NOVEMBER 2025

PRESENTATION AT EL CERRITO COMMUNITY SAFETY COMMITTEE, MON. NOV. 3, 6 P.M.: El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll coordinating   committee member Steve Price will give a presentation at the El Cerrito Community Safety Committee's monthly meeting, on the intersection of public safety and mobility in a growing multimodal mobility world. El Cerrito City Hall council chambers, 10890 San Pablo Ave., Mon. Nov. 3, 6 p.m. All are welcome.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY HAPPY HOUR, WED., NOV. 12, 5–7 P.M. @ FATAPPLES: We’ll gather to hang out, eat, and have a beer at family-friendly Fatapples, 7525 Fairmount Ave. Look for us at the picnic tables outside or indoors, depending on the weather.

SUPER-FUN FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOLIDAY PARTY, FRI., DEC. 19, 5-7 P.M. Join ECRA Walk & Roll-ers for a holiday get-together on Friday, Dec. 19, 5-7 p.m., at 543 Norvell St. Bring friends and family and something to share (drinks, appetizers, treats, etc.). We’ve had a terrific year advocating for safer streets — let’s celebrate! 

Richmond–San Rafael Bridge closure update

Information from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission: Starting October 27, the bicycle/pedestrian path on the upper deck of the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge will be closed from Sundays at 11 p.m. until Thursdays at 2 p.m., with the barrier moved to allow the space now occupied by the path to be used as a highway shoulder for westbound traffic.

The path will be open to bicyclists and pedestrians from 2 p.m. on Thursdays through 11 p.m. on Sundays and on select weekday holidays. These include Memorial Day; Fourth of July, if observed on a Monday; Labor Day; Thanksgiving week from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday night; and the Christmas and New Year week.

On weekdays when the bicycle/pedestrian path is closed, a free bike shuttle will be provided from 6 a.m. through 8 p.m. The pick-up and drop-off locations are along Tewksbury Avenue in Point Richmond and the Vista Point parking lot near the intersection of East Francisco Blvd. and Main Street in San Rafael. 

Information from Bike East Bay: There is no set schedule for the shuttle, but the MTC says it picks up on each side of the bridge every 20 to 25 minutes. Unfortunately, the shuttle does not fully accommodate people riding adaptive cycles (the bike can ride, but the rider must take public transit); people traveling with children, who must bring their own car seats on the shuttle; or those who need to cross the bridge overnight. MTC has posted information about the trail closure and shuttle service to their website here. Bike East Bay recommends checking this page before making a trip to the bridge.

Fill out Bike East Bay’s feedback form here to let them know about your experiences, or what’s preventing you from using the shuttle. This information will help to inform future advocacy on bicycling and walking access across the bridge.

How car traffic affects neighborly interactions

How many and how fast cars move on a street affects whether people living on that street interact with each other. The late UC Berkeley Professor Donald Appleyard published research in the 1980s comparing three streets of similar size and residential form in San Francisco to see how much people walked down the street or crossed it to visit with their neighbors. His conclusions showed that residents of a street with low car traffic had at least twice as many acquaintances as people living on a similar street with high car traffic. Social interaction is a significant predictor of public safety, feelings of belonging, and neighborhood desirability. In addition, if many of those cars were instead bicycle riders, then as well as being quieter, the street would feel more comfortable to cross on foot. And, compared with passing cars with barely visible drivers behind window reflections, those passing bicycle riders could be seen and even known. — Steve Price

What makes vehicles—cars, buses, bikes—behave?

We structure streets for cars, which makes streets safer for motorists and reduces their risky behavior. We paint lines to define travel lanes and put signals at intersections to tell motorists when to stop and go. We install tall street lighting so motorists can clearly see the road ahead. If you take away all that formalized street design for cars, chaos results. By contrast, we generally do not formalize streets to improve bicycle behavior, yet I frequently hear from motorists that bicycle riders are out of control. Our streets are not designed to encourage bicycle riders to follow rules. Predictable bicycling behavior takes more than painting bicycle sharrow stencils on streets.

Researchers in Denmark analyzed video footage of travelers’ behavior at major intersections and found that 14 percent of bicycle riders violated basic traffic rules—lots of bicycling on sidewalks. But when separated bike lanes were present, that dropped to under 5 percent. It also found that 66 percent of motorists violated traffic laws, most frequently by exceeding speed limits. Research conducted elsewhere in Europe also found that bicycle riders don’t deserve their bad reputation. Why the bad rap? Bicycle riders’ careless behavior is easier to notice (e.g. riding on sidewalks or going the wrong way on a one-way street) whereas speeding by motorists or driving while texting is harder to notice. In recent years more cities are installing bicycle lanes, but this often stirs up the ire of motorists, many of which think this is prioritizing bicycles over cars, but formalizing a street for all users makes the street safer for all. — Steve Price

EL CERRITO PLAZA BART TOD POP-UP, NOV. 5, 4-6 P.M.: Construction of affordable housing is coming to a parking lot at El Cerrito Plaza Station in November. Drop into a pop-up at this station on Nov. 5 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. to learn more about the development and what is being done to improve access to BART. Visit BART’s project website at www.bart.gov/ElCerritoPlazaTOD for more info. Source: BART

RICHMOND–SAN RAFAEL BRIDGE TRAIL 6TH ANNIVERSARY RIDE, SUNDAY, NOV. 9, 10 A.M.: This anniversary ride is a celebration and a protest. We are taking to the bridge to demonstrate the trail's critical importance and to stand firmly against the recent, disheartening decision to close access on weekdays (Mondays–Thursdays). Meet at Richmond BART Plaza. The ride will follow the route across the bridge, emphasizing the need for 24/7, year-round access, and end with optional happy hour at Armistice Brewing. RSVP here. Source: Bike East Bay

NEW EL CERRITO PUBLIC WORKS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DASHBOARD: El Cerrito has published an interactive map for exploring projects throughout the city and their progress. Go to www.elcerrito.gov/935/Current-CIP-Projects to explore. Source: El Cerrito News & Views, Fall/Winter 2025

EL CERRITO POLICE DEPARTMENT ADDS E-BIKES TO FLEET: To support community engagement and improve environmental sustainability, the El Cerrito Police Department has acquired two state-of-the-art electric mountain bikes. The e-bikes will be used in routine patrol operations and special events, reinforcing El Cerrito’s commitment to community-focused, environmentally conscious policing. Source: El Cerrito News & Views, Fall/Winter 2025

DRAFT PLAN BAY AREA 2050+ RELEASED FOR COMMENT: After more than two years of public discussion, technical analysis and refinement, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments have released Draft Plan Bay Area 2050+ for review and comment. The plan contains 35 strategies representing public policies and investments that can be implemented in the Bay Area by 2050 to help the region build more homes, reduce commute times, and create vibrant downtowns and natural areas for everyone to enjoy. The plan’s strategies also aim to keep people safe from natural hazards, support a strong economy, and provide stable housing for those who need it most. Also, the parallel Transit 2050+ planning effort has culminated in the first-of-its-kind plan to reenvision the future of Bay Area public transit, in partnership with transit operators across the region.

Opportunities for public engagement include: webinar on East Bay plan, Wed., Nov. 5, 6–7:30 p.m. on Zoom (Webinar ID: 869 8283 4999, Passcode: 682098; 888-788-0099). Public hearing: MTC Planning Committee and ABAG Administrative Committee,  Fri., Nov. 14, ~ 9:40 a.m., Bay Area Metro Center, Boardroom, 1st Floor, 375 Beale Street, San Francisco, or on Zoom. Written comment online form at planbayarea.org/draftplan, email info@planbayarea.org, mail comments to: MTC Attn: Public Engagement, 375 Beale Street, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94105, or call the Plan Bay Area public information line: (415) 778-2292. All comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 18. Source: MTC + ABAG

MCBRYDE AVENUE OPEN HOUSE, SAT., NOV. 8, 9:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M.: Richmond invites residents to provide input on the planned redesign of McBryde Avenue from Wildcat Canyon Regional Park to 37th Street. The project aims to enhance safety and accessibility for all users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. City staff and project team members will be available to discuss plans, answer questions, and gather community feedback that will inform the final design. Sat., Nov. 8, 9:30–12:30 p.m., at Cafe McBryde, 4921 McBryde Avenue. For more info, go to McBryde Safe Routes to Parks Project page or email mcbryde@ci.richmond.ca.us to stay involved.

JOIN ECRA WALK & ROLL IN ADVOCATING FOR WALK- AND BIKE-ABILITY: 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. 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 their traffic improvement page. Things can only get fixed if the city knows that they need fixin’!

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