After efforts to impose a speed limit for bicycles on the Golden Gate Bridge were stifled by outspoken cyclists last year, the bridge district has struck a friendly compromise: digital speedometer signs. The first sign, which is more or less the same as one you might see on a busy street gently reminding motorists that they are driving way too fast, appeared in December on the west sidewalk and another will pop up soon on the bridge's east sidewalk. more ›

A brick walkway behind the Golden Gate Bridge visitors' center, laid in 1987 to mark the bridge's 50th anniversary and paid for by donors — some of whom had the names of dead loved ones inscribed on them — is getting torn out by the bridge authority before the bridge's 75th anniversary celebrations in May. The reason: The walkway is not ADA compliant (it's a little too steep), and it was installed just three years before the ADA regulations were put in place in 1990. more ›

In honor of the 75th birthday of the Golden Gate Bridge, being celebrated this May, artist and former Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart will turn the iconic bridge into a giant musical instrument — something he's been obsessed with doing since the late '60s. Hart will be recording "the sounds of the bridge moving, as captured with devices posted all over the span, inside its structures and out, as the basis for music." Also, per Leah Garchik, "Drummers will play along in 'musical conversation' with those sounds." more ›

Cyclists forced to share the slow-plodding eastern sidewalk of the Golden Gate Bridge with gaggles of tourists and other slow-moving foot traffic over the past five months, finally got their old speedway back over the weekend. As the Examiner reports, the west side sidewalk reopened Friday after construction crews completed retrofit work that was hogging up the west side bike lane. more ›

Good news for bicyclists navigating the bevy of Golden Gate pedestrians: the Bridge will reopen the west side bicycle throughway sometime in early to mid-September. Closed since May for retrofitting, the east side portion of the bridge has been a cramped assortment of bicycle commuters and pedestrian tourists. The city heeded complaints and painted bicycle lines along the shared sidewalk earlier last month, but the reopening couldn't come a moment too soon. more ›

This just in: All southbound lanes on the Golden Gate Bridge shut down, and only two northbound lanes are open, after a head-on collision. No word yet when the lanes will reopen. Expect a sluggish evening commute, bridge travelers. Update: 511 says, "Motorists are advised to expect delays and to use alternate routes. There is no estimated time of opening." more ›

California Highway Patrol confirmed on Wednesday that there was evidence that 15-year-old missing Danville teen, Allison Bayliss, committed suicide. Allison had been reported missing on Monday when her family found her bike parked near the Golden Gate Bridge. more ›

15-year-old Allison Bayliss of Danville was last seen Monday morning riding to San Ramon Valley High School. Her bike was found near the Golden Gate Bridge. SF Appeal reports: "At about 4:45 a.m. today, Bayliss' family informed authorities that they had found Allison's bike in the Battery East parking lot, just to the east of the bridge on the San Francisco side." A search is now underway for the missing teen. more ›

Two public meetings were held this week to discuss the possibilites of setting a speed limit for bicyclists on the Golden Gate Bridge. SF Appeal reports: "The proposals--which include a 10 mph speed limit for bicycles on the east and west sides of the bridge--generated opposition from many of the 6,000 bicyclists who use the Golden Gate Bridge everyday." more ›

A drunk driver from Colma was arrested last night after allegedly causing a multi-vehicle crash on the Golden Gate Bridge, causing a temporary closure. Syed Ali, 37, of Colma allegedly caused the crash. According to BCN (via SF Appeal) he sparked the massive accident by "rear-ending his 2007 Mercedes SL550 into a 1990 Mercedes 300CE driven by San Francisco resident Mara Lefkowitz, 39, in the southbound lane of U.S. Highway 101 on the bridge at about 8 p.m." Lefkowitz's car then spun out of control and into oncoming traffic. Three people were injured in the incident. more ›

A massive accident shut down the on Golden Gate Bridge this evening. Both north and southbound lanes were closed at around 8:20 p.m. "Four vehicles were involved in the crash that happened in the middle of the bridge at around 8:10 p.m.," reports BCN (via SF Appeal). "It was possibly a head-on collision, but that hasn't been confirmed." Drivers should use the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge as an alternate route. more ›

To the two-wheeled speed demons who spoke out against the proposed 10 mph speed limit on the Golden Gate Bridge: the Bridge has heard you and the Bridge will reconsider its plan. According to the folks at Streetsblog, several prominent cyclist groups spoke out during public comment to explain they felt they were intentionally left out of the cycling safety study, prompting the bridge's Building and Operating Committee to postpone the vote indefinitely while they seek additional community input. Over at the Weekly, SanFrancycle also speaks out while dropping a little knowledge on what the bridge's accident rate and usage numbers really mean (Hint: there aren't really that many accidents.) In the meantime, cyclists will still need to slow down this summer when the western walkway is closed for retrofit work an they're forced to share with foot traffic. more ›

Not the actual Bridge itself, mind you, but the GGB Highway and Transportation District will be considering a 10 mph speed limit for cyclists this coming Thursday. According to Bay City News, if the plan goes through CHP will be enforcing the speed limit which would carry a $100 fine for violators. While this potential throttling of cyclists is intended to cut down on the number of bike-related accidents on the bridge, it comes just before a retrofit project is set to close the bikes-only western sidewalk (where the majority of accidents occur). When the four-month project begins on May 9th the 6,000 bikers and 10,000 walkers who use the bridge on a busy weekend day will be forced to share the eastern sidewalk, meaning it'll probably be best to avoid strolling over the bridge anytime until the end of August. more ›

It's been confirmed that the 16-year-old girl who survived a fall off the Golden Gate Bridge this morning was attempting to commit suicide. California Highway Patrol spokesman Patrick Roth told Contra Costa Times (via Mercury News) that the girl was visiting from Southern California with her family and had handed her sister a diary containing a suicide note at some point beforehand. more ›

Yesterday morning, a Coast Guard crew pulled a teenage girl from the chilly waters beneath the Golden Gate Bridge after she survived the 220-foot fall from the road deck. According to a Coast Guard Dispatcher, the girl stayed afloat for a solid 20 minutes between the initial call and when rescue craft found her around 11:13 a.m. The girl was taken to Marin General Hospital and authorities have yet to confirm whether this was a suicide attempt or a stunt like we saw last month. more ›

It's been confirmed that the Windsor teen who recklessly jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge yesterday and into the threads of countless Internet memes "did it for kicks," according to Frederic Lecouturier, 45, of San Rafael, the surfer who saved his life. more ›

CBS 5 reporter Joe Vazquez sent out the following Twitter message today: "High schooler from Windsor jumps off Golden Gate Bridge and survives. NOT a suicide attempt." more ›

Early this morning at around 2:15 am, just south of the toll plaza on the Golden Gate Bridge, a woman was taken into custody after a car crash. "The driver and the passenger of [a] green 1995 Honda del Sol involved were transported to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash," reports BCN (via KTVU). "The unidentified female driver was taken into custody at the hospital by the CHP." The cause of the crash is "ongoing." more ›

The Golden Gate Bridge has surprisingly strict guidelines about how groups can conduct a protest along its walkways. According to the Chronicle, as it stands small groups of less than 50 must apply for a permit to hold a protest march across the bridge and the usual tools of the trade: signs on sticks, megaphones, etc are banned from the walkway altogether for fear they may ruin drivers' concentration. You can't even protest after 2 p.m. on a weekend afternoon - do you have any idea how hard it is to get 49 supporters of Code Pink to come out on a Saturday morning? more ›

KGO reports that district administrators, who are facing an $89 million deficit, will be proposing to the Golden Gate Bridge board of directors on Thursday a plan in which tolls would only be collected electronically starting in 2012, via FastTrak and through vehicle license plates. more ›

View from Golden Gate Bridge on Thursday morning. Shot by Laura Weislo. more ›

All traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge was blocked this morning after a multi-vehicle crash. The incident was reported a little after 9 a.m. "There are two confirmed injuries and six cars involved," according to Eye On Blogs. Although the bridge has just reopened to traffic, it might be best to find other routes if at all possible. The bridge will be backed up all morning. more ›

No more free rides for carpoolers, kids. Crossing the Bay Bridge and other spans, if you've got three or more passengers, will be going from $0 to $2.50 on July 1, and the Golden Gate Bridge people are considering a similar hike that would charge carpoolers $3, because the Golden Gate just has to be 50 cents more special. more ›

After Saturday's 8.8 earthquake sparked a mild tsunami, surfers took to the Bay to catch some tasty waves under the Golden Gate Bridge. Behold. more ›

A total of 31 people plunged to their death off the Golden Gate Bridge in 2009, a number slighter lower than the grand total for 2008. more ›

Eric Fisher has a great batch of old timey maps and hypothetical San Franciscos. Take, for example, the above GE ad, which shows what BART could've been like if people didn't, well, suck. ("Um, yeah, technically, Brock, the reason why BART was never able to..." Whatever, we're blaming people. Hrumph.) more ›

by Chris Jones more ›

"Fog prelude" by exxonvaldez / Flickr. more ›