Safety & Terrorism Concerts Cause Officials To Limit Traffic For Runners
Citing safety concerns for runners, the Golden Gate Bridge District Board of Directors voted unanimously on this decision a month before the event, scheduled for Sunday, July 23.
The lanes will be closed from 6-9 a.m. Southbound traffic will be limited to two lanes.
Besides safety for the runners, the move was in response to terrorism in Europe, where terrorists have driven cars onto bridges and into large crowds.
“In the past, the only thing separating runners from northbound traffic were construction cones,” a board of directors staff report states. “The decision to allow events to take place on the Bridge roadway always has been of concern. Each year during the permit process, safety concerns such as impaired and/or distracted drivers are contemplated, discussed and debated.
“Unfortunately, today, those discussions and that debate also must include consideration of the recent tragedies brought on by those intentionally driving vehicles into crowds of pedestrians at notable locations, particularly in areas where there are large concentrations of people.”
The marathon, a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, beings at 5:30 in the morning at Mission Street and the Embarcadero. It goes past Pier 39, Fort Mason, Crissy Field and over the Golden Gate Bridge. There’s a turnaround at Visa Point and then back over the bridge before going to other parts of the city, including through Golden Gate Park.
It finishes about where it begins, at Folsom Street and the Embarcadero.
Some 15,000 runners from around the world take part in the marathon, which also has two half marathons and a 5K. All events are sold out with the exception of the 5K run.
Here is a full map of the course.
Leave a Reply