FEBRUARY 2026-1

SUPER 7 BUS PARTY! SAT., FEB. 7, 5–7 PM: Join the Magnificent 7 bus riders group and the East Bay Transit Riders Union for a bus party celebrating AC Transit and its bus lines! On Sat., February 7, we’ll ride the 7 buses that leave from Emeryville and El Cerrito del Norte BART to meet at Yeti Sports Bar and Restaurant in south Berkeley. We’ll have refreshments, bus swag, and door prizes! (Must RSVP to be eligible for door prizes.) ​AC Transit Directors Harpreet Sandhu and Jean Walsh will be joining the bus party! ​From El Cerrito Del Norte BART, catch the 7 bus that leaves at 4:30 p.m.; ​From Emeryville: catch the 7 that leaves Christie & 64th at 5:10 p.m. ​Check the AC Transit app for real-time bus status. Party starts at Yeti Sports Bar, 3290 Adeline in Berkeley, at 5 p.m.! Learn more and register here. Source: Magnificent 7 (Andrea Horbinski and Joanna Pace)

GENERAL MEETING, WITH STEVE PRICE PRESENTATION ON MULTIMODAL MOBILITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – WED., FEB. 11, 7–8:30 PM: At the Feb. 11 general meeting, ECRA Walk & Roll co-founder Steve Price will share his presentation, “Multimodal Mobility and Economic Development in El Cerrito.” Multimodal mobility is key to the economic development of our area. A car-only future, even if electric, will not produce the community wealth our area deserves and needs. The potential is great for making our rich commercial offerings accessible by walking, bicycling, and transit. Price’s PowerPoint presentation shares a vision of our area where mobility and commerce are mutually reinforcing. Join us on Google Meet at 7 p.m; Meeting @ 7-7:30 p.m., presentation @ 7:30 p.m.

El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll meets every other second Wednesday, now on Google Meet. Future general meetings on our 2026 schedule are April 6, June 10, August 12, and October 14. (In December, we PARTY!) Click on this Google Calendar link to add all of our 2026 meetings to your calendar, with the meeting links!

EL CERRITO PLAZA TOD GROUNDBREAKING MARCH 5, 11 AM: El Cerrito is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for phase 1 of the transit-oriented development (TOD) at the El Cerrito Plaza BART station, a six-story, 100% affordable housing project that includes 69 affordable units and is slated to be completed in 2027. The groundbreaking is Thursday, March 5, 11 a.m. at El Cerrito Plaza BART Lot A, 515 Richmond Street.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY HAPPY HOUR – MARCH 11, 5–7 PM: Join us to hang out, eat, have a beer, and talk multimobility and safer streets with like-minded neighbors! Bring the kids/family/friends/partners! Our happy hours are every other second Wednesday 5–7 p.m. at family-friendly Fatapples, 7525 Fairmont Ave. Look for us at the picnic tables or indoors, depending on the weather. Mark your calendar for our 2026 happy hours dates: March 11, May 13, July 8, September 9, and November 11.

ACTION ALERT: Tell El Cerrito that safe streets are your budget priority

As El Cerrito develops its biennial budget for fiscal years 2026-27 and 2027-28, the city is soliciting input from the community about how to prioritize programs and services over the next 2 years. 

Tell El Cerrito that you want safer, multimodal streets to be a top priority in the next 2-year budget cycle by taking the city’s budget survey. Be sure to prioritize spending for “Active Transportation” and add anything you would like to see more of (protected bike lanes, traffic calming, pedestrian scrambles, etc.) in the comments box.

Upcoming opportunities to participate in the budget planning process include (see above poster for more info):

Tues., Feb. 17, 6 p.m.: Budget update @ El Cerrito city council meeting

Sat., March 7, 10 a.m.: Community workshop

Tues., March  17, 6 p.m.: Department presentations @ El Cerrito city council meeting

TAKE ACTION! Now is the time to let the council know that prioritize support spending for safer streets. Take the survey and email the council at cityclerk@elcerrito.gov.

Is driving still the American dream?

By Steve Price

A growing proportion of the population are expressing interest in car-free living. According to a recent survey conducted by the planning and economic departments of Arizona State University, nearly 1 in 5 Americans are interested in car-free living and an additional 40 percent are open to the idea. Considering that 92% of U.S. households have cars, this suggests a big disconnect between needing them and desiring them.

“Americans are locked into a forced marriage, not a love affair, with the automobile,” wrote Peter Norton, historian at the University of Virginia. The ways we have built too many of our cities and streets force Americans into a complete dependency on the car for their mobility, which is why many get defensive if public policy seems to be anti-car. It is perceived by many as an existential threat on their ability to live their lives.

Car manufacturers add bells and whistles to their products and depict driving in ads as a luxurious experience, but the reality of car travel on America’s congested streets and freeways is never shown in the marketing. Making our streets and highways safe for multiple forms of travel, not just cars, will result in Americans taking to the streets by bicycles, scooters, transit, and walking as well as cars.

National Community Survey finds strong support for improving traffic and road conditions in El Cerrito

Over the years the City of El Cerrito has participated in the National Community Survey, most recently in 2025. The survey captures residents’ opinions about quality-of-life issues, with local benchmarks comparable to more than 500 communities nationwide. For example, 78% of respondents said they had “used public transportation” and 86% said they had “walked or biked” instead of driving, both much higher than national benchmarks. In response to a question regarding how important it is for El Cerrito to improve traffic and road conditions, 94% said it was “somewhat important,” “very important” or “essential,” demonstrating very strong community support.

Interestingly, although residents rated El Cerrito higher than the national average for transportation including high marks for bicycling and walking, residents rated the “vibrancy of downtown/commercial areas” as below national averages. If residents are driving out of town for retail and services, that means they are not walking, bicycling, or taking a bus to local commercial destinations. The survey does not ask respondents whether their walking or bicycling is with or without a destination in mind. A common complaint that ECRA Walk & Roll hears is that shopping by other means than driving a car is not safe to where useful destinations are located, such as San Pablo Avenue.

View the full El Cerrito survey results report here and a digital dashboard here.

TAKE ACTION FOR REGIONAL TRANSIT: The Transbay Coalition has launched the Connect Bay Area campaign to fund transit and stop cuts with rallies in the counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara. The effort has just a few months to collect signatures from over 200,000 people across the five counties to get the measure on the November 2026 ballot to stop devastating transit cuts. Volunteer in your neighborhood on Make a Friend (On Transit) Day, Feb 11: Check it out and sign up to volunteer. Source: Transbay Coalition

BART BOARD WORKSHOP ON POSSIBLE SERVICE CUTS, FEB. 12, 9 AM: BART is hosting its annual board workshop on Thurs., February 12, 9 a.m. The BART board has requested asked for detailed plans on an Alternative Service Framework if a November 2026 ballot measure fails and no other operating revenue source is identified. BART welcomes public participation in the workshop. Join in person (2150 Webster Street, Oakland, CA 94612) or via Zoom, and send written comments to the BART Board at Board.Meeting@BART.gov, using “public comment” as the subject line, before 3 p.m., Wed., February 11.

NEW CALIFORNIA BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN LAWS FOR 2026: Bike East Bay has published its annual roundup post about new state laws that went into effect in January. This year's update includes a lot about ebikes, along with opportunities for speed-limit reductions, updates on red-light camera enforcement, and requirements for virtual participation at public meetings. Source: Bike East Bay

THANK YOU, GRIZZLY PEAK CYCLISTS! For the third year, Grizzly Peak Cyclists voted to include El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk and Roll among the donees for its annual Grizzly Peak Century profits. We received a check for $1,500! We will use these funds to support our efforts for safer streets within El Cerrito and Richmond Annex. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Grizzly Peak Cyclists!

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 they need fixin’!

REPORT ROAD HAZARDS TO RICHMOND AND BEYOND: To report debris in bike lanes and other transportation-related road hazards, be a squeaky wheel here; and for up-to-date links for reporting systems in every East Bay jurisdiction, go to Bike East Bay’s hazard reporting page.

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