JULY 2025

HAPPY HOUR, JULY 9, 5–7 PM, FATAPPLES: Join us to hang out, eat, have a beer, and talk multimobility and safer streets with like-minded neighbors! We’ll be strategizing about supporting Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project between sips! Our happy hours are every other second Wednesday 5–7 p.m. (put Sept. 10, and Nov. 12 on your calendars) at family-friendly Fatapples, 7525 Fairmont Ave. Look for us at the picnic tables or indoors, depending on the weather.

RICHMOND STREET COMPLETE STREETS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT: EL CERRITO CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION, JULY 15, 6 P.M.: The El Cerrito City Council will have a study session on the Richmond Complete Streets Improvement Project on July 15, 6 p.m., at El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave. See below for more information on how you can support the project by sending an email, attending the meeting, and speaking at public comment.

BUSINESS MEETING, AUGUST 13, 7–8:30 PM: On Zoom. Additional business meeting dates for 2025 are Oct. 8, and Dec. 10.

Here’s how you can support the Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Plan

On Tuesday, July 15, the El Cerrito City Council will have a study session to learn more about the Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project and existing city policies that promote safer streets. The project would include the conversion of some parking on Richmond Street (north of Moeser) into bike lanes, and opponents have organized to oppose the bike lanes and the entire project.

Note that the council will not be voting on the project at this meeting — that could happen later this summer. However, the council could direct the staff to reconsider the design that currently includes bike lanes north of Moeser. We need to show the council and community a groundswell of community support for the project and the conversion of some parking for bike lanes on the public right of way.

Yes, I want to support Complete Streets on Richmond Street! Here’s how:

• Send an email to the city council as soon as possible (by July 9 for the council packet and 2 p.m. on July 15 for the supplemental materials) at cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us. Even If you’ve written to the council previously or spoken at a meeting before, please write again NOW!

• Attend the city council meeting on July 15, 6 p.m., El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave. Check in with ECRA Walk & Roll outside before the meeting starting at 5:30 p.m. and get a bright “YES FOR SAFER, BEAUTIFUL, COMPLETE STREETS” sticker and sign to wear/display proudly. (Opponents of safer streets have been wearing huge, ugly NO stickers.)

• Speak during the public comment period. Tell the city council why you support safer, Complete Streets in El Cerrito! Share your story of walking and biking in El Cerrito and why it’s time to make streets like Richmond Street safer, more pleasant, and climate-friendly for all users. We will have comment cards available outside for you to fill out and give to the city clerk before the meeting. If you live on or close by Richmond Street, say that loudly and clearly at the beginning of your comments. Gather your thoughts beforehand and be prepared to speak (the allowed time for comments will be 1, 2, or 3 minutes based on how many people sign up). Richmond Street residents (and those living nearby), families transporting children to school by bike, and children (8 and older who are comfortable speaking) who would like safer streets to ride and walk on to school are especially encouraged to make their voices heard during public comment. If you’ve spoken at a previous meeting, don’t hesitate to speak again! Opponents will be out in force to speak and we need your voice now more than ever. More info about speaking during public comment is here.

• If you are planning to speak, please ALSO send an email with your comments to cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us.

• Submit comments on the Richmond Street Complete Streets design by July 9. The full project design plan is available on the project website and at city hall (Public Works first-floor front counter). Write to pworks@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or mail your comments to Public Works Engineering, City of El Cerrito, 10890 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA 94530.

• Talk to your neighbors about why you support better bike and pedestrian infrastructure ALL around town (last time we checked, Ohlone Greenway does not go everywhere!) Ask your neighbors to send emails supporting the project to cityclerk@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us.

• If you cannot attend, watch the city council meeting online or Zoom; the city council does is not taking public comments from online viewers, so please submit your email before 2 p.m. on July 15.

Learn more about the Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project and ECRA Walk & Roll’s efforts to provide evidence-based information and combat misinformation. El Cerrito has posted tons of detailed information about the Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project on the project website. Learn more on ECRA Walk & Roll’s Richmond Street page and see our fact sheet.

Suggested talking points (telling your own story is best!):

1. I want to live in a city where there is a citywide network of safe streets and bike lanes. We all love the Ohlone Greenway, but it does not go everywhere in town.

2. Richmond Street is currently a speedway where thousands of cars routinely exceed the speed limit on a daily basis. The redesigned Complete Street will be beautiful, with hundreds of new trees and state-of-the-art traffic calming measures. The whole city will benefit, but Richmond Street homeowners and residents will benefit most from living on a slower, calmer, prettier street.

3. Half of El Cerrito’s greenhouse gases come from transportation, according to El Cerrito’s 2024 Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. If we are serious about addressing the climate crisis, we must be forward-thinking about getting people out of their cars by providing safe and pleasant opportunities to walk and bike throughout the town.

4. The Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project is in full alignment with current city policies, including the Active Transportation Plan, Complete Streets Policy, and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

5. It’s impossible bike north-south around the PGE substation and a private condominium complex to reach destinations such as the high school and middle school, pool, community center, and Cerrito Vista Park without taking Richmond Street. A bike lane on this stretch north of Moeser is critical for young people on their way to and from school, seniors on e-bikes, families on cargo bikes, and those traveling to and from the seven preschools and day care centers that are on or within two blocks of Richmond Street north of Moeser.

6. If we let opponents have their way it sets a dangerous precedent that our city values overly abundant parking — 4.5 on- and off-street spots per household in El Cerrito! — over safer streets and an interconnected network of bike infrastructure.

Delivering children to school by bike

By Steve Price

There are important bicycling destinations for travel on Richmond Street that the Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project consultants haven’t highlighted in their justifications for conversion of some parking to bike lanes north of Moeser. Last week I visited two bike shops that specialize in bicycles used for transportation (rather than recreation): Rad Power Bikes and Blue Heron Bikes, both in Berkeley. I asked staff how well electric cargo bikes were selling. These are bikes used for local utilitarian travel, not for 50-mile recreation rides. Staff in both stores said that e-cargo bikes were selling well and in increasing numbers and were especially popular with young families. This is confirmed by what I see in our area, especially in the last 2 years: lots of cargo bikes with young parents riding their kids on the bikes to and from day care and preschool.

A search for “preschool” and “day care” on Google Maps reveals many; seven of nine facilities north of Moeser are within two short blocks of Richmond Street. Bike lanes on Richmond Street would definitely be utilized by these parents. (See above map with the preschools and day care facilities circled in orange.)

In my discussions with people who live on Richmond Street I have spoken with several families with children who support bike lanes. 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. I applaud the city and project consultant’s efforts to come up with a street design that has bike lanes yet retains parking to the extent possible on both sides of Richmond Street.

BEST OF EL CERRITO RESULTS: El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll was Co–Runner Up (with the Practice Space) in the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Best of El Cerrito Awards, in the Best Non-Profit Groups (Wide Reaching) category. Thanks to all who cast a vote for us! See all the winners here.

BIKE EAST BAY SUMMER BRAKE PARTY: Bike East Bay is thrilled to invite you to their Summer Brake Party in the backyard of GU Energy Labs in Berkeley on Thursday, July 24, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Come hang out with your fellow biking community! They’ll have plenty of snacks (vegan and GF options available) and refreshing drinks, including exclusive pours of Drake’s Brewing beer, wine, and nonalcoholic options. This is a free, all-ages event. Source: Bike East Bay

CARLSON BOULEVARD – 18 TRAFFIC CALMING LOCATIONS PROJECT (RICHMOND): Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFB) will be installed at the intersections of Carlson Boulevard and Carl Avenue, Sutter Avenue, Shasta Street, and Tehama Avenue to improve pedestrian safety while crossing Carlson, as part of Richmond’s 18 Traffic Calming Locations project. The beacons consist of signage and flashing lights that can be activated by pushing a button, indicating to drivers that pedestrians are trying to cross the road and that they should stop. Concrete work began the week of June 3, and installation on the RRFBs during the week of June 9. All construction was anticipated to be completed by the end of June 2025. More information about Richmond’s 18 Traffic Calming Locations Project can be found on the city’s website, and see the U.S. Department of Transportation’s fact sheet about RRFBs. Source: Richmond City Manager’s report

EL CERRITO SUMMER BIKE CHALLENGE: Explore El Cerrito from the seat of a bike! Participate in 511 Contra Costa’s Summer Bike Challenge, a no cost and noncompetitive biking program for people of all ages. Each city has its own unique game board filled with bikeable destinations. Simply ride to each location and cross off the squares as you go — like BINGO! Plus, weekly bonus challenges will send you on extra rides to capture new challenge themes with chances to win $20 gift cards. Ten winners every week! Ready to roll? Visit 511cc.org/sbc to download your game board and get started. Source: 511 Contra Costa

SUPPORT CALTRANS QUICK-BUILD PILOT PROJECT: The California Bicycle Coalition, or CalBike, is sponsoring the Caltrans Quick-Build Project Pilot Program Bill, AB 891. This bill would create a pilot that allows Caltrans to use quick-build techniques to address unsafe conditions on state routes in months rather than years, bypassing the protracted planning and funding cycles typically required for Caltrans projects. Quick-build projects have accelerated local road safety by allowing public agencies to rapidly deploy paint, planter boxes, soft-hit bollards, and other cost-effective infrastructure to enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety. But quick-build has rarely been used on roadways that Caltrans repairs and maintains. Many state routes (such as San Pablo Avenue) double as local streets, and they are often among the most dangerous streets in a town or city, especially for people walking and biking. Sign CalBike’s petition re: AB 891 here. Source: CalBike

JOIN ECRA WALK & ROLL IN ADVOCATING FOR WALK- AND BIKEABILITY: Want to help make El Cerrito and Richmond Annex streets safer, more joyful, and inclusive for all? You’ve come to the right place! Our effective and fun coordinating committee meets every month to plan our advocacy work on traffic calming, Complete Streets solutions, safe routes to schools, bike parking, and more. We’re also looking for a pro bono graphic designer to help us with our logo and the overall look and feel of our communications. To volunteer and/or join the coordinating committee, write to us at info@ecrawalkroll.org.

REPORT TRAFFIC CONCERNS TO EL CERRITO PUBLIC WORKS: If you see a traffic hazard or problem of any type — such as potholes, trees down, maintenance needs, lights/signals out, bad sidewalks, 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’! (For example, ECRA Walk & Roll’s Janet Byron reported grafitti on the city’s granite blocks for sitting on San Pablo Avenue and it was cleaned up in days.)

Our mission: El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll promotes walking, bicycling, and other low-carbon multimodal transportation alternatives and builds community for safer, more joyful, and inclusive streets for all.

To sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit our website at ecrawalkroll.org (scroll down for sign-up) or write to us at info@ECRAWalkRoll.org.

Please submit traffic safety requests to El Cerrito’s online traffic improvement request form.

Newsletter edited by Janet Byron