AS&R has parked and watched over hundreds of bikes at big Albany events
photo courtesy Tenisha Neal
AS&R will again be providing Bicycle Valet Parking at the Solano Stroll, so there’s no reason not to avoid the car traffic and parking hassles.
Location: Pumpkin Patch, north side of Solano, just west of Masonic
Thanks again to our generous sponsor, local business Bua Luang Thai Cuisine! Bua Luang has been supporting AS&R since 2008, and sponsoring our Bicycle Valet Parking services at city events since 2010.
This is a really busy event and AS&R needs your help to make our table and Bicycle Valet Parking a success. You’ll not only have fun and meet cool people, but you’ll get a free lunch!
To volunteer, please email Nick here.
The Solano Stroll is a mile-long party full of music, food, entertainment and crafts! Enjoy!! And please considering volunteering a few hours of your time – thanks!
For more details go to http://www.solanoavenueassn.org/strol.htm
http://albany.patch.com/groups/events/p/solano-stroll-bike-valet-parking
For the 3nd year, the Cities of Albany and El Cerrito are joining together to host a car-free “Street Play” event! “Alberrito Streets” will be held on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2013 on portions of Key Route Blvd in Albany and Ashbury Ave in El Cerrito.
Come on down to pedal-power a delicious smoothie!
*AS&R’s popular “bicycle blender” will be out, so you can pedal-power your way to delicious smoothies!!
*Ride like a Gaucho at a ‘pop-up’ Bike Park, sponsored by the El Cerrito High School Mountain Bike Team. 
Test your bike skills on a fun skills course that includes Log Skinnies (balance beams), pump the bumps, a teeter totter and more.
Other activities may include
- bike parade
- ball games
- bicycle obstacle course
- table tennis
- live music
- street soccer
- tug-o-war game
- hula hoops
- chalk art, and more!
**Blender master Ken McCroskey needs some help with the bike blender and tabling. Can you spare an hour or two? Please email Ken here to join the fun – thanks! Your kids will love it, too!
Want to see and have input on Albany’s Active Transportation Plan? Here’s a chance. City Staff will be 
leading a bike tour to the sites of the ATP Striping and Signage projects.
Let’s ride with City Staff, see what they are thinking and give input on what signage and striping we think would help keep Albany residents and visitors safe when they are riding their bikes!
Come join the fun!
photo credit Peggy McQuaid
Want to test your cycling, running and swimming skills in a low-key setting, while helping AHS sports teams in the process? Come on down to Memorial Park for on October 5th for the Albany Community Triathlon!
The Albany Community Triathlon emphasizes fitness and fun with a 400m swim, 10k cycle and 3k run.
Come join the action and the fun!
Registration is available at www.albanytri.com.
Registrants will get a t-shirt, water bottle and a useful REI Coupon while supplies last!
All proceeds will go to the Albany High School Athletic Department to benefit all teams. In addition to the fund raising, this event focuses on fitness and fun. If you have always wanted to participate in a triathlon, but felt intimidated at the prospect, this is the one for you.
New for 2013 – take part in the FAMILY HEAT!
Parents, kids, spouses: When you register, you can indicate your desire to be in the same wave as one or more family members. Then you can compete together & keep an eye on each other during the race (but not assist each other, per triathlon rules).
Albany Strollers & Rollers is one of the sponsors of the Albany Community Triathlon – other sponsors include Albany Lions Club, the Albany Community Foundation, REI, Blue Heron Bikes, Albany Ford/Suburu and Transports.
AS&R is lending the bike racks we use for bicycle valet parking to the triathlon for the race transition area and we are also putting goodies in the swag bags of all participants and volunteers.
For more information about the Albany Triathlon and to register, please see the web site, www.albanytri.com. This is a great community event and really fun to watch even if you don’t want to participate!
Come on down, have fun and support Albany High School sports!!
Contribute to the greening and bike friendliness of our neighbor to the north, El Cerrito!
Come explore a greener, more compact, bikeable and walkable El Cerrito at the upcoming Community Open House!
The City will be presenting the new regulatory framework proposed in the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan and Complete Streets Plan to encourage higher-density, mixed-use development with bicycle and pedestrian improvements and new public open space. Information on the City’s Urban Greening Plan key opportunity sites and Active Transportation Plan priority projects will be available.
The Open House will take place on Saturday, October 19th at the Community Center, from 9am to 1pm with repeated presentations at 9am and 11am. Come hear about the City’s planning efforts and provide your feedback on the proposed regulations, priority projects and opportunity sites.
For more info go here.
I’m sure you walk and ride around neighboring El Cerrito so here’s a chance to make that experience a little better.
El Cerrito will be completing a San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan in the coming months. The Plan, which builds on the efforts of the draft Plan released in 2009, will provide new development regulations that encourage higher density residential and commercial development throughout the planning area. The goal of the Plan is to create a more walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly community through providing clear, market-friendly guidance in the form of a Hybrid Form-Based Code for private residential, mixed-use and commercial development, a Complete Streets Plan and a Multimodal Capital Improvement Plan. The complete revised draft Plan and its programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be released for public review in early 2014.
Two upcoming public meetings are scheduled to present key components of the Plan:
San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan and Complete Streets City Council Study Session
City Council Chambers, El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave.
Tuesday, November 5th, 7pm
The City Council agenda and draft PowerPoint are available at www.el-cerrito.org/CouncilMeetings
San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan – Form Based Code Planning Commission Study Session
City Council Chambers, El Cerrito City Hall, 10890 San Pablo Ave.
Wednesday, November 20th, 7:30pm
An agenda for this meeting will be posted by Friday, November 15th. Please check back here: www.el-cerrito.org/PlanningCommission for more information.
To learn more about the San Pablo Avenue Specific & Complete Streets Plan, please visit www.el-cerrito.org/SPASP or attend one of the upcoming meetings. To submit questions and comments, please feel free to contact Emily Alter at EAlter@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or 510.215.4385.
I’m sure you walk and ride around neighboring El Cerrito so here’s a chance to make that experience a little better.
El Cerrito will be completing a San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan in the coming months. The Plan, which builds on the efforts of the draft Plan released in 2009, will provide new development regulations that encourage higher density residential and commercial development throughout the planning area. The goal of the Plan is to create a more walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly community through providing clear, market-friendly guidance in the form of a Hybrid Form-Based Code for private residential, mixed-use and commercial development, a Complete Streets Plan and a Multimodal Capital Improvement Plan. The complete revised draft Plan and its programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be released for public review in early 2014.
This is the second of two recent public meetings to present key components of the Plan:
San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan – Form Based Code Planning Commission Study Session
An agenda for this meeting will be posted by Friday, November 15th. Please check back here: www.el-cerrito.org/PlanningCommission for more information.
To learn more about the San Pablo Avenue Specific & Complete Streets Plan, please visit www.el-cerrito.org/SPASP or attend one of the upcoming meetings. To submit questions and comments, please feel free to contact Emily Alter at EAlter@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or 510.215.4385.
Want to ride more but need more skills and confidence?
Take the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s FREE bicycle skills class!
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.
Bring your kids and friends, but please pre-register here.
Extra added bonus: All of the EBBC’s UC Berkeley classes are also part of the BEST (Bicycle Education of Safety Training) program allowing ticketed cyclists to have their fines reduced. Yes, Traffic School for bicyclists!
Come join AS&R at the Chamber of Commerce’s Health & Fitness Fair!
The Albany Chamber or Commerce, of which AS&R is a member, is sponsoring a Health & Wellness Fair for Albany families and residents. This is a free event for the community and there will be vendor tables for healthy eating, exercising, living, healing, as well as demonstrations and speakers.
Of course, AS&R will have a booth so bring your friends
Come on down to pedal-power a delicious smoothie and help others do the same!
and family, come on out and enjoy the fair! We’ll have the always fun, entertaining and delicious “Bicycle Blender” so you and your neighbors can pedal their way to a smoothie.
We have been invited to participate in order to talk to other community members about cycling and walking around town, as well as blend up yummy smoothies. So please, if you have some time to help at our booth for a little while, sharing your ideas while enjoying the food and music, please email Amy Smolens at calamari@alumni.duke.edu – thanks!
Have an old bike sitting in your garage? As part of the City’s Safe Routes to School Program, Albany Middle School students are asking for donations of used bikes (any size) to fix up and donate to students of all ages before Bike to School Day on May 7th. Drop off used bikes at Albany Middle School between 2pm-5pm on Wednesday, April 2nd. Email greenalbany@albanyca.org for more information.
