This past weekend, WOBO vols Michael and Shannon headed east to the Rockies for a “Winning Campaigns” training with the Alliance for Biking and Walking. The training, led by ABW staffer Jeremy Grandstaff and LA County Bicycle Coalition founder Ron Milam, was packed with tools and tips for, well, winning campaigns – and since we’ve both been at the forefront of the emerging “Oaklavia/Sunday Streets” effort, we used the practice sessions to scheme the next steps towards making fun, safe, free car-free parkways a reality in Oakland.

In addition to spending two and a half days honing a plan for bringing Oaklavia/Sunday Streets to the Town, we also had many opportunities to share stories and ideas with fellow bike/ped advocates from Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Minnesota.  Other groups are working on diverse goals ranging from changing Minnesota state law to allow bicyclists to turn left on red when they don’t trip the traffic light sensor, to inserting a “Bike Palace” with free, secure parking and showers into the newly restored Union Station in downtown Denver. We’re looking forward to leaning on these awesome, inspiring allies as we work for a better neighborhood quality of life here in Oakland.

Group photo with cow sculpture by BikeDenver board member Lise Neer.

It wasn’t all business, though.  Denver’s re-developed warehouse district has become a hopping scene for nightlife, especially when the Colorado Rockies are playing, and we spent the evenings walking to pubs where a base hit was cause for a conversation-stopping commotion.  The nearby Cherry Creek trail is a bicycle and pedestrian throughway that leads south from downtown, and Saturday afternoon about a dozen training participants took a ride on the paths and streets of Denver.  One of the most interesting locales was the Denver Art Museum, where giant cows lounge on the lawn in front of a recently completed, pointy building intended to reflect the shape of the mountains, and covered in 9,000 titanium panels.  That’s a lot of bikes!

Submitted by Shannon T.

Wow.  Over 80 interested folks came out to hear Neils Jenson’s talk on the development of Coppenhagen into a cycling city.  It was an amazing turnout!  The series of talks and events in Oakland (and SF!) brought out over 160 interested parties, as well as half of Oakland’s city council (IDLF, Nadel, Kernighan, and Quan), senior members of Mayor Dellum’s staff, andSF Supervisor Chiu.

It was a great time, so good to see so many of you out there.  Maybe you read about it on the Examiner, NBC local, or heard about it on KCBS.

Check back soon for video from the events, but for now a few last images will have to do – cheers!  WOBO

Neils Jenson, Copenhagen - and his newest 80 friends Oakland City hall

bikes stacked thick at Oakland City Hall for the talk Monday

Copenhagen is one of the world’s premier cycling cities. But it wasn’t always that way. In the seventies Copenhagen was dominated by automobiles, much like Oakland. Tonight you have the opportunity to hear some of Europe’s foremost bike experts on the subject of how Copenhagen made the shift and how Oakland can do the same.

WHEN: Monday, September 28th from 5:30-7:30pm
WHERE: Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza – Hearing Rm 4
WHAT: “The Story of How Copenhagen Became a Cycling City” presented by Niels Jensen, plus a roundtable Q&A session with four German Marshall Cycling Delegates

WOBO is a local host to delegates from the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Cities Network. They’ll be sharing their experiences and expert opinions on how and why Oakland can become a world-class cycling city. Since there’s both a talk and roundtable, if you arrive late you’ll still get to hear some pretty cool stuff and join in the conversation.

Thanks to this story at Streetsblog, we became aware of a much-needed crosswalk sting happening at a dangerous intersection in Sacramento. Not only is it good to see the police enforcing the law and protecting the safety of pedestrians, but the news story (which the video is a replay of) also serves as a reminder to viewers that California law makes it mandatory to yield to pedestrians until they are clear of the crosswalk. Score one for the good guys!

Come hear “The Story of How Copenhagen Became a Cycling City” presented by Niels Jensen, plus a roundtable Q&A session with four Cycling Gurus from across northern Europe brought to Oakland by the generosity of the German Marshall Fund TransAtlantic Cities Network (the O belongs).  Check back for blog entries on each of the delegates attending in addition to Niels – a recognized leader in bicycle planning and development throughout the world.

In the 1970s, Copenhagen was an automobile-centric city, even though it had a substantial cycling population. Huge public demonstrations in the early 1980s resulted in significant changes in the city’s transportation infrastructure. Since that time, Copenhagen has become of one the world’s preeminent cycling cities. How did this transformation happen? What changes in policy and design made Copenhagen such a pro-cycling city? What benefits have the city and its people seen as a result?

WOBO is a local host to the delegates . They’ll be sharing their experiences and expert opinions on how and why Oakland can become a world-class cycling city.

Welcoming remarks courtesy of Jane Brunner, City Council President.  Please come out and show your support!

WHAT: German Marshall Fund Town Hall (Copenhagen’s Cycling Revolution) – Sept. 28th at 5:30pm

WHEN: Monday, September 28th from 5:30-7:30pm

WHERE: Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza – Hearing Rm 4

Pro Arts at the Oakland Art Gallery (150 Frank Ogawa Plaza, across from City Hall) presents 10,000 Steps: A Profile of Four Squares, a multimedia exhibition of the artist group marksearch’s multi-year participatory stewardship project in and around Oakland’s historic downtown parks.

These four parks: Jefferson Square, Lafayette Square, Madison Square, and Lincoln Square, each occupying only one city block, are oases of open space in the urban fabric of downtown, places where tai chi practitioners, men gathering for a pick-up game of basketball, kids in after-school programs, mothers with strollers, and the homeless can all come together.

In celebration of the first phase of the 10,000 Steps project, the exhibit will incorporate an innovative series of events to familiarize the public with the parks and their neighborhoods:

• 09.17.09  6-8PM Artists Reception
• 09.18.09  12–1:30PM Tai Chi Class: An all-levels class taught at the gallery by Lincoln Rec Center’s Mr. Wong
• 09.19.09  11-1PM Oakland’s Historic Town Squares: Oakland Heritage Alliance walking tour guided by Annalee Allen. Meet at the corner of 9th & Jackson Streets. Fee: $15
• 10.02.09  12–1:30PM Mexican Lunch Con Poco Dinero: Cooking demo in the gallery by Tina Tamale, third generation co-owner of Old Oakland’s La Borinqueña Restaurant
• 10.02.09  5:30–7PM Interactive Neighborhood Ecotour: Tour led by Serena Bartlett, green travel expert and creator of GrassRoutes Travel. Meet at The Pardee House, 672 11th Street
• 10.02.09  6–8PM First Friday Reception

For detailed information about 10,000 Steps, please visit www.10000stepsoakland.org.

Thanks to a couple of generous grants from Trek and the Alliance for Biking and Walking, WOBO is seeking it’s first-ever Executive Director. Interested in the position? Know a friend who might be? You’ll find the job announcement, including a complete description of what the position entails, here: http://bit.ly/3B4rST.

Since we’re now in the age of social media, anything you can do to help us get the word out would be greatly appreciated. For the assist, we’re thanking you in advance. Spread the word far and wide among the folks who walk and ride!

It’s not too late to catch the Bike Love swap meet at 24th and Valdez in Oakland til 2pm today.  The coffee and donuts are gone but there are still all kinds of great deals to be found from bike shops, framebuilders, and local collectors.

WOBO team members Ellen and Roger talkin' up Bike Broadway and other campaigns.

Pick up a new set of rims or a whole new bike…and stop by WOBO’s table to join or buy raffle tickets for sweet prizes!  Raffle drawing at 2pm will close the day.  It’s been an excellent launch to what will hopefully be an annual celebration of cycling in Oakland – so come on down and join the fun!

More info at:
www.back2swap.com

Thanks go out to our friends at the SFBC and TransForm for bringing this to our attention. From the SFBC’s website:

When the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) adopted the 2009 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) this spring… [they] included $400 million in funding for a five-year Transportation Climate Action Campaign with $100 million worth of funding for the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and Safe Routes to Transit (SRTT) programs.

Now the MTC is backpedaling on their commitment to climate protection. Instead of funding the Transportation Climate Action Campaign in the first five years of the life of the RTP, they’re proposing to shift funding to freeway priorities and fund the Climate Campaign at just 17% of the level promised, threatening millions of dollars of bicycle funding!

We invite you to join WOBO, the SFBC and Transform in letting the MTC Commissioners know you want them to fully fund the Transportation Climate Action Campaign. Click here to send a message to the MTC Commissioners on this important issue.

Today marked the final day of San Francisco’s Sunday Streets for 2009. The great news is that it will be bigger and better next year and looks to be a long-term addition to San Francisco’s cultural landscape.

Just because Sunday Streets is going into hibernation doesn’t mean you can’t find weekend bike-positivity around the Bay. In fact, there are 5 great bike-centric events going on over the next 4 weekends. Here’s a quick rundown:

Bike Love Festival and Swap Meet – Sunday, Sept. 13th:
Pick up sweet deals on gear, check out local handbuilt frames and enjoy the biketopia that is the first-annual Bike Love Festival. This “swap meet plus” features discounted and used gear from individuals and bike shops (lots of ‘em are showing up), free coffee and donuts, and a raffle. Plus, WOBO is the beneficiary of this first-time event. Time/Place: 8am-2pm at 2400 Valdez St in Oakland (click for more details).

Veloraptors’ 5th Annual Tour d’Oakland – Sunday, Sept. 20th:
Enjoy a 20-mile or 35-mile tour of Oakland to benefit the Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP). The 20-mile route takes you out to Mills College & back and the 35-mile loop gives you a scenic tour of the hills and the Bay. Both rides leave from and return to Montclair Park via Mountain Blvd. The registration fee is $25 and includes route maps, mechanical assistance, lunch and more. The ride is limited to the first 100 registrants. For complete details, click here.

Tour de Fat – San Francisco – Saturday, Sept. 26th:
This ballyhoo of bikes and beer starts with a fun, mellow bike cruise through Golden Gate Park. (Costumes and bike decorations are encouraged if not expected!) After that, enjoy an all-day solar-powered jamboree with live music, tasty eats, free bike valet, and, of course, delicious New Belgium beer! It’s a fun-filled day in the park sponsored by the New Belgium Brewing company, with proceeds benefiting the SFBC and Bay Area Ridge Trail Council.

Cycles of Change APC 3rd Anniversary Bash – Sunday, Sept. 27th:
Yelp.com is hosting a fundraiser-slash-birthday bash for Cycles of Change APC (at their awesome Alameda shop) on September 27th from 1-4pm. Julie’s Coffee and Tea will provide beverages and Scream Sorbet will be handing out free sorbet! Look for more details soon on entertainment, food and music, but expect a great party to help a truly heroic local bike organization. Cycles of Change offers used bike sales, youth and adult job training, bicycle field trips, a community do-it-together repair shop, volunteer opportunities, and much more. How could you not come out to support these guys? You’ll find the party and the shop at 650 W. Ranger Avenue in Alameda. Click here for complete details.

Wheels of Justice Biketoberfest – Saturday, Oct. 3rd:
Celebrate bikes and October with Wheels of Justice’s Biketoberfest, Saturday, October 3rd. The fun starts at 6:30pm, when riders gather at Wheels of Justice in Montclair (2024 Mountain Blvd) to take a casual cruise down to Lake Merritt, with a loop around the lake before heading over to Linden Street Brewery. There you’ll enjoy tasty food and three unique Linden Street brews. Space is limited and going fast, so RSVP to Phoebe (Phoebe(at)wojcyclery.com) today! Oktoberfest attire (e.g. dirndl, lederhosen) is encouraged as is responsible cycling – if you’re not fit to bike home after the celebration, BART is close-by.

Whew. That’s a whole lotta bike love over the next month – take full advantage of it. If you need any other information about upcoming biking/walking-related events, check out the WOBO events calendar. Happy Labor Day Weekend!