For the fourth straight year AS&R will be providing free Bicycle Valet Parking (at the Pumpkin Patch) to anyone who pedals or rolls to the Stroll. This year we are happy to announce Bua Luang Thai Cuisine and Tay Tah Cafe, both local businesses run by an Albany family, as our co-sponsors making this service possible!
As usual, Tay Tah and Bua Luang will be providing lunches to volunteers so RSVP to Sylvia Paull here by Monday, September 3rd to reserve your lunch and Thai Iced Tea – thanks!
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS – THANKS!
It’s time for the Albany Arts & Green Festival again!
As AS&R does every year, we will provide FREE bicycle valet parking, sponsored by Bua Luang Thai Cuisine, so you can enjoy the festival without worrying about your bike.
Come visit our booth to find out about what’s going on for cyclists and pedestrians here in Albany!
For the 6th straight year, non-profit bike workshop Street
Level Cycles will provide free or low-cost bike tuneups, so if you have an old bike that you want to get road-ready, come on down!
CAN YOU VOLUNTEER TO HELP US? ALL VOLUNTEERS WILL GET A CHIPOTLE BURRITO FOR LUNCH AND THE FIRST 15 TO VOLUNTEER WILL GET A SPECIAL COUPON FROM BUA LUANG THAI CUISINE.
We need people to park bikes and work at our table. Please email Amy Smolens to help out!
Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO) is proud to join forces with Mayor Quan’s office and the Measure DD Community Coalition to bring Oaklavía back to Oakland.
Oaklavía will close three miles of streets circumnavigating Lake Merritt to car traffic, allowing participants to experience what a people- and community-centered urban space can feel like when our built environment is committed to safe and accessible places to walk and to bike. Love Our Lake Day is accessible by BART (Lake Merritt, 12th Street/City Center, 19th Street stations) and several AC Transit bus lines. More info on getting to the event here
It is a free public event that invites families and visitors around the Bay Area to come out and play, stroll, bike, and paddle at Lake Merritt.
Bike Parking will be provided by East Bay Bicycle Coalition (self-serve, bring a lock) and Oakland Spokes (valet parking.)
Free Bike Rentals (limited) will be provided by Bay Area Bikes. Bring photo ID and credit card. Harrison and 20th St.
Have you noticed that Albany is small and you often end up in El Cerrito and Berkeley? Here’s a good chance to give some input to our neighbor to the north!
Come help design five urban greening projects to improve the environmental sustainability, economic vitality and community cohesion of the City of El Cerrito! The Community Charrette is an interactive design workshop that allows you to meet with neighbors and other community members to envision the future of five pilot projects: 1) Fairmount Park, 2) Hillside Natural Area, 3) Former Portola Middle School Site, 4) Lower Fairmount Ave from Carlson Blvd to San Pablo Ave, and 5) Bay Trail (Blue Belt) to Wildcat Canyon (Green Belt) Connections. These sites have been selected from a larger list of Urban Greening opportunities for their strategic location, multiple community and environmental benefits, and pilot potential. With feedback gathered at the Charrette, the City’s Urban Greening consultants will prepare conceptual designs to be included in the Urban Greening Plan.
Like some of the things AS&R has been able to accomplish in Albany? Suggest them to the City of El Cerrito. Like what you see in EC? Suggest them here in Albany!
9:30 am Welcome and Plan Overview
10:30 am Breakout Design Sessions
12:00 pm Lunch
12:30 pm Report Back
1:25 pm Next Steps
1:30 pm Close
For more information, please visit the website at www.ElCerritoUrbanGreening.org
Do you, a friend or family member want to ride your bike more but don’t feel confident enough?
Here’s a FREE bicycle skills class RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD, courtesy of Bike East Bay!
In addition to the regular first-Mondays classes at UC Berkeley, they have now set up a free Urban Cycling 101 Day 1 classroom workshop for adults and teens at the Albany Library/Community Center on Saturday, July 16th, from 1-3pm. Complete details and registrations are available here.
The class is FREE but it’s mandatory to register here.
After a group of Albany residents, including fellow Strollers & Rollers, pointed out improvements that should be made to our Waterfront, there will be a chance to see the plans and give input on the Albany Bay Trail and beach project, officially known as the Albany Beach Restoration and Public Access Project.
Let’s make sure that OUR Waterfront is optimized for people who want to bike, walk, stroll and roll. There is a lot of car parking, but not nearly as much attention paid to parking for bicycles.
Note: a quorum of the City Council and/or an advisory body to the City Council may be present at this public meeting.
Here is the site plan
And the existing conditions map
And the complete packet from the most recent public meeting (April 17), which was at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission Design Review Board. This packet has cross-sections and more detailed plans and a staff report.
Albany resident and landscape architect Hugo Larman drafted this updated plan based on community input, which expands the beach area, adds bike racks and moves car parking near existing parking.
EIR and other info from EBRPD (scroll down to where is says “Albany Beach Habitat Restoration and Public Access Project.”)
AS&R member Dan Johnson prepared comments and alternative plans . After further discussion, Dan & others believe that the location for parking might not be feasible. However his diagram about the amount of paving is relevant.
While not a part of EBRPD’s plan, the Albany Waterfront Committee’s Cove Enhancement Plan should be completed by the City of Albany and taken into account by EBRPD for a comprehensive plan at the entire waterfront. The only reason it was not completed in 2012 was because EBRPD requested the City hold off because of upcoming construction. That reason is long past.
In response to recent community comments, the designers are making efforts to reduce the large amount of pavement for the vehicle driveway and turnaround to leave more open space for recreation at the south end of the site. However, a number of us believe that it would be more functional and would preserve more open space (as well as reduce bicycle-pedestrian conflicts) to locate the parking near the existing parking, on the north side of Buchanan St., which would eliminate the need for the long driveway. However, this area is City-owned and outside the EBRPD project area.