A quick reply from GGB
Last week, I noticed a change in the lane configuration for the evening commute on the Golden Gate Bridge. For some reason, they had switched from a 3 North/3 South configuration to a 4 North/2 South setup, which had the negative effect of backing Southbound traffic through the Waldo tunnel, while the Northbound side on the bridge seemed to be sparse for the most part. Initially I thought it had to do with the recent closure of the Bay Bridge, or even Daylight Savings Time, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't changing back to the way it used to be.
So, in frustration, I shot off an email this past Saturday to the contact address I found on the Golden Gate Bridge website, and just received the following response. Kudos to them for getting back to me so quickly, even though it wasn't really with the response I was hoping for.
Since 2002, in response to increased southbound traffic and decreased northbound traffic during the evening hours, the Golden Gate Bridge roadway has been routinely configured with three (3) lanes north out of the City and three (3) lanes south.
Beginning Monday, November 2, 2009, in response to changing traffic patterns, a new lane configuration was implemented for the weekday evening commute periods: the Golden Gate Bridge roadway proper will now be routinely configured with four (4) northbound lanes out of the City and two (2) southbound lanes into the City starting about 5 pm to 5:30 pm each weekday evening.
Golden Gate Bridge lane configurations are based on real-time traffic demand and to accommodate extenuating circumstances such as accidents or special events, with the underlying goal of providing reasonable mobility for everyone without causing undue hardship to anyone.
Over the past several months, northbound congestion during the evening commute period has increased dramatically to the point that the inconvenience to our northbound customers has become unreasonable. Therefore, a decision was made by Bridge Management to reinstitute four (4) northbound and two (2) southbound lanes during the weekday evening commute period. While this configuration may introduce some delays for southbound traffic, it will provide significant relief to our northbound motorists.
So there you have it. I guess we're stuck with the setup unless a significant number of Southbound commuters start to complain. It's the reverse commute, so it's doubtful it will change anytime soon.