there were about 6,000 people who might use it. Now that 6,000 people probably split between three or four different transit agencies. So yes, there is a cost. But if you think about how those same people are getting back home, the vast majority of them are riding transit. So it’s like you’re losing half of your transit revenue from a very small number of riders. Now, we’ll see what happens going forward. I mean, if this thing takes off and there’s mass adoption, maybe that’s something to think about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:11:19] I mean, what do you make of the return of the casual carpool this week? Was it a success? Like, is casual car pool coming back? Is it safe to say?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:11:29] It’s a little too early to say exactly how it’s going to play out. I mean, we’re not talking big numbers. It’s like they’ve had half a dozen carpools per day. People’s commute habits have changed dramatically since March, 2020. And what we’re expecting them to do is to reverse some choices they’ve made since the pandemic started. And I’m not so sure it’s easy to do. Camille’s goal is to get more pickup spots up and running. And she imagines all 20 plus of them going full time, just like they were in the before times by a year from now. I think that could happen, but I think if it does, it’s gonna take some heavy lifting from other volunteers. Camille can’t do it all by herself. I mean, that’s just more than one person can do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:12:23] And that’s not the point, right? The whole system relies on many people buying it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:12:27] Exactly. There’s some kind of magic element of, like people were telling me the other morning, of, you know, community and a cooperative spirit to do this. And maybe that’s a place where you look at that and you have some optimism. Because I think people do want more of that. And to the extent that casual carpool is a community endeavor, people helping people. One person used the term mutual aid when we were talking about it. I think that may offer grounds for thinking that this could be a thing going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "The Relaunch of Casual Carpool | KQED",
"description": "Before the pandemic, casual carpool was a completely organic system of pickup spots and patient passengers looking for a quick, comfortable way to head into San Francisco. Casual carpool collapsed when the pandemic hit. But now it’s been relaunched. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local. This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors. Ericka Cruz Guevarra I'm Ericka Cruz-Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. So back",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Before the pandemic, casual carpool was a completely organic system of pickup spots and patient passengers looking for a quick, comfortable way to head into San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Casual carpool collapsed when the pandemic hit. \u003ca href=\"https://sfcasualcarpool.my.canva.site/casualcarpool\">But now it’s been relaunched.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ci>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/i>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=KQINC5435571911\" width=\"100%\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv>\u003cem>This is a computer-generated transcript. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003cdiv>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:00] I’m Ericka Cruz-Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. So back in the before times, you could stand in a designated pickup spot at more than a dozen places around the Bay Area and hop into a stranger’s car, zooming towards San Francisco in the carpool lane. Casual carpool was this completely normal and organic system of strangers carpooling with other strangers. Sometimes things got weird.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:00:34] I got into a car and the woman who was driving had her bird loose in the car. The bird cage was next to me in the back. There was bird sort of mess all over the place and I immediately got out and said I’m not riding in this car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:00:52] But for the most part, casual carpool was just a faster and more comfortable way of getting into the city. Until, of course, the pandemic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Camille Bermudez \u003c/strong>[00:01:03] Just as we were told five years ago to stay home, we’re also now being told five year later, hey, time to start coming back into the office. And so that is part of why we think now is the perfect time to bring casual carpool back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:18] Casual carpool is making a comeback, but it’s gonna depend on how many strangers decide to do the thing again. Today, the woman who is resurrecting casual carpool and how it’s going so far. So Dan, you went to the casual carpool pickup spot in Oakland on Tuesday for the relaunch. Can you set the scene for me? What did it look like?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:01:50] Yeah, so I got to the garage around seven o’clock, which in traditional casual carpool times was a little on the early side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:01:59] Dan Brekke is a transportation editor for KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:02:05] Where this casual carpool spot is, is in a parking garage directly under the MacArthur Freeway. It’s not a cheerful spot, right? It’s kind of dingy, but it was one of the original casual carpool spots before the pandemic happened in 2020. I saw the organizer of this relaunch of the carpool, Camille Bermudez, putting up these silver balloons near the corner of Lake Park and Lake Shore to advertise the fact that there was something going on there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:02:46] I saw a few people waiting in the garage and it turned out most of them were news people. There was one car waiting, and she was waiting for riders to go into the city with her. She had a limited amount of time to wait. And so after, I don’t know, 10, 15 minutes maybe, she left. Then we’re getting to around 8 o’clock. Riders were appearing, getting in the cars, and they were taking off. Getting close to 8.30 now. There was 1 car waiting. There was a passenger in the back seat and a driver.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:03:21] I’m a reporter from KQED. If I ride along with you, can I interview you too? Yeah?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:03:30] And so I jumped in with them and we rode over to the city together just like old times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:03:36] She’s listening to KQED right now.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:03:39] It’s a great station.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:03:41] It is!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:03:46] Yeah I want to ask you about the folks that you hopped in the car with. Who did you meet?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:03:52] So the people who picked me up turned out to be long time casual carpoolers and real fans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:03:58] I mean, it seemed like a quintessentially Bay Area thing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:04:01] I met Jahan Sagafi.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:04:04] I was trying to do the math in my head, having done it from 2009 until the pandemic, I probably rode casual carpool, you know, 1,500 times.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:04:12] And Melissa Abad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:04:14] Did you ever drive casual carpool in the past?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melissa Abad \u003c/strong>[00:04:18] I did. I drove it quite a bit. I’ve always worked in the Presidio.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:04:24] Melissa was the driver and Jahan was the rider and I would say they were both really committed and for both of them something that impressed me was that they’re really into it sort of as an aspect of community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jahan Sagafi \u003c/strong>[00:04:41] And not just a community of people who already know each other and are loyal to each other, but people who don’t know each can pull together for that one moment and help each other out. I think that’s very Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Melissa Abad \u003c/strong>[00:04:54] There’s also some nice conversation. I have some very memorable conversations over the years and there’s nothing I’ve never felt unsafe or it’s always been a great experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:05:07] Why not just take transit?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:05:10] The advantages, sort of efficiency things that people talk about, are just too good. For instance, you usually don’t have to wait long for a ride. Sometimes you’re getting a ride in a really nice car. It’s cheaper for everybody, right? Because the driver in a carpool is only paying half the toll and the riders may pay nothing. And the time savings is huge. On a bad day at the Bay Bridge toll plaza, You’re saving… you know, 20, 30 minutes probably. Look, I think the main thing is comfort. I mean, people are choosing to ride in a private car that’s not crowded. Maybe somebody has some nice music on, maybe they have KQED, and it’s quiet if they want it to be, and they can talk to these strangers they’re riding with if that’s part of the ride too.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:06:23] As someone who does try and use public transit when I can, I totally get the appeal of casual carpool. I mean, we’re talking about comfort. You always get a seat. You’re not dealing with big crowds on a BART train. But of course it went away because of the pandemic, but we’re taking now because of this relaunch. And I want to ask you more about the person behind it. Camille Bermudez. I mean what is her story and why is she so invested in making casual carpooling a thing again?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:06:57] So Camille is a long time East Bay resident. She used to take the carpool with her father when she was a teenager. She went to high school in San Francisco. Her father worked on the Embarcadero downtown and she would ride in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Camille Bermudez \u003c/strong>[00:07:14] It is very much something that brings neighborhoods together, or can bring neighborhoods together.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:07:22] You know, she used it before the pandemic, and then for her and everybody else, it went away. And it’s never left her mind that, you know, this is something that should come back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Camille Bermudez \u003c/strong>[00:07:34] When I did move to Alameda, knowing that I had maybe more limited options, I was looking for casual carpool and that’s when I really felt this is something that’s missing from our system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:07:46] You know, Camille, she is very, very determined and driven. I got this feeling every time I talked to her. And when we were out at the Lake Park Avenue Garage the other day, I mean, you can hear it in her voice. You can hear this really high-level energy in most of her exchanges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:08:10] As part of her determination around getting this thing together, I know she did this whole survey. What did her survey find exactly?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:08:19] Well, what she was trying to find out was a general level of interest. And so she was asking people about their experience with it, whether they’d like to go back to it, where they would like to ride from, what time of day. She wanted to see what was viable for a relaunch. And I think where she started was, I want this thing to come back completely this summer. And she’s got reasons for thinking that’s possible. There are two main reasons. One is the fact that there are more return to work mandates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Camille Bermudez \u003c/strong>[00:08:56] Just as we were told five years ago to stay home, we’re also now being told five years later, hey, time to start coming back into the office. And so that is part of why we-\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:09:05] The other thing that she sees happening, and this is also very real, is that people who have electric vehicles or other zero emission vehicles and have been able to drive in the carpool lanes solo, because they have that little sticker that we’ve all seen, they’re gonna lose that privileged access at the end of September. So if they wanna still drive in a carpool lane and not cheat, they are gonna have to get on board maybe with doing real carpooling to get in those carpool lines. So she thinks those two things will really persuade a lot of people to get back to casual carpooling. Within a few weeks of really looking at the data, she told me, well, we’re going to narrow our focus to three stations. One in Berkeley, one in Emeryville, one in Oakland, the Lake Park Avenue stop. And then by the time we actually got to her designated launch day, August 12, That was down to one. She felt like the numbers she saw in her survey really only supported the official relaunch of one site, the Lake Park Avenue site.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:10:14] Could casual carpool take away from public transit? I mean, we know BART and Muni and all these other agencies are already struggling. Could casual carpool make it worse, somehow?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:10:25] There is money that goes into the agencies from every rider, right? I mean, that is true. But if you think practically about how this works, I mean there were never that many people who used casual carpool. There was one pretty thorough study done before casual car pooling ended in 2020 that showed that Bay Area-wide there were about 6,000 people who might use it. Now that 6,000 people probably split between three or four different transit agencies. So yes, there is a cost. But if you think about how those same people are getting back home, the vast majority of them are riding transit. So it’s like you’re losing half of your transit revenue from a very small number of riders. Now, we’ll see what happens going forward. I mean, if this thing takes off and there’s mass adoption, maybe that’s something to think about.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:11:19] I mean, what do you make of the return of the casual carpool this week? Was it a success? Like, is casual car pool coming back? Is it safe to say?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:11:29] It’s a little too early to say exactly how it’s going to play out. I mean, we’re not talking big numbers. It’s like they’ve had half a dozen carpools per day. People’s commute habits have changed dramatically since March, 2020. And what we’re expecting them to do is to reverse some choices they’ve made since the pandemic started. And I’m not so sure it’s easy to do. Camille’s goal is to get more pickup spots up and running. And she imagines all 20 plus of them going full time, just like they were in the before times by a year from now. I think that could happen, but I think if it does, it’s gonna take some heavy lifting from other volunteers. Camille can’t do it all by herself. I mean, that’s just more than one person can do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra \u003c/strong>[00:12:23] And that’s not the point, right? The whole system relies on many people buying it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Dan Brekke \u003c/strong>[00:12:27] Exactly. There’s some kind of magic element of, like people were telling me the other morning, of, you know, community and a cooperative spirit to do this. And maybe that’s a place where you look at that and you have some optimism. Because I think people do want more of that. And to the extent that casual carpool is a community endeavor, people helping people. One person used the term mutual aid when we were talking about it. I think that may offer grounds for thinking that this could be a thing going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "These 6 Bay Area Bridges Could Be Vulnerable to Collapse If Hit By Large Ship, Report Finds",
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"content": "\u003cp style=\"text-align: left\">Federal transportation safety officials named six major \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> bridges that could be vulnerable to collapse if hit by a large container ship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/golden-gate-bridge\">Golden Gate\u003c/a>, Richmond-San Rafael, Carquinez, Benicia-Martinez, Antioch and San Mateo-Hayward bridges are among a list of 68 older spans in 19 states that “have an unknown level of risk of collapse from a vessel collision,” according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2510.pdf\">new report\u003c/a> from the National Transportation Safety Board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s findings are part of an investigation into the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/who-is-missing-in-baltimores-francis-scott-key-bridge-collapse-what-we-know-about-those-unaccounted-for/\">collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge\u003c/a> in Baltimore last year after a malfunctioning cargo ship slammed into the bridge’s support column. The collision killed six construction workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the report, NTSB investigators blamed Maryland transportation officials for failing to complete a recommended vulnerability assessment that would have shown the bridge was at significant risk of collapse from a ship strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Thursday that the disaster “could have been prevented.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11704847\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11704847\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-1020x677.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-1200x797.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-1180x784.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-960x638.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-240x159.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-375x249.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-520x345.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Benicia Bridge and Suisun Bay, viewed from Franklin Ridge in Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline. \u003ccite>(Dan Brekke/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Had they done the assessment, they “would have been able to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge,” she said. “There’s no excuse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In light of the findings, the agency is urging state and local authorities overseeing the 68 named bridges to “develop and implement a comprehensive risk reduction plan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The NTSB’s report targets large bridges constructed before 1991, when the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials developed a vulnerability assessment calculation for new bridges. The agency, however, emphasized that it was not suggesting the bridges “are certain to collapse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Homendy emphasized that standard container ships today are substantially larger than they were when many of these bridges were built.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_11749629 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2019/05/aad-1447-1020x824.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These bridge owners need to be looking at recent vessel traffic,” she said. “Vessels have gotten bigger, heavier. At one point in the 1950s, we had vessels that had just 800 containers on them. Now we’re talking 24,000 containers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrans said it is reviewing the NTSB’s safety recommendations but noted that all state-owned bridges — including five of the Bay Area spans listed in the report — are regularly inspected and have been seismically retrofitted “to the highest national standards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California’s bridges are safe for travel, and Caltrans has installed fender systems on all major bridges, further protecting bridge piers from the unlikely and rare event of being struck by marine traffic,” the agency said in a statement on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which owns the Golden Gate Bridge, responded similarly to NTSB’s recommendations, saying it was in full compliance with all state and federal regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Golden Gate Bridge has one of the most robust ship collision protection systems of any bridge on the West Coast,” the district said in a statement. But “in light of the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse,” the district recently commissioned an assessment of the bridge’s south tower fender system’s capacity to withstand a ship collision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11938559\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11938559\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940.jpg\" alt=\"Several people dressed in raincoats and holding umbrellas stand behind the Golden Gate Bridge.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940-1020x693.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940-160x109.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People look at the Golden Gate Bridge at a vista point during a rainfall on Jan. 15, 2023, in Sausalito. \u003ccite>(Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Absent from the NTSB’s report is the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which survived two major ship collisions, in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/the-day-a-cargo-ship-crashed-into-sf-bay-bridge/\">2007\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ship-s-pilot-blamed-for-bridge-crash-4410899.php\">2013\u003c/a>, but was protected in part by its fenders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The real key, as I see it, is assessing probabilities of risk,” said John Goodwin, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees the Bay Area’s toll authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California, and the Bay Area in particular, has a lot of old bridges, Goodwin added, noting that Caltrans and local districts are conducting a multi-billion dollar, 10-year campaign “to keep every one of those structures in tip-top shape for decades to come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a comprehensive assessment of what is needed to keep these bridges going really in perpetuity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed reporting to this story\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp style=\"text-align: left\">Federal transportation safety officials named six major \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> bridges that could be vulnerable to collapse if hit by a large container ship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/golden-gate-bridge\">Golden Gate\u003c/a>, Richmond-San Rafael, Carquinez, Benicia-Martinez, Antioch and San Mateo-Hayward bridges are among a list of 68 older spans in 19 states that “have an unknown level of risk of collapse from a vessel collision,” according to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2510.pdf\">new report\u003c/a> from the National Transportation Safety Board.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agency’s findings are part of an investigation into the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/who-is-missing-in-baltimores-francis-scott-key-bridge-collapse-what-we-know-about-those-unaccounted-for/\">collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge\u003c/a> in Baltimore last year after a malfunctioning cargo ship slammed into the bridge’s support column. The collision killed six construction workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the report, NTSB investigators blamed Maryland transportation officials for failing to complete a recommended vulnerability assessment that would have shown the bridge was at significant risk of collapse from a ship strike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy told reporters on Thursday that the disaster “could have been prevented.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11704847\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11704847\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-160x106.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-800x531.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-1020x677.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-1200x797.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-1180x784.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-960x638.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-240x159.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-375x249.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/11/beniciabridge131231-520x345.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Benicia Bridge and Suisun Bay, viewed from Franklin Ridge in Carquinez Strait Regional Shoreline. \u003ccite>(Dan Brekke/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Had they done the assessment, they “would have been able to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge,” she said. “There’s no excuse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In light of the findings, the agency is urging state and local authorities overseeing the 68 named bridges to “develop and implement a comprehensive risk reduction plan.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The NTSB’s report targets large bridges constructed before 1991, when the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials developed a vulnerability assessment calculation for new bridges. The agency, however, emphasized that it was not suggesting the bridges “are certain to collapse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Homendy emphasized that standard container ships today are substantially larger than they were when many of these bridges were built.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These bridge owners need to be looking at recent vessel traffic,” she said. “Vessels have gotten bigger, heavier. At one point in the 1950s, we had vessels that had just 800 containers on them. Now we’re talking 24,000 containers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Caltrans said it is reviewing the NTSB’s safety recommendations but noted that all state-owned bridges — including five of the Bay Area spans listed in the report — are regularly inspected and have been seismically retrofitted “to the highest national standards.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“California’s bridges are safe for travel, and Caltrans has installed fender systems on all major bridges, further protecting bridge piers from the unlikely and rare event of being struck by marine traffic,” the agency said in a statement on Friday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, which owns the Golden Gate Bridge, responded similarly to NTSB’s recommendations, saying it was in full compliance with all state and federal regulations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The Golden Gate Bridge has one of the most robust ship collision protection systems of any bridge on the West Coast,” the district said in a statement. But “in light of the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse,” the district recently commissioned an assessment of the bridge’s south tower fender system’s capacity to withstand a ship collision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11938559\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11938559\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940.jpg\" alt=\"Several people dressed in raincoats and holding umbrellas stand behind the Golden Gate Bridge.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"696\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940-1020x693.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/01/GettyImages-1456821940-160x109.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">People look at the Golden Gate Bridge at a vista point during a rainfall on Jan. 15, 2023, in Sausalito. \u003ccite>(Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Absent from the NTSB’s report is the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which survived two major ship collisions, in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/the-day-a-cargo-ship-crashed-into-sf-bay-bridge/\">2007\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ship-s-pilot-blamed-for-bridge-crash-4410899.php\">2013\u003c/a>, but was protected in part by its fenders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The real key, as I see it, is assessing probabilities of risk,” said John Goodwin, a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees the Bay Area’s toll authority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>California, and the Bay Area in particular, has a lot of old bridges, Goodwin added, noting that Caltrans and local districts are conducting a multi-billion dollar, 10-year campaign “to keep every one of those structures in tip-top shape for decades to come.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a comprehensive assessment of what is needed to keep these bridges going really in perpetuity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed reporting to this story\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-bridge\">Bay Bridge\u003c/a> will soon be relit, according to the nonprofit behind the iconic light installation that spanned the San Francisco skyline for a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Illuminate \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/IlluminatedArts/status/1866191587841077537\">announced\u003c/a> Monday that crews have begun installing 50,000 new LED bulbs across the western span of the bridge and that the renewed installation could be up and running within months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben Davis, the founder of Illuminate, told KQED that he is eyeing late March for the grand relighting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We anticipate celebrating the return of The Bay Lights to our skyline later this winter. … We hope you will join us on the waterfront,” the company said in a post on social media platform X.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Lights — then thought to be the world’s largest LED sculpture — debuted in March 2013, and on its 10th anniversary, it was shut down amid uncertainty over a fundraising effort for repairs. Artist Leo Villareal designed the project, which Illuminate said was Davis’s “brainchild.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12017560\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12017560 size-full\" style=\"font-weight: bold;background-color: transparent;color: #767676\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The new “Bay Lights 360” will feature bulbs on both sides of the bridge’s cables so that the lights can be seen from the East Bay. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Ben Davis, Illuminate)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The installation became a sensation throughout the Bay Area, attracting locals and visitors to the bridge that has long served as an essential commuter channel but not nearly the most famed way to cross the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The original Bay Lights was comprised of 25,000 bulbs fastened to the sturdy cables that extend down from the Bay Bridge’s arches. At night, lights danced through the sky, creating waves rippling between Oakland to San Francisco and beams falling like rain from the tallest points of the bridge to its road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The optical illusions were the product of a program called \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/90202/watch-video-light-sculpture-to-brighten-the-bay-bridge\">Particle Universe\u003c/a>, which Villareal could use to change how the lights’ mass, velocity and gravity appeared to act from a remote desktop computer, he told KQED before the first official lighting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s spent a significant amount of time on and around the bridge looking at the patterns of nature and sort of the built environment,” Davis said. “[Villareal] has abstracted those and then cultivated them a way for beauty while they’re still randomized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12017559\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12017559\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crews began installing the 50,000 new bulbs this week. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Ben Davis, Illuminate)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The installation went dark in March 2023 after a decade of wear and tear from fog, wind, salt and exhaust over the bay, creating maintenance challenges with some of the bulbs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Illuminate had launched a fundraising campaign to renew the installation with stronger lights, but it did not reach its goal by the time Bay Lights was shut off — leaving the project’s future in doubt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12016154 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/240111-TransitFile-02-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, the company announced that it had privately fundraised all $11 million needed to revitalize Bay Lights, with custom bulbs designed to withstand harsh weather for years to come. In addition to improving bulb quality with custom LEDs, the nonprofit is attempting to double the number of bulbs, wrapping them around both sides of the western span’s cables to create a wider field of view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of the criticisms of Bay Lights was that it points at the penthouses of San Francisco and the North Bay, but it didn’t really shine on Oakland or some of the other communities on the east side of the bay,” Davis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was largely for safety, he said — it wasn’t clear whether it would be unsafe or distracting for drivers to see lights on the inside of the cables as they drove across the bridge. But if the expanded version, Bay Lights 360, passes a safety inspection Davis expects will take place in January, the lights on the inside of the cables will be visible from the East Bay and even to commuters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Davis said that in this installation, they are going to “see if we can actually, as a matter of aesthetic equity, address that concern by making it available to everyone really in an excited way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-bridge\">Bay Bridge\u003c/a> will soon be relit, according to the nonprofit behind the iconic light installation that spanned the San Francisco skyline for a decade.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Illuminate \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/IlluminatedArts/status/1866191587841077537\">announced\u003c/a> Monday that crews have begun installing 50,000 new LED bulbs across the western span of the bridge and that the renewed installation could be up and running within months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ben Davis, the founder of Illuminate, told KQED that he is eyeing late March for the grand relighting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We anticipate celebrating the return of The Bay Lights to our skyline later this winter. … We hope you will join us on the waterfront,” the company said in a post on social media platform X.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Lights — then thought to be the world’s largest LED sculpture — debuted in March 2013, and on its 10th anniversary, it was shut down amid uncertainty over a fundraising effort for repairs. Artist Leo Villareal designed the project, which Illuminate said was Davis’s “brainchild.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12017560\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12017560 size-full\" style=\"font-weight: bold;background-color: transparent;color: #767676\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/5959C8DA-A845-4FA0-AB1E-016075419E62remote25e52a08ddc676a528f12fc93bee31f32f4288ff-1-original-1-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The new “Bay Lights 360” will feature bulbs on both sides of the bridge’s cables so that the lights can be seen from the East Bay. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Ben Davis, Illuminate)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The installation became a sensation throughout the Bay Area, attracting locals and visitors to the bridge that has long served as an essential commuter channel but not nearly the most famed way to cross the water.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The original Bay Lights was comprised of 25,000 bulbs fastened to the sturdy cables that extend down from the Bay Bridge’s arches. At night, lights danced through the sky, creating waves rippling between Oakland to San Francisco and beams falling like rain from the tallest points of the bridge to its road.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The optical illusions were the product of a program called \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/90202/watch-video-light-sculpture-to-brighten-the-bay-bridge\">Particle Universe\u003c/a>, which Villareal could use to change how the lights’ mass, velocity and gravity appeared to act from a remote desktop computer, he told KQED before the first official lighting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“He’s spent a significant amount of time on and around the bridge looking at the patterns of nature and sort of the built environment,” Davis said. “[Villareal] has abstracted those and then cultivated them a way for beauty while they’re still randomized.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12017559\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1024px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12017559\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1-1020x679.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/12/3F492A8F-D9A3-4771-A12B-22F1A5E532C3remote19f12fde2c8fe5ebbdac18488a238b51ba86246e-1-original-1-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Crews began installing the 50,000 new bulbs this week. \u003ccite>(Courtesy Ben Davis, Illuminate)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The installation went dark in March 2023 after a decade of wear and tear from fog, wind, salt and exhaust over the bay, creating maintenance challenges with some of the bulbs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Illuminate had launched a fundraising campaign to renew the installation with stronger lights, but it did not reach its goal by the time Bay Lights was shut off — leaving the project’s future in doubt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In May, the company announced that it had privately fundraised all $11 million needed to revitalize Bay Lights, with custom bulbs designed to withstand harsh weather for years to come. In addition to improving bulb quality with custom LEDs, the nonprofit is attempting to double the number of bulbs, wrapping them around both sides of the western span’s cables to create a wider field of view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of the criticisms of Bay Lights was that it points at the penthouses of San Francisco and the North Bay, but it didn’t really shine on Oakland or some of the other communities on the east side of the bay,” Davis said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This was largely for safety, he said — it wasn’t clear whether it would be unsafe or distracting for drivers to see lights on the inside of the cables as they drove across the bridge. But if the expanded version, Bay Lights 360, passes a safety inspection Davis expects will take place in January, the lights on the inside of the cables will be visible from the East Bay and even to commuters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Davis said that in this installation, they are going to “see if we can actually, as a matter of aesthetic equity, address that concern by making it available to everyone really in an excited way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Bay Bridge Reopens After Protesters Calling for Gaza Cease-Fire Shut Down Westbound Lanes",
"headTitle": "Bay Bridge Reopens After Protesters Calling for Gaza Cease-Fire Shut Down Westbound Lanes | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 11:50 a.m. Thursday: \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nAll westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge are now open, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/CHPSanFrancisco/status/1725241638354661858?s=20\">according to the California Highway Patrol\u003c/a>, while the westbound approaches and toll plaza remain temporarily closed while the backup clears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original story:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nDemonstrators calling for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza blocked all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge early Thursday, instantly causing a major commute tie-up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The protesters blocked all traffic on the upper deck of the eastern span of the bridge shortly before 8 a.m., unfurling banners demanding an immediate cease-fire in the conflict that has cost the lives of \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-11-14-2023-6c346be5bc9246902792a228ccf4ecff\">more than 11,000 Palestinians and about 1,200 Israelis\u003c/a>, according to Gazan and Israeli health officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/_chrisalam/status/1725183671706194244?s=20\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The action marks an escalation of the ongoing Bay Area protests against Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Gaza, which followed the Hamas attack in southern Israel early last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press release, protest organizers said more than 200 people participated in Thursday’s action, which included a “die-in,” with demonstrators lying on the bridge deck and covering themselves with white sheets and placards reading “11,000 dead” and “stop the genocide.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967614\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967614\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A person lays on a paved road with a sheet over them.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters taking part in Thursday’s Bay Bridge shutdown staged a ‘die-in’ on the deck of the bridge. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The demonstration was largely directed toward President Joe Biden, who is in San Francisco today for the ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference, already the target of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11967349/thousands-call-for-gaza-ceasefire-as-global-leaders-arrive-for-apec-in-san-francisco\">numerous other protest actions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What would you do if this was your people, your family, your cousins? Every Palestinian I know from Gaza has lost so much family,” Oakland resident Sabrin Amtair, with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center and Palestinian Youth Movement, which helped organize the protest, told KQED while on the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t continue and act like this is not happening when Joe Biden is in town.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967622\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967622\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a wheelchair holds a protest sign with a line of police on the left and behind them.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A demonstrator holds a sign reading ‘ceasefire now!’ while facing a line of CHP officers during a protest that shut down all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge Thursday morning. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just before 9 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers in riot gear arrived at the scene and issued a call for the demonstrators to disperse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officers then formed a line facing the demonstrators, many of whom had their hands raised as they chanted, “Peaceful protest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967616\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967616\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A person raises their arms wearing a reflective vest with a line of police in front of them.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester raises his hands in front of a line of CHP officers during a demonstration demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza which blocked all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge Thursday morning. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Law enforcement officers from both the CHP and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, with buses staged on the other side of the demonstration, then began arresting demonstrators and towing their vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967563\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967563\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Law enforcement officers with California Highway Patrol and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Dept. escort arrested protesters to buses on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge’s eastern span Thursday morning. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At around 10 a.m., Ezery Beauchamp, CHP’s Golden Gate Division chief, said approximately 50 people had been arrested so far and that more arrests were expected. He also indicated it would take some time to remove demonstrators’ vehicles from the bridge because keys to those vehicles had been tossed into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We could still have 5, 10, 15 more cars to tow each time we work our way through the next set of vehicles,” Beauchamp told reporters on the bridge. “We’re finding abandoned cars and more protesters. We estimate another 25 to 50 arrests could be made today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967611\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967611\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A woman speaks into a megaphone with a group of protesters surrounding her.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza speak into a megaphone after blocking all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge Thursday. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Beauchamp \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/CaltransD4/status/1725188131669028912?s=20\">advised commuters to seek alternate routes\u003c/a>, as the demonstration continued, and did not give an estimated reopening time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other side of Treasure Island, the upper deck of the bridge’s west span was eerily empty during the normally crammed peak commute hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967547\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1512px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967547\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1512\" height=\"1402\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound.jpg 1512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound-800x742.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound-1020x946.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound-160x148.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1512px) 100vw, 1512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">All lanes of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge’s western span were empty Thursday morning just after 8 a.m. as demonstrators shut down all traffic east of Treasure Island. \u003ccite>(KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been udpated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Christopher Alam, Beth LaBerge, Dan Brekke and David Marks contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Demonstrators calling for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza blocked all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge early Thursday, instantly causing a major commute tie-up.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Update, 11:50 a.m. Thursday: \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nAll westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge are now open, \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/CHPSanFrancisco/status/1725241638354661858?s=20\">according to the California Highway Patrol\u003c/a>, while the westbound approaches and toll plaza remain temporarily closed while the backup clears.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Original story:\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nDemonstrators calling for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza blocked all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge early Thursday, instantly causing a major commute tie-up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The protesters blocked all traffic on the upper deck of the eastern span of the bridge shortly before 8 a.m., unfurling banners demanding an immediate cease-fire in the conflict that has cost the lives of \u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-11-14-2023-6c346be5bc9246902792a228ccf4ecff\">more than 11,000 Palestinians and about 1,200 Israelis\u003c/a>, according to Gazan and Israeli health officials.\u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The action marks an escalation of the ongoing Bay Area protests against Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Gaza, which followed the Hamas attack in southern Israel early last month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a press release, protest organizers said more than 200 people participated in Thursday’s action, which included a “die-in,” with demonstrators lying on the bridge deck and covering themselves with white sheets and placards reading “11,000 dead” and “stop the genocide.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967614\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967614\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A person lays on a paved road with a sheet over them.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-011-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters taking part in Thursday’s Bay Bridge shutdown staged a ‘die-in’ on the deck of the bridge. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The demonstration was largely directed toward President Joe Biden, who is in San Francisco today for the ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference, already the target of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11967349/thousands-call-for-gaza-ceasefire-as-global-leaders-arrive-for-apec-in-san-francisco\">numerous other protest actions\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What would you do if this was your people, your family, your cousins? Every Palestinian I know from Gaza has lost so much family,” Oakland resident Sabrin Amtair, with the Arab Resource and Organizing Center and Palestinian Youth Movement, which helped organize the protest, told KQED while on the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t continue and act like this is not happening when Joe Biden is in town.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967622\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967622\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A person in a wheelchair holds a protest sign with a line of police on the left and behind them.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-015-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A demonstrator holds a sign reading ‘ceasefire now!’ while facing a line of CHP officers during a protest that shut down all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge Thursday morning. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just before 9 a.m., California Highway Patrol officers in riot gear arrived at the scene and issued a call for the demonstrators to disperse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officers then formed a line facing the demonstrators, many of whom had their hands raised as they chanted, “Peaceful protest.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967616\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967616\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A person raises their arms wearing a reflective vest with a line of police in front of them.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-019-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A protester raises his hands in front of a line of CHP officers during a demonstration demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza which blocked all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge Thursday morning. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Law enforcement officers from both the CHP and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, with buses staged on the other side of the demonstration, then began arresting demonstrators and towing their vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967563\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967563\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/DSC_5559-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Law enforcement officers with California Highway Patrol and the San Francisco Sheriff’s Dept. escort arrested protesters to buses on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge’s eastern span Thursday morning. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At around 10 a.m., Ezery Beauchamp, CHP’s Golden Gate Division chief, said approximately 50 people had been arrested so far and that more arrests were expected. He also indicated it would take some time to remove demonstrators’ vehicles from the bridge because keys to those vehicles had been tossed into the bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We could still have 5, 10, 15 more cars to tow each time we work our way through the next set of vehicles,” Beauchamp told reporters on the bridge. “We’re finding abandoned cars and more protesters. We estimate another 25 to 50 arrests could be made today.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967611\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967611\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL.jpg\" alt=\"A woman speaks into a megaphone with a group of protesters surrounding her.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/231116-BayBridgeShutdown-006-BL-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Protesters demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza speak into a megaphone after blocking all westbound lanes of the Bay Bridge Thursday. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Beauchamp \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/CaltransD4/status/1725188131669028912?s=20\">advised commuters to seek alternate routes\u003c/a>, as the demonstration continued, and did not give an estimated reopening time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the other side of Treasure Island, the upper deck of the bridge’s west span was eerily empty during the normally crammed peak commute hour.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11967547\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1512px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11967547\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1512\" height=\"1402\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound.jpg 1512w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound-800x742.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound-1020x946.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/WestBound-160x148.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1512px) 100vw, 1512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">All lanes of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge’s western span were empty Thursday morning just after 8 a.m. as demonstrators shut down all traffic east of Treasure Island. \u003ccite>(KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story has been udpated.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Christopher Alam, Beth LaBerge, Dan Brekke and David Marks contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Hit with Bridge Toll Debt? We Explain the Change That's Led to Skyrocketing Bills for Drivers",
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"content": "\u003cp>The last few years have been full of disruption for Bay Area residents, but one change in particular has caught many people’s attention. When Bay Area leaders started issuing stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020, Caltrans pulled toll takers from their booths to help stop the spread of the virus. They sped up an existing plan to automate toll taking on the seven state-owned bridges in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For drivers who have set up FasTrak or a license plate account, that change isn’t a big deal. But for the thousands of people who don’t have automated accounts set up, this was a major change. When they cross a bridge, an invoice is now sent to the address attached to their car’s registration.\u003cbr>\n[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As these changes were happening, Bay Curious listeners were writing to us \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11868435/end-of-an-era-no-more-toll-takers-on-bay-area-bridges\">wondering what happened to the toll workers\u003c/a>, what their absence would mean for toll collection and, eventually, alerting us to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11895338/high-pain-low-gain-how-bridge-toll-penalties-pile-debt-on-low-income-drivers\">escalating problem of toll debt stemming from high penalties attached to unpaid tolls\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was something I wasn’t worried about before the pandemic,” said Paul Briley, for whom $588 in missed tolls has mushroomed into more than $6,000 of toll debt. “I pay my dues. I mean, if somebody was there I would have paid. It’s not like I was trying to beat the system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Briley lives in Richmond, but crosses the Bay Bridge often to help his grandmother in San Francisco with errands. His toll notices were going to an old address, so he never saw them. And for each unpaid $6 toll, he was assessed $70 in penalties. That added up quickly. Now, he’s facing a mountain of debt — all, he says, because he was slow to get on board with the new toll system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Briley is not alone. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has heard from dozens of people in similar situations, although the total number of people suffering under massive toll debt is unknown. Over the course of 2021, the depth of the problem has become clearer. The MTC even voted to reduce the penalties associated with unpaid tolls retroactively. But advocates for indebted drivers say the move doesn’t go far enough. They want to see the notification system changed altogether and say transit authorities need to create payment plans for folks to get out of debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Curious team sent KQED’s transportation and infrastructure editor and reporter Dan Brekke some of the emails we received from people struggling to pay their toll debts. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11895338/high-pain-low-gain-how-bridge-toll-penalties-pile-debt-on-low-income-drivers\">He looked into how they got where they are, what could be changed about the system and why essential workers have been hit hardest by this change.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "A change to Bay Area bridge toll collection during the pandemic has thrust some drivers, many of whom have low incomes, into skyrocketing debt from unpaid fees and penalties.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The last few years have been full of disruption for Bay Area residents, but one change in particular has caught many people’s attention. When Bay Area leaders started issuing stay-at-home orders due to the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020, Caltrans pulled toll takers from their booths to help stop the spread of the virus. They sped up an existing plan to automate toll taking on the seven state-owned bridges in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For drivers who have set up FasTrak or a license plate account, that change isn’t a big deal. But for the thousands of people who don’t have automated accounts set up, this was a major change. When they cross a bridge, an invoice is now sent to the address attached to their car’s registration.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As these changes were happening, Bay Curious listeners were writing to us \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11868435/end-of-an-era-no-more-toll-takers-on-bay-area-bridges\">wondering what happened to the toll workers\u003c/a>, what their absence would mean for toll collection and, eventually, alerting us to an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11895338/high-pain-low-gain-how-bridge-toll-penalties-pile-debt-on-low-income-drivers\">escalating problem of toll debt stemming from high penalties attached to unpaid tolls\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was something I wasn’t worried about before the pandemic,” said Paul Briley, for whom $588 in missed tolls has mushroomed into more than $6,000 of toll debt. “I pay my dues. I mean, if somebody was there I would have paid. It’s not like I was trying to beat the system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Briley lives in Richmond, but crosses the Bay Bridge often to help his grandmother in San Francisco with errands. His toll notices were going to an old address, so he never saw them. And for each unpaid $6 toll, he was assessed $70 in penalties. That added up quickly. Now, he’s facing a mountain of debt — all, he says, because he was slow to get on board with the new toll system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Briley is not alone. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has heard from dozens of people in similar situations, although the total number of people suffering under massive toll debt is unknown. Over the course of 2021, the depth of the problem has become clearer. The MTC even voted to reduce the penalties associated with unpaid tolls retroactively. But advocates for indebted drivers say the move doesn’t go far enough. They want to see the notification system changed altogether and say transit authorities need to create payment plans for folks to get out of debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Curious team sent KQED’s transportation and infrastructure editor and reporter Dan Brekke some of the emails we received from people struggling to pay their toll debts. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11895338/high-pain-low-gain-how-bridge-toll-penalties-pile-debt-on-low-income-drivers\">He looked into how they got where they are, what could be changed about the system and why essential workers have been hit hardest by this change.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "'High Pain, Low Gain': How Bridge Toll Penalties Pile Debt on Lower-Income Drivers",
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"headTitle": "‘High Pain, Low Gain’: How Bridge Toll Penalties Pile Debt on Lower-Income Drivers | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains a \u003ca href=\"#correction\">correction\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new report from a Bay Area public policy group is calling for a major overhaul of the region’s system of penalties for late payment of bridge tolls — one that economic justice advocates say has become a debt trap for thousands of Bay Area drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Rio Scharf, attorney with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area\"]‘For people who lack the funds to pay, they are hit with enormous financial penalties that punish them at a rate that is really pretty exceptional, even compared to how we punish people for failure to pay in the traffic court system or the criminal court system.’[/pullquote]\u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/publications/spur-report/2021-11-04/bridging-gap\">The report from SPUR, a San Francisco urban planning research organization\u003c/a>, analyzes a system that mails out millions of violation notices each year, many of which never get to the drivers they’re addressed to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The system has left some motorists facing the possibility that what may start out as a handful of unpaid $6 tolls can metastasize into hundreds or even thousands of dollars in fees and penalties they have little hope of paying — and which can lead to their vehicle registrations getting blocked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re pushing me into bankruptcy, basically,” said Kelly Cadwallader, an Alameda resident facing a bill of over $30,000 — more than 90% of it in penalties. “It’s inevitable at this point, because they’re not letting me make a deal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Lower-income drivers bear heaviest burden\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The SPUR study, “Bridging the Gap,” finds the biggest debt burden tends to fall on lower-income drivers and Bay Area neighborhoods with substantial populations of people of color and non-English-speaking residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jacob Denney, SPUR’s economic justice policy director and one of the report’s authors, said breaking down 2019 toll penalty data by ZIP code shows that “our lowest-income communities and our most diverse communities were the ones who are disproportionately receiving toll violations. We’re talking about per capita rates of more than one toll violation per person living there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11895607\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11895607\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1502\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-800x601.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-1020x766.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-1536x1154.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-1920x1442.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This map shows the rate of violations per capita by Bay Area ZIP code, as compared to poverty rates by ZIP code. The SPUR study found that lower-income communities in the Bay Area have much higher rates of unpaid tolls than wealthier ZIP codes. Source: MTC toll violation data and the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey five-year estimates. \u003ccite>(SPUR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Among the communities cited in the SPUR report and in a parallel Metropolitan Transportation Commission analysis as having high levels of violations are parts of Oakland, Richmond, Vallejo, Pittsburg, Antioch and San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Not much cash recovered\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The SPUR report also finds that the penalties, administered by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/home/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FasTrak\u003c/a> toll collection system, are largely ineffective at getting drivers to pay tolls they’ve missed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MTC statistics show that just 12% of the 5.1 million “second notice” violations issued between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2021 — which carry the maximum penalty of $70, plus the original $6 toll — were actually paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rio Scharf, an attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, who represents Cadwallader and other clients facing similar debt burdens, characterizes the system as “high pain and low gain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It results in very little additional revenue, but it causes a variety of pretty severe consequences for the people that it does impact,” Scharf said. “… For people who lack the funds to pay, they are hit with enormous financial penalties that punish them at a rate that is really pretty exceptional, even compared to how we punish people for failure to pay in the traffic court system or the criminal court system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SPUR report comes as the MTC and the Bay Area Toll Authority, or BATA, an MTC sister agency that manages toll revenue and FasTrak, have taken the first steps to lighten the burden of toll penalties. As part of a new equity action plan adopted earlier this year, BATA recently voted to sharply cut late-payment fines and fees and take other steps, such as reducing the cost of getting and using a FasTrak toll tag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, a BATA committee will discuss further steps, such as how to create payment plans for those with high levels of toll debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under a series of measures approved by Bay Area voters over the last three decades, bridge tolls pay for ongoing maintenance of the region’s \u003ca href=\"https://511.org/driving/bridges\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seven state-owned bridges\u003c/a> and serve as a source of funding for billions of dollars of other highway, transit and transportation needs around the region. Toll penalties have been imposed, in large part, to guarantee revenue needed to repay bonds issued to fund those projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The penalty system\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The penalty system works like this: When drivers cross one of those seven bridges, they’re charged a $6 toll. Drivers can pay with a FasTrak toll tag or a FasTrak license plate account, both of which require registration and a prepaid balance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If drivers don’t have a FasTrak account set up, cameras capture their license plate numbers and send an invoice to each vehicle’s registered address. (When this cashless toll system took effect at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, every crossing generated a separate invoice, resulting in a blizzard of notices sent to non-FasTrak users. Now, the system generates just one invoice per vehicle per month.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers currently have three weeks to pay their toll invoices. But under the system that had been in place before the recent BATA changes, failure to pay on time would result in a $25 penalty for each bridge crossing on the invoice. For example, paying late for 10 bridge trips would result in $250 in late penalties plus the original $60 in tolls owed, for a total of $310.[aside label=\"Related Stories\" postID=\"news_11868435,news_11807874\"]If that bill were to remain unpaid for 60 days after the first notice, drivers would get a “second notice of delinquent toll evasion,” and FasTrak would tack on an extra $45 per crossing — adding up to an additional $450 in penalties for 10 bridge trips, or $760 in all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that point, if the bill still remained unpaid, FasTrak could turn the account over to a collection agency or to the DMV for a registration hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BATA’s new policy cuts the first-notice fee from $25 to $5 per crossing, with second-notice fees dropping from $45 to $10, for a total of $15 in penalties. In the 10-trip example, that would drop the total owed in tolls and penalties to $210 for those who incurred second violation notices — still more than three times the original toll. The new fee schedule is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. FasTrak will issue refunds to those who paid penalties this year at the former higher levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new policy does not cover the Golden Gate Bridge, \u003ca href=\"https://www.goldengate.org/\">which is owned and operated by a separate transportation district\u003c/a> and uses the FasTrak toll collection system with the higher penalties in force. That district says it’s “evaluating options and impacts associated with reducing the penalties for unpaid tolls.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FasTrak monitors license plates, not individual drivers, so it’s hard to say with any certainty how many people may be buried in toll debt. But MTC statistics show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2021, 6,000 vehicles had racked up 75 or more unpaid tolls. The minimum total due for each of those vehicles, including added penalties for failure to pay on time. would be $5,700.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bills that high, or even higher, are not hypothetical. Public commenters at BATA meetings last month testified to bills that have reached into the tens of thousands of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘A Kafkaesque bureaucracy’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Paul Briley, who lives in the East Bay, told the panel that his troubles started when Caltrans pulled toll collectors from the bridge at the start of the pandemic. Since then, he said, FasTrak violation notices were sent to his old address rather than his current post office box listed with the DMV, with $588 in missed tolls mushrooming to a debt of more than $6,500.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a reputation for paying my dues,” Briley said. “If there was still a person in the booth, I would have paid my dues … whereas now I have to come and find you and pay you your money. And if I don’t have your money, you’re telling me you want 10 times the amount.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelly Cadwallader, the Alameda resident, said $2,500 in missed toll payments for her have ballooned to $31,000 in penalties. FasTrak has sent her case to the DMV, she said, which has since blocked her vehicle registration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of this is my fault,” Cadwallader said in an interview last week. She said she racked up the unpaid tolls — which date back to before the pandemic and aren’t eligible for the lower fees BATA just approved — during a period where she had lost steady employment and was working as a gig driver to make ends meet. A single parent, she said the sheer scale of the debt leaves her with few options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What am I going to do?” she asked. “I’m going to be forced into bankruptcy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cadwallader’s inability to register her vehicle makes her situation even more precarious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m driving a car that can be taken away from me at any time, a 2015 Honda Civic that I have two more payments on,” she said. “At any moment, any time now, I could be pulled over and that car can just be taken away from me and it’ll be gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scharf, Cadwallader’s attorney, said the process of trying to work with FasTrak to get penalties reduced or to have clients pay off the original tolls they missed is also flawed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote align=\"right\" size=\"medium\" citation=\"Anne Stuhldreher, director of San Francisco's Financial Justice Project\"]‘I think it’s really important to keep in mind who’s going over the bridge these days. It’s not people like me who can often work from home. It’s essential workers.’[/pullquote]“I have multiple clients where we said, ‘Let me pay you, please let me pay you the tolls. But as long as you’re charging me $70 penalties on each toll, I am not in a position to pay off my complete balance,'” Scharf said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a Kafkaesque bureaucracy — each person you talk to has a different understanding of what the policies are,” he said. “Some people believe that there’s payment plans available. Some people believe that you can get fines and penalties reduced at least once in your lifetime. Other people are very supportive and helpful with trying to reduce people’s outstanding balance. But the penalty structure that exists is ineffective because it prevents many people from making the base payments.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Denney from SPUR, and others who have examined the impact of toll penalties on lower-income drivers, say they welcome BATA’s vote to reduce fines, but argue that reforms need to go much further. Among other problems they say BATA needs to address are making the FasTrak billing and notification system more reliable and creating payment plans for those who need more time to pay their accumulated tolls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think chief on that list for me is establishing a payment plan for people for both unpaid fines and unpaid tolls,” Denney said. “So people can pay over time what they owe in a way that’s realistic for them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says FasTrak can borrow from other agencies to improve its notification system. “We have great evidence from other states and places where they do everything, where you get a text, an app notification, an email and a mailed letter every time you pass a toll bridge,” he said. “I would love to see them building on that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>No relief for lower-income drivers\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Those types of changes are also top priorities for Anne Stuhldreher, who heads San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://sfgov.org/financialjustice/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Financial Justice Project\u003c/a>, a city-funded office aimed at reducing the impact of government-imposed fees and fines on residents with lower incomes and communities of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, there’s no payment plan offered,” Stuhldreher said. “So if someone misses these [violation] notices, what they owe can add up quite quickly and exceed their ability to pay it. … There’s no relief option for people with low incomes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says even the reduced penalties weigh heavily on drivers with lower incomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s really important to keep in mind who’s going over the bridge these days,” Stuhldreher said. “It’s not people like me who can often work from home. It’s essential workers. It’s people who are working at schools or working in hospitals, it’s service workers. That’s really who these penalties are hitting right now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to recommending the use of payment plans for toll debt and improving the system of violation notices, the SPUR report calls on BATA to grant amnesty on all existing toll debts; cut fines to a maximum of $3 per violation; limit the total fine imposed against each driver to a maximum of $100; end the use of DMV holds and collection agencies; and develop a system of discount tolls for drivers with low incomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘An issue of fairness’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>John Goodwin, a spokesperson for BATA and the MTC, said the evolving FasTrak equity plan is trying to address the fact that toll debt “falls disproportionately on people of lesser means.” He said one challenge is doing that while meeting the bridge agency’s obligation to bondholders and not letting those who would have no problem paying but simply refuse to off the hook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an issue of fairness, that we’re all in this together,” Goodwin said. “There are some folks who just don’t want to play by the rules and we need to have mechanisms in place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nick Josefowitz, the MTC’s vice chair and SPUR’s chief policy officer, said there should be “no tolerance” for drivers who are simply taking advantage of the toll payment system to get free rides across the bridges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we can’t create a system which is only designed for them and ends up creating huge, additional, disproportionate burdens to low-income people. … Government agencies shouldn’t be driving people into poverty because of mistakes they’ve made, especially mistakes that are so small, like forgetting to pay a toll or not updating their address at the DMV.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Nov. 17: This story has been edited to correct the revised toll penalty schedule adopted by the Bay Area Toll Authority in October 2021. BATA’s new policy cuts the fee for the first notice of a late toll payment from $25 to $5 per crossing, with second-notice fees dropping from $45 to $10, for a total of $15 in penalties per crossing.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"title": "'High Pain, Low Gain': How Bridge Toll Penalties Pile Debt on Lower-Income Drivers | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This story contains a \u003ca href=\"#correction\">correction\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A new report from a Bay Area public policy group is calling for a major overhaul of the region’s system of penalties for late payment of bridge tolls — one that economic justice advocates say has become a debt trap for thousands of Bay Area drivers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘For people who lack the funds to pay, they are hit with enormous financial penalties that punish them at a rate that is really pretty exceptional, even compared to how we punish people for failure to pay in the traffic court system or the criminal court system.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/publications/spur-report/2021-11-04/bridging-gap\">The report from SPUR, a San Francisco urban planning research organization\u003c/a>, analyzes a system that mails out millions of violation notices each year, many of which never get to the drivers they’re addressed to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The system has left some motorists facing the possibility that what may start out as a handful of unpaid $6 tolls can metastasize into hundreds or even thousands of dollars in fees and penalties they have little hope of paying — and which can lead to their vehicle registrations getting blocked.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re pushing me into bankruptcy, basically,” said Kelly Cadwallader, an Alameda resident facing a bill of over $30,000 — more than 90% of it in penalties. “It’s inevitable at this point, because they’re not letting me make a deal.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Lower-income drivers bear heaviest burden\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The SPUR study, “Bridging the Gap,” finds the biggest debt burden tends to fall on lower-income drivers and Bay Area neighborhoods with substantial populations of people of color and non-English-speaking residents.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jacob Denney, SPUR’s economic justice policy director and one of the report’s authors, said breaking down 2019 toll penalty data by ZIP code shows that “our lowest-income communities and our most diverse communities were the ones who are disproportionately receiving toll violations. We’re talking about per capita rates of more than one toll violation per person living there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11895607\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3.png\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11895607\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1502\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-800x601.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-1020x766.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-1536x1154.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/11/map_fig-3-1920x1442.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This map shows the rate of violations per capita by Bay Area ZIP code, as compared to poverty rates by ZIP code. The SPUR study found that lower-income communities in the Bay Area have much higher rates of unpaid tolls than wealthier ZIP codes. Source: MTC toll violation data and the Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey five-year estimates. \u003ccite>(SPUR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Among the communities cited in the SPUR report and in a parallel Metropolitan Transportation Commission analysis as having high levels of violations are parts of Oakland, Richmond, Vallejo, Pittsburg, Antioch and San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>Not much cash recovered\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The SPUR report also finds that the penalties, administered by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareafastrak.org/en/home/index.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FasTrak\u003c/a> toll collection system, are largely ineffective at getting drivers to pay tolls they’ve missed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>MTC statistics show that just 12% of the 5.1 million “second notice” violations issued between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2021 — which carry the maximum penalty of $70, plus the original $6 toll — were actually paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rio Scharf, an attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, who represents Cadwallader and other clients facing similar debt burdens, characterizes the system as “high pain and low gain.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It results in very little additional revenue, but it causes a variety of pretty severe consequences for the people that it does impact,” Scharf said. “… For people who lack the funds to pay, they are hit with enormous financial penalties that punish them at a rate that is really pretty exceptional, even compared to how we punish people for failure to pay in the traffic court system or the criminal court system.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The SPUR report comes as the MTC and the Bay Area Toll Authority, or BATA, an MTC sister agency that manages toll revenue and FasTrak, have taken the first steps to lighten the burden of toll penalties. As part of a new equity action plan adopted earlier this year, BATA recently voted to sharply cut late-payment fines and fees and take other steps, such as reducing the cost of getting and using a FasTrak toll tag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This week, a BATA committee will discuss further steps, such as how to create payment plans for those with high levels of toll debt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under a series of measures approved by Bay Area voters over the last three decades, bridge tolls pay for ongoing maintenance of the region’s \u003ca href=\"https://511.org/driving/bridges\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">seven state-owned bridges\u003c/a> and serve as a source of funding for billions of dollars of other highway, transit and transportation needs around the region. Toll penalties have been imposed, in large part, to guarantee revenue needed to repay bonds issued to fund those projects.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The penalty system\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The penalty system works like this: When drivers cross one of those seven bridges, they’re charged a $6 toll. Drivers can pay with a FasTrak toll tag or a FasTrak license plate account, both of which require registration and a prepaid balance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If drivers don’t have a FasTrak account set up, cameras capture their license plate numbers and send an invoice to each vehicle’s registered address. (When this cashless toll system took effect at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, every crossing generated a separate invoice, resulting in a blizzard of notices sent to non-FasTrak users. Now, the system generates just one invoice per vehicle per month.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drivers currently have three weeks to pay their toll invoices. But under the system that had been in place before the recent BATA changes, failure to pay on time would result in a $25 penalty for each bridge crossing on the invoice. For example, paying late for 10 bridge trips would result in $250 in late penalties plus the original $60 in tolls owed, for a total of $310.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>If that bill were to remain unpaid for 60 days after the first notice, drivers would get a “second notice of delinquent toll evasion,” and FasTrak would tack on an extra $45 per crossing — adding up to an additional $450 in penalties for 10 bridge trips, or $760 in all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At that point, if the bill still remained unpaid, FasTrak could turn the account over to a collection agency or to the DMV for a registration hold.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BATA’s new policy cuts the first-notice fee from $25 to $5 per crossing, with second-notice fees dropping from $45 to $10, for a total of $15 in penalties. In the 10-trip example, that would drop the total owed in tolls and penalties to $210 for those who incurred second violation notices — still more than three times the original toll. The new fee schedule is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. FasTrak will issue refunds to those who paid penalties this year at the former higher levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new policy does not cover the Golden Gate Bridge, \u003ca href=\"https://www.goldengate.org/\">which is owned and operated by a separate transportation district\u003c/a> and uses the FasTrak toll collection system with the higher penalties in force. That district says it’s “evaluating options and impacts associated with reducing the penalties for unpaid tolls.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>FasTrak monitors license plates, not individual drivers, so it’s hard to say with any certainty how many people may be buried in toll debt. But MTC statistics show that between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2021, 6,000 vehicles had racked up 75 or more unpaid tolls. The minimum total due for each of those vehicles, including added penalties for failure to pay on time. would be $5,700.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bills that high, or even higher, are not hypothetical. Public commenters at BATA meetings last month testified to bills that have reached into the tens of thousands of dollars.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘A Kafkaesque bureaucracy’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Paul Briley, who lives in the East Bay, told the panel that his troubles started when Caltrans pulled toll collectors from the bridge at the start of the pandemic. Since then, he said, FasTrak violation notices were sent to his old address rather than his current post office box listed with the DMV, with $588 in missed tolls mushrooming to a debt of more than $6,500.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I have a reputation for paying my dues,” Briley said. “If there was still a person in the booth, I would have paid my dues … whereas now I have to come and find you and pay you your money. And if I don’t have your money, you’re telling me you want 10 times the amount.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelly Cadwallader, the Alameda resident, said $2,500 in missed toll payments for her have ballooned to $31,000 in penalties. FasTrak has sent her case to the DMV, she said, which has since blocked her vehicle registration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“A lot of this is my fault,” Cadwallader said in an interview last week. She said she racked up the unpaid tolls — which date back to before the pandemic and aren’t eligible for the lower fees BATA just approved — during a period where she had lost steady employment and was working as a gig driver to make ends meet. A single parent, she said the sheer scale of the debt leaves her with few options.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What am I going to do?” she asked. “I’m going to be forced into bankruptcy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cadwallader’s inability to register her vehicle makes her situation even more precarious.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m driving a car that can be taken away from me at any time, a 2015 Honda Civic that I have two more payments on,” she said. “At any moment, any time now, I could be pulled over and that car can just be taken away from me and it’ll be gone.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scharf, Cadwallader’s attorney, said the process of trying to work with FasTrak to get penalties reduced or to have clients pay off the original tolls they missed is also flawed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "‘I think it’s really important to keep in mind who’s going over the bridge these days. It’s not people like me who can often work from home. It’s essential workers.’",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I have multiple clients where we said, ‘Let me pay you, please let me pay you the tolls. But as long as you’re charging me $70 penalties on each toll, I am not in a position to pay off my complete balance,'” Scharf said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a Kafkaesque bureaucracy — each person you talk to has a different understanding of what the policies are,” he said. “Some people believe that there’s payment plans available. Some people believe that you can get fines and penalties reduced at least once in your lifetime. Other people are very supportive and helpful with trying to reduce people’s outstanding balance. But the penalty structure that exists is ineffective because it prevents many people from making the base payments.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Denney from SPUR, and others who have examined the impact of toll penalties on lower-income drivers, say they welcome BATA’s vote to reduce fines, but argue that reforms need to go much further. Among other problems they say BATA needs to address are making the FasTrak billing and notification system more reliable and creating payment plans for those who need more time to pay their accumulated tolls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think chief on that list for me is establishing a payment plan for people for both unpaid fines and unpaid tolls,” Denney said. “So people can pay over time what they owe in a way that’s realistic for them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says FasTrak can borrow from other agencies to improve its notification system. “We have great evidence from other states and places where they do everything, where you get a text, an app notification, an email and a mailed letter every time you pass a toll bridge,” he said. “I would love to see them building on that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>No relief for lower-income drivers\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Those types of changes are also top priorities for Anne Stuhldreher, who heads San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://sfgov.org/financialjustice/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Financial Justice Project\u003c/a>, a city-funded office aimed at reducing the impact of government-imposed fees and fines on residents with lower incomes and communities of color.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Right now, there’s no payment plan offered,” Stuhldreher said. “So if someone misses these [violation] notices, what they owe can add up quite quickly and exceed their ability to pay it. … There’s no relief option for people with low incomes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She says even the reduced penalties weigh heavily on drivers with lower incomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s really important to keep in mind who’s going over the bridge these days,” Stuhldreher said. “It’s not people like me who can often work from home. It’s essential workers. It’s people who are working at schools or working in hospitals, it’s service workers. That’s really who these penalties are hitting right now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In addition to recommending the use of payment plans for toll debt and improving the system of violation notices, the SPUR report calls on BATA to grant amnesty on all existing toll debts; cut fines to a maximum of $3 per violation; limit the total fine imposed against each driver to a maximum of $100; end the use of DMV holds and collection agencies; and develop a system of discount tolls for drivers with low incomes.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>‘An issue of fairness’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>John Goodwin, a spokesperson for BATA and the MTC, said the evolving FasTrak equity plan is trying to address the fact that toll debt “falls disproportionately on people of lesser means.” He said one challenge is doing that while meeting the bridge agency’s obligation to bondholders and not letting those who would have no problem paying but simply refuse to off the hook.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s an issue of fairness, that we’re all in this together,” Goodwin said. “There are some folks who just don’t want to play by the rules and we need to have mechanisms in place.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nick Josefowitz, the MTC’s vice chair and SPUR’s chief policy officer, said there should be “no tolerance” for drivers who are simply taking advantage of the toll payment system to get free rides across the bridges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But we can’t create a system which is only designed for them and ends up creating huge, additional, disproportionate burdens to low-income people. … Government agencies shouldn’t be driving people into poverty because of mistakes they’ve made, especially mistakes that are so small, like forgetting to pay a toll or not updating their address at the DMV.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"correction\">\u003c/a>\u003cem>Nov. 17: This story has been edited to correct the revised toll penalty schedule adopted by the Bay Area Toll Authority in October 2021. BATA’s new policy cuts the fee for the first notice of a late toll payment from $25 to $5 per crossing, with second-notice fees dropping from $45 to $10, for a total of $15 in penalties per crossing.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Every month, about 4 million trips are made across the San Francisco Bay Bridge — making it the busiest bridge in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a beautiful bridge with sweeping views, but driving across it can be harrowing. All those drivers, rushing to their busy lives. It can get a little dicey out there! So you might be relieved to hear this bridge has a secret guardian lurking under the eastern span, keeping us all safe: the Bay Bridge troll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been a few trolls on the bridge over the years, but the legend of the first Bay Bridge troll begins in 1989.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Loma Prieta earthquake — a magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale — collapsed a large section of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge, “and honestly, if the earthquake would have continued for a few more seconds, the entire Eastern span would have collapsed,” said Bart Ney of Caltrans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The repair work was done in about a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The contractors and the state were working together out there around the clock, seven days a week,” said Ney. Crews on the bridge worked to install steel pieces fabricated, in part, at a shop in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers from the Oakland shop contacted a local blacksmith and artist named Bill Roan with an idea — to build a gargoyle to protect the repaired bridge section.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roan did his research and found that gargoyles are not typically bridge guardians, so he proposed something a little more useful.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The troll is born\u003c/h2>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” roared the troll … “Now, I’m coming to gobble you up.” — from “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The connection between trolls and bridges reaches back to the Norwegian fairy tale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” published in the 1840s. The tale finds three billy goats trying to cross a bridge under which lives a scary troll. The three goats outsmart the troll to pass. The story was translated into English in the 1850s, and since then, trolls and bridges became inextricably linked in pop culture. As for what a troll actually looks like or does, that changes from culture to culture, bridge to bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roan decided a troll was what the repaired Bay Bridge needed to ward off evil spirits — seismic or supernatural. The result, said Ney, was, “particularly special. It was crafted out of a piece of metal that was from the [collapsed] bridge. Bill said he was trying to make a particularly fierce troll.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ney said the troll has webbed feet and hands, for swimming. He’s holding “a giant wrench welded into a bolt. And, he has a really long tongue, I mean his tongue is almost as long as half of his body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One night, under the cover of darkness, “[the troll] was placed on the bridge segment, facing the outside so no one else would really see it,” said Ney. After the retrofit was completed, the troll stayed on the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately (the troll) did a good job out there for 24 years because we had no further, bigger earthquakes that impacted the structure,” said Ney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Caltrans began construction on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2002, the troll’s artist, Bill Roan, offered to make a new troll for the new bridge. Ney said they turned him down: “You can’t bring that sort of thing in the front door! This is where we talk about science and technology. That’s magic. The original troll came to Caltrans, we didn’t ask for him, and a new troll would need to be of the same ilk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No formal plans were made for a new troll. In fact, Caltrans’s official policy was “benign noninterference.” But when the new eastern span opened in 2013, a new, slightly taller troll was unveiled one night. Perched high atop a pier, the 2-foot troll is made of solid steel. He’s got a beard and tools in his hands.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Finding the troll\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>https://twitter.com/realchrisjbeale/status/1448421406631292928?t=Ud8Cy-cZn2nY-479Mp0V_g&s=19\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892166\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892166 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"A view of painted white iron beams, with one metal figurine of a troll on a lower level in shadow, and a white-painted one in the light.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When searching for the Bay Bridge troll, you’ll find that there are at least two on the bridge. The lower troll is considered “the” troll. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Head out onto the \u003ca href=\"https://511.org/biking/bay-bridge-trail\">Bay Bridge Trail\u003c/a>, a few miles in, \u003ca href=\"https://maps.app.goo.gl/WSghR5uRTkX3w5rn8\">where the cable connects to the bridge deck\u003c/a>, look down under the roadway, and you’ll spot the modern Bay Bridge troll in the shadows, spinning magic to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892167\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892167 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"An angular dark metal figurine with legs and arms, holding tools, its feet affixed to the cement below it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The troll is always in shadow. Apparently trolls don’t like the sun. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The original troll, from the old bridge, now lives in retirement at the Caltrans office in Oakland, where Ney said the troll never allows himself to be forgotten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll be dead and gone and people will still be talking about the troll,” Ney said. “Every time I get off the elevator and I see him there, I just have to give him a wink. I never miss him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to visit the original troll, visit him at the Caltrans office at 111 Grand Ave. in Oakland, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892168\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892168 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"A smiling man in a black jacket and black pants poses in front of a glass case that hold a metal figurine of a fairly human-looking troll.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talking about the troll can be a bit of an annoyance for Bart Ney, the chief of public affairs at Caltrans District 4. But he admits that he gives the troll a wink every time he gets off the elevator. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Every month, about 4 million trips are made across the San Francisco Bay Bridge — making it the busiest bridge in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a beautiful bridge with sweeping views, but driving across it can be harrowing. All those drivers, rushing to their busy lives. It can get a little dicey out there! So you might be relieved to hear this bridge has a secret guardian lurking under the eastern span, keeping us all safe: the Bay Bridge troll.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There have been a few trolls on the bridge over the years, but the legend of the first Bay Bridge troll begins in 1989.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Loma Prieta earthquake — a magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale — collapsed a large section of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge, “and honestly, if the earthquake would have continued for a few more seconds, the entire Eastern span would have collapsed,” said Bart Ney of Caltrans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The repair work was done in about a month.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The contractors and the state were working together out there around the clock, seven days a week,” said Ney. Crews on the bridge worked to install steel pieces fabricated, in part, at a shop in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers from the Oakland shop contacted a local blacksmith and artist named Bill Roan with an idea — to build a gargoyle to protect the repaired bridge section.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roan did his research and found that gargoyles are not typically bridge guardians, so he proposed something a little more useful.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The troll is born\u003c/h2>\n\u003cblockquote>\u003cp>\u003cem>“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” roared the troll … “Now, I’m coming to gobble you up.” — from “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>The connection between trolls and bridges reaches back to the Norwegian fairy tale “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” published in the 1840s. The tale finds three billy goats trying to cross a bridge under which lives a scary troll. The three goats outsmart the troll to pass. The story was translated into English in the 1850s, and since then, trolls and bridges became inextricably linked in pop culture. As for what a troll actually looks like or does, that changes from culture to culture, bridge to bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Roan decided a troll was what the repaired Bay Bridge needed to ward off evil spirits — seismic or supernatural. The result, said Ney, was, “particularly special. It was crafted out of a piece of metal that was from the [collapsed] bridge. Bill said he was trying to make a particularly fierce troll.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ney said the troll has webbed feet and hands, for swimming. He’s holding “a giant wrench welded into a bolt. And, he has a really long tongue, I mean his tongue is almost as long as half of his body.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One night, under the cover of darkness, “[the troll] was placed on the bridge segment, facing the outside so no one else would really see it,” said Ney. After the retrofit was completed, the troll stayed on the bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Ultimately (the troll) did a good job out there for 24 years because we had no further, bigger earthquakes that impacted the structure,” said Ney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When Caltrans began construction on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in 2002, the troll’s artist, Bill Roan, offered to make a new troll for the new bridge. Ney said they turned him down: “You can’t bring that sort of thing in the front door! This is where we talk about science and technology. That’s magic. The original troll came to Caltrans, we didn’t ask for him, and a new troll would need to be of the same ilk.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No formal plans were made for a new troll. In fact, Caltrans’s official policy was “benign noninterference.” But when the new eastern span opened in 2013, a new, slightly taller troll was unveiled one night. Perched high atop a pier, the 2-foot troll is made of solid steel. He’s got a beard and tools in his hands.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Finding the troll\u003c/h2>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892166\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892166 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"A view of painted white iron beams, with one metal figurine of a troll on a lower level in shadow, and a white-painted one in the light.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121734.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">When searching for the Bay Bridge troll, you’ll find that there are at least two on the bridge. The lower troll is considered “the” troll. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Head out onto the \u003ca href=\"https://511.org/biking/bay-bridge-trail\">Bay Bridge Trail\u003c/a>, a few miles in, \u003ca href=\"https://maps.app.goo.gl/WSghR5uRTkX3w5rn8\">where the cable connects to the bridge deck\u003c/a>, look down under the roadway, and you’ll spot the modern Bay Bridge troll in the shadows, spinning magic to this day.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892167\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892167 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"An angular dark metal figurine with legs and arms, holding tools, its feet affixed to the cement below it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210929_121724.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The troll is always in shadow. Apparently trolls don’t like the sun. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The original troll, from the old bridge, now lives in retirement at the Caltrans office in Oakland, where Ney said the troll never allows himself to be forgotten.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’ll be dead and gone and people will still be talking about the troll,” Ney said. “Every time I get off the elevator and I see him there, I just have to give him a wink. I never miss him.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’d like to visit the original troll, visit him at the Caltrans office at 111 Grand Ave. in Oakland, California.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11892168\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11892168 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-800x600.jpeg\" alt=\"A smiling man in a black jacket and black pants poses in front of a glass case that hold a metal figurine of a fairly human-looking troll.\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-1020x765.jpeg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2021/10/20210930_095400.jpeg 1890w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Talking about the troll can be a bit of an annoyance for Bart Ney, the chief of public affairs at Caltrans District 4. But he admits that he gives the troll a wink every time he gets off the elevator. \u003ccite>(Christopher Beale/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "The Beautiful Bay Bridge Frank Lloyd Wright Never Got to Build",
"headTitle": "The Beautiful Bay Bridge Frank Lloyd Wright Never Got to Build | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was first published on Jan. 25, 2018. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Did you know the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to build a bridge across the San Francisco Bay?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious question-asker Duncan Keefe of San Jose did. He studied architecture in school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It would have been brilliant, and I think it would have been very influential — and possibly changed the course of how other bridges subsequent to it would have been designed,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frank Lloyd Wright loved the San Francisco Bay Area. But you wouldn’t know it, because there just aren’t a lot of his buildings around here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seven or eight, depending on how you count them, including the houses,” says \u003ca href=\"https://art.stanford.edu/people/paul-v-turner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul Turner\u003c/a>, a professor emeritus in architectural history at Stanford. He’s the author of “Frank Lloyd Wright and San Francisco,” a book that’s as much about the projects that \u003ci>didn’t\u003c/i> get built as the ones that did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Frank Lloyd Wright actually designed close to 30 projects for the Bay Area, and they include some of his most unusual and really amazing buildings,” Turner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11642709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11642709 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-800x992.jpg\" alt=\"Master architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, looking over his drawing of the Butterfly Bridge.\" width=\"800\" height=\"992\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-800x992.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-160x198.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-1020x1265.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-1180x1463.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-960x1191.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-240x298.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-375x465.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-520x645.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Master architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, looking over his drawing of the ‘Butterfly Bridge’. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Gordon Peters/San Francisco Chronicle)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Why did Wright’s proposals fail to get the go-ahead? A lot of times he was just dreaming too big (read: expensive) for the client. But that didn’t stop him from dreaming big.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For example, his first skyscraper was designed for Market Street in San Francisco,” Turner says. “If there were some project that he found interesting, he would do the design and just hope that it would get built.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wright never got the commission for a San Francisco skyscraper. Just as he never got a commission to design another Bay Bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was talk of a second span \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/thetake/article/Another-Bay-Bridge-70-years-of-absurd-crazy-and-12420536.php?t=8ed45000dc#photo-14668490\">almost as soon as the Bay Bridge was completed\u003c/a> in the 1930s. That’s right: Traffic was that bad, that early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the late 1940s, Wright was competing for projects all across the country. Jaroslav Joseph Polivka, a San Francisco Bay Area engineer and fan of Wright’s, suggested he throw his hat in the ring for the proposed second Bay Bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11642654\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11642654 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-800x337.jpg\" alt=\"Frank Lloyd Wright's proposed "Butterfly Bridge." It would have stretched between San Francisco and Oakland, somewhere south of the Bay Bridge.\" width=\"800\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-800x337.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-160x67.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-1020x430.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-1920x810.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-1180x498.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-960x405.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-240x101.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-375x158.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-520x219.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Lloyd Wright’s proposed ‘Butterfly Bridge.’ It would have stretched between San Francisco and Oakland, somewhere south of the Bay Bridge. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That was in 1949, and Wright would spend the last decade of his life trying to win over decision-makers in California. Essentially, he fell in love with his own proposal, which he called the “Butterfly Bridge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The structure had the form of a thorax and wings of a butterfly in reinforced concrete. It’s a beautiful sculptural form when you look at the drawings that he did of it,” Turner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Butterfly Bridge would have started on the San Francisco end of the bridge, at the terminus of Army Street, now Cesar Chavez. Long, curved, concrete arms stretch across the water toward Oakland, carrying six lanes of traffic and two pedestrian walkways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The literal centerpiece of the bridge: a hanging garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People driving across the bridge could pull off into this landscape park and enjoy the views from high above over the bay. It’s kind of a crazy idea that traffic going across the bay could stop and there would be enough room for parking and everything, but that was the idea,” Turner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpPZVKMODqs]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea doesn’t sound too crazy to me. After all, the Golden Gate Bridge is a tourist destination as well as a throughput for traffic. The proposal for the Butterfly Bridge was received enthusiastically by the San Francisco press. But the state Assembly committee rejected the plan, influenced by consulting engineers dubious about the details.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The engineers in Sacramento were able to say, ‘Well, it’s just not worked out in enough detail. We don’t think it’s going to work. It’s too radical,’ ” Turner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To be fair to the pencil pushers in the state Capitol, Turner adds we have to imagine how things looked back in the mid-20th century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousbug]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea was so unusual, was so radical, it was unlike any earlier bridge that had been designed,” he says. “And because Wright had not gotten a commission to do it, wasn’t being paid anything, they weren’t able to design the bridge in the kind of detail that would really be required, with all of the structural analysis and everything. That would have to come later.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, they decided it wasn’t necessary, because a few years later people started talking about BART under the bay, and so that became the solution to this traffic problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wright called that idea “suicidal,” which turns out to be an overstatement as the Transbay Tube is still going strong after nearly 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Wright died, and with it, serious thoughts of doing something with his plans. Especially after the new, expanded San Mateo Bridge opened in 1967.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11642655\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11642655\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-800x448.jpg\" alt=\"The Bazett House in Hillsborough, drawing by Wright, 1939. This was one of the few Wright commissions that got built in the San Francisco Bay Area.\" width=\"800\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-800x448.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-1020x571.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-1920x1075.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-1180x661.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-960x538.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-240x134.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-375x210.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-520x291.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Bazett House in Hillsborough, drawing by Wright, 1939. This was one of the few Wright commissions that got built in the San Francisco Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>People still talk of building another bridge to span the bay. Just a few years ago, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/12/18/you-say-you-want-a-new-bridge-or-2nd-bart-tube-heres-how-you-might-pay-for-it/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">called for another bay bridge\u003c/a>, a so-called Southern Crossing south of the Bay Bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every now and then, people talk about an extra possible bridge and there’ll be stories in the newspapers. So it still captivates the imagination of the public because it is so beautiful,” Turner says, sighing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what does Duncan Keefe of San Jose think? Should we resurrect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Butterfly Bridge?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As much as I would have liked to see this bridge have been built, it was for a different time. These days, if we’re going to make any investment, it ought to be in getting trains across the bay, not cars. We have enough cars already, and you know, throwing more cars across the bay is only going to make the traffic situation on the Peninsula and in San Francisco even worse,” Keefe says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>This article was first published on Jan. 25, 2018. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Did you know the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright wanted to build a bridge across the San Francisco Bay?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Curious question-asker Duncan Keefe of San Jose did. He studied architecture in school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It would have been brilliant, and I think it would have been very influential — and possibly changed the course of how other bridges subsequent to it would have been designed,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Frank Lloyd Wright loved the San Francisco Bay Area. But you wouldn’t know it, because there just aren’t a lot of his buildings around here.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Seven or eight, depending on how you count them, including the houses,” says \u003ca href=\"https://art.stanford.edu/people/paul-v-turner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Paul Turner\u003c/a>, a professor emeritus in architectural history at Stanford. He’s the author of “Frank Lloyd Wright and San Francisco,” a book that’s as much about the projects that \u003ci>didn’t\u003c/i> get built as the ones that did.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Frank Lloyd Wright actually designed close to 30 projects for the Bay Area, and they include some of his most unusual and really amazing buildings,” Turner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11642709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11642709 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-800x992.jpg\" alt=\"Master architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, looking over his drawing of the Butterfly Bridge.\" width=\"800\" height=\"992\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-800x992.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-160x198.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-1020x1265.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-1180x1463.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-960x1191.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-240x298.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-375x465.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/RS28908_wright-qut-520x645.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Master architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1956, looking over his drawing of the ‘Butterfly Bridge’. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of Gordon Peters/San Francisco Chronicle)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Why did Wright’s proposals fail to get the go-ahead? A lot of times he was just dreaming too big (read: expensive) for the client. But that didn’t stop him from dreaming big.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For example, his first skyscraper was designed for Market Street in San Francisco,” Turner says. “If there were some project that he found interesting, he would do the design and just hope that it would get built.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wright never got the commission for a San Francisco skyscraper. Just as he never got a commission to design another Bay Bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was talk of a second span \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfgate.com/thetake/article/Another-Bay-Bridge-70-years-of-absurd-crazy-and-12420536.php?t=8ed45000dc#photo-14668490\">almost as soon as the Bay Bridge was completed\u003c/a> in the 1930s. That’s right: Traffic was that bad, that early.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the late 1940s, Wright was competing for projects all across the country. Jaroslav Joseph Polivka, a San Francisco Bay Area engineer and fan of Wright’s, suggested he throw his hat in the ring for the proposed second Bay Bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11642654\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-11642654 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-800x337.jpg\" alt=\"Frank Lloyd Wright's proposed "Butterfly Bridge." It would have stretched between San Francisco and Oakland, somewhere south of the Bay Bridge.\" width=\"800\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-800x337.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-160x67.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-1020x430.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-1920x810.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-1180x498.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-960x405.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-240x101.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-375x158.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Butterfly20Bridge20drawing-520x219.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Frank Lloyd Wright’s proposed ‘Butterfly Bridge.’ It would have stretched between San Francisco and Oakland, somewhere south of the Bay Bridge. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>That was in 1949, and Wright would spend the last decade of his life trying to win over decision-makers in California. Essentially, he fell in love with his own proposal, which he called the “Butterfly Bridge.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The structure had the form of a thorax and wings of a butterfly in reinforced concrete. It’s a beautiful sculptural form when you look at the drawings that he did of it,” Turner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Butterfly Bridge would have started on the San Francisco end of the bridge, at the terminus of Army Street, now Cesar Chavez. Long, curved, concrete arms stretch across the water toward Oakland, carrying six lanes of traffic and two pedestrian walkways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The literal centerpiece of the bridge: a hanging garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People driving across the bridge could pull off into this landscape park and enjoy the views from high above over the bay. It’s kind of a crazy idea that traffic going across the bay could stop and there would be enough room for parking and everything, but that was the idea,” Turner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/ZpPZVKMODqs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/ZpPZVKMODqs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The idea doesn’t sound too crazy to me. After all, the Golden Gate Bridge is a tourist destination as well as a throughput for traffic. The proposal for the Butterfly Bridge was received enthusiastically by the San Francisco press. But the state Assembly committee rejected the plan, influenced by consulting engineers dubious about the details.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The engineers in Sacramento were able to say, ‘Well, it’s just not worked out in enough detail. We don’t think it’s going to work. It’s too radical,’ ” Turner says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To be fair to the pencil pushers in the state Capitol, Turner adds we have to imagine how things looked back in the mid-20th century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Ask Bay Curious.\u003c/a>\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The idea was so unusual, was so radical, it was unlike any earlier bridge that had been designed,” he says. “And because Wright had not gotten a commission to do it, wasn’t being paid anything, they weren’t able to design the bridge in the kind of detail that would really be required, with all of the structural analysis and everything. That would have to come later.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, they decided it wasn’t necessary, because a few years later people started talking about BART under the bay, and so that became the solution to this traffic problem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wright called that idea “suicidal,” which turns out to be an overstatement as the Transbay Tube is still going strong after nearly 50 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the end, Wright died, and with it, serious thoughts of doing something with his plans. Especially after the new, expanded San Mateo Bridge opened in 1967.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11642655\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11642655\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-800x448.jpg\" alt=\"The Bazett House in Hillsborough, drawing by Wright, 1939. This was one of the few Wright commissions that got built in the San Francisco Bay Area.\" width=\"800\" height=\"448\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-800x448.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-160x90.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-1020x571.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-1920x1075.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-1180x661.jpg 1180w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-960x538.jpg 960w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-240x134.jpg 240w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-375x210.jpg 375w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2018/01/Bazett-FLW20drwg2c20red27d-520x291.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Bazett House in Hillsborough, drawing by Wright, 1939. This was one of the few Wright commissions that got built in the San Francisco Bay Area. \u003ccite>(Photo: Courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>People still talk of building another bridge to span the bay. Just a few years ago, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and East Bay Rep. Mark DeSaulnier \u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/12/18/you-say-you-want-a-new-bridge-or-2nd-bart-tube-heres-how-you-might-pay-for-it/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">called for another bay bridge\u003c/a>, a so-called Southern Crossing south of the Bay Bridge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Every now and then, people talk about an extra possible bridge and there’ll be stories in the newspapers. So it still captivates the imagination of the public because it is so beautiful,” Turner says, sighing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what does Duncan Keefe of San Jose think? Should we resurrect Frank Lloyd Wright’s Butterfly Bridge?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As much as I would have liked to see this bridge have been built, it was for a different time. These days, if we’re going to make any investment, it ought to be in getting trains across the bay, not cars. We have enough cars already, and you know, throwing more cars across the bay is only going to make the traffic situation on the Peninsula and in San Francisco even worse,” Keefe says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "End of an Era: No More Toll Takers on Bay Area Bridges",
"headTitle": "End of an Era: No More Toll Takers on Bay Area Bridges | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Bay Curious listener Hoon Kim lives in Alameda and normally commutes by car across the Bay Bridge to his work in San Francisco. He, along with 73% of bridge crossers, uses FasTrak, but he’s familiar with the last-minute lane dance that happens when drivers without the automatic transponder try to get into the correct lane to pay cash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriouspodcastinfo]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kim isn’t crossing the bridge as much these days, but he’s noticed something has changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What happened to all the toll workers?” he wants to know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of lanes with workers diligently collecting bills, now there are signs telling drivers to drive through without stopping and that they will be billed later. That got Kim wondering even more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How are they billing people? How are they getting in contact with who is the owner of the car? Is that actually the right person? And are they actually losing a lot of money?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What happened to the toll workers?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>To answer Kim’s first question, Gov. Gavin Newsom made the decision to pull toll takers out of their booths when the pandemic hit in March 2020. He saw it as an unnecessary risk to their health. That decision sped up a plan that transit authorities have had in place for years to completely eliminate cash tolls and go to an all-electronic tolling system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Balancing the cash payer with the FasTrak is not an easy thing,” said Randy Rentschler, spokesperson for the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA). “It seems simple, but it’s not. And if we have too many cash lanes, it ties up the traffic really badly. If we have too few, and all the cash payers show up like they do on the weekends, and you have FasTrak, you can’t get out of the cash paying mess.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11868514\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11868514\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup.jpg\" alt=\"Commuter traffic backs up at the toll plaza to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Commuter traffic backs up at the toll plaza to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, there will be no more toll takers on the bridge. It’s the end of an era.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another listener, Eli Streicker-Hirt, wants to know, what will happen to those workers?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The toll takers work for Caltrans. A spokesperson there says the 250 employees who had been working at Bay Area bridges have not been laid off. Instead, the agency is working with them and their union to find them other jobs within the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the long run, going to cashless tolls will make everyone’s drive time faster, Rentschler said. He points to the Benicia-Martinez Bridge as an example of what all Bay Area bridges will eventually be like — no slowing down to go through a toll plaza, just continuing past a sensor at normal speed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some folks were able to make the transition to all cashless easier than others,” Rentschler said. “Change is hard. I think the biggest change is for people who don’t use the bridges very often.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How are they billing people?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Cameras take a picture of every car’s license plate as it drives under a sensor at the toll plaza. If the car has a working FasTrak transponder, it will beep and deduct the toll. If for some reason the sensor doesn’t read the transponder — maybe it’s buried deep in the glove compartmnet — then the system will match the license plate to the FasTrak account. If there is no FasTrak associated with the plate, the agency sends a paper bill in the mail to the address listed on the car’s registration. Those bills will come monthly and must be paid, similar to a utility bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rentschler said that because this new system went into effect abruptly, BATA did not charge late fees to people who did not pay their bills in 2020. But as of January 2021, BATA isn’t being so lenient. If toll bills aren’t paid in a timely manner, they’re adding on late fees, like cities do for parking tickets. Rentschler understands that many people do not pay close attention to their mail, but said the law requires it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Are they losing a lot of money?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In 2020, the Toll Authority was losing about $4 million per month, Rentschler said. That’s a lot of money. But, he called it a “no-interest loan to the public,” because he expects the toll authority will get it back when people go to register their cars and discover they owe fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can’t register your vehicle in California until you pay your toll bill,” Rentschler said. “So we’re not losing the money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new system raises questions about fairness. Public advocates have successfully argued that \u003ca href=\"https://www.hcn.org/articles/social-justice-across-california-local-governments-are-abolishing-court-fees\">court and probation fees\u003c/a> act like a regressive tax. They can be a logistical stumbling block that trips a person up, and often compound. If a person doesn’t register their car because they can’t pay their toll bill, for example, they might end up in even more trouble for driving an unregistered car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For those customers that have accumulated fees, we encourage them to contact us so we can work out an agreement,” Rentschler said. “We have worked with many people on the level of the fees and on payment plans. Things happen and we are an understanding organization.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the Toll Authority thought long and hard about those issues, but ultimately decided that the all-electronic transition needed to happen, even if some people never pay. The lien on car registrations is the only way BATA can find people who don’t keep their address updated with the DMV.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re probably going to lose a little bit more,” Rentschler said. “But everything in life is a trade off. You know, us keeping in operation two full toll collection systems, a cash system and a FasTrak system, was not cheap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BATA estimates that 8% of bridge crossers will end up in the violation or DMV registration hold category. One thing people often don’t know, Rentschler said, is that it’s possible to get a prepaid FasTrak transponder that doesn’t require a credit card. They sell them at BATA headquarters in downtown San Francisco and by mail with a check.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Bay Curious listener Hoon Kim lives in Alameda and normally commutes by car across the Bay Bridge to his work in San Francisco. He, along with 73% of bridge crossers, uses FasTrak, but he’s familiar with the last-minute lane dance that happens when drivers without the automatic transponder try to get into the correct lane to pay cash.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003caside class=\"alignleft utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__bayCuriousPodcastShortcode__bayCurious\">\u003cimg src=https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/bayCuriousLogo.png alt=\"Bay Curious Podcast\" loading=\"lazy\" />\n \u003ca href=\"/news/series/baycurious\">Bay Curious\u003c/a> is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area.\n Subscribe on \u003ca href=\"https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts\u003c/a>,\n \u003ca href=\"http://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NPR One\u003c/a> or your favorite podcast platform.\u003c/aside>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kim isn’t crossing the bridge as much these days, but he’s noticed something has changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What happened to all the toll workers?” he wants to know.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of lanes with workers diligently collecting bills, now there are signs telling drivers to drive through without stopping and that they will be billed later. That got Kim wondering even more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“How are they billing people? How are they getting in contact with who is the owner of the car? Is that actually the right person? And are they actually losing a lot of money?”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>What happened to the toll workers?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>To answer Kim’s first question, Gov. Gavin Newsom made the decision to pull toll takers out of their booths when the pandemic hit in March 2020. He saw it as an unnecessary risk to their health. That decision sped up a plan that transit authorities have had in place for years to completely eliminate cash tolls and go to an all-electronic tolling system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Balancing the cash payer with the FasTrak is not an easy thing,” said Randy Rentschler, spokesperson for the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA). “It seems simple, but it’s not. And if we have too many cash lanes, it ties up the traffic really badly. If we have too few, and all the cash payers show up like they do on the weekends, and you have FasTrak, you can’t get out of the cash paying mess.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11868514\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11868514\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup.jpg\" alt=\"Commuter traffic backs up at the toll plaza to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" srcset=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup.jpg 1920w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup-800x533.jpg 800w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup-160x107.jpg 160w, https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2021/04/toll-plaza-backup-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Commuter traffic backs up at the toll plaza to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. \u003ccite>(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, there will be no more toll takers on the bridge. It’s the end of an era.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another listener, Eli Streicker-Hirt, wants to know, what will happen to those workers?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The toll takers work for Caltrans. A spokesperson there says the 250 employees who had been working at Bay Area bridges have not been laid off. Instead, the agency is working with them and their union to find them other jobs within the agency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the long run, going to cashless tolls will make everyone’s drive time faster, Rentschler said. He points to the Benicia-Martinez Bridge as an example of what all Bay Area bridges will eventually be like — no slowing down to go through a toll plaza, just continuing past a sensor at normal speed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Some folks were able to make the transition to all cashless easier than others,” Rentschler said. “Change is hard. I think the biggest change is for people who don’t use the bridges very often.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>How are they billing people?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Cameras take a picture of every car’s license plate as it drives under a sensor at the toll plaza. If the car has a working FasTrak transponder, it will beep and deduct the toll. If for some reason the sensor doesn’t read the transponder — maybe it’s buried deep in the glove compartmnet — then the system will match the license plate to the FasTrak account. If there is no FasTrak associated with the plate, the agency sends a paper bill in the mail to the address listed on the car’s registration. Those bills will come monthly and must be paid, similar to a utility bill.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rentschler said that because this new system went into effect abruptly, BATA did not charge late fees to people who did not pay their bills in 2020. But as of January 2021, BATA isn’t being so lenient. If toll bills aren’t paid in a timely manner, they’re adding on late fees, like cities do for parking tickets. Rentschler understands that many people do not pay close attention to their mail, but said the law requires it.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Are they losing a lot of money?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>In 2020, the Toll Authority was losing about $4 million per month, Rentschler said. That’s a lot of money. But, he called it a “no-interest loan to the public,” because he expects the toll authority will get it back when people go to register their cars and discover they owe fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“You can’t register your vehicle in California until you pay your toll bill,” Rentschler said. “So we’re not losing the money.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new system raises questions about fairness. Public advocates have successfully argued that \u003ca href=\"https://www.hcn.org/articles/social-justice-across-california-local-governments-are-abolishing-court-fees\">court and probation fees\u003c/a> act like a regressive tax. They can be a logistical stumbling block that trips a person up, and often compound. If a person doesn’t register their car because they can’t pay their toll bill, for example, they might end up in even more trouble for driving an unregistered car.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“For those customers that have accumulated fees, we encourage them to contact us so we can work out an agreement,” Rentschler said. “We have worked with many people on the level of the fees and on payment plans. Things happen and we are an understanding organization.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He said the Toll Authority thought long and hard about those issues, but ultimately decided that the all-electronic transition needed to happen, even if some people never pay. The lien on car registrations is the only way BATA can find people who don’t keep their address updated with the DMV.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We’re probably going to lose a little bit more,” Rentschler said. “But everything in life is a trade off. You know, us keeping in operation two full toll collection systems, a cash system and a FasTrak system, was not cheap.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>BATA estimates that 8% of bridge crossers will end up in the violation or DMV registration hold category. One thing people often don’t know, Rentschler said, is that it’s possible to get a prepaid FasTrak transponder that doesn’t require a credit card. They sell them at BATA headquarters in downtown San Francisco and by mail with a check.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>In the latest coronavirus-prompted departure from a longstanding Bay Area routine, Caltrans is pulling toll takers from all seven of the Bay Area's state-owned bridges at midnight Friday. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Bay Area Toll Authority, which operates the bridges in conjunction with Caltrans, said the abrupt but temporary move is being made at the request of Gov. Gavin Newsom \"in order to minimize toll collectors’ and toll-paying customers’ risk of exposure to COVID-19 during the current public health emergency.\"\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The decision will affect about 250 Caltrans employees — toll takers, cash handlers and toll-booth cleaners — at the Antioch, Benicia-Martinez, Carquinez, Richmond-San Rafael, Bay, San Mateo and Dumbarton bridges. Caltrans is expected to assign those workers to other duties. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who use Fastrak electronic toll tags — now the majority of those who cross the state-owned bridges — will see no change in how they proceed through toll plazas or how they're billed. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those who lack Fastrak tags should proceed through toll plazas without stopping, Caltrans says. Automated cameras will capture license-plate images and drivers will be billed through the mail for the cost of the toll only with no other processing fees. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bay Area transportation officials acknowledged that the suddenness of the change may cause confusion — and safety issues — for drivers heading through the toll plazas. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Metropolitan Transportation Commission spokesman Randy Rentschler said it's important for drivers to understand they need to keep moving through the toll plazas without stopping. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\"Those people who are always accustomed to stopping at the toll plaza — for safety reasons they need to know that they just need to go straight through,\" Rentschler said. \"Don't stop.\" \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The changes taking effect at midnight Friday do not affect the Golden Gate Bridge, which is operated by a separate agency and began automatic toll collection in 2013. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"order": 9
},
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
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