The city will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Albany Bay Trail Connector Tuesday, Oct. 30.
The project was intended to improve the connection between regional pathways throughout the Bay Area and the Bay Trail.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Assemblymember Nancy Skinner are scheduled to attend and to give brief speeches during the ceremony.
The project includes multiple funding from federal, state and regional agencies, as well as partnerships with the University of California, Albany Unified School District, and the United States Department of Agriculture research facility in Albany.
Albany Strollers & Rollers was involved in the process, serving on the committee to select the engineering firm and helping work on the facility design.
Tonight’s Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting will include the first look at the newest proposal for the University Village Mixed-Use Project, including a Sprouts Farmers Market as anchor tenant and a two-way cycle track for excellent bicycle access.
More details about the project are here.
Discussion of and recommendations for the San Pablo Complete Streets project is also on the agenda.
Look here for the full meeting agenda.
Please come to the meeting to ask questions or speak, or send a message to the Commission care of cityhall@albanyca.org celebrating and supporting the proposed the cycle track.
Get the whole family rolling at Street Level Cycles‘ Spring Used Bike Sale on Saturday, May 11th, 10am-6pm! We will have bikes for the whole family including adult and kids bikes, tag-alongs, trailers, joggers, and more! In addition, we have a whole new set of new bike accessories for Spring including adult and kids helmets, lights, locks, and bells.
All proceeds will support SLC’s free programs for local low-income youth! Get the family rolling all while giving back to your community!
Here’s an example of a parking space repurposed as a public space. Come see what ours has to offer!
The third Friday of the month is called PARK(ing) Day, a day when select car parking places are repurposed as public spaces. This is the same as a parklet, only for one day, and unofficial.
We will do this with one of the spaces in front of Blue Heron Bikes and Coffee Conscious on Gilman St. in Berkeley. They will have comfortable furniture and a bike blender to make smoothies, in what is just car parking every other day.
It will be fun so come join them!
Then head on up to Bike About Town!
Spend the afternoon at a Pop-up Park on Solano Avenue!
Tables & umbrellas will be set in two parking stalls adjacent to Gordo’s and Domino’s for a day of community, music and relaxation. Grab a burrito, tacos, pizza, ice cream or anything from local businesses as we transform two boring parking spaces into an inviting parklet.
The intrepid installation team for Albany Strollers & Rollers’ new public bike pump at the corner of Solano & Santa Fe.
The City of Albany’s Mark Matherly, AS&R’s Amy Smolens & Dan Lieberman and Dan’s son Sander
Afterwards, roll up the hill to pump up your tires at Albany Strollers& Rollers’ brand new public bike pump before heading to the final Bike About Town ride!
These racks that AS&R funded at the Waterfront are perfectly situated for folks who want to enjoy the beach, a hike or just enjoy the beautiful view.
Help keep our access there!
Do you ride your bike, walk, hike, jog or otherwise enjoy the Albany Bulb & Neck areas? Do you want to continue to have access so you can enjoy the Albany Waterfront to its fullest? Both pieces are scheduled to be transferred to the East Bay Regional Park District and some groups and individuals want to curtail recreational use and bicycle access.
The City is completing its “Albany Neck & Bulb Transition Improvement Plan” public process so this meeting is your final opportunity to give your input in order to ensure that the Waterfront area is something that can be enjoyed by all.
Representatives from Albany Strollers & Rollers and Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay were invited to a Stakeholder meeting with Albany City Staff and the Planning & Design Consultants, and we were able to voice our opinions.
BUT it is crucial that City Staff, Consultants and City Council hear from YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TO SET FORTH PRIORITIES and a plan to communicate to EBRPD.
Want to ride along our beautiful Bay? Speak up!
Bike & hiking paths? Bathrooms? Bike racks? Picnic tables? Improved bicycle access from all directions?
What would make this a great recreational area, like the areas that Berkeley has in its Marina?
This City Council meeting is the FINAL PUBLIC FORUM TO SAY THAT YES, RECREATIONAL ACCESS IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY!
Consultants from WRT will give a brief presentation on the process and the final study, and there will be an opportunity for public comment.
More details will be posted as we have more information but please save the date to make sure we keep access to OUR WATERFRONT!
We risk losing access to our Bay if we don’t speak up!
Written comments can be provided in advance of the meeting to cityhall@albanyca.org. We encourage written comments be sent before the day of the meeting to ensure they can be taken into consideration.
Documents related to this effort are included here:
1. Final Albany Neck & Bulb Transition Study (very large – 143 pages)
2. Conservancy Staff Report 05-29-2014
3. WRT_Albany Neck & Bulb Stakeholder Meeting_Access and Recreation
4. Scope of Consultant Services for Albany Neck and Bulb Transition Plan
5. WRT Transition Improvement Plan as of April 2015
Albany has a chunk of change to spend on improving creek access and quality. And it has to start spending it within a year or two to avoid substantial financial complications (its bond money from a measure passed in the 90’s, and the duration is running out). So the City has scheduled a public discussion at City Hall starting regarding which project(s) to pursue.
There are a couple that would improve active transportation: 1) path from Tenth to Eighth Street along Codornices Creek and 2) a bridge across Cerrito Creek at Adams. The potential project at Codornices Creek would close the last gap on the Codornices Creek path from San Pablo to the soccer fields west of Fifth Street (the path from San Pablo to Tenth is about to be built as part of the senior housing under construction there).
Help connect Adams Street in Albany…
The potential project at Cerrito Creek would allow people to walk east-west along Cerrito Creek from San Pablo to Pierce. Among other, this would benefit Albany High School students living on Pierce that currently ford the creek at Adams.
…with Carlson Blvd in El Cerrito and Richmond!
Amazingly, it would also remove the only barrier along a regional north-south cycling route stretching from near downtown Richmond to the West Oakland BART station and beyond. Most of the other cities along this route (Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, El Cerrito, and Richmond) have completed their segments and the only other city (Richmond) has completed a large portion of it contiguous with El Cerrito and approved a plan to complete the rest. In contrast, Albany has completed almost none of its segment.
Bridge the gap!
Consequently Albany is the only gap along the existing nine mile long route and the soon to be 12 mile long route. A bridge over Cerrito Creek between Adams and Carlson would literally bridge that gap.
If either of these active transportation projects, or other aspects of creeks is of interest to you, please attend the meeting to learn more and provide your input. Thanks.
The crucial Kains/Adams Bicycle Blvd project will be on the agenda of October’s Traffic & Safety Commission Meeting.
WOULD YOU RATHER BIKE ON THIS…..
OR THIS?? SPEAK UP TO MAKE THIS A REALITY IN ALBANY!
Considerable local opposition has arisen, and we are in danger of missing out on these facilities. If you and your family would use either of these Bicycle Boulevards because you want to AVOID bicycling on San Pablo Avenue, live on Kains or Adams, go to the YMCA, please act!
How? 1) Send a letter of support to Aleida Andrino-Chavez , requesting that she forwards it to the Traffic & Safety Commission, and cc or bcc me, Amy Smolens , so I can track support, which is important.
2) Attend this meeting and tell the Traffic & Safety Commission that you and your family need these Bicycle Boulevards as they decide from among the various traffic calming and Bicycle Boulevard options for our neighborhoods.
Engage with City staff, consultants, and your neighbors in community planning for improving pedestrian and bicyclist.
I’m sure many of you have ridden the Bicycle Boulevards in Berkeley and seen how more comfortable it is to ride Milvia instead of MLK or Shattuck, Russell instead of Ashby, and 9th instead of San Pablo.
If not, here is info on Berkeley’s Bicycle Boulevard system.
Now imagine if people could avoid San Pablo until a half-block from their destination by riding Kains and Adams!
This is the FINAL COMMUNITY MEETING before Traffic & Safety Commission makes its recommendations to City Council so your attendance is important!!
This was the consultants’ presentation at the meeting on October 4th.
The monthly Traffic & Safety Commission Meeting, the Fourth Thursday of every month, is a great place to make your ideas known, find out about the transportation issues and projects in Albany, and help improve things for cyclists and pedestrians in and around our town.
This is a map and chart of the regional bicycle route from Oakland to Richmond – Albany is the only gap in a 12+ mile North-South bike route.
Here is the meeting agenda. Kains/Adams is the second item on the agenda, and the first item is related – North Albany traffic calming, which included Kains Ave near El Cerrito Plaza.
Come on down – thanks!
