Vallejo 7:25 a.m. I get in the front seat of a 1997 Mercedes Sedan. A lovely car, and we take off into really amazing layers of fog. Scary driving but beautiful to look at. The rough edges of our No Cal winter landscape are in soft focus – transformed into a breathtaking Japanese watercolor. KCBS Radio keeps us on top of weather and traffic every few minutes, and more news on Haiti’s earthquake is not good.
We commute in and out of the sun, through Berkeley and round the corner onto the Bay Bridge back into dense heavy fog. The bridge has vanished and we slip into a soft grey space of twinkling red brake lights. Crossing the bridge, the familiar point of the TransAmerica Pyramid pops out of the fog into the sunlight, the soft focus of the early morning ends and our long-silent driver suddenly begins to rail against the proposed bridge toll for commuters.
I vigorously join in the discussion and we agree it is an unfair toll, that will essentially penalize a most progressive, ingenious system that has made bay area commuting less torturous, hazardous and less polluting for all concerned. The driver resents the enforced fast trak account he would have to open to participate. Sounds like we’re going to lose a driver come July.
We arrive at the drop off corner and step into a sunny San Francisco morning. This is a great system and I worry about the consequences of the proposed toll for us casual carpool commuters.
The Bridge Toll Authority makes its final decision on January 27. Let’s hope the fog lifts on their cloudy thinking as they try to resolve their budget.
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Getting There 