OK, I have to confess up front that I have a mild case of gephyrophobia -- an irrational fear of driving on long, high bridges. It's not that I'm paralyzed on them, but they make me distinctly uncomfortable. I tend to respond to them by driving at or around -- forgive me -- the speed limit.

This is intensely frustrating to some drivers, including the person in the monstrous Dodge Ram who tailgated me most of the way across the westbound Bay Bridge this afternoon. But with traffic going two ways on the western span, I found the 45 mph posted limit quite enough. OK, maybe I slipped down to 40, but two-way traffic on that narrow ribbon of pavement gives me the willies. Perhaps I've written too many stories about Bay Bridge mayhem.

(Memo to Bay Bridge drivers: Tailgating a gephyrophobic will not make him or her pick up speed. If anything, they'll slow down even more.)

Here's the good news: It's pavement all the way now. The steel plates used during the now-suspended deck replacement on the westbound span have been removed. One less reason for paranoia.