SF please build housing. I was just outbid on a 5th place in the East Bay neighborhood where I’ve rented 20 years, this time by a tech worker w 60% down on at least $1.1M. What my partner & I hoped to be an expansion to live in w my senior mom, will be his hot tub bachelor pad.
The “Parking Control Officers are cops” angle isn’t just incorrect, it’s actively harmful to anti-policing efforts. PCOs in most cities don’t carry guns, they don’t have the authority to arrest, and they’re not represented by police unions.
🙄Looks like we’re doing this again…
1) Don’t use or purchase/install bike racks w a design that hides the mounting hardware.
2) Don’t use or purchase/install bike racks w a narrow “foot” or bottom profile that can be used as a fulcrum like this.
Parklet smashed by hit-run driver in Downtown Oakland on Webster between 19th & 17th Streets. This road should’ve been dieted down to one through lane for cars eons ago. The amount of speed needed to do this should be made physically impossible.
Oakland’s West Street safety project is testing out these raised intersections at a few school & bikeway xing locations. By keeping the raised part in the middle there was no drainage or concrete work needed, keeping it low cost & delivered via routine paving. What do you think?
Yesterday I reported a center flex post that had been knocked down at the entrance to the Doyle Street cycletrack, and it was replaced today. Emeryville is from another planet.
Ban double turn lanes. Ban slip turn lanes. Ban diagonal curb ramps. Ban missing crosswalk legs at controlled intersections. Ban pedestrian signal actuation in urban areas. Ban street designs that prioritize car movements ahead of human lives.
Dear every driver complaining about road diets: We literally bulldozed whole neighborhoods full of people to build urban freeways so you could zip through our cities at high speed and no charge. What more do you want? What more do you fucking want?
Emeryville’s newest park has everything: A bike-through building, a playground, a community garden, a bathroom, drinking fountains, a lawn, a jogging path, a basketball court, bike racks, public art, exercise equipment, a dog park, lots of seating & greenery.
A father was killed in front of their children, by a hit-run driver on a corridor that was awarded $10.5M for safety upgrades in 2016, but not yet built. I am furious. I have no other words.
No, CA state law does not say that people on bikes should “should ride as close as possible to the edge of the roadway”. The actual text is provided below.
Citing the law incompletely & incorrectly is misinformation & contributes to the dangerous status quo on our roadways.
As we roll into spring & summer months, OPD would like to remind our community members we all need to share the roadways.
Whether you are on a bike, a car, or a pedestrian, collectively, we should all be the best versions of ourselves on the roadway.
When drivers complain about street safety projects they’re often telling on themselves.
“The street is less safe now” = “It’s not as comfortable for me to speed there anymore”.
“There are many close calls” = “I now see & yield to people biking/walking who I used to cut off”.
#SB400
has been signed into law by Gov Newsom. This means low-income Californians will now be able to trade in a high polluting car & get a voucher for an e-bike or bike share!
If you are a bike advocate, planner, or engineer, I recommend riding your bike and following all traffic laws to the letter at least some of the time. This enables you to better understand what the intended design experience is, what’s broken, and how to fix it.
I’m very sad to report that 86-year old Joe Shami, well-loved by the community & famous for his 600+ consecutive weekly bike rides to the Mt Diablo summit, passed away after being hit by a driver in the Olympic roundabout in Lafayette yesterday. Rest in peace, Joe.
Lakeshore Ave in Oakland was last paved in 2010, & this is what it looks like now. Some people claim that bike infrastructure is a waste of money, but stuff like this makes me wonder if it pays for itself via reduced maintenance cost alone (nevermind all the other benefits).
Emeryville’s bike-through-building at the west end of 45th Street is nearly complete, with new housing & a beautiful public plaza space awaiting beyond, and a new park + trail connecting to the Bayfront Bridge coming next.
@RaburnForBART
enjoy!
Richmond CA is getting into more quick-build traffic calming, including two mini roundabouts installed using temporary materials as part of a recent routine paving project. Road striping was also installed after this photo was taken.
Requiring a detailed community process in order to make changes to a street, but not for maintaining a car-centric status quo, is problematic. As long as existing conditions are treated as a default, solutions to our traffic safety & climate crises will proceed at a snails pace.
Woah woah woah!
@LibbySchaaf
just announced
#OaklandSlowStreets
closures around town to create more space for biking and walking! Initial potato quality map below.
If SF moves forward on a publicly owned bike share system, but for themselves only & not regional, I might lose it. Such a move would basically kill bike share in the East Bay, which has less transit density than SF & an even greater need for affordable last mile connections.
Could it be that some Americans are obsessed with AVs & hyperloop because we’re trying to convince ourselves we are on the cutting edge, not admitting that other countries are decades ahead of us with HSR and streets that don’t kill everyone?
@AsherVo
@RedwoodGirl
Same deal w Oakland PD (only 10% live here & 66% aren't even in this county). Not only do they destabilize & victimize local communities, but they also eat up 44% of the entire discretionary budget & siphon it out into other jurisdictions.
@yaboyfacepaulm
@BasedAirman
@SewertownNews
@BillDA
@tomgara
I’d be more accepting of it if more of the officers even lived in our city. Only 10% do, one of the lowest rates in the US, and the majority don’t even live in this county. So we’re paying them higher wages & don’t get the benefit of more local tax revenue.
“Traffic” is people getting around & doing things. It isn’t something that needs to be defeated, it’s a sign of vitality and health of a city and its people. The problem isn’t too much traffic, the problem is too many cars.
The debate people keep pretending is happening: “Banning all cars is an unrealistic fantasy!”
The debate that’s actually happening: Drivers oppose parking removal to enable a protected bikeway if it means they have to walk one block to their free parking. In Berkeley California.
Remember, we will NOT ban cars (except in a few small areas of downtowns).
Electric cars are our only hope for decarbonization of transportation, and that is just a fact.
She also clapped back with “Caltrans needs an awakening if they think that moving Amazon packages is somehow more important than moving children safely through our streets.” 😍
@brooklyn_darren
This is the face of a person who secretly wants to salute you, wondering “when did this become my life, exactly?”, but can’t let on how much he admires your bravado.
It's true. The first photo below is the first ever bike lane in the US, from Davis CA. What's there now is the second photo, in part due to dudes like John Forester who gave traffic engineers an excuse to do as little as possible.
How TF are we talking about 28 miles of dedicated right of way for autonomous shuttles in Eastern Contra Costa w/in 3 to 5 years when we still have zero protected bikeways in the region, and ridiculously hazardous pedestrian infrastructure?
Caltrans D7 director at
#CAbikeSummit
welcome plenary just got up & basically said “Sorry not sorry about
#SB127
. Freight is important, how many of you use Amazon? Gotta have that Prime!”
Fuck. All. The. Way. Off. Times. ♾
Caltrans is planning a new 4-lane highway in eastern Contra Costa County between SR4 & 580, enabling even more disastrous sprawl & siphoning many millions in RM3 funding that is desperately needed for bike/walk/transit investments countywide. Details at
What bike or pedestrian-hostile infrastructure design elements don't get enough attention from advocates, in your opinion? For me it's intersections w missing crosswalk legs, forcing pedestrians to go out of their way just so right turning drivers get a tad less delay.
Apparently everybody wants to read their pet issue into this tweet in an effort to argue with me. I don’t do arguments on twitter. I’m just frustrated & needed to vent. Also SF needs to build more, you can’t convince me otherwise.
The $7 round trip bridge toll for a car full of people will still be $5 less than the transbay bus cost per individual. So I hope anyone outraged by the toll increase is multiple times more outraged by the bus fare.
We did it! My first (hopefully of many) SF to Treasure Island bike ride is a wrap. Beautiful day, beautiful people, loveliness all around. We’re coming for you next Bay Bridge west span!
#RSRBridge
The confidence with which older white people at Berkeley city meetings interrupt others to speak with bold confidence on topics they know little about, really encourages me to chart a different path as I age.
If you are yelling out your car window with opinions about how people should be riding their bikes, you 95% have no idea what you are talking about and 100% aren’t helping.
The step through frame design on the left is very accessible, not clumsy, & fits a wide range of heights. Car sales took off w the Model T, a functional design that was cheap, easy to produce, & worked for a vast array of needs. We need Model T ebikes right now, not Porsches.
I am extremely saddened to share that a bike rider was hit by a car driver at Shattuck/55th St in Oakland on Friday night, and succumbed to their injuries the following day. There have been no reports in the media on this crash yet, but if you have any details please contact me.
I wasn’t expecting to give a shout out to a
@BudLight
truck driver today, but here I am giving a shout out to a Bud Light truck driver. Good job keeping the Oak Street bike lane clear in Oakland, thanks! I wish everyone could be this considerate. 🍻
@forms_surfaces
most of your bike racks have these vulnerabilities. I contacted you a while back about this & never got a response. Please fix your designs.
I’ve heard the excuse “We can’t slow down car traffic, or drivers will get frustrated and start raging” many times. But during the pandemic there has been almost no traffic, and in my experience people are driving even worse than usual.
I remain confused about the level of hyperbolic conspiracy theories some folks confidently claim wrt bike coalitions & safe streets advocates. Nobody is getting rich off this work, what do they actually think the angle is?
It’s another
#SpareTheAir
day & bridge traffic is almost entirely still single drivers in 4+ passenger vehicles. If we are serious about this then make transit free & remove the toll for carpools. Let’s also add a bus lane to the bridge & complete the bike/walk path to SF.
I took 20 “oops you parked in the bike lane” flyers out to Adeline & Hearst today, then came home with 20 because the bike lanes were all clear. Good job Berkeley! 👏
Do you live in the Bay Area, make under $50k, and have a 2005 or older car? This program allows you to trade it in for an up to $7500 ebike purchase or public transit credit.
#CleanCarsforAll
is accepting applications! In addition to trading in older, more polluting cars for an
#electricvehicle
, residents can now use the grant for e-bikes for the whole family, plus accessories like helmets and lights! 🚴🚵♀️🚴♂️
Apply today at .
…to Emeryville, just across the Oakland border! I tried for a lot of spots in Oakland that didn’t work out, but I’m very happy to have found a place nearby. From here I can continue my work, now with even more focus thanks to greater personal housing security.
At tonight’s Emeryville bike/walk committee meeting I learned that the city has decided to do a surprise protected bikeway upgrade on Shellmound St north of 65th St to the Berkeley border, since the road was getting repaved/striped via a railroad quiet zone project anyway.
One of my favorite things about carrying large items by bike is the occasional boost from an astounded/cheering bystander. You don’t get that when moving a sofa by car!
@JohnKingSFChron
Anyone who didn’t have time to criticize the aesthetics of the car dealership lot with an abandoned Googie diner doesn’t get to snipe at the 7-story mixed use development with a protected bikeway, street trees, new signals and a public plaza that replaced it.
Traffic engineers act like an empirical authority on many matters, but in reality they frequently just make up stuff in order to dodge challenging questions. I’ve been at this work long enough to call their bluffs, and yet they still try to gaslight me on the regular.
The road diet & protected bikeway proposed for this location, which a few merchants are opposed to, would eliminate the possibility for these types of sideshows while also making the intersection safer for everyone 24/7. Sign the
@walkoakbikeoak
petition:
Same house in NW Oakland, 2015 vs 2021. Went from 3 beds 1 bath (1382 sq ft) to 4 beds 5 baths (3245 sq ft) but still only a single unit. Listed now at $1.3M, will likely sell for well above that.
It should always be the case in a fatal crash that if one party is found not at fault, and the other party is not found to be criminally negligent, then by definition the infrastructure is the issue & design fixes should be mandated, with funding provided by the state.
BREAKING:
@ContraCostaDA
declines to file charges against driver in San Ramon crash that killed
@nyjets
assistant coach Greg Knapp, who died at hospital days after being struck by vehicle while cycling on Dougherty Rd in July. Decision confirmed this week
Test run of the new, free Oakland-Alameda Estuary water shuttle today. No passengers allowed yet, but official service starts this Weds at 7am!
Details here:
A 15 year old going 15 mph on a 25 pound bike does not have the same level of responsibility as a person driving a car. The difference should be obvious to everyone, but especially to people in public safety communications roles.
@Target
the police officer you hired as private security for your Oakland store at 27th/Broadway is regularly parking in the bike lane, leaving the car unoccupied w engine running & lights on. There is open parking around the corner, please direct them to use safe & legal spots.
One of the most common questions I get as an Oakland housing reporter: "Are there actually people living in those luxury high-rises??"
I tried to get to the bottom of this, and talked to tenants about their experiences in the buildings & living downtown.
Spare the Air days need to come with congestion fees & bridge toll increases, along with free/discounted transit. No more toothless “please don’t drive” PSAs.
Today is my ten year anniversary of getting laid off very unexpectedly from a crappy job that I worked really hard at. So I started putting more volunteer time into bike advocacy, was hired by Bike East Bay within a year, and the old company shut its doors not long after.
A few things your city staff, TDM manager, or local business owner needs to know about bike parking. 1) The capacity of “wave racks” like these are often misrepresented. Functional bike parking is only “1 per bend”, less than advertised.
In 2013 after we won all-hours bike access on board BART trains I remember asking our Bike East Bay ED "So, escalators next?". It took 10 years, but it happened!
Bikes are now allowed on BART escalators. They're a great way to get to and from BART and now we have a guide for how to do it safely, from where to put your wheels to which brake to use.
Oakland’s 30-block West Street project w bike/walk upgrades is nearly complete. Yes fully protected is better, but it’s also impressive what OakDOT was able to accomplish via this routine paving project. Let’s keep raising the bar!
I think a bar owner just banned me for life, for reporting their non-code compliant grid bike rack to the city which is now forcing a replacement. That square was not on my bike advocacy BINGO card.
New hotel at Jefferson/14th St in Dtwn Oakland is now open & serving visitors. It has 276 rooms but almost no car parking. Instead it’s located on the forthcoming 14th St protected bikeway, 1 block from bike share, 3 blocks from BART, & has a bike corral out front w *good* racks!
Today’s best deal for cyclists (and every day) involves turning off your computer and heading over to your local bike shop for service and expertise you can rely on, keeping more tax dollars local for fixing potholes and striping bike lanes.
Drivers are exponentially more likely to injure or kill others. I’m not aware of any incidence of a person biking or walking in Alameda causing the death of another. How about APD spend 1000 months on driver safety issues before maybe doing a few days focused on people biking?
APD has heard the community’s concern regarding cyclists failing to adhere to the rules of the road. During July, we will focus our traffic and educational efforts towards dangerous bicycle that not only place the rider at risk, but pose a danger to other 🚴♂️🚶🚗🛹 (1/2)
Can we get a follow up tweet about drivers “stealing” from cities while abusing disabled placards, blocking bike lanes & sidewalks, and stopping at red curbs instead of feeding the meter, all of which create safety & accessibility issues in addition to lost revenue?
I love how he sees us recording... jumps the gate anyway... and then looks back and makes eye contact.
We’re not doing a fair jumping story today... but clearly the problem on
#BART
continues!
Any help with this
@SFBART
? Police officers are regularly parking in & blocking Oakland's protected intersections around the Lake Merritt station that have been instrumental in improving bike/walk safety stats in the area.
A lot of post-war cities in California were built w wide arterials & an abundance of slip lanes. But the good news is this space can be repurposed to high-quality protected intersections! Here is just one of the 18 intersection conversions (so far) in Fremont CA.
Let’s talk about slip lanes, those right turn lanes that prioritize vehicle speed over safety. As drivers enter slip lanes their eyes are most often looking down the street, searching for an opening in traffic not straight ahead where pedestrians and cyclists may be crossing 1/12
Emeryville’s newest bike/walk trail segment parallel to the train tracks south of 53rd St is now open, featuring a dog park, water fountains, bike racks, a bike repair station, exercise equipment, benches, and more! Access via the bike-through building coming soon!
I know I’m probably going to get backlash for this, but as someone who has been involved in street safety efforts for decades & committed my life to this work, I hope folks will at least heed my concerns.
This day in CEQA absurdity: Construction of an on-street Bay Trail gap closure between Rodeo and the Carquinez Bridge, *through an oil refinery area*, is being held up for several years b/c it doesn't count as an "urbanized area" CEQA bikeway exemption.
@WarrenJWells
"Punish" wrt people driving almost always means delay, whereas for people biking, walking, and rolling the biggest concerns are safety and access. It's hard to have a reasoned debate when these categories of issues are considered equal.
Spending my whole day at an East Bay gov't meeting fighting for *maybe* a *pilot project* so they *might* approve a *paint only* door zone bike lane. Feeling decidedly un-radical today.
I used Berkeley’s new Addison bike blvd xing of MLK Jr Way for the first time today. It really doesn’t work & is super sketchy when a driver in just 1 of the 4 lanes yields & tries to wave you through. Multi-lane xings need full stops. Full stop.
In the midst of all the other news about the A’s, Oakland just won another $15M in state funding for infrastructure upgrades around the Howard Terminal/Jack London Square area.
Also $19.7M for Contra Costa's San Pablo Dam Rd I-80 interchange with protected bikeway upgrades, and $14.9M for Oakland's TOWN Rail Safety Improvement projects which I think is supposed to be pedestrian fencing along Embarcadero, an overpass & maybe a cycletrack.
Imagine having enough money to spend on a billboard and thinking the best thing to do is chide kids for walking, instead of reminding adults in multi-ton cars of their legal obligations.