Streetfilms | San Jose Hosts Inaugural “ViaVelo” Event Celebrating Cycling.

As WOBO gears up for our first ever Oaklavia Sunday June 27th, some folks might wonder what it looks like.  For a change, we can look to our big city to the south who just had their first ViaVelo last month and Streetfilms was there to capture some of the highlights and talk to partners, organizers, the Mayor and members of the City Council.

It’s always cools to watch the moring of BTWD unfold.  All the energy, all the love in the air.  Riders new and veteran all taking in the fun of the day.

At 6am though, not a clear indication except for a few folks and bikes leaning…

by 6:40 though the indications are clear and the sun is starting to shine

and come 7:15 it’s a regular scene.  wow, 7:15 – look at all these good folk!

one table had a familar face that deserves a shout out – and the missing face of Jennnifer Stanley from the city who organizes this event for all of us.  Thanks Jennifer in absentia!!!

Jason Patton, Oakland's bike/ped Program Mngr with daughter at BTWD

On the way to the desk I swung by WOBO’s energizer station at 14th and Lakeside.  What a great site to see a swarm of cyclists (and pirates!) enjoying homemade treats, good company, and more hot coffee—–

Lakeside & 14th St WOBO energizer station

See you all tonight at the bike away from work partay!

5:30-8:30pm, On Telegraph Avenue from 16th-18th St
…wrap up the excitement of Bike to Work Day with our biggest, most extravagent ever Bike Away from Work Party, which will feature The Crucible’s Art Bike Program, Beyond Bikes Art Exhibit, Cyclecide Heavy Pedal Bike Rides & Show, Big Tadoo Puppet Show, music, raffle prizes, awards, food and beer from Trumer Pils Brewery in Berkeley and sponsored by the East Bay Express.

Come on out & be heard!

You are invited to an interactive community design workshop about the MacArthur Blvd. corridor from Seminary Avenue to High Street. The day will begin with walks along different segments of the corridor, followed by a “charrette” (a hands-on design session with your neighbors and staff, no experience required to participate) to allow for an active exchange of ideas on transportation safety, access, landscaping, and other potential improvements as part of the LAMMPS project.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

The Gathering Hall

Lorry I. Lokey Graduate School of Business

Mills College

5000 MacArthur Boulevard

Oakland, CA

Lunch will be served. All are invited to participate in the day. Reservations are required for lunch. To RSVP, please call (510) 238-5239 or email dgregg@oaklandnet.com. Additional information is also available at www.lammpsplan.com

signs of the times

Sidewalks are “at least as basic as circulation to the proper workings of cities.” – Jane Jacobs, urban writer, activist, and role model

Oakland local picked up the new about walks this Saturday in Oakland to celebrate Jane Jacobs and Oakland’s rich urban history of city and urban path alike.

Walking the Line for Oakland Urban Paths | Oakland Local.

More info on all the walks below.  Come out, see something new or find out more about what lies close to home.  Get involved, make walking the easiest way to get around!

Crocker Highlands/Grand-Lake Stair Walk

The walk will take us through the hills of Oakland’s Crocker Highlands/Trestleglenn/Lakeview/Grand-Lake Neighborhoods, once served by the Key Route Street Car system.  We will look at the historical homes, traverse the secret stairs and pathways – historic cut throughs to the Key Route alignment, and visit two business neighobrhoods.  The walk will take about 2 hours and we will end on the Grand Avenue business District.   If you have a friendly dog, please bring them along.

No Need to Sign Up . . . Just Show Up At Posted Meeting Location

Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Dates: Saturday May 1, 2010

Begin and End: Arizmendi on Lakeshore Avenue (3265 Lakeshore Ave, Oakland CA 9461)

Host: Chris Hwang

Host Organizations: Walk and Bike Oakland & Oakland Urban Paths

Contact info: chris@walkoaklandbikeoakland.org

Map: coming soon

This event IS accessible and welcoming to seniors, children, and friendly dogs.

Mills College: A Creekside Oakland Gem

Tour leader will lead the group along the creek and highlight current efforts to restore the creek. The creek walk will be followed by a tour of Mills College as a place to enjoy some greenery and recreational walking.

No Need to Sign Up . . . Just Show Up At Posted Meeting Location

Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm

Dates: Saturday May 1, 2010

Begin and End: Mills College, bus stop at main gate on MacArthur (5000 MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA 94605)

Host: Chris Hwang

Host Organizations: Walk and Bike Oakland & Oakland Urban Paths

Contact info: chris@walkoaklandbikeoakland.org

Map: coming soon

This event IS accessible and welcoming to seniors and children.

Lake Merritt, Roses and Glen Echo Creek

Several dedicated footpaths criss-cross the city of Oakland, connecting some of the city’s most stunning settings.  This walk begins at the Grand Lake Theatre, take in views of Lake Merritt before heading towards Piedmont Avenue via the Morcom Amphitheatre of Roses. Follow Glen Echo Creek and head back for a snack at the Grand Tavern.

No Need to Sign Up . . . Just Show Up At Posted Meeting Location

Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Dates: Saturday May 1, 2010

Starts: Grand Lake Theatre, 3200 Grand Avenue, Oakland 94610

Ends: Grand Tavern, 3601 Grand Avenue, Oakland 94610

Host: Paul Rosenbloom

Host Organizations: Walk and Bike Oakland & Oakland Urban Paths

Contact info: chris@walkoaklandbikeoakland.org

Map: coming soon

This event IS accessible and welcoming to seniors and children.

The Oakmore Stairs

The four sets of stairs in the Oakmore neighborhood were rebuilt as part of the original development created between 1926 and 1936 by Walter Leimert, who built a bridge across Sausal Creek connecting the new neighborhood with Park Boulevard and the rest of Oakland. This is your chance to meet and hear stories from long term residents and get a historical primer of the Key Route System.

No Need to Sign Up . . . Just Show Up At Posted Meeting Location

Time: 10:30 am – 1:00 pm

Dates: Saturday May 1, 2010

Starts and ends @ Leimert and Arden Place, Oakland 94602

Host: Eric Uddenberg

Host Organizations: Walk and Bike Oakland & Oakland Urban Paths

Contact info: chris@walkoaklandbikeoakland.org

Map: coming soon

This event IS accessible and welcoming to seniors and children.

Old Oakland

Walk through what was once the western terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad! Formerly Oakland’s bustling downtown district in the days of railroads and streetcars, this area’s grand, brick, commercial Victorian buildings, now restored, continue to thrive as offices, galleries and eateries. Visit the historic Washington Inn, G.B. Ratto & Co. International Grocers, Swans Marketplace and the “Friends of the Library” bookstore. The tour will also stop by Lafayette Park, where Sue Mark will talk about the 10,000 Steps historic parks project.

Downtown Oakland is easily accessible to BART. Parking is available at the Oakland Convention Center, enter at 11th and Clay streets.

No Need to Sign Up . . . Just Show Up At Posted Meeting Location

Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Dates: Saturday May 1, 2010

Begins: G.B. Ratto & Co., 821 Washington Street.

Ends:  La Borinqueña Mexicatessen at 582 Seventh Street, where walkers can meet owner Tina Tamale and eat lunch. To learn more about Jane Jacobs and who she has inspired, walkers can purchase copies of the just-released book “What We See: Advancing the Observations of Jane Jacobs”. Co-editor of the book, Lynne Elizabeth, will be joining the Walk and signing books at Tina’s.

Host: Annalee Allen

Host Organizations: City of Oakland Tourist Program

Contact info: aallen@oaklandnet.com

Map: coming soon

This event IS accessible and welcoming to wheelchairs, bicycles, seniors and children.

An Advocate’s Walk

Ever thought a scenic walk was too far away? Put down those car keys and take BART to the start of a 5-6 mile walk around town. The path will take walkers from MacArthur BART, through the Temescal neighborhood and commercial district, Echo Creek, the Rose Garden, Whole Foods (at Bay) and Lake Merritt. Bring a brown bag lunch if you like for a scenic stop in the Rose Garden.

No need to sign up . . . just show up at posted meeting location.

Time: 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Dates: Sunday May 2, 2010

Meeting Place:
Begins: MacArthur BART Station, 555 40th Street / Oakland, CA 94609
Ends: 19th St BART Station, 1900 Broadway / Oakland, CA 94612

Host: Ron Bishop

Host Organizations: Walk and Bike Oakland & Oakland Urban Paths

Contact info: chris@walkoaklandbikeoakland.org

Map: coming soon

This event IS accessible and welcoming to seniors and children.

View Larger Map

Back in the saddle – Inside Bay Area.

Nice to see a little press on riding in our local paper this week featuring two of our bestest – Barry Luck from Cycles of Change and Justice Baxter from Wheels of Justice (Montclair).  Some good reading about safety / lighting, bike fit, locks, brakes (for some who don’t use their thighs) and rules of the road from these folks.

One critical piece that Justice covered is the importance of not riding on the sidewalk – a huge danger to pedestrians and a way to get smacked by a car when you roll off the curb and into traffic.  That said – in many parts of Oakland it is HARD to stay on the street when a bike lane or route is far away and fragmented.  Join us to help fix that today!

Sadly, one piece of incorrect information snuck in there about the right to “Take the Lane:”

Riders should stop at stop signs and lights and, if you want to, you are allowed full use of a lane, provided that you’re riding on a street with a speed limit below 35 mph.

There is no such restriction so it’s up to you.  There are times it is the right thing to do, to be seen to be safe to get position.  See a shot below:

The list of full lane use conditions is here:
http://dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21202.htm

Happy riding

whoot for the news covered in the Oakbook that bicycling rates have gone up 75% in Oakland from 2000-2008 according to the good folks at the Census.  And while it’s a crude measurement, it’s critical validation (#7 in the country!) as we seek to improve Oakland for bicyclists every day.  Course, this should come as any surprise when you look around and see folks riding here and there, to work, the market, school and even the hardware store.

That said, boy do we still have a long ways to go!  In Oakland, 47% of our CO2 is coming from transportation – primarily cars and trucks.  Yes, this includes a lot of freeway traffic, but most of it is us.  The residents of the O.  We’re going to have to make walking (5X more common that cycling!) and riding much, much easier and safer soon to make the changes we need.

So here’s to the good news, and let’s keep on keeping on!

So exciting to read the article at Oakland Local about the COC program Bike Go Round.

“Bike-Go-Round is setting out to spread the self-propelled mantra, not in Rockridge or Claremont, but in East and West Oakland, favorite targets of the fast food industry, where obesitybike lanes and bike-friendly establishments and cars meet at large intersections lacking.”

This continues the cricital work Cycles has been doing throughout Oakland for 12 years now.  Their work goes from schools to community centers – both teaching folks how to ride as well how to repair and even earn a bike.   And what’s more, they have an awesome set of partners for their effort with Ride…

“Some of the affiliates include Bikes 4 Life, The Bikery, APC, Street Level Health Project, St. Vincent de Paul, Oakland Housing Authority and MORH1 Apartments.”

We are stoked to have such amazing partners in the O working to advance cycling and idenpendent, healthy travel.  Much like the Crucible’s bike work in their community including earn-a-bike and community fix-a-thons, we know that cycling is all folks, everywhere.  Please consider checking out these programs if you wanna lend a hand or a wrench.

Can I ask you a question or two? What if it helps us learn your biking/walking desires for our next year of advocacy and could put you in a swanky WOBO t-shirt? Sound good to you? Then take five minutes and fill out our brand-new survey.

This weekend, we’ll be hunkering down to formulate our plans at the aptly named annual Strategic Planning Retreat; your survey responses will have a big impact on how we tackle things over the next year (and beyond), so we want to hear from you. For helping us out, you’ll get the option (at the end of the survey) to enter a drawing which could net you an awesome bike light or swanky WOBO t-shirt.

So take five minutes, fill out the survey and enter the drawing… and while you’re at it, tell your friends. You’ll find the survey here: http://alturl.com/yov4. The survey closes this Wednesday, March 3rd.

Very exciting to see WOBO get some ink in the East Bay Express – thanks to them for highlighting our hard work to make Oakland a better place to ride a bike and walk to our local neighborhoods and schools!

On a Roll | Eco Watch | East Bay Express.

And let’s hear it for the importance of WOBO and all of you – and the difference we’ve made and will make!

Jason Patton, City of Oakland bicycle and pedestrian program manager, said he’s grateful for Walk Oakland Bike Oakland’s presence in city government, especially when it pushes Oakland to do things it normally wouldn’t. “Working with organized groups who have views and positions is much easier than working with a heterogeneous public,” he said. “It helps tremendously when there’s a self-organizing factor in the community.”

SFgate  In Oakland blog : Oakland BRT meetings start today.

This week important community meetings are taking place to get feedback from Oaklanders on the future bus rapid transit project that will connect Berkeley/the O/San Leandro via Telegraph, downtown, and International.  Show up, be heard!

Thursday, January 21st: 6-8 PM, East Oakland Youth Development Center, 8200 International Boulevard

Tuesday, January 26th: 6-8 PM, Faith Presbyterian Church, 420 49th Street

Wednesday, January 27th: 11 AM – 1 PM, Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 2, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza

Wednesday, January 27th: 5-7 PM, Oakland City Hall, Hearing Room 4, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza

Thursday, January 28th: 6-8 PM, St. Louis Bertrand Church, 1410 100th Avenue