JANUARY 2026-1

EAST BAY CAR-FREE HAPPY HOUR, JAN. 13: The next East Bay Car-Free Happy Hour will be on Tuesday, January 13, 5:30–7:30 p.m., at Two Pitchers Brewing Company, 2344 Webster in Oakland, near 19th Street BART and multiple AC Transit lines. 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!

EL CERRITO MLK, JR., DAY PARADE, MON., JAN. 19: El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll will march in El Cerrito’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Day parade on Monday, January 19. Meet up with our fun contingent on foot or bikes starting at 9 a.m. at El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave. (at Manila) for a 10 a.m. parade start. We will have “MOBILITY EQUITY FOR ALL” signs for all to display. The parade marches to El Cerrito High School, 540 Ashbury Ave., for a rally and program in the Performing Arts Center.

2026 GENERAL MEETINGS: El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll meets every other second Wednesday, now on Google Meet. Our 2026 general meeting schedule is February 11, April 6, June 10, August 12, and October 14. (In December, we PARTY!) At the February 11 meeting, ECRA Walk & Roll co-founder Steve Price will share his presentation, “Mobility and safety in El Cerrito.”

2026 FAMILY-FRIENDLY HAPPY HOURS: 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 dours dates: March 11, May 13, July 8, September 9, and November 11.

Vigil for Donna Revecho: We must make San Pablo safe for all

By Steve Price

On December 22, about 25 concerned citizens gathered to honor Donna Revecho, a Richmond Annex resident who died after being struck by a car while crossing San Pablo Avenue in the crosswalk at Waldo Street. El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll called the vigil for 2 p.m., the time of day that Revecho was hit by the car.

A friend of Revecho’s family posted a GoFundMe to help them pay for funeral expenses, and AC Transit director Jean Walsh posted a reel of the ECRA Walk & Roll vigil on Instagram.

This was the second pedestrian fatality within a month in El Cerrito; Sumitra Gurung, a 57-year-old woman, was struck and killed crossing Eastshore Boulevard near San Pablo on Dec. 12, along with a spate of nonfatal but serious accidents in November.

Our streets are becoming more and more dangerous as traffic laws are increasingly ignored, vehicle sizes balloon, vehicle miles traveled increase, and our street designs encourage reckless driving. Dangerous streets that lead to tragic outcomes don't reflect well on a community. We can do better.

LEARN MORE ON OUR BLOG

With Caltrans’s upcoming San Pablo Avenue repaving project (see below), it is time for El Cerrito to assert its right to a safer avenue for all users.

TAKE ACTION FOR A SAFER SAN PABLO AVENUE!: Sign Bike East Bay’s Multimodal San Pablo Avenue petition, which is advocating for a “street that works for every person who walks, rides, plays, and drives”; learn more about their Multimodal San Pablo Avenue campaign, which “envisions thriving communities and continuous, pleasant, low-stress and all-ages bicycle and pedestrian pathways from downtown Oakland all the way north to the Carquinez Bridge.”

2026 San Pablo Avenue repaving and crosswalk upgrades

The December El Cerrito City Manager’s report included the following update on the 2026 Caltrans repaving project for San Pablo Avenue:

Caltrans is planning to repave the El Cerrito section of State Route 123 starting in the summer of 2026. State Route 123 is a state highway owned by Caltrans that runs along San Pablo Avenue and Cutting Boulevard between the I-80/Cutting Boulevard interchange in El Cerrito to the I-580/San Pablo Ave overcrossing in Oakland. City and Caltrans staff continuously collaborate to improve safety and mobility along the Caltrans-controlled section of San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito. 

As part of this 2026 State Route 123 Pavement Rehabilitation project, City staff requested new beacon systems at existing uncontrolled crosswalks and new mid-block crosswalks, consistent with the City’s San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, which calls for adding new crosswalks along San Pablo Avenue, making walking routes easier and more direct.

For the crosswalk upgrades, Caltrans staff are implementing a two-phase approach with some upgrades included as part of the 2026 State Route 123 Pavement Rehabilitation project, which focuses on pavement maintenance, and additional upgrades as part of a future safety project. The 2026 State Route 123 Pavement Rehabilitation project will include the following upgrades:

• New rectangular rapid flashing beacons at San Pablo Ave./Carlos Ave. and at San Pablo Ave./Sacramento Ave.

• High-visibility crosswalk signage and pavement markings

• New intersection safety lighting

Caltrans staff are pursuing additional funding, contingent on the state budget outlook, for the future safety project. If funded, these crosswalk upgrades could be installed as early as 2028. City staff will continue to work closely with Caltrans to advance this effort.

More information on the 2026 State Route 123 Pavement Rehabilitation project is available here: elcerrito.gov/1748/State-Route-123-Pavement-Rehabilitation

By Stuart Sonatina

I think repaving San Pablo Avenue without any significant changes is a huge mistake. El Cerrito/Richmond Walk & Roll will launch an advocacy campaign to get Caltrans to improve their plans, and here’s why and how.

Caltrans plans to spend $14 million to smooth the street out without making substantial changes to how it is designed. The current lines will go back exactly to how they are now. With repaving, cars will go faster, creating an even more hostile environment. Businesses that rely on pedestrian traffic like the theater, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and shops will not benefit, along with the residents who live nearby, or cross frequently.

The repaving project is our opportunity to get a bus or bike lane on San Pablo Avenue, as well as other traffic calming measures including narrower travel lanes, more-frequent pedestrian refuges and bump-outs that also slow down traffic, better enforcement of speeding and red light–running, pedestrian scrambles, and no rights-on-red. I'm not talking about spending a single dollar more than is already planned to be spent. I'm talking about using all the available traffic calming tools and using that space to speed up buses and make El Cerrito's worst street its best.

LEARN MORE ON OUR BLOG

In the coming months, El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll will be advocating for a better Caltrans repaving project on San Pablo. Watch the newsletter for opportunities to make your voice heard by sending emails and speaking at council meetings.

Volunteer crossing guards needed for El Cerrito public schools

If you or someone you know is interested in being a volunteer crossing-guard at any of our city’s public schools during drop off and pickup (about 30 minutes, two times per school day), please write to info@ecrawalkroll.org and we will help get you in contact with the right people. The report specifically calls out the need for crossing guards for pedestrian safety, so let’s get that done NOW.

Sign up for the ECRA Walk & Roll email list to receive monthly newsletters (and sometimes an update or two) about our efforts to make local streets safer for all, especially kids on their way to school! — Bill Wood

EC CHAMBER FEATURES MEMBER ECRA WALK & ROLL: A “Member Feature” on the El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce website, “ECRA Walk & Roll Champions Small Businesses and Community Health,” by chamber ambassador Skye Christensen, explains ECRA Wall & Roll’s vision for a community where local shoppers can arrive at the doors of local businesses safely, and secure their non-auto vehicles while shopping. The article quotes co-founder Steve Price: “The premise of ECRA Walk & Roll is to advocate for mobility choice — streets that safely welcome sustainable, equitable alternatives to getting around El Cerrito and adjacent neighborhoods.”

JOIN BIKE EAST BAY’S #POTHOLECHALLENGE: Did you know you can report specific potholes to your city and request repairs, all from your phone? A few minutes of action can greatly improve street safety. Join the hazard reporting webinar on January 13, 6:30–7:30 p.m., to learn tools, tips, and tricks. Then, take what you learned and join the #PotholeChallenge from Jan. 12–19 and help Bike East Bay to report as many East Bay potholes as possible! RSVP and take the Pothole Challenge. Source: Bike East Bay

Photo: Livable El Cerrito

TOD UNDERWAY IN EL CERRITO: Have you noticed the construction underway at the El Cerrito Plaza BART parking lot at Central Avenue and Richmond Street, adjacent to the Ohlone Greenway? Livable El Cerrito reported that construction began in early December on a six-story, 70-unit apartment building (called 515 Richmond Street) on December 8. More transit-oriented development (TOD) is underway in El Cerrito!

CLIPPER 2 LAUNCHES WITH FREE TRANSIT TRANSFERS: On December 10, Clipper 2 was launched with transfers between Bay Area transit agencies now discounted up to $2.85, meaning many transfers will be free. Check out the Clipper 2 Savings Calculator to see how it works. Important note: Clipper 2 will be activated over the next few months. To be activated immediately, log into the Clipper website, use the Clipper mobile app, or call the Clipper customer service center to initiate the upgrade. Sources: BART and Transbay Coalition

511 CONTRA COSTA OFFERS FREE TRANSIT INCENTIVES IN WEST COUNTY: 511 Contra Costa is making easier to discover the benefits of public transportation with its Try Transit offer, which gives eligible commuters and college students a preloaded $25 Clipper card for making the switch to transit. For longer commutes across the Bay, 511 Contra Costa also offers Take 10, a program that provides a free week (10 one-way trips) on AC Transit Transbay and WestCAT Lynx lines. Apply online and agree to complete a brief survey, which helps 511 Contra Costa assess the effectiveness of the program. Apply to Try Transit and Take 10, or find the incentive that fits your commute. Source: 511 Contra Costa

TRAC BAY TRAIL RICHMOND ANNUAL REPORT: The Trails for Richmond Action Committee (TRAC) reports that 2025 was a remarkable year for the Bay Trail in Richmond, with construction beginning on 2.5 miles of Point Molate Trail as well as the unprecedented partial closure of 4.5 miles of the Bay Trail on the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge. The annual report includes 2025 highlights and a forecast for 2026. To receive news about Bay Trail events and progress, email  baytrailtrac@gmail.com. Visit TRAC’s website for maps, trail guides, and other information about the Bay Trail in Richmond. Source: TRAC Steering Committee

KIDS AND E-BIKE SAFETY: E-bikes are becoming increasingly popular around the East Bay with both adults and youth, which is a great thing. But along with the growing ridership comes a need for adjustments to our infrastructure, communications, and regulations to responsibly keep pace with the demand. To get your child safely on an e-bike, learn more with Bike East Bay’s “Active transformation Youth cyclists and e-bikes” explainer. Source: Bike East Bay

MINETA E-BIKE POLICY STUDY: California Senate Bill 381 (2023) funded research by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University to help policymakers develop effective laws and policy to support the twin goals of expanding electric bicycle use and protecting the safety of electric bicycle riders and other road users. The study and research brief, “Exploring Electric Bicycle Safety Performance Data and Policy Options for California,” includes reviews of how California and other states (and countries) regulate electric bicycle use; electric bicycle safety literature, including analyses of data on crashes, injuries, and deaths; and strategies that California could adopt to promote the safe use of electric bicycles. Learn more

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