Tell Congress to support safe streets for bicyclists today!

Submitted by Dave Campbell on March 11, 2010 - 5:49pm
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  Blumenaur's favorite fashion accessoryTell Congress to support safe streets for bicyclists today!

  
Rep. Earl Blumenauer just introduced the Active Community Transportation Act (ACT), H.R.4722. This groundbreaking bill would create a $2 billion grant program to fund safe networks for biking and walking. And if we build it, they will come! Half of all trips taken in the United States could be accomplished with just a 20-minute bike ride, and a quarter are within a 20-minute walk. We need to make it safer and easier to make those trips on bike or foot.

Right now, over 700 bicycle advocates, including EBBC's Executive Director, Robert Raburn and a number of other East Bay bicyclists, are in Washington DC for the National Bike Summit. Today, they are descending on Capitol Hill to drum up strong support for ACT. But all of us can participate in today's lobby day to urge Congress to make America's roadways safer, create jobs, reduce traffic congestion, cut emissions, and promote healthy living.  ACT even pays for itself - as we make biking and walking safer and more accessible, we save billions of dollars on reduced healthcare, gasoline, and environmental costs.

“Too often we take for granted the value of being able to bike and walk to work,” said Blumenauer. “It’s unfortunate that many communities don’t have the infrastructure in place to make active and healthy forms of transportation more accessible. The ACT transportation grants will make it easier for people to get out of their vehicles and onto sidewalks or bikes, boosting both heart rates and community vitality.” 

New Proposed Vehicle Registration Fee Public Workshop: San Leandro

Submitted by Dave Campbell on March 11, 2010 - 5:32pm
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Date: 
March 18, 2010 - 6:30pm - 8:30pm

vehicle registration fee graphic
Bay Fair Center Mall, San Leandro
15555 East 14th Street, San Leandro

This is an introduction to the Vehicle Registration Fee and upcoming public workshops.

The Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA) is considering placing a transportation measure on the November 2, 2010 ballot to provide a Vehicle Registration Fee of $10 that would be used for local transportation and transit improvements throughout Alameda County. The opportunity for a Countywide transportation agency to place this fee before the voters was authorized last year by the passage of Senate Bill 83, authored by Senator Loni Hancock (Oakland).

The Vehicle Registration Fee could help counties provide additional local funding for their transportation needs, including improvements to local streets and roads that make our roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians. Alameda County has very significant unfunded transportation needs, and this fee would provide funding to meet some of those needs. The Vehicle Registration Fee would be a key part of an overall strategy to develop a balanced, well thought-out program that improves transportation and transit for our residents and has the potential to generate up to $11 million per year.

Bikes taking over West Oakland

Submitted by Dave Campbell on March 3, 2010 - 3:49pm
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Bikes4Life is bringing bike culture to West Oakland. They help create jobs in the West Oakland neighborhood and they are accepting bike donations, which allows you to support the program and also benefit with a tax credit. They accept most bike donations and you can upgrade to a new bike and get full value for your old bike. "Can't beat that," says Tony Coleman, founder of B4L All funds go back to the neighborhood by helping us train and employ West Oakland youth and residents.

Check out Tony Coleman's cool new video "Greener West Oakland"

B4L began in 2009 as a project of One Fam, which is a community-based organization that was founded in 2000 in direct response to the criminalization of young people and the lack of positive resources.

B4L is One Fam’s primary business model, and it is a promising social enterprise serving the growing demand for affordable bicycles.

B4L caters to the growing market of West Oakland riders. Proceeds fund One Fam's community activities and staffing.

Community programming focused on empowerment, leadership development, and community organizing . Our bicycle adventures attract a large diverse group of enthusiastic youth and seasoned riders of all ages and backgrounds.

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, March 21 BFBC Spring Bike Social

Submitted by spandexcellence on February 26, 2010 - 9:40am
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SAVE THE DATE!
Spring Bicycle Social
Sunday, March 21, 2010
4 - 8 PM
BFBC office at 1336 Channing St., Berkeley, CA

The first weekend of spring...if you've been off your bike all winter, our Spring Bicycle Social will be the perfect time to get back out there. An evening of food and fun to celebrate the beginning of spring! The Social will take place at our office at the BCAT (Berkeley Center for Appropriate Transportation) - thanks to our volunteers Kurt and Carolyn who recently helped get this space painted and refurbished.

Berkeley Pedestrian Master Plan Nears Completion

Submitted by Eric McCaughrin on February 5, 2010 - 9:57pm
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City of Berkeley is finalizing environmental clearance of its comprehensive Pedestrian Master Plan. The Transportation Commission is recommending that a dedicated pedestrian fund (similar to the dedicated bike fund) be used to speed implementation. Many of the proposed projects would benefit cyclists too -- through traffic calming and intersection improvements. The City will accept comments on the CEQA Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) document until 5 p.m. on February 11, 2010. After that, it will go to Council.

The Plan has some interesting map data, including survey of pedestrian counts, and SWITRS accident data:

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Pedestrian volumes
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Collisions per junction
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Collisions per junction, normalized by ped volume
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Collisions per junction, normalized by vehicle volume

Bicycle-Friendly Business Awards 2010

Submitted by Dave Campbell on January 29, 2010 - 4:26pm
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Nominations open for Bicycle-Friendly Business Awards through March 26, 2010

Actual Cafe in Oakland: indoor bike parking for customers
with a separate entrance for cyclists

Know a company that super-promotes bicycling? Want to recognize them?


Each winning company will be featured in a press release, receive an award certificate from the East Bay Bicycle Coalition recognizing their company as an official “bicycle-friendly business,” a membership in the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, and an EBBC bike commute starter kit that includes bike maps, bike lights, stickers, bicycle lapel pins, EBBC newsletter and more.

As the rains dry up, it's time to do some Hazard Reporting

Submitted by Carrie Harvilla on January 29, 2010 - 1:53pm
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Photo Credit Nate Seltenrich
The rains have dried up for the moment, and it is great to take a dry ride around town. It's also the perfect time to report road hazards you see out on your ride. Why? A break in the rain means that maintenance crews will be out in full force, catching up on their repair schedule and fixing up damage due to the recent heavy weather. But, they can only fix the potholes they know about - that's where our Hazard Reporting System comes in.

The next time you see a dangerous road condition, like a pothole or debris on the road, you can use our easy online Hazard Reporting System. Simply let us know the problem, and EBBC will alert the proper authority to the hazard. It's an excellent system: EBBC helps you take the guesswork out of trying to figure out who to contact, and ...

Moving forward to Bridge the Gap!

Submitted by Carrie Harvilla on January 28, 2010 - 4:11pm
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IMG_3705

Update: February 10, 2010
Join or renew today and get a special book
 
Our campaign for a Bicycle-Pedestrian-Maintenance Pathway across the Bay Bridge continues, and your membership keeps us going. We had an amazing turn out at the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) meeting on January 27. At the meeting, EBBC and our Coalition partners united for a strong showing.  Our efforts were supported by a standing-room-only crowd packed with our members and other bicycle advocates (see photos here). The nearly 800 letters sent to BATA commissioners in the weeks leading up to the meeting bolstered our message: Bridge the Gap! Thanks to all of you who sent letters and turned out for the meeting.
 
The outcomes represented the latest milestone in EBBC's 12 year campaign to provide non-motorized access to the Bay Bridge via a Bicycle-Pedestrian-Maintenance Pathway.
There's still lots of work to be done, and EBBC will persevere until the pathway is complete. In the coming weeks and months we will be working locally with BATA on project oversight; in Sacramento on necessary state legislation; and at the federal level to build support and funding opportunities to further our campaign so that West Span Pathway is funded and built quickly.
 
In celebration of our successes, we've got a special offer for you. The Bike the Bridge cartoon was generously contributed by world renowned artist Ken Avidor, creator of a flattened rodent called Roadkill Bill. The first 10 people who join or renew their membership at the $50 level will receive a free book of Avidor's Roadkill Bill Comics. And, if you're still looking for something for your sweetheart, don't forget, EBBC membership makes a great Valentine's gift.
 
 

Parents & Teachers - Kids can participate in the call for the Bay Bridge Path

Submitted by Robert Raburn on January 19, 2010 - 4:14pm
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...a cartoon coloring activity suitable for kids from ages 2 to 99.

Ken Avidor Bridge Cartoon

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