The family that rides together thrives together!
Safe road bicycling takes a lot more than balance, a helmet and a good attitude. Join the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s (AS&R’s umbrella organization) League Certified safety instructors for a day of fun games, safety drills, skills building, and a neighborhood ride. This workshop is for kids able to ride a bike and who are ready to ride on the roadways with their parents. Parents and kids must attend together and should bring their own bikes. Each child receives a free red blinky light for participating!
Come on down and learn the rules of the road and how to ride more safely and confidently so your family can all enjoy riding around Albany!
Go here to register for this FREE fun workshop!
All year AS&R members sell rear lights to the public, and for every one we sell, an Albany student gets one free! Over the past few years we’ve installed more than 800 lights on kids’ bikes.
This event, International Walk & Roll to School Day is the payoff – AS&R volunteers and school parents install lights on kids bikes, helping them ride to and from school and activities more safely.
As you can imagine, this is a tough task so we could use your help that morning!!
Send an email to any of the AS&R Core Group to volunteer – thanks!
From the Albany Patch website:
A public hearing and workshop will be held Wednesday for the latest version of the UC Berkeley proposal for a Sprouts Farmers Market, senior housing complex and other retail next to University Village in Albany.
The hearing and workshop will take place at the Planning & Zoning Commission meeting at City Hall. The meeting, which includes other items on the agenda as well, begins at 6:30 p.m.
The revised plans – attached to the planning commission agenda– appear largely similar to those presented to the planning commission in June for the Sprouts grocery store and in July for the senior housing. The proposals also include two smaller retail buildings whose tenants have not been identified.
The development is a UC proposal for 6.3 acres of its property located in two parcels, on both sides of Monroe Street, between San Pablo and the University Village student family housing complex.
The lot on the north side of Monroe would contain the Sprouts market and a smaller retail building. The lot on the south side of Monroe would contain 175 units of senior housing in a four-story building and another retail complex.
Notes from Preston Jordan:
The plans for the UC project keep getting better with regard to cycling. Some time ago AS&R expressed concern about people cycling between University Village and Sprouts along Monroe given the proposed perpendicular car parking on the street. The latest circulation plan for the project designates the sidewalk along the north side of Monroe for walking and cycling. This will let people cycle in front of the parked cars instead of behind them where they are more likely to be hit. The circulation plan is on the last page of these plans.
For the first time, the plans also show the proposed HAWK signal for the biking and walking crossing of San Pablo at Dartmouth in writing. This is shown on the seventh page of these plans.
The last remaining potentially large problem is the proposed design of the bus stop on San Pablo. It specifies the boarding and debarking area right on the cycle track, which is not pragmatic and could result in CalTrans not approving the cycle track. AS&R has made suggestions how to solve this numerous times. Please tell the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff that this problem must be solved by commenting at the meeting or emailing Jeff Bond, jbond@albanyca.org.
If you would like to attend the meeting, AS&R suggests you follow it remotely from the comfort of your usual place or on KALB Channel 33 on a Wednesday evening in order to save yourself time. You can compare the meeting’s progress against the agenda and head to City Hall shortly before this item comes up (which will be a bit after the end of public comment on the previous item).
Come on down to the meeting to show your support for the cycling and pedestrian amenities contained in this proposal and to voice your opinions!
You already bike and walk more to help reduce greenhouse gases – attend this forum to encourage others to do the same.
Photo courtesy Amy Smolens
Want to have input on how the City of Albany can reduce greenhouse gases?
The City of Albany’s Sustainability Committee invites the community (YOU!!) to attend an open forum discussion of outreach and education strategies aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Albany. The event will be hosted by the City’s Sustainability Committee and provide the opportunity to create a network of local organizations and/or local volunteers to lead community outreach.
AGENDA
1. Introduction and discussion of objectives by the City of Albany Sustainability Committee
2. Introductions by participating organizations to briefly describe their charter, interests and activities in the area of greenhouse gas reductions and climate change
3. Discussion of concepts for outreach and identification of commonalities among participating organizations
4. Discussion of next steps and possible future meetings
Note: there may be a quorum of representatives from the City Council or City commissions or committees in attendance at this public meeting.
Come join our annual rolling party, Bike to Work Day!
photo courtesy Nick Pilch
Join us for the 25th Annual Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area, a party on wheels!!
As usual, there will be coffee, food, swag, bike goodies in the famous Bike to Work Day musette bags, fun and lots of good conversation & information so come on down on your way to work!
Here’s a short VIDEO that AS&R member Francesco Papalia took so you can see how fun the morning is!
Don’t miss rolling down to see all your friends and neighbors!
Photo courtesy Nick Pilch
The staff of Blue Heron Bikes and Berkeley Bikes & Skateboards will be volunteering their time, checking your bicycles for safety and road-worthiness as they have in previous years! Thanks to owners Rob Allen & Winston Jamison for spending time with us all!
Local business Kim’s Cafe (thanks, Cathy!!) and Royal Ground Coffee (thanks, Mike!) are again donating home made pastries & beverages for our Energizer Station. Trader Joe’s El Cerrito, Barney Butter non-GMO almond butter from the Central Valley, Semifreddi’s in Alameda and GU Energy in Berkeley are also giving us generous donations. Safeway on Solano and Sprouts at University Village are donating gift cards for groceries, too!
SO YES, WE NEED YOUR HELP IN DISTRIBUTING ALL THESE GOODIES TO 600+ CYCLISTS!
Local businesses BLUE HERON, BUA LUANG, TAY TAH CAFE AND FERN’S GARDEN ARE ALL DONATING SPECIAL GIFT CARDS OR COUPONS FOR OUR BIKE MONTH VOLUNTEERS, IN APPRECIATION FOR YOUR TIME AND SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY!!!
Plenty of food and drink for everyone, but we could use people to pick it up and hand it out!
photo courtesy Francesco Papalia
WE WILL NEED HELP AT OUR ENERGIZER STATION BEGINNING AT 6:30 a.m. through wrap-up at 9:30, as well as preparing for a big celebration.
We will need help stuffing the musette bags with goodies beforehand, picking up food & coffee early morning on the 10th, and handing out swag, food and counting cyclists all morning at the Energizer Station.
Want to help get donations of food, beverages or $ for food & bevs? If so, please contact Ken McCroskey at kenmccroskey@gmail.com or Amy Smolens at calamari@alumni.duke.edu or leave a comment on this post.
Thanks!!
Stuffing bags for everyone who rolls by is FUN!! If you can help, please email Ken at kenmccroskey@gmail.com – thanks!
Stuff to stuff!
photo courtesy Amy Smolens
