The monthly Traffic & Safety Commission Meeting, the Fourth Thursday of every month (other than holiday times so check exact date,) 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.

The agenda will be posted on the City website here.
Come on down!

Want to ride more but feel unsure about your skills and knowledge of how to ride our roads? Then take one of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s free skills classes – Urban Cycling 101!
The next Classroom Workshop in nearby Berkeley is Monday December 2.
This fun and entertaining workshop is taught by one of our bicycle safety instructors certified by the League of American Bicyclists. Learn basic rules of the road, how to equip your bicycle, fit your helmet, take a bike on transit, and avoid crashes by riding predictably, visibly, and communicating with other road users by your actions and signals. No bike required.
(Please note: All of our 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.)
What a great opportunity to get the skills needed to ride more confidently on the road!

These classes offer great information for both beginner and experienced cyclists alike. Here’s what a few of the class’ attendees had to say:
“You know the type, aging, maybe a grey goatee, riding an expensive carbon bike, riding up to 10,000 miles a year, who the #$%^ are you to tell me anything about bike safety?  Well, that was me, and mostly still is, except that I honestly got a lot out of an EBBC, Urban Bicycling Skills 101 class, and look forward to far safer riding in the future! ”
Brian Aldrich – President, Grizzly Peak Cyclists

“I wanted to thank you for leading the Urban Cycling 101 class at Berkeley… I just bought my first bike since childhood and I was initially so overwhelmed by riding in traffic. The class was really great and I feel a lot more comfortable trying to ride my bike around. The videos were great and I loved that it was so comprehensive. I signed up for the road class, and I just joinedEBBC as a member.”
Alexis Wong, Urban Cycling 101 student and new EBBC member

Register here

Want to ride to Cal with others? Write a note here in “comments,” or put on AS&R’s Discussion List or Facebook page!

The UC Village Mixed Use Project is on the agenda of tonight’s Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting.
This developers have created a top notch cycling and walking infrastructure to encourage safe walking and cycling to and from the development. The blocks are ringed with cycling paths as well as a path on Monroe down the center and a safer crossing of San Pablo Avenue. This infrastructure will be enjoyed by those using Sprouts and the retail at the development, the residents and visitors at the senior housing facility, those who live in UC Village and other Albany residents.
The full meeting agenda is here, as are links to supporting documents.

Join us for a happy hour at our new location at Grazzy Burgers/Albany Taproom – yes, they have plenty of bike parking! This is our every other month (even-numbered months) informal get-together to talk about all things bike and ped in Albany. It’s a good chance to ask about what the city is up to and what our stance on issues is, and to meet others who are interested in issues related to human-scale transit/active transit.

Everyone is welcome.

Note that this will usually take place right before a Traffic and Safety Commission meeting, and will also be a good chance to talk about anything coming up on their agenda.

The monthly Traffic & Safety Commission Meeting, the Fourth Thursday of every month (other than holiday times, so be sure to check date here,) 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.

The agenda will be posted on the City website here.
Come on down!

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!

Learn to bike safely and confidently with this FREE class!

Want to ride more but don’t feel you quite have the skills?
Here’s a FREE bicycle skills class given by Bike East Bay (formerly East Bay Bicycle Coalition.)
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. For adults and teens, no bike needed.
Every attendee will receive a free reflective vest for participating!

The class is FREE but requires registration, so please register here.

Not many Energizer Stations could boast a Mayor handing out bags and swag. Ours could, as Peggy Thomsen volunteered all morning!
courtesy Nick Pilch

It’s the 21st Annual Bike to Work Day in the Bay Area, a party on wheels!!

As usual, there will be coffee, snacks, swag, bike goodies, the famous Bike to Work Day musette bags, fun and lots of good conversation & information so come on down on your way to work!

Riders were happy to see staff from both Blue Heron Bikes and Wheels of Justice there for safety checks.
courtesy Nick Pilcn

Great news – the staff of Blue Heron Bikes and Berkeley Bikes & Skateboards will be there with work stations checking your bicycles for safety and road-worthiness as they have in previous years! Thanks to Rob, Winston and their co-workers for spending time with us all!

Donations of food and drink have been rolling in from Albany Fresh Produce, Kim’s Café, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Monterey Market, La Farine, Safeway, Andronico’s, La Val’s…more to come, I’m sure!
Thanks to those businesses for supporting the community!

Plenty of food, thanks to the generous supporting local businesses!
courtesy Francesco Papalia

We need help at our Energizer Station (back at its usual location of the Ohlone Greenway and Marin) and preparing for a big celebration.
If you’d like to help out, please contact Nick at nicky@mindspring.com or leave a comment on this post.
Thanks!!

More info at http://ebbc.org/btwd

Share this on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/events/257209727792108/?source=1

Come on down to pedal-power a delicious smoothie and help others do the same!
courtesy: Amy Smolens

Bring your kids to Albany Police Activity League’s Annual Bike Rodeo!

Ken McCroskey, AS&R’s master helmet adjuster and children’s brain guardian, tirelessly applies his craft
courtesy: Francesco Papalia

http://albanypal.net/id27.html

Free bicycle helmets will be given to youth participants.

Rodeo activities will include bike inspections, safety information, and a bicycle safety course. The goal of the bicycle rodeo is to encourage riders to wear helmets on every ride, to give young cyclists basic skills for on-road riding, and to teach them the rules of the road to help keep them safe. This event focuses on young riders in elementary and middle school.
AS&R will again be working with kids, showing them how to ride their bikes safely and responsibly.
We’ll also have our  ”Check for Bikes” clings on hand for parents…and the famous Bicycle Blender so everyone can pedal-power a delicious smoothie!
PLEASE VOLUNTEER: We could definitely use some help running the bike blender station and talking to parents and kids. Any takers, please? If so, please contact Amy Smolens or Ken McCroskey.

School kids learn how to cycle safely and have fun doing it, while following the rules of the road.
courtesy: Peggy McQuaid