OCTOBER 2025

MEET EC POLICE CHIEF PAUL KEITH, OCT. 8, 7 P.M.: Join us for an in-person and Zoom (867 4317 3976) meeting with El Cerrito Police Chief Paul Keith for a conversation about how we can work together to improve street safety in El Cerrito, on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 7–8:30 p.m. Please sign up here or RSVP to info@ecrawalkroll.org to receive the meeting address at a member’s home south of Fairmount Avenue. We’ll also talk about rebranding ECRA Walk & Roll with a new logo. Our final business meeting of 2025 will be on Dec. 10, 7 p.m., on Zoom (867 4317 3976).

CAR-FREE HAPPY HOUR IN EL CERRITO, OCT. 15, 5:30–7 P.M.: Whether you’re car free, car light, car-free curious, or simply want to hang out with fun people and talk about buses, bikes, and trains, everyone is welcome! On the way over, check out the construction progress on El Cerrito’s San Pablo Avenue protected bikeway around the Del Norte BART station. Join us on Wed., Oct. 15, 5:30–7 p.m., Los Moles Beer Garden, 6120 Potrero Ave, El Cerrito. Transit: Take AC Transit line 72 to Potrero or walk from Del Norte BART station; Los Moles is also two blocks west of the Ohlone Greenway.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY HAPPY HOUR, 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, 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! 

Visualization of a Richmond Street Complete Street by Steve Price.

Richmond Street project moves forward

Opponents of the Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project did not file any appeals to the El Cerrito city council under the city’s parking removal process as of the Sept. 25 deadline, clearing the way for the project to move forward.

“The project team is working on detailed design and environmental clearance with the aim of starting construction toward the middle of next year,” Jarrett Mullen, El Cerrito’s sustainable transportation program manager, told El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll. 

The project will convert 177 parking spaces on Richmond Street between Hill Street and Fairmount Avenue in order to install chicanes (curves) to slow down automobile traffic, bulbouts for pedestrian refugees at street corners, and bike lanes north of Moeser Avenue. In addition, hundreds of street trees will be planted.

Richmond Street residents opposed to individual parking spot conversions had filed 10 appeals to city engineer Yvetteh Ortiz, which were denied, followed by appeals to city manager Karen Pinkos, which were also denied. They then had the option of appealing to the city council, at a cost of $625 per appeal but none were filed before the deadline.

On numerous occasions, El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll members and our allies rallied to show the El Cerrito city council, staff, and community that we want safe, beautiful, lower-carbon, Complete Streets for pedestrians and cyclists on Richmond Street and beyond. Many thanks to everyone who sent emails, signed petitions, canvassed Richmond Street, posted fliers, and attended workshops and city council meetings! — Janet Byron

Left to right, Carrie and Owen Schulman and Stuart and Gaia Sonatina accept ECRA Walk & Roll’s Best Community Advocacy Award at Bike East Bay’s Biketopia event. Photos by Olivia Smartt

ECRA Walk & Roll honored for advocacy work

On September 17, El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll was honored to receive Bike East Bay’s Best Community Advocacy Award at its annual Biketopia fundraiser. 

“El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll is a small team of volunteer advocates making a big impact,” Bike East Bay wrote in its award announcement. “They’ve worked within their cities to improve projects underway and advocate for undertaking new projects.”

ECRA Walk & Roll coordinating committee members Carrie Schulman, Gaia Sonatina, and Stuart Sonatina accepted the award at Preservation Park in Oakland.

“Every year I see more and more people riding their bikes. This is such an exciting movement to be a part of,” Schulman told 300 attendees of Biketopia. “On behalf of our whole group, thank you to Bike East Bay for providing your support and expertise and thank you for honoring us with this award.”

The following evening Schulman and ECRA Walk & Roll member Mike Balmaceda accepted the Best of El Cerrito co–runner-up award for nonprofit groups (wide reaching) during an event at El Cerrito Honda. More than 24,000 community members voted for their local favorites in 120 categories. Co-awardees in the nonprofit (wide reaching) category were winner The Foundation Project Foundation and co–runner-up The Practice Space.

“Walkers and bikers are dedicated customers because we don't travel as far,” Schulman said at the chamber event. “We hope to partner with businesses — and have funds available — to get bike racks installed.”

ECRA Walk & Roll joined the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce in 2024 to help promote better access to local businesses by foot and bike.

“We aim to educate local business owners about our advocacy for better bike and pedestrian infrastructure on local streets,” said ECRA Walk & Roll coordinating committee member Janet Byron. “Our members are loyal customers of local businesses and we want to be able to arrive at their doors safely and have a place to park and lock our bikes while we shop.”

El Cerrito city councilmember Rebecca Saltzman and ECRA Walk & Roll coordinating committee member Carrie Schulman at the Best of El Cerrito awards event.

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION WITH EC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, WED., OCT. 29, 10:30–11:30 A.M.: Join El Cerrito’s Community Development Department for an informal coffee and conversation gathering. This is a great opportunity to learn more about affordable housing initiatives and upcoming Community Development projects in El Cerrito. No registration required, just drop by and join the conversation at the El Cerrito Community Center Patio Room, 7007 Moeser Lane. Source: El Cerrito Community Development Department

BARRETT AVENUE COMMUNITY MEETING OCT. 8, 6:30–8 P.M.: Richmond’s Barrett Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Project spans from Harbour Way to 24th Street and proposes a lane reallocation featuring new curb extensions, accessible curb ramps, median refuges, improved crosswalks, refreshed roadway striping and signage, and delineated bike ways. Pedestrian improvements will create a continuous sidewalk on the south side of Barrett Avenue at the BART undercrossing. Additionally, the project proposes to improve vehicle congestion by adding a center two-way turn lane, adding protected left turns, and adjusting signal timing. The City of Richmond is anticipating advertising this project for bids in Spring 2026. Construction is anticipated to begin Fall 2026. 

A community meeting on the project will be held on Wed., Oct. 8, 6:30–8 p.m. at the Nevin Community Center (598 Nevin Ave. in Richmond). You can also visit Public Coordinate or scan the QR code above to provide input.

RICHMOND MOVES NOW CITYWIDE: In May 2025, Richmond city council approved the expansion of Richmond’s on-demand shuttle service area (shown above) to the entire city. Book shared rides with Richmond Moves from your phone and get picked up to go anywhere within the Richmond city limits for $2. Book 20 minutes before you’re ready to go for the best experience with others using the service. Service hours are between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. To learn more and/or book a ride, visit city.ridewithvia.com/richmond-moves or call (510) 937-3657. Source: Richmond City Manager’s Weekly Report

NATIONAL COMMUNITY SURVEY IN EL CERRITO: The City of El Cerrito is again participating in the National Community Survey, which provides important insights and valuable benchmarking for our community. Starting in September, randomly selected households will receive mailed survey invitations. If you receive an invite, please follow the instructions and share your input. If you aren't selected for this initial survey effort, the city will be sharing a communitywide survey. To be notified when the communitywide survey is available, sign up for a Polco profile at polco.us/n/res/signup. Learn more at elcerrito.gov/ncs. Source: El Cerrito City Manager’s Report  ECRA Walk & Roll encourages members to take the survey and let the city know how much you care about making streets safer in our community.

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.

JOIN AN EL CERRITO BOARD, COMMISSION, OR COMMITTEE: Anyone interested in giving back to the El Cerrito community should consider serving on a city board, commission, or committee. The City Clerk is actively recruiting for several vacancies on city advisory bodies. (El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll encourages members to consider joining the Community Safety Committee to advocate for safer streets.) For a full list of vacancies, detailed information, and an application to serve please visit elcerrito.gov/commissions. For more information, contact the City Clerk at cityclerk@elcerrito.gov. Source: El Cerrito City Manager’s report

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