Events

Come on down and learn how to ride a bike more safely – and have more fun!

Want to ride more but don’t feel confident enough?

Here’s a FREE bicycle skills class, courtesy of Bike East Bay (with support from the UC Berkeley Police Department.)

Learn basic rules of the road, how to share the road with cars on busy streets, how to equip your bicycle, lock your bike, fit your helmet, and avoid crashes by riding predictably, visibly, and communicating with other road users by your actions and signals. Every workshop has the same content so you only need to attend once. For adults and teens, no bike needed.

Please note: All of Bike East Bay’s UC Berkeley classes are open to the public, but are also part of the BEST (Bicycle Education & Safety Training) program allowing ticketed cyclists to have their fines reduced.

Class is FREE but please register here.

The Albany Police Department is currently in the process of developing a strategic plan that will detail the department’s goals and priorities over the next three to five years.

Participation and input from the Albany community is a vital component of our strategic planning process and we want to hear from you.  We have scheduled two community meetings and would like to ask that you check your availability and please plan to attend one of these work sessions.

In the course of 90 minutes we will:

·      Present the structure of the department and how it operates
·      Identify community member issues and priorities for the next 3 -5 years

Albany Police Strategic Planning Community Workshop Dates:
·         Tuesday, Dec 1st 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Ocean View School Library
·         Saturday, Dec 12th 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Albany Senior Center

Please RSVP to policeplan@albanyca.org so that we can ensure there are enough chairs and handouts for everyone. You may also direct any questions about the work sessions to this email.

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this important part of the Albany Police Department’s Strategic Planning Process—we look forward to seeing you in December!

To receive electronic notification of upcoming Albany Police Strategic Planning Community Work Sessions or to receive periodic updates about the police department’s strategic plan process, please go to www.albanyca.org and sign-up for the City of Albany’s E-Notification system and get information and updates going on Around Your Block.

Join our neighbors to the north for the 4th Annual “Slow Roll Richmond Solstice RIDE!”

Come on out,  decorate your bike with lights and good cheer for the 4th Annual Solstice Ride. Hopefully El Niño won’t join us for this ride but will come through on the next day… which would be the best day. Dress warmly… and did we mention to bring some lights?
No BIKE! No problem – with many thanks to our Commuter Cyclist program for the 1st time ever Rich City-Rides has bikes to lend for the magical ride. We’ll announce an RSVP for lender bikes as soon as we can, in the mean time let us know here if you need one here.
End of the road celebration location is coming…

If you want to ride together up to Richmond leave a note and/or idea in “comments” here!

Come on out with your kids!

Get GEARED UP! Helmets, Bikes, Bells!
Meet up at the playground in San Pablo Park. We’ll be riding through some Berkeley neighborhoods and stopping at Strawberry Creek park for a snack/play break. Feel free to bring snacks to share.
Helmets required for kids.
Ashby is the nearest BART station.

Want to ride or “BART & ride” from Albany? Put a note here in “comments” and get something going!

Join Friends of Albany Parks and El Cerrito Green Teams and  in their first trash/litter clean-up of 2016! They will be meeting at a scenic stretch of Cerrito Creek alongside El Cerrito Plaza to clean up the creek and surrounding areas as needed. All ages are welcome.

Sign up to volunteer today!

(510) 215-4350, green@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or just show up!

Latecomers welcome. Meet near Trader Joe’s south side in El Cerrito Plaza. Tools, gloves and good company provided. Wear closed-toed shoes with traction and clothes that can get dirty.

Do you or your family ride, walk, roll, scoot or skate on the Ohlone Greenway? I’m sure you do, as the multi-use path on the Greenway is Albany’s Active Transportation Highway  – over 1,000 trips per day on regular days when last counted several years ago!
The Parks & Rec Department is overseeing Greenway improvements so now’s the time to give input in order to have a better experience to stroll, roll or just hang out!

Do you or your family ride on the Ohlone Greenway? Now’s the time to give input to improve it!

The information with the Project Plans and what was discussed at previous meetings is at this link. However, the proposal will be updated based on feedback that they received at February 1, so people should come to see how it evolved!
At this meeting the consultants will have 35% designs for you to see and provide input. This is a crucial time in the planning process!
Preferred Concept plan that was presented to Council on February 1  included:

• Plaza area as presented in the 250K Focused amenities (Adventure play with climbing wall, fitness pod with 3 stations, both diagonal ramps, social path short cut to Solano
• Redwood Grove informal play area
• San Gabriel sculpture play
• Social paths
• 3 Creek paintings
• 3 fitness stations along Greenway with 2 pieces of equipment at each
• Dartmouth Circle improvements
• Orchards
• Public Art locations

A parcourse, wayfinding, art – all can have a positive effect on the experience, safety and atmosphere of strolling and rolling.
An orchard is proposed for the eastern edge of the Greenway. What a great idea… BUT if those trees are planted too close to the multi-use path, as was already done south of Dartmouth, they will drop debris on the path, encroach on the path itself and also invite more conflicts between people biking northbound & walking on the east dg path and people who are picking fruit.
Another point someone brought up was that some of the existing trees west of the path cast are planted directly between the overhead light and the path, casting shadows on the path and making the nighttime path experience more dangerous.
In short, as Albany’s Active Transportation Highway, the City must take care not to degrade this important function. If amenities to either side are to be added, it should be done with great care.
Please attend this meeting to give your input and improve the Ohlone Greenway for everyone – strollers, rollers, sitters, dog-walkers, and fruit-pickers!

**THE AGENDA AND 35% PLANS ARE HERE** (NOTE: 4.3 MB FILE)

Do you or your family ride on the Ohlone Greenway? Spend a few hours to clean it up for everyone…and get a free lunch!

Do you and your family use the Ohlone Greenway for fun and transportation? Sure you do!
Here’s a great opportunity to spend a few hours cleaning it up for everyone you know.

PLUS, you’ll get free pizza for lunch courtesy of Albany Community Foundation and a free Friends of Albany Parks t-shirt!
Kids are welcome – the more, the merrier!

So come on out for a few hours, meet your neighbors, have a free lunch and help our community!

Would you rather have the Bay Trail look LIKE THIS…

Do you and your family ride or walk on the Bay Trail? Then come on down to help clean it up for yourself and everyone…and get a free lunch for your time!
Join AS&R, Albany Community Foundation, Albany Rotary, and the City of Albany as we work together to clean-up and improve the Bay Trail in Albany. Between Buchanan Avenue and our border with Richmond, the Bay Trail runs along Freeway 680. This stretch receives a lot of trash from the
freeway, and is hard to access for servicing. A recent clean-up job has left this area in a much improved state, but there is work still to be done.

…OR LIKE THIS??

Join us as we paint over graffiti, sweep rocks off of the path, and trim trees to allow easy cycling access. Bring gloves, sunscreen, and a water bottle. Wear clothes you can paint in. Tools will be provided.

Rotary is covering supplies to $100, ACF is providing lunch, and the City will help with trash removal.

Meet at Buchanan and the Bay Trail, just west of the freeway underpass.

It’s time for the Albany Arts & Green Festival again!

AS&R’s booth is always busy! Can you volunteer a few hours with us?
Photo courtesy Angela Armendariz

Come out to Memorial Park for green lifestyle booths, art booths, local performers, food trucks, music and more! This family friendly event will include lots of activities for kids.

Our Bicycle Valet Parking service, this year sponsored by service organization Berkeley Lions Club, is always popular – we could sure use your help parking bikes – thanks! photo courtesy Amy Smolens

As AS&R does every year, we will provide FREE bicycle valet parking, so you can enjoy the festival without worrying about your bike! This year the service organization BERKELEY LIONS CLUB has stepped up as a new sponsor of our Bicycle Valet Parking – thanks to BLC President Dave Nicely and the board for helping our organization!
Come visit our booth to find out about what’s going on for cyclists and pedestrians here in Albany!
Local bike shop BLUE HERON HAS AGAIN DONATED SOME FABULOUS PRIZES for our 3rd annual kids’ coloring contest so be sure to bring the kids down!!!

These kids were so excited about winning a bike bell that they didn’t even take their helmets off before coloring! Photo courtesy Francesco Papalia

WE NEED PEOPLE LIKE YOU TO PARK BIKES AND WORK AT OUR TABLE TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS! CAN YOU PLEASE VOLUNTEER TO HELP US FOR A FEW HOURS?

Lynn Eve Komaromi takes a well-earned Pad Thai break – thanks, Bua Luang & Tah Tah! ALL VOLUNTEERS WILL GET A DELICIOUS FREE LUNCH!

VOLUNTEERS WILL GET A DELICIOUS FREE LUNCH FROM COMMUNITY SPONSORS BUA LUANG OR TAY TAH plus  A SPECIAL COUPON FROM TAY TAH!!
Please email Laura Emery  or Amy Smolens to help out or fill out this simple form!

Street Level Cycles has graciously donated free bike tuneup services at the Arts & Green Festival since 2008
photo courtesy Matt McHugh

For the 9th 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! Don’t forget, Bike to Work Day is on May 12th, so here’s a way to help make sure your ride is up and running well.

More info about the Festival is here.