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Three quick bikey stories to start out your weekend.
People Protected Bike Lane Protest Hits the Bayview
Cyclists riding down Bayshore Boulevard near the Hairball had a pleasant surprise during Thursday evening's commute--a People-Protected Bike Lane (PPBL) set up by advocates demanding safer infrastructure.
"This was the first PPBL action in D10 and people REALLY appreciated it," wrote Matt Brezina, one of the organizers of the People Protected Bike Lane protests, in an email to Streetsblog. "I think a lot of people who bike in D10 feel exceedingly threatened by high-speed cars and feel under-investment in safe infrastructure from SFMTA."
"A lot of passing motorists were honking in support of our action out there. A surprisingly super high energy show of support from an unlikely quarter: motorists," wrote John Entwistle, one of the protesters.
Brezina added that Bayshore's bike lane needs physical protection, such as cement or water-filled Jersey barriers. Also in attendance at the protest: D10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. "I think Shamann is going to be a real ally," said Brezina. "He likes riding bikes. He has heard from lots of constituents who use bikes for transportation. And he appears to really care about pedestrian and bike-rider safety. He was asking lots of good questions like 'why didn't they put the bike lane next to the curb here?'"
Oakland DOT Releases Draft of its Bike Plan for Comment
Oakland, which only got its first protected bike lane in 2016 on just a half-mile of Telegraph, is looking to build around 40 miles more in the next few years--plus another 20 or so off-street cycle paths, according to the Department of Transportation's recently released draft bike plan. The plan also identifies dangerous intersections and community cycle routes in need of safety upgrades.
The plan lays out a blueprint for at least $41 million in bicycle projects, which, according to the report, will come from a variety of sources, including Measure KK, grants from Caltrans, and private investments.
Good news for cycling advocates. But the plan is 129 pages, and Bike East Bay's Rob Prinz would like to see the comment period extended, to give people more time to read through it and react. "The plan was released on April 1st, and then only searchable via the city's website as of today," wrote Prinz in an email to Streetsblog. "The April 15 deadline for comments feels very short (especially since Bike East Bay and a bunch of other partners have an event scheduled on April 17 to discuss the plan). That said, he seemed to like what he's read so far. "The survey and demographics information, the details on the outreach team and how the plan was sourced, and the programming recommendations are all very impressive," he added. "I hope this plan will help to set a new standard in going beyond lines on a map, to also focus on the cultural and social aspects of bicycling, and services to support transportation needs on a neighborhood level."
Adaptive Bike Program for Oakland
GoBike, working with the Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP), will pilot a weekend program next month to provide "adaptive" bikes for disabled riders. The pilot will be held somewhere on Lake Merritt (exact spot to be determined). BORP staff will be on-hand to fit, train and help riders use the adaptive bikes.
“OakDOT is committed to making all of our shared mobility programs accessible, regardless of physical ability,” said OakDOT Director Ryan Russo, in a prepared statement. “Through this pilot program with BORP and Lyft [which operates the Bay Areas GoBike program], we are greatly increasing the number of Oaklanders who have access to bicycles for recreation. At the conclusion of this program, we will make recommendations for how to turn this pilot into a successful long term program.”
“Providing bike share services to the disabled community is a key goal for our commission. This pilot concept has been over a year in development and we are very pleased and excited to see the results of our collective efforts come to fruition,” said Frank Sperling, Vice-Chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities for the City of Oakland, also in a prepared statement.
