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!

You may have heard some talk on the street about Cycles of Change adding a new bike shop in Oakland. Now it’s here and it’s time to celebrate!

Join the Cycles of Change folks and other like-minded bike people at the new Cycles of Change International Blvd program site (2289 International Blvd – in the Eastside Arts Building) for their Opening Sale this Saturday from 10a-5p. Not only can you tour their new location, but you can check out their current stock of affordable, high-quality bikes (and spread the word that more will be coming soon)!

Come support this new community bike shop. Who knows, you might walk in and ride home! (Click here for a map)

sound familiar?

In a city known for its aggressive drivers, flummoxing street layout, confusing rotaries and overall rudeness on the road, what is a cyclist to do?

oh.  yeah it does.

The answer, according to Nicole Freedman, a former Olympic cyclist who was hired as Boston’s “bike czar” in 2007, is “is to change the culture, which is an incredible task”.  In this article from the NY Times, Nicole outlines the city’s attempt to turn a corner from a bike hostile (or challeneged) city named as Bicycling Magazine worst three times in the last 15 years.

And much of it starts at the very top:

“But about four years ago, Mayor Thomas M. Menino got on a bike for the first time in decades. He was quickly hooked, and decided to share his new hobby with the masses. In 2005, Mr. Menino started Hub on Wheels, an annual cycling event, and vowed to make Boston a biking destination.”

We look forward to similar leadership in our City.  WOBO, much like MassBike is there to support and press Boston to lead.  It’s time.

Commonwealth Ave Boston colored bike lanes

A favorite line of mine from the article, so much like a comment that could be made about Oakland: “Do we have problems? Yes,” Mr. Menino said. “We’re an older city. Most of our roads were cow paths.”

No doubt many from the cycling community have heard of the Bike Kitchen in SF (see youtube vidi below).   “The Bike Kitchen is a cooperative, do-it-yourself bike repair shop…  Our staff of volunteer mechanics is available to give advice and answer questions.”  It costs $5 bucks a day or 40-80$ a year to join and use tools which value in the thousands to have a smooth rolling bike(bikes if you are like me).

Now we hear news of the Bicycle Works in San Anselmo, just launched this weekend with support from the new owners of Breezer Bikes.  Membership there is $100 a year, with access to tools and classes – a great amenity.  Of course, in the east bay we have a couple of co-op places: Missing Link in Berkeley and Cycles of Change Alameda Point Collaborative.  But still, where’s the O in cooperative?

All this interest and enthusiasm for bike repair and the creation of bicycle culture hot spots brings us to the need for one in Oakland.  Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland’s At Large City Council member, specifically suggested in a recent meeting with WOBO that the city should help foster a downtown bike kitchen / “bike station” / community space.  If this rings a bell for you – let us know.  It would be a great addition for Oakland’s varied cycling community and offer a way to keep everyone’s bike running nice and smooth when the roads are rough.