I now know why( Bay Bridge) riders

[Whammy]

I now know why so many bay bridge riders get hit.

Yesterday driving my cage from the SF airport back over the bridge I saw the most idiotic riding ever.
There was splitting in every lane, driving way too damn fast for all the monkeys that think jumping from lane to lane will get them home faster.

There were lines of bikes riding on both sides of me in long trains.
No wonder someone gets hit often. Its hard enough to keep an eye out on one side but you fools ride all four lanes that way.
IDK what kind of mentality you all have but I'm saying you all take some seriously stupid chances. :wow
I even saw a human oddity.the person was rolling a 600 sportbike.. This cat was so damn tiny it looked like they were in the fetal position on the gas tank.
I was waiting for them to leap off the front like they would if they were sky diving.
I cant imagine what its like for them to even get off the bike.:wtf
Get your shit together people you all have some issues you need to correct to make sure you get home safe.

Not all of you were classified in the monkey category, hats off to those who stay safe.
Man its a wonder you all don't just get hit hourly.
Riding that bridge is like playing a game of pinball.
Whammy is off his soapbox.

 

[boney]

I always thought that was general East Bay behavior.

 

[zixaq]

The normal 1-2 split on the BB can be a bit of a shitshow coming West because of all the buses in the left lane. East usually isn't as bad, but the older half of the bridge is still a dangerous place to ride.

 

[Killroy1999]

The Bay Bridge sounds gnarly.

Does anyone split lanes on the Golden Gate? I don't commute it, but I was in traffic and thought about it, but it seemed too narrow and traffic was moving fast enough.

 

[enki]

Anyone who drives the BB for any time at all will hate motorcyclists.

 

[cadmiumred]

Usually most of us are either between the #1 and #2 lane or the #4 and #5 lane. I ride the bridge every day. What you saw was not the usual.

 

[zixaq]

The Bay Bridge sounds gnarly.

Does anyone split lanes on the Golden Gate?

Depends on traffic. Sometimes there are just too many people gawking out their windows to sneak by safely (tourist traffic on holidays/weekends). During weekday commute times I can usually split through some of the traffic.

The most dangerous place I split I think is probably Oak and Fell. 19th street or the GG bridge are narrower, but they don't have as much erratic driving. Oak/Fell always have a tow truck pulling out, Ubertard blocking a lane, bicyclist swerving or running a red, or the ever popular last minute cut into the turn lanes to get onto Octavia.

 

[Whammy]

not the usual?

Usually most of us are either between the #1 and #2 lane or the #4 and #5 lane. I ride the bridge every day. What you saw was not the usual.

It was monkeys galore! :ape
Also reminded me of watching rats trying to get off a sinking boat.

 

[Climber]

I commuted through San Francisco on a motorcycle (Albany-Brisbane) for a year, rain or shine, there was always at least 1 or 2 riders each day who were riding in a manner that would put them at much greater risk than I was willing to do.
On the other side, I encountered at least one person, more often than not in a raised pickup truck, every two weeks, who would intentionally try to take me out. I learned to spot their beady little eyes watching me in their side mirror as I approached and would shift over a lane to avoid getting beside them.

 

[KazMan]

Well there are many of us who try to counteract those acts of others you have describe on a daily basis

 

[RDT]

I even saw a human oddity.the person was rolling a 600 sportbike.. This cat was so damn tiny it looked like they were in the fetal position on the gas tank.
I was waiting for them to leap off the front like they would if they were sky diving.
I cant imagine what its like for them to even get off the bike.:wtf

Not me. However I am short a** and know how that cookie crumbles. Being short sucks, but at least I never bump my head

The Bay Bridge sounds gnarly. Does anyone split lanes on the Golden Gate? I don't commute it, but I was in traffic and thought about it, but it seemed too narrow and traffic was moving fast enough.

I split the GG when necessary. It can get pretty tight and the wandering eyes of drivers makes it a bit risky.

 

[GAJ]

The Bay Bridge sounds gnarly.

Does anyone split lanes on the Golden Gate? I don't commute it, but I was in traffic and thought about it, but it seemed too narrow and traffic was moving fast enough.

Too narrow for me, that's for sure.

 

[sanjuro]

The Bay Bridge sounds gnarly.

Does anyone split lanes on the Golden Gate? I don't commute it, but I was in traffic and thought about it, but it seemed too narrow and traffic was moving fast enough.

I will but I have to stop when traffic is too tight, but this is when traffic is going 5mph.

When it is going 25mph+, I don't have a problem splitting, but I am in cruise mode where if I am going the speed of traffic, I'm ok.

 

[ThisGuy]

I take the BB every day around 8:30. Usually I'm lined up with 2-5 other riders. We tend to start to match speed a little bit bit after the tolls when the merges come together. I've noticed that a lot of people like to split 4 and 5 since traffic is a little lighter on that side, but I usually keep to 1 and 2 until there's someone crawling up the split who won't get out of the way and then I just move all the way over to 4 and 5 to get off at fremont/folsom. Regardless, I usually move into 4 and 5 after treasure island anyway since traffic gets backed up in 1 and 2 until the left lane exits. There's always a few riders tempting fate, but for the most part it's a fairly typical commute. I'm never the fastest and I'm rarely the slowest and I like it that way.

On a side note, I've always found the trucks and buses on my commute over the bridge to be the ones really paying attention. Way more likely to squeeze over and give us room where available. Professional drivers ftw.

 

[TerryM]

...Does anyone split lanes on the Golden Gate? ...

Never. The gain from splitting barely two miles of slow traffic in narrow lanes isn't worth the risk.

 

[tuxumino]

I've commuted the bay bridge for nearly 13 years and I found my riding style changes day to day: mostly if I can get 2-4 seconds fore and aft I'll stay there and not split. Once I start splitting I'll stay in the 4-5 split till the tunnel then change to the 1-2 split.
Some days the traffic seems to like cautious splitting and some days it seems to like more aggressive riding.
I try to keep my delta reasonable 5-10 MPH more than traffic.
the trick is to look far enough ahead so that changes in the traffic pattern don't surprise you.

 

[Sharky]

I have been splitting on the BB nearly continuously since the mid 1990's. People are no dumber there than on the rest of the roads around here. The old section seems a little narrower after they changed the lane lines a few years ago. The new section is great, but for the bright white paint that blinds me after coming out of the tunnel on a sunny afternoon.

 

[twiggidy]

If you see a big dude just sitting in traffic on a bike that's probably me. I just don't have the stones or trust in other cars (and who am i kidding, probably don't have the skill) to consistently split lanes. I just make sure I leave early enough so I'm not in a hurry.

 

[MSFIT]

You'll see this shit all over the place. I see it on 85, 87, almaden expy.

People are selfish and dumb.

 

[SFSV650]

Ok so here's the crazy thing - I've been riding the bay bridge semi regularly for about a month now and, to my total amazement, I think it's much more mellow than my previous commute through North Beach, Russian Hill, Tenderloin and SoMa. Drivers are more attentive, there's less lane hopping, speeds are similar, there are fewer people looking for a fight.