It is unfortunate that recent community discussions about the future of Richmond Street seem to pit the wants of seniors who are opposed to losing on-street parking against the needs of young families with children.

This notion that a single avenue of travel—the Ohlone Greenway—should satisfy all of a bicycle rider’s travel needs reveals a gross lack of understanding of the point of transportation by bicycle. Bicycle riders need to go to many local destinations that exist in many different places via a network of safe routes.

Beautiful, tree-covered Chico has lots to offer for the adventurous. We traveled by transit, Amtrak train, and bus; and rented bicycles, walked, and took a few Lyft rides around town.

My recent bikepacking trip with pals Kathleen and Michelle — a first for all three of us — was amazing! We rode almost 30 miles from El Cerrito to Samuel P. Taylor State Park, a redwood park with Lagunitas Creek running through it.

The real gem of our ride was Sarasota's Legacy Trail, a former railroad line transformed into a 19-mile, scenic multiuse path.

We need to keep showing up at public comment during El Cerrito city council meetings to let the council, staff, and community know that a range of neighbors and community members support creating a slower, safer Richmond Street for all users.

Richmond Street Neighbors Association, a group formed to oppose El Cerrito’s Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project, has posted a website, Richmond Street For All. We offer evidence-based responses to the many unsubstantiated falsehoods and mischaracterizations on their website.

"It's unfair to have cities where parking is free for cars and housing is expensive for people."

Ideally, we want protected bike lanes on Richmond Street, but we stand firm that we want significant traffic calming improvements and safety improvements for bicycle travel.

Parade watchers at El Cerrito's Martin Luther King, Jr., celebration took advantage of a new bench installed by unknown volunteers on Ashbury Avenue.

New state laws include limits on roads that may be painted with sharrows and "daylighting" prohibitions on parking within 20 feet of an intersection or crosswalk.

Yielding instead of stopping helps cyclists maintain momentum, which can make navigating intersections safer and more efficient. It also increases their visibility to drivers.

AC Transit is planning to reduce service on the 7, in March of next year. You can be one of the riders who helps transit survive by trying out the 7, soon!

Your support will help us continue our community outreach and advocacy and move forward with our work plan, including starting a bike parking program for local businesses.

El Cerrito and El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll have been working with Regency, the company that owns and manages the Plaza, to add lots more bike racks.

Compared to other Northern California shopping centers, El Cerrito Plaza is much better embedded in its surrounding urban environment.

Not long ago people were impressed with the size of SUVs, which are much larger than sedans. But double-cab pickup trucks—the top-selling vehicles in America and growing—make SUVs look small.