i'm a five minute walk from the bus station to go under the tunnel, a ten minute bicycle ride from the old bridge (which i've never been on) and at least a 20 minute ride to the new bridge. i don't know exactly how i'm going to access the bridge with a bicycle yet and that will determine the amount of time it takes to get across. then, when i am across, it's a twenty minute ride back to woodward. so, this might end up being an hour detour into town and i might find myself willing to pay to take the bus over, if i had the option, and then bike back around whenever i'm done - at 2:00 am, 4:00 am, 7:00 am, whenever.
i will not have to wait for the tunnel bus at the diner anymore, which often added an extra $10 to the trip, on it's own, and forced me to plan for overnight parties, even if i wasn't totally into them.
if they turn the old bridge into a pedestrian link, it will cut 10-15 minutes of bicycling, in either direction.
i may eventually just move closer to the new bridge, and i tried to do that last fall, but i wasn't able to find the kind of place i wanted to, and moved downtown instead. i like the new place. there's some issues but i hope they work out. if they don't, i'll have to see if i can maybe even buy a small house near the bridge.
unfortunately, i don't think i currently have the choice to pay $5 to bring my bike across from downtown and then bike around the long way to get home, like i used to. the city took that away. i would hope it's a ballot issue in the next city election.
i can come up with a million better ways to save money than cutting the tunnel bus. the city just wasted millions of dollars on a useless skating rink, and wastes millions of dollars every year on stupid christmas lights. these are things that could and should be cut in order to bring back the tunnel bus, which was a major benefit to living here that is far more valuable than stupid christmas lights.