I made it!
Getting on the Bridge was easy: just drive down Jamet, cross the street, and go up the ramp (ignoring the “no bicycles or mopeds” sign). The sun even came out, which I took as a good sign.
Then came a bad sign. Literally. There on the side of the road, not visible until on the highway, was a sign that read “RIGHT LANE CLOSED”. For those unfamiliar with the Bridge, the right lane is the one that’s paved all the way across. It’s closer to the edge, of course, but it’s the slow lane, and did I mention that it’s paved all the way across? Closing that means that all traffic is forced to drive on the inside lane. Which is a metal grate. That you can see through.
I’ve ridden the scooter (briefly) on metal grates before, and when I saw this sign it was too late to (safely) stop and turn back, so I kept repeating “I can do this” and… I did it. I knew the drill: eyes forward and keep taking deep breaths. The wheels kept jiggling with the grooves in the grate, but I held tight. I don’t know how fast I was going; I didn’t dare look. I just kept the wheels spinning, and the vehicle upright.
The bridge has hill in the middle for the freighters to go under, which slowed me down even more. Near the top of it, the right lane opened up (there had been no actual work being done on it at any point during my ride) and I immediately took it. The car that had been following at a courteous distance slowly overtook me, as did several more. Of course now that I was on real pavement (and going downhill), I picked up speed.
I laughed maniacally for the last couple hundred meters.
At the toll booth the attendant asked casually as I paid, how many cc’s in my engine. “125,” I casually exaggerated. “Is it licenced?” he probed. “Yes,” I lied, and scooted away.
You rebel!