It's very difficult for me to reconcile the constant traffic violence inflicted in our communities by dangerous drivers, then sit through legislative hearings full of hand-wringing on road user safety but focused on bikes. It would be less disingenuous if we were doing more about the actual killers.
This week another pedestrian was killed by a hit-run driver in a crosswalk on E 12th St in Oakland. Meanwhile the legislature continues to obsess over e-bike legislation as their primary transportation priority this session, with 8 bills in the pipeline.
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Last week a pedestrian was killed by a driver on Oak Rd in Walnut Creek near Pleasant Hill BART, in @bauerkahan.bsky.social's district, the latest in a long run of car-related fatalities. I have heard nothing about this from the Assemblymember or other electeds.
news24-680.com/2026/04/16/f...
Join @bikeeastbay.bsky.social, @railstotrails.org, and Sports Basement at their group ride for Celebrate Trails Day! 🚲 🥾
Saturday, April 25 | 10:30 am - 2 pm
Start: West Oakland BART
End: Sports Basement
Register: bikeeastbay.org/event/bike-e...
AFAIK nobody is monitoring that Berkeley bike racks request email. The city used to collect requests then follow up on them with a once-per-year new bike racks installations project. However I don't think that has happened for a long time.
A graphic that looks like a yellow caution sign reads that Pinole’s proposed active transportation plan is flawed, and we’re asking city Council not to approve it
ACTION ALERT for folks who live, work and play in Pinole! 🚲
City Council may adopt an Active Transportation Plan (ATP) at tomorrow night’s meeting— but there are major design flaws, and it’s a step backward from the draft they last shared in 2024.
If I hear any more about it I’ll let you know.
The bus is a great option, but for future trips to the Fox there are also Bay Wheels bike share stations nearby, as well as secure BikeLink lockers available at 5¢/hour a block away at 20th/Broadway.
"Oakland: Mandela Station (W Oakland BART) Transit Oriented Development - $29.7M SUDA developer: 1451 7th St 237 affordable units Road diet and bike lanes on 18th St Bike ed classes funded!!! ($60k) 400-space bike room at W Oak BART New sidewalks, train track removals New BART cars"
I don't know what the implementation & staging plan is, but the new secure bike parking room at W Oakland BART is funded by the same AHSC award that's paying for the affordable development construction.
My latest ask of them is for the flashing red HAWK/PHB phase for drivers to not come on until the full bike/walk signal phase is complete. No confirmation on that yet though.
I have confirmed with Alameda CTC staff working on the San Pablo Ave projects that the “bike detection” confirmation lights will be used for all the bike boulevard crossings of San Pablo, and added to the existing HAWK/PHB at Virginia, along with a median refuge & car diverter.
That corner will be getting some upgrades with the Broadway bus lanes extension project starting soon. The housing will be a great spot for folks who want to get around by foot & transit.
Thank you!
Empty Bus Stop at Pt. Richmond
Screenshot showing no GPS location for the shuttle.
Screenshot of map with no shuttle location.
1st time using bike shuttle across the RSR Bridge & it's not my lucky day. The live tracking of the shuttle is not working. Another cyclist was waiting & she called the contractor who said there's a problem with the trailer. So she took the last the last bike slot on the 580 bus, so I'm waiting.
Both is preferable. Hopefully the committee members will read all written comments sent in, and this allows for more thorough communications. But with 4 days to go before the hearing it's less likely that all correspondence will be thoroughly reviewed.
Thanks, I as well appreciate your attention on these real issues & am confident we can find a constructive path forward.
There are better strategies available, & we need to start w ensuring that the bike/walk plans are good to begin with.
bsky.app/profile/prin...
The bill as currently written could result in even worse project outcomes & w even less opportunity for advocates to save them.
bsky.app/profile/prin...
The Assemblymember identifies a real problem, but not the right solution.
bsky.app/profile/prin...
We need to win over & bring more people along w us via the process, so each new project becomes easier not harder. The number one thing we need more of to expedite outcomes is *funding* and we can’t accomplish this w/o expanding public support.
But also, I WANT to know what problems people have with a project, even if they’re not my problems. And I seek solutions for those problems via my advocacy, even if it’s not exactly what the person is asking for. I’ve learned a lot & become a better advocate by hearing & respecting opposition.
The most likely outcome of the bill will be fewer commitments in bike plans, more “study” recommendations which may never actually happen, & possibly some cities just not updating their bike plans at all. Lafayette’s bike plan is from 2006. Protected bikeways in CA weren’t allowed until 2016.
The problem with Hopkins (and many other projects) wasn’t the level of public input, it was that the controversy overruled multiple adopted plans & policies. The legislation we need is something that gives more teeth to the adopted plans & policies. Reducing public engagement doesn’t accomplish this
This won’t reduce the need/value of public input, but it would shift that input from focusing on *whether* a project will happen to *how* it will happen, meaning a focus on design details which is much more constructive.
I would like to see an update to AB 1976 that focuses on incentivizing jurisdictions to implement the recommendations from their adopted bike/walk plans, while also making sure those plans are up to date w certain requirements for low-stress network recommendations.
The recommendation from a bike/walk plan is just the *starting point* of the public process. Input on detailed design decisions is actually critical to a project’s success, so limiting it so proscriptively misunderstands the value & would be very detrimental.
Bike/walk projects in contrast are nearly all publicly funded. Delays can mean cost escalations, but rarely kill a project. These public processes are not just to decide whether a project happens or not, but to determine 1000s of design details which inform a project & make it better.
This part makes the mistake of conflating the housing development process w bike/walk infrastructure development, which is not the same. Housing delays are used as a tool to kill privately funded projects, drawing it out until they no longer pencil.
bsky.app/profile/buff...
The bill language is indeed problematic, but it’s not about the Colby diverters which aren’t a part of any approved Oakland plan nor Oakland’s minimum neighborhood bikeways design guidelines (which I helped work on). Folks need to pay more attention to the bigger picture impact instead.
I’ve heard from disability advocates who want to see improvements to design details for bus boarding islands, which I support. But in general the installations have been a net benefit for accessibility to/from buses.
I haven’t heard any pushback from pedestrian advocates.