WOBO
Improving neighborhood livability, vitality and sustainability by making Oakland a better place to walk and bike

Archive for March, 2008

Need a bike lane? Roll your own.

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

“Putting in bike lanes is exactly what the Other Urban Repair Squad does.” Last summer the, the Toronto based group of vigilante cyclists hit a stretch of Bloor between Ossington Ave. and Dufferin St.”

Read the whole article.

WOBO naturally does not condone breaking local laws in the name of activism, but this is how to get noticed by the city if you want bike lanes.  The message is clean, concise, and powerful. We want bike lanes, they are easy to build, and people will use them. An alternate approach would be the guerrilla application of sharrows, iconic indicators that bicycles are entitled to take the lane as needed.  These are more powerful and effective than bike lanes, as they indicate that bicycles are traffic, not merely an annoyance cordoned off to limited thoroughfares. 

Posted in General | 1 Comment »

WOBO party @ Mama Buzz May 16th

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

wobo will be hosting a shin dig Friday May 16th at Mama Buzz 2318 Telegraph.  music will be spinning, beverages will be consumed, and you can get up to speed on key bicycle and ped project in Oaktown that you want to see happen.

in the meantime, see you around – WOBO

Posted in General | Comments Off

Join us! WOBO monthly meeting April 2nd at 6:30 pm

Friday, March 14th, 2008

WOBO monthly meeting

Join us for the monthly WOBO meeting on April 2nd, 2008 at 6:30 pm at La Estrallita Cafe and Bar on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm. New folks are always welcome to join us for food, drinks and discussion and planning on how we can improve Oakland’s walk and bikeability. La Estrallita’s address is 446 E 12th St in Oakland and their phone number is (510) 465-7188. It is just 6 blocks from the Lake Merritt BART station. This is an easy way to get involved. For more information, contact Roger at roger@walkoaklandbikeoakland.org.

Posted in General | Comments Off

what’s an ideal street look like?

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

Ever thought about what your ideal street looks like? I’m sure it’s nice, a lot nicer than most streets we find around Oaktown. Trees, good lighting. Bike lanes, yes. How about a bench? Wide sidewalks that are clear of clutter, easy to walk down. Some nice big bulbouts so it’s easier to cross the street.

And how about cars under 40 mph. More like 30, actually. That is essential, it’s not a race.

WOBO will be working on developing an ideal street standard and will be asking the city to make it a reality. When new projects come along, or it’s time to make repairs, we need to have these ready. We deserve it.

Gotta street primed for a makeover? Drop us a line, let’s make it happen!

Posted in General | 2 Comments »

the ongoing story of bike parking & parking meters

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

Have you noticed how great the weather is this week?  You must be out riding & hoofing it through Oaktown.  Ah, but if you bike, where’s that meter you used to lock up to?

Gone. With only a fraction of the spaces replaced.

Tuesday March 11 there’s an update on the parking kiosks and a piece on bike parking replacement with real locks at Finance & Management committee requested by Ignacio De La Fuente.  You can take a look at the report below (or not), and then email the Mayor, your Council member, and the City Administrator to tell them about

  1. your experience trying to find something to lock up to
  2. that we need at least $75,000 for additional parking racks
  3. more staff to help get this and other high priority projects DONE

http://clerkwebsvr1.oaklandnet.com/attachments/18542.pdf
Enjoy the great weather – get out.

WOBO

Posted in General | 3 Comments »