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

Our free Bicycle Valet Parking service at the Arts & Green Festival is always popular!
photo courtesy Matt McHugh
As AS&R does every year, we will provide FREE bicycle valet parking, sponsored by Bua Luang Thai Cuisine, so you can enjoy the festival without worrying about your bike.
Come visit our booth to find out about what’s going on for cyclists and pedestrians here in Albany!

Street Level Cycles has graciously donated free bike tuneup services at the Arts & Green Festival since 2008
photo courtesy Matt McHugh
For the 7th 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 8th, so here’s a way to help make sure your ride is up and running well.
NEW THIS YEAR – SLC mechanics will give a Free “How to Fix a Flat Tire” Clinic!
Local bike shop Blue Heron has donated some fabulous prizes for our kids’ coloring contest so be sure to bring the kids down!!!
**AS&R NEEDS YOUR HELP TO MAKE THIS A SUCCESS**
CAN YOU PLEASE VOLUNTEER TO HELP US FOR A FEW HOURS? ALL VOLUNTEERS WILL GET A CHIPOTLE BURRITO (THANKS TO EL CERRITO CHIPOTLE) FOR LUNCH AND THE FIRST 15 TO VOLUNTEER WILL GET A SPECIAL COUPON FROM BUA LUANG THAI CUISINE!
We need people to park bikes and work at our table. Please email Amy Smolens to help out!

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!
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
“Study Session on General Plan Transportation Goals & Policies” is one of the agenda items. This is the next in a series of Planning and Zoning Commission Study Sessions on the Albany 2035 General Plan Update. This Study Session will cover the first draft of the General Plan goals and policies for transportation. An opportunity for public comment will be provided.
The Planning & Zoning Commission is being review and provide feedback on the proposed goals and policies… so we hope some of you will review it and give your feedback.
The updated General Plan Transportation Element is at http://albanyca.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=&event_id=290&meta_id=76393
The full agenda is http://albanyca.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?event_id=2e45d59b-d656-405c-bbed-9017eef80205
The City of El Cerrito hosts its Ohlone Greenway Fun Day to celebrate the recent renovation of the Ohlone Greenway, the multi-use trail that runs the length of El Cerrito and through our city of Albany, as well as Richmond & Berkeley.
The event will encourage people of all ages to ride, jog, walk or roll along the Greenway and include activities like a “discovery passport” activity and bicycle obstacle course. The celebration will include music by DJ worldOnelove, informational tables about biking & walking (including AS&R’s table!,) basic bike safety checks, a bicycle obstacle course for kids, gardening and other tips for healthy living, and more!
The festival at the Greenway and Manila Avenue runs from 9:30am- 1pm.
There is also a fun-run and ride:
The course starts at the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station “Willow Street” parking lot and finish at the El Cerrito DMV Parking lot @ Manila Avenue. All routes are along the Ohlone Greenway in El Cerrito. Route distances are approximate. The 5k route has 18 road intersection crossings. The 1 mile route has 6 road intersection crossings. Participants should use caution at all crossings.
*Riders (approx 5km) will begin at 9:15am – All riders must wear a helmet.
*Runners (approx 5km route) will begin at 9:45am
*Walkers (approx 1mile route) will begin at 10:00 am
This is a fun event, not a race. All abilities welcome!
Register here now to ride, run or walk! Same-day registration begins at 8:45 am.
The first 50 people to register will receive a free t-shirt.
If you’re not going to do the fun run, walk or ride, just come on by the Festival between 9:30am – 1pm!
I could use a few VOLUNTEERS to help me at the table – if you’d like to help at our table (especially if you live or work in El Cerrito,) please contact me (Amy Smolens) – thanks so much!
Do you ride in or through El Cerrito? Yup, me too!
Want a San Pablo Avenue that is safer for your and your family to ride? I thought so!
El Cerrito is moving forward into the ‘feasibility’ phase of designing bikeways on San Pablo Avenue and is proposing protected bikeways in the Midtown area of El Cerrito between its two BART stations. Bike East Bay helped secure a Safe Routes to Transit grant for El Cerrito for this design work. As good as it promises to be, this project needs to be complete.
The City of El Cerrito recently released a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that covers plans specific to San Pablo Avenue. The document is open for public review until July 21, 2014. The proposal is a comprehensive document that outlines infrastructure modifications to the main commercial thoroughfare through the city; chapter 3 covers the Complete Streets plan. Comments on the Draft Specific Plan should be emailed to Melanie Mintz, the Interim Community Development Director, detailed information concerning the plan and how to submit comments can be found on the city website. We urge you to voice support of a formal bicycle lane, as opposed to sharrows, in the uptown section of San Pablo Avenue. Bicycle lanes provide street safety for all users, forming a link between public transit, businesses, and residences.
Wednesday, July 9 is the first in a series of Public Meetings and your first opportunity to weigh in supporting the plan.
By the way, EC City Hall has secure BikeLink lockers for you to use!
Do you ride in or through El Cerrito? Yup, me too!
Want a San Pablo Avenue that is safer for your and your family to ride? I thought so!

Want protected bike lanes on San Pablo Avenue? Go to one of the El Cerrito meetings and speak up or write a letter! You have until the end of the day July 21 to do so.
El Cerrito is moving forward into the ‘feasibility’ phase of designing bikeways on San Pablo Avenue and is proposing protected bikeways in the Midtown area of El Cerrito between its two BART stations. Bike East Bay helped secure a Safe Routes to Transit grant for El Cerrito for this design work. As good as it promises to be, this project needs to be complete.
The City of El Cerrito recently released a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that covers plans specific to San Pablo Avenue.
THE DOCUMENT IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC REVIEW & COMMENT UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY JULY 21, 2014 SO IF YOU WANT TO PROVIDE INPUT, NOW’S THE TIME .
The proposal is a comprehensive document that outlines infrastructure modifications to the main commercial thoroughfare through the city; chapter 3 covers the Complete Streets plan. Comments on the Draft Specific Plan should be emailed to Melanie Mintz, the Interim Community Development Director, detailed information concerning the plan and how to submit comments can be found on the city website. We urge you to voice support of a formal bicycle lane, as opposed to sharrows, in the uptown section of San Pablo Avenue. Bicycle lanes provide street safety for all users, forming a link between public transit, businesses, and residences.
Wednesday, July 16 is the 2nd in a series of Public Meetings and a good opportunity to weigh in supporting the plan. This one is a Planning Commission meeting, so will likely include discussion of the sidewalk interface with private development, plan & site layout requirements and parking requirements, including bicycle parking.
By the way, EC City Hall has secure BikeLink lockers for you to use!
**Again, the plan is open for public review and comment and is available on the City’s website at www.El-Cerrito.org/SPASP. Public comment will close next Monday, July 21st at the end of the day. There are also hard copies available at the Richmond City Hall, Richmond Library, El Cerrito City Hall and El Cerrito Library. So give your input!
Albany Strollers & Rollers is excited to be teaming with our neighbors to the north, Rich City Rides, to provide FREE Bicycle Valet Parking at the two-day Berkeley Kite Festival.
Come on down and enjoy the Festival where the earth, wind, and sky combine to create an unequaled festival experience. Food, music, arts & crafts, a new “kids’ zone,” food – and yes… plenty of kites!! Lots to do for the whole family!
During the past 29 years, the Berkeley Kite Festival has developed a soaring reputation as one of the premier free family festivals on the West Coast.
And we’ll take care of your bicycle while you and your family enjoy all the activities the BKF has to offer! We’re expecting 1000 bikes over the course of the weekend so come join the fun.
Want to help out? We can still use a few volunteers to help park bikes – the cool thing is that you get to see the kites flying while you’re at our table!
Thanks.