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Day 1 Of BART Strike A Smooth Drive For One Regular Commuter

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS13) — While California lawmakers are arguing that BART workers shouldn't be allowed to strike, traffic on the first day wasn't so bad for one commuter.

Scott Gilbert's made the same marathon trek on Interstate 80 from San Francisco to Vacaville day in and day out for the last 15 years.

CBS13 hopped a ride with Scott in Richmond just before 4:30 p.m. The ride was off to a rough start when it took 40 minutes to go three blocks from work in the city to the Bay Bridge.

"You watch the green light turn 10, 20 times, and you're still in the same spot," he said.

Like most commuters, Gilbert geared up for a nightmarish Friday commute, figuring the BART strike would cause massive gridlock.

We hit a few slow spots here and there, but for the most part:

"Nothing out of the ordinary," he said. "It's not gridlocked like I thought it was gonna be."

If anything, he says traffic lighter than he's used to. Once we crossed the San Rafael Bridge approaching the toll plaza, it looks more like a weekend than a Friday at 5.

"I've never seen the tolls like this," he said. "It's empty."

From Cordelia to Fairfield can take a half an hour. But not on Friday. It's a smooth ride into Vacaville.

"Maybe everybody just took the day off because of the strike, but it was good for me," he said.

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