SF rail strike causes traffic nightmare

Commuter traffic moves across the western span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge yesterday. Hundreds of thousands of San Francisco Bay Area commuters are scrambling to find ways to work after two of San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART)largest unions went on strike at midnight after contract negotiations with management fell apart on Sunday.

Reuters/San FranciscoWorkers at the San Francisco Bay Area’s commuter rail system went on strike yesterday, creating gridlock on highways leading into the city and headaches for thousands of people trying to get to work.Commuters stood in long lines waiting for specially scheduled buses outside locked train stations in the East Bay, while others cued up at “casual carpool” spots, where drivers and passengers regularly link up to ride into San Francisco.The Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART) serves about 400,000 riders daily, many of whom rely on it to travel from Oakland, Berkeley and other communities on the east side of San Francisco Bay into the city of San Francisco.“It’s horrible. I feel for both sides,” said Petra Brady, who was picking up strangers in her car so that she could drive in the commuter lane leading up to the Bay Bridge, which connects Oakland, Berkeley and other nearby cities to San Francisco “Gosh I wish they’d done this on a Friday instead.”Highway approaches leading to the bridge were at a standstill and traffic reporters on local radio and television stations said it was the worst congestion they’d ever seen.Unionised workers at AC Transit, which operates buses in the East Bay, also saw their contract expire on Sunday but they agreed not to immediately go on strike while negotiations continue.The strike by 2,400 BART workers came after acrimonious negotiations centered on wage and benefit issues broke down late Sunday, just hours before current labor agreements expired. Both sides blamed the other for abandoning the talks. Local officials added extra ferry service and a small number of special buses, but those measures will serve only a fraction of regular BART riders.