• The coyote that made it onto Alcatraz Island earlier this month appears to be thriving there, as rangers reported seeing carcasses from prey that it caught. Authorities were worried about the safety of the visitors the coyote was attracting due to the media attention, but local expert Janet Kessler said the coyote is used to humans, as it was born and raised in SF. [Coyote Yips/Instagram]

• A cute, new mascot called “Maverick,” who’s a descendant of Ma Sheng, the Horse God, has been unveiled for the 2026 Chinese New Year Parade in celebration of the rare Year of the Fire Horse, which only comes around every 60 years. [KGO]

• The ongoing swarm of earthquakes near San Ramon, which have been striking in clusters for over a month, hit the region again Friday with a 3.4M quake, followed by a 2.9. [KPIX]
• The National Football League reportedly told San Jose officials, including Mayor Matt Mahan, that ICE agents will not be targeting Super Bowl events, but leaders are remaining vigilant in case of a surge. [NBC Bay Area]

• San Mateo County authorities are investigating the death of a 31-year-old woman who was found inside a detached garage that was on fire early Friday morning in Fair Oaks and was pronounced dead at the scene. [KRON4]
• Check out this aerial view showing the massive turnout at Friday's walkout and anti-ICE rally at SF's Dolores Park, with more protests to come over the weekend.

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

The decades-long tradition of commuting across the Bay Bridge with random strangers is officially back after pausing during COVID. Camille Bermudez, the organizer behind the revival of Casual Carpool, announced the carpool will launch Tuesday at one Oakland location.

As SFist reported, Bermudez and other volunteers began spreading the word at the end of June about the relaunch with the aim of getting it up and running in time for the estimated 332,000 workers mandated to return to the office this fall. Additionally, as the Oaklandside reports, the Clean Air Vehicle Decal program giving solo electric vehicle drivers access to carpool lanes ends October 1st.

“ So all those single drivers that have the EVs will then be back to those long commuting hours again,” Bermudez told the Oaklandside. “Add toll increases, public transportation increases, and I think it’s set up for a great time for casual carpool to come back now. And people want it.”

As KQED reports, Bermudez initially hoped to launch three pick-up locations on Tuesday, but due to constraints, the group is starting with the most popular one for now — the Lake Park parking lot at 533 Lake Park Avenue under the I-580 overpass in Oakland. Based on a survey they conducted in July, 71 passengers and 24 drivers out of 501 respondents chose the Lake Park location.

“That was a good ratio for us to say this is a viable option and a viable location to start, so that it can sustain itself,” she told the Oaklandside. “Unfortunately, right now we don’t have the bandwidth, the volunteers, or the funds to get the other two locations going.”

The Oaklandside notes that the group has upgraded its carpool protocols, including advising riders and drivers to communicate COVID masking preferences and payment expectations ahead of time. Bermudez also told the outlet she’s looking into funding to hire a security guard to monitor the carpool line.

Bermudez spoke to KQED of her fond memories commuting with her dad to high school in San Francisco via Casual Carpool, which has been a big motivation to bring it back. While previous efforts have failed, Bermudez told KQED the time is now “ripe for a revival.”

Image: Casual Carpool, Rockridge Business District, 2012; Sharon Hahn Darlin/Flickr

Previously: Casual Carpool Appears to Be Returning, Could Put the Pedal to the Metal Again Late This Summer

Breaking news-major Bart delays this morning systemwide. I am live at the millbrae Bart station @kron4news pic.twitter.com/WtLEDG52sL

— Will Tran (@KRON4WTran) May 30, 2017

It's hard enough to force oneself back to work after a long weekend, but multiple BART issues turned today's typical holiday slog into a delayed mess that likely forced some commuters to question why they got out of bed at all.

It all began at around 6:45 a.m., when a Richmond-bound BART train apparently gave up on life at the East Bay mouth of the Transbay Tunnel, "blocking trains from going into or out of San Francisco" Bay City News reports.

The train gave up the ghost at "an interlocking area called the 'Y' just outside of the Transbay Tube near the West Oakland station. The switch would not respond to remote commands so it had to be manually switched," CBS 5 reports.

By 7:30, another train had been called out to push the disabled train back to the 12th Street Station, where its 60 passengers were evacuated to another train, KRON 4 reports. As you might imagine, some riders took to Twitter to express their wrath.

CBS 5 reports that "BART crews were inspecting the area where the train broke down to make sure no equipment was damaged. The stalled train will also be inspected once it is taken to a maintenance yard to try to find out the cause of the problem."

Trains were then able to single-track through the area, the Chron reports, but delays persisted.

"We do have delays right now because trains are moving at a slower speed and we have a backup of train traffic" BART spokesperson Jim Allison told the Chron.

In addition, reports the Chron, service elsewhere was slowed by "switching problems on various trains in the West Oakland area and several medical emergencies on different trains." All in all, a fantastic way to start the week.

That one time #BART was completely insane due to plateform 1 shutting down. pic.twitter.com/jwg6tQLhzk

— Keith Ellwood Baker (@KeithEllwood) January 6, 2017

A disabled train in West Oakland halted BART service for about an hour, the transit agency announced Friday morning at the height of the commute.

"There is a major delay system wide in all directions due to a disabled train at West Oakland. Please seek alternate means of transportation until further notice," read the alert sent by the transit agency at 8:03 a.m. Friday.

According to BART, the train conked out at 7:45 a.m. Friday, when, per the Chron, "BART workers said it was locked up for some unknown reason." (Not "locked up" as with a lock and key, one should assume, but in the colloquial sense meaning "unable to move.")

BART workers initially "thought the train could be returned to the station and taken out of service, but they could not move the train," CBS 5 reports.

KRON 4 reported that 'while trains are going into the East Bay, the system is at a standstill with no trains going from the East Bay to San Francisco."

According to the SF Business Times, BART managed to move the train by 8:40. But through service has resumed, "numerous delays and packed trains have slowed the commute into San Francisco."

The new year is starting off wet, with morning rain expected to increase throughout the day and turn to hard showers this afternoon. Those hoping for things to let up in time for their commute home are out of luck, as KRON 4 reports that the heavy rain and wind will continue through the evening.

The precipitation is not limited to San Francisco, and parts of the Bay Area are actually seeing snow. Santa Clara County's Mount Hamilton had snow accumulate last night, as ABC 7 and NBC Bay Area reported, and Caltrans responded by closing the summit road.

That didn't stop excited locals from heading up there anyway to throw snowballs, and one employee at Lick Observatory shared his take on the unexpected winter wonderland. "Ya, I'm stoked on it," Matt Brooks told ABC 7. "Very excited."

Those in San Francisco don't have snow angels in their immediate future, and instead should bust out the galoshes and umbrellas. According to the Chronicle, one inch of rain is expected to fall starting around 4:00 p.m. today, and further showers will continue throughout the week.

However, those fearing another Rainpocalypse can breathe easy. The storm won't be "world-ending," National Weather Service forecaster Bob Benjamin told the paper. Which, yeah, that's good to know.

Related: Photos: Everyone, Last Night's Rainbows Were Amazing

Jackknifed big rig leaking fuel, blocking 4 lanes I-80 Bay Bridge eastbound. #5 lane open. @CHPSanFrancisco on scene with safety partners. pic.twitter.com/b6OnADzYBg

— Christopher Sherry (@CHPChrisSherry) October 28, 2016

A jack-knifed big rig snarled the Friday morning commute in San Francisco, causing the closure of Interstate 80 near the Bay Bridge and causing officials to ask drivers heading from SF to the East Bay to use alternate bridges.

According to a spokesperson with the California Highway Patrol, the truck crashed into a wall on eastbound 80 on bridge at around 4:59 a.m. Friday. The smashed truck began leaking fuel immediately, sending fire crews to the scene for cleanup and closing all eastbound lanes of the interstate.

The driver received minor injuries in the wreck, a CHP spokesperson said. According to ABC 7, "The driver says a car cut him off, he lost control, hit a wall and then jackknifed." The CHP is still working to confirm that accounts of events, a spokesperson says.

By 5:30, the fuel dump was controlled, after about 50 gallons spilled onto the bridge, ABC 7 reports, and crews worked to make sure the gas did not leak into the Bay. The full closure persisted until around 6:55, when two lanes of 80 were reopened. However, congestion is bad enough that traffic is still being diverted off the freeway at Fourth Street, according to the CHP.

CBS 5 reports that "as of 8:00 a.m., the backup extends to Highway 101 and down the Peninsula to South San Francisco. Northbound Interstate 280 is backed up to near Daly City."

Officials don't have any estimate on when they expect the crash investigation to be complete, or when they expect eastbound 80 to fully reopen.

We get further confirmation today that traffic on Bay Area freeways has jumped a staggering 70 percent since 2010. A report released by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission brings us the unwelcome truth, along with the revelation that traffic now is as bad as it's ever been since 1981 — the year the MTC began keeping track.

This report only reiterates the findings of a national traffic study released in March covering 2015 that put San Francisco third in the country for congestion, behind only LA and DC. And it confirms why morning rush hour heading to the Bay Bridge has only gotten earlier and earlier in the last few years.

The Chronicle picked up the report, and explained that at the heart of the matter is what's called “congested delay” — when drivers are moving at speeds at or below 35 miles per hour.

You see, that happens quite a bit around these parts.

“The congestion data really underscore both the robust job growth we’ve seen in the South Bay and San Francisco, and the persistent imbalance between where those jobs are located and where comparatively affordable housing can be found,” Santa Clara County Supervisor and MTC Chair Dave Cortese said in a press release. “Routes leading into or out of Silicon Valley and San Francisco dominate the Top 10 [worst commutes], and they account for almost half of all congestion in the region.”

According to MTC data, which covers 2015, when it comes to traffic the single worst stretch of freeway is the afternoon drive on the 101/I-80 from San Francisco to Yerba Buena Island (check the map below for the full list of the top ten worst Bay Area commutes).

“We all feel the impacts of traffic congestion in our daily commutes,” San Jose Mayor and MTC Commissioner Sam Liccardo explained in a press release. “But today’s data starkly demonstrates how quickly we need to invest in real solutions that can provide congestion relief — expanding mass transit, improving our roads and highways, and more.”

Related: Early Bird Gets The Smog: Traffic Now Worst On Bay Bridge Between 5 And 6 AM

Hold onto your butts: BART's new "seat hog" rule is here and it's ready to party. Or be enforced. Whatever.

Passed in April, the measure allows BART police to run criminal background checks on riders and issue citations to those taking up more than one seat on the frequently crowded trains. Although the new rules, which KRON 4 reports officially kicked off on September 1, only apply during weekday rush hour times, some worry that an expected increase in confrontations between BART police and passengers may lead to train delays and potential violence.

And one of those concerned happens to be the chief of BART police. “We’re not going to get out there and start arresting people and issuing lots of citations,” Chief Kenton Rainey told the BART board back in March. He was quick to point out, however, the reality of such a measure going into effect — "more train delays, conflicts with the homeless and possible use of force."

The San Francisco Business Times tells us that the ordinance will only be enforced Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Those found taking up more than one seat in violation of the ordinance will be issued warnings, fines, and potential jail time (for repeat offenders). Fines can go as high as $500.

Bag-encumbered riders need not freak yet — officials are going to mostly stick to warnings for the first month of the new measure. And for those concerned that this will just be another way for police to target the homeless, fear not: Rainey assured the Chronicle in June that his department will be an equal opportunity enforcer.

“It’s going to be applied equally to the person who puts a briefcase on a seat on a crowded train during the commute or a person who puts a gym bag on a seat, or the person who puts a suitcase on a seat, or the person who puts his feet on the seat and goes to sleep,” the chief explained. “We’re going to treat everyone the same.”

Here's hoping that everyone, including tourists heading to and from SFO, got the message.

Previously: Manspreaders Beware: BART 'Seat Hog' Ordinance Passes

In a bid to ease congestion during commute hours, BART officials today announced the launching of a new rider program called "BART Perks." The idea, officials explain in a press release, is to reward riders traveling outside of morning rush-hour with points that can be redeemed for cash. So, at a time when BART is struggling to maintain service and is advocating for the passage of a $3 billion bond measure, agency officials are trying something new, and aggressive, to combat increasingly crowded commutes: handing out cash.

Pitched back in March, the six-month "gamify-ing" pilot program seeks to reward riders with points that can later be exchanged for cash or applied to a lottery-like game. The program is opt-in, and awards one point for each mile traveled. Miles traveled during certain "bonus" hours will earn up to six times as many points. Bonus hours start at 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., Monday through Friday.

“Our goal is to see if we can shift riders to less crowded times, which will improve everyone’s experience on BART,” explained BART Board Director Gail Murray. “It can also improve BART’s on-time performance during the rush since trains will have shorter dwell times at each station due to less crowding.”

Officials are committed to doling out up to $50,000 a month in cash — money that will come from BART operating funds, a federal grant, and a half-cent SF sales tax. According to the User Agreement, however, the amount of cash actually available to BART riders is quite small — 1,000 redeemed points is equal to $1, and riders cannot be paid out more than $499.00 during the six-month pilot.

Odds of winning the "spin to win" prize of $100 are one in 943 for "platinum" riders, but smaller prizes have higher odds (something fans of scratches will be familiar with).

Interestingly, you don't actually have to ride BART to get points — BART will grant 250 points (that's 25 "spins") to people who write in and request them (see the user agreement for details).

The program went live today — let the gambling with our transit infrastructure begin.

Previously: BART Seeks To Gamify Commute In Bid To Ease Congestion

Drivers coming into the city from the East Bay have been pushing the peak of rush hour earlier and earlier according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. CBS 5 reports that for years the busiest time to cross the bridge was between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. on weekdays. Well, not anymore.

The most traffic-heavy hour on the Bay Bridge now starts bright and grossly early at 5 a.m. That's right, the number of people commuting into the city super early — perhaps, ironically, in an attempt to beat the morning rush — has grown so high that you're actually worse off trying to drive west before the sun comes up.

MTC spokesperson John Goodwin told the channel that his agency has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of cars driving across the bridge into San Francisco between 5 and 6 a.m. — and that he can't figure out why. “And that is pretty amazing,” he observed.

Other Bay Area bridges are moving in this direction as well, although things don't get quite as bad so early. Highest traffic times at the other bridges are reportedly between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.

This news follows the announcement of $40 million worth of projects designed by the MTC with the goal of reducing Bay Bridge traffic. Those efforts include increased enforcement of HOV lanes, as well as the purchase of double-decker buses. "We have a real proposal to use real money to help people on that very congested corridor," MTC's director of legislation and public affairs Randy Rentschler told The Mercury News last month.

Perhaps he should try spending some of that money to convince commuters to sleep in just a little bit later?

Related: Golden Gate Bridge Lane Changes Start Today, Will Impact Commute

Adding another repair project to the list, BART officials just announced new work in the East Bay that will result in ongoing delays for passengers.

The repairs, which start today and involve replacing power cables that are over 40 years old, will take place Monday through Friday and will cause delays of 20 to 30 minutes between South Hayward and Fremont Stations. The work is expected to be completed by September 9 — ahead of October, which BART officials say is their busiest month.

Bay City News notes that the work requires officials to single-track trains between South Hayward and Fremont, and that that is what's behind the expected delay.

"Passengers heading to Fremont from San Francisco may need to transfer at South Hayward to complete their trip," reads the BART announcement. "Passengers traveling in the Fremont to Richmond direction will have to take a Daly City train from Fremont and transfer at South Hayward or Bay Fair to a Richmond train. Passengers who are traveling between Hayward and Fremont may wish to use the AC Transit 99 service to avoid delays."

This work is separate from another repair project that is shutting down track between Glen Park and Daly City for a number of weekends through mid-October.

Related: Reminder: Weekend BART Closures Start Tomorrow And Will Impact SFO Trips

As we mentioned earlier this month, BART will cease service between Glen Park and Daly City for a host of weekends over the coming months as it works to replace and repair track. The shutdown starts tomorrow, and will seriously disrupt anyone trying to travel south of San Francisco.

The Chronicle reports that this weekend's closure is just the first of seven planned closures that will impact BART service. Riders wanting to get south of Glen Park will need to exit the station and get on a SamTrans shuttle for the 20 minute ride south. BART officials are quick to caution, however, that total travel time delays could far exceed that 20 minute shuttle ride and urge SFO-bound travelers to plan for an extra hour.

The closures are set to last all of Saturday and Sunday — so no getting up early or staying out late to avoid the construction. At present, BART plans to do the work on the following weekends (although they hasten to assure us that the dates could change):

• July 30 & 31
  
• August 13 & 14
  
• August 20 & 21
  
• September 3, 4, & 5 (Labor Day Weekend)
  
• September 17 & 18
  
• October 1 & 2
  
• October 15 & 16
  

Fortunately, if all goes according to plan, the work should be completed before Halloween — allowing hoards of costumed drunks to commute freely between Millbrae and the city.

Oh, and just a heads up, delays won't be limited to those traveling south. "Please be aware that all travelers on our system during these shutdown weekends will experience delays," BART officials explain. "Please plan on adding extra time to your trips. We understand that this will be inconvenient for you and appreciate your patience."

Previously: Brace For BART Snarls: Shutdowns Between Glen Park And Daly City Begin This Month

With traffic in the Bay Area so notoriously bad these days, isn't it about time someone do something about it? That seems to be the thought of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, anyway, as The Mercury News reports that the commission just approved $40 million worth of projects designed to ease the commute over the Bay Bridge.

The various programs approved would tackle several different elements deemed to be contributing to bridge congestion, and are intended to be rolled out quickly.

"We're trying to do some quick and easy things that we know are effective, and we want to make that permanent," MTC's director of legislation and public affairs Randy Rentschler told the paper. "We have a real proposal to use real money to help people on that very congested corridor."

Some of those proposals include increased ferry service, the purchase of double-decker buses, and more HOV-lane enforcement. This project is separate from a BART pilot program to get riders to ride at non-peak times via some sort of points system. The East Bay Times yesterday reported that BART is expecting to roll out its gamified commute program within the next several months.

The Mercury News reports that commuters should start seeing the newly funded changes soon — increased ferry service will start in the fall, carpooling improvement should go into effect within the next year, and the double-decker AC Transit and WestCAT buses should be deployed late 2017. Whether they'll actually make a noticeable dent in Bay Bridge congestion, however, is anyone's guess.

Now if only someone could do something about San Francisco's traffic.

Related: Eighty Percent Of Bay Area Residents Think Traffic Won't Get Better
BART Seeks To Gamify Commute In Bid To Ease Congestion

For the "pics or it didn't happen" crowd. pic.twitter.com/VpbknN5lWi

— SFBART (@SFBART) July 21, 2016

BART officials say the trouble began at 7:40 Wednesday night, when the driver of the truck you see above smashed through a trackside fence near the intersection of 4th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way in West Oakland, reports the Chron. The vehicle came to a stop on the tracks near Fifth and Jefferson streets, CBS 5 reports, right where trains enter the Transbay Tube.

BART immediately suspended service through the Tube and closed the West Oakland Station, urging riders to seek alternative means of transportation.

While AC Transit was employed to move riders between's SF's Transbay Terminal and Oakland's 19th Street Station, riders complained that the buses ran too infrequently and that communication was poor.

"There were still people who could have got on the bus but they didn't allow anymore folks," one BART rider told the East Bay Times. "So now we're on the second bus. It took one person to tell this whole crowd to move them, to say the BART's up and running."

Over an hour after the crash, the truck remained, according to a tweet from BART.

It wasn't until around 9:08 that the transit agency reopened the West Oakland station and travel through the Tube resumed.

The East Bay Times reports that the errant truck driver, 38-year-old man, "was taken to the hospital as a precaution, then released to police around 10 p.m." He was booked into Santa Rita Jail in Dublin after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Prepare yourselves, BART riders who expect to travel south of San Francisco between July and October. If you're headed out on a weekend, you should expect delays, disruptions, and more, as BART will be shutting off service between Glen Park and Daly City for at least seven weekends this summer and fall.

The shutdown, BART says, is so the transit agency can "perform critical track safety repairs between those stations as well as station improvements at Balboa Park Station."

During the closures, crews will be working arounf the clock "to replace worn rail, remove deteriorating rail ties and make other vital repairs in and around the trackway and at Balboa Park Station," and says that when they're done, "trains will be much quieter for neighbors and riders."

BART has "tentatively" chosen the following weekends for the service shutdown:

• July 30 & 31


• August 13 & 14


• August 20 & 21


• September 3, 4 & 5 (Labor Day weekend)


• September 17 & 18


• October 1 & 2


• October 15 & 16

BART's closure schedulers are, they note, working "hard to avoid major events that draw tens of thousands of people, such as the Outside Lands concert series." So that's something!

Another thing that remains up in the air, at present: BART's plan "to accommodate passengers and to mitigate the impact of the work on neighbors." But don't worry, BART says, as they're putting together that strategy, too, and says that they will provide "more details in the coming weeks...As we finalize our plans for alternate transportation, shuttle buses, etc., create maps, and settle on final dates." Or like I said, who knows, really?