MARCH 2025

JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR ON MARCH 12: We’ll gather to hang out, eat, have a beer, and talk multimobility and safer streets on Wed., March 12, 5 to 7 p.m., at family-friendly Fatapples, 7525 Fairmont Ave. Look for us at the picnic tables or indoors, depending on the weather.

Happy hour dates for 2025 are every other second Wednesday: March 12, May 14, July 9, Sept. 10, and Nov. 12.

GO GREEN! MOBILITY FAIR – APRIL 26: ECRA Walk & Roll is partnering with the Cities of El Cerrito and Berkeley, BART, and Bike East Bay to host the first GO GREEN! Mobility Fair at the El Cerrito Plaza BART north parking lot, on Sunday, April 26, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be lots of mobility options to see and try, as well as family-friendly games, music, food, a free Bike East Bay Family Cycling workshop (registration required; see below!), and much more!

BUSINESS MEETINGS: This year we’ll meet every other 2nd Wednesday of the month on Zoom, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Remaining business meeting dates for 2025 are Apr. 9, June 11, Aug. 13, Oct. 8, and Dec. 10.

Take action NOW to save 24/7 bike/ped access to Richmond–San Rafael Bridge

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Trail campaign is approaching a final decision point on March 20, when Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) members will decide whether to keep the bike/walk path open 24/7 or to allow it to be closed every Monday through Thursday for conversion to a breakdown shoulder. The meeting agenda and public comment information will be posted to the BCDC website.

Over the past year Bike East Bay has assembled a massive coalition in opposition to the closure including more than 4,000 petition signers, more than 70 community organizations and nonprofits, and five local boards and councils who have all voted unanimously to keep the path open; supporters include Richmond, Albany, and Berkeley city councils, West Contra Costa Transportation Commission, and the Bay Trail board.

Advocates are hopeful that BCDC members will vote to keep the trail open, abiding by the group’s charter, which protects and prioritizes access to the Bay Trail, but your help is still needed to get this campaign over the finish line.

Here are some things you can do now:

• Register for public comment sign-up form here, so Bike East Bay can send you info about how to email a comment in advance of the March 20 BCDC meeting and/or send you a text message once the day-of comment period starts so you can log in to make a live comment via Zoom.

• Share our petition link at BikeEastBay.org/RSR with your friends and colleagues to help us reach and exceed our 5,000 signatures goal.

• Fill out Bike East Bay’s form to sign your Bay Area organization onto our coalition letter. Any type of group can sign on and show solidarity, not only biking or environmental organizations. Groups from Richmond and West Contra Costa are especially requested to sign on!

• Visit BikeEastBay.org/RSR today to read about the work done to date, background info on the bridge campaign, and responses addressing the misinformation that has been spread by the well-funded opposition.

• Donate to Bike East Bay to help the advocacy gears turning on this and many more campaigns throughout Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Free Bike East Bay Family Cycling workshop comes to El Cerrito: REGISTER NOW!

Join Bike East Bay for a Family Cycling Workshop at the GO GREEN! Mobility Fair at El Cerrito Plaza BART (north parking lot, corner of Richmond Street and Central Avenue) on Saturday, April 26. The workshop is 10:30 a.m. to noon, then visit the fair!

The workshop is free, but REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Click here to sign up.

This Family Cycling workshop is for kids who are able to ride a bike and are ready to take to the paths and roadways with their parents (suggested grade range 2nd to 6th). The event includes instruction on:

• fitting a helmet

• performing a bike safety check

• communicating with other road users

• riding in a straight line and avoiding obstacles, and

• navigating safely through intersections . . . all while playing fun games!

All minors must be accompanied by an adult to participate, both with their own working bikes and helmets. If the class is full, you can be added to the wait list or be notified about future sessions as they are added.

Speakers needed for public comment at El Cerrito city council meetings in support of Complete Streets on Richmond Street

El Cerrito’s Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project will improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and create a slower, safer, more welcoming Richmond Street from Elm Street to Fairmount Avenue.

City staff and project consultants are currently designing the project, which includes numerous traffic calming measures (crosswalks, bulbouts, speed bumps, chicanes, street trees, and more), as well as new bike lanes north of Moeser Lane. A group of neighbors has objected to removing about half of the street parking north of Moeser to allow for bike lanes.

We need to show up at public comment during El Cerrito city council meetings (first and third Tuesdays, 6 p.m.) to let the council and staff know that a range of neighbors and community members support creating a slower, safer Richmond Street for all users.

Sign up here to speak at an upcoming city council meeting!

To speak at a meeting, show up in city council chambers (10890 San Pablo Ave. @ Manila Ave.) a few minutes before 6 p.m. and sign up for public comment as soon as you arrive at the city clerk's desk (straight ahead once you enter the council chamber). The public comment is the first item on the council agenda and lasts for 30 minutes; you'll have 2 or 3 minutes to speak, depending on how many people want to speak that night.

Preparing some talking points ahead of time that you can speak from helps immensely. Some people even write verbatim what they want to say and simply read it. To learn more and for talking points, read our response to neighborhood concerns about how losing parking could impact vulnerable users.

Tell the council your name and address — and remind them that you live in the neighborhood and that you're fine with removing some parking to get a Complete Street that is not a speedway. Let them know that we want a city safe for young and old using all travel modes, not just cars!

Thank you for taking the time to do this. If you do not see a date on the signup, it's because three people have already signed up for that meeting. We're currently aiming for at least three people per meeting, but feel free to show up at any meeting (first and third Tuesdays, 6 p.m.) that works for you to speak during public comment in support of a truly Complete Street on Richmond Street!

UC BERKELEY SAFETREC TO DO COMPLETE STREETS SAFETY ASSESSMENT FOR EL CERRITO SCHOOLS: UC Berkeley’s Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC) has selected El Cerrito for its Complete Streets Safety Assessment (CSSA) program. The assessment will focus on Safe Routes to School for El Cerrito public schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. The assessment is expected to take place before May 31. Stay tuned!

ZIPCAR LOOKING FOR SECURE PARKING SPACES IN EL CERRITO: Unfortunately, Zipcar has removed its rentable cars from the BART stations in El Cerrito due to security concerns, leaving El Cerrito and Richmond Annex without a local car-sharing option. Zipcar are now looking to rent secure parking spaces in local multi-tenant building parking lots and/or personal garage spaces. If you have a secure parking spot that you may want to rent to Zipcar, write to us at info@ecrawalkroll.org and we’ll connect you with their representative.

REPORT TRAFFIC CONCERNS TO EL CERRITO PUBLIC WORKS: If you see a traffic hazard or problem of any type — such as potholes, tree down or needs maintenance, light or signal out, bad sidewalk, illegal dumping, or graffiti — the best way to take care of it is to report it to El Cerrito Public Works Department via its traffic improvement page. Things can only get fixed if the city knows that they need fixin’!