NEWSLETTER OF THE EAST BAY BICYCLE COALITION WWW.EBBC.ORG VOLUME 35 NO. 8 AUGUST 2005 rideOn The SR4 Bypass Barrier Out in eastern CoCoCo, where new houses sprout like weeds, SR 4 Bypass cuts a diagonal alignment from the Antioch Bridge southeast through Brentwood. As yet, only a two-lane route has been completed between Lone Tree Way and Balfour Road. That route severed an existing E-W bikeway on old Sand Creek Road. Nevertheless, the EIR for the project calls for crossings to be completed at the three intersecting trails: Marsh Creek, Delta DeAnza, and the Mokelumne Aqueduct. We also secured access to ride on the SR4 Bypass shoulder back in 2001. Two problems loom on the horizon as the Bypass Authority prepares to hand over the facility to Caltrans on December 31, 2007. First, despite the recent completion of the Mokelumne Aqueduct Trail from Pittsburg up to the SR4 Bypass right-of-way, we cannot find any evidence that a crossing is included in the plans for the facility to be handed over on the State Route 24 Bypass forms a barrier to the recently completed segment of the Mokelumne Trail in Brentwood. eve of 2008. Jim Townsend, Trails Manager for the East Bay Regional Parks District joined victims that lack any transportation mode EBBC members in peering though chain link choices. fence, across the highway to the new Brent- wood subdivisions on the other side of the road. The EBBC made the SR4 Bypass one of our 7 Furthermore, 2008 represents the year that the major campaign issues for 2005. Beside the route will become a full-fledged freeway, end- recent site visit, we raised the issue with Cal- ing bicycle access on this important corridor. trans at the most recent quarterly BAC meeting. Without taking extreme out-of-direction travel, California’s Streets & Highways Codes no other route beside SR4 Bypass affords bicy- Section 888. The department shall not clists a direct N-S connection from Antioch and construct a state highway as a freeway that Oakley to Brentwood. We must plan now to will result in the severance or destruction of accommodate bicyclists over AND along the an existing major route for nonmotorized SR4 Bypass corridor. Further access interrup- transportation traffic and light motorcycles, tion would represent an obscene violation of unless it provides a reasonable, safe, and State codes. convenient alternate route or such a route exists. Already, the “improvements” at an outlying shopping center on Lone Tree near a future Section 888.2. The department shall also interchange have conspired to make the street incorporate nonmotorized transportation unfriendly to bicyclists. Each new occupied facilities in the design of freeways on the home in the area represents another family of state highway system along corridors where nonmotorized facilities do not exist. NEXT MEETING begins on Tuesday, August 16 at 7:30pm at the Rockridge branch of the Oakland Public Library, 5366 College Ave at Manila. 2. rideOn August 2005 shop owners, advocates, club riders – should be East Bay TEA-LU Update New Transportation proud that our efforts convinced members of Con- gress that when America bikes, America benefits,” The project list submitted by Representative Barbara Bill Will Help More says Tim Blumenthal, Executive Director of Bikes Lee was particularly impressive. Over half of her $16 Belong, the coalition representing the bicycle indus- million in earmark proposals directly benefit bicy- Americans Walk and try that has provided primary funding for America clists, pedestrians, or transit users. The Coliseum Bikes. BART to Bay Trail ($900,000) project promises to overcome the rail and I-880 barriers faced by Coli- Bike As in any legislation, the final bill fell short of reach- seum neighbors and BART passengers (also Capitol ing all of America Bikes’ goals. In the final days of Train) in reaching not just the Bay Trail, but the The final federal transportation bill approved by House-Senate negotiation the Senate’s Fair Share for Edgewater Business Park, entry-level jobs along both the House and Senate will launch a new Safe Safety provision was removed, which would have Hegenberger, and the Oakland Airport job center. The Routes to School program, and strengthen existing required states to spend their safety funds in propor- Coliseum station joins MacArthur, Fruitvale, and programs that will make it safer and easier for mil- tion to bicycle and pedestrian deaths. Today most West Oakland BART/Transit Village developments lions of Americans to bicycle and walk. “This bill states spend only a tiny fraction of those funds on for intermodal bus/bicycle and pedestrian improve- will help states provide substantial benefits for non-motorized safety, despite bicyclist and pedestrian ments ($3 million). Ashby BART will receive $3 mil- adults and children who ride bicycles, and this will fatality rates averaging 13 percent. Another disap- lion for intermodal and ADA improvements. benefit America as a whole – by helping people pointment was the Senate’s defeat, by a slim margin, Emeryville Amtrak gets $1 million. Unincorporated avoid traffic congestion, by producing less air pol- of a provision that would have required the construc- areas of Alameda County get $1 million for side- lution, and by helping more Americans lead active, tion of complete streets – roads that safely serve all walks. Even the highway earmarks may bear fruit. healthy lives,” says Andy Clarke, President of the users. We will certainly watch to insure that access is Board of America Bikes and Executive Director of “Despite these disappointments, we are confident that improved at Berkeley’s Gilman interchange ($1.5 the League of American Bicyclists. we have established bipartisan momentum for doing million). The same holds true with Oakland’s $2.5 million for I-880 from High St to I-980—the same The new Safe Routes to School program, champi- more to make all of our streets safe for bicycling and section of town with the worst waterfront access. In oned by Representative James Oberstar of Minne- walking,” says Clarke. A number of other provisions Walnut Creek, Representative Ellen Tauscher sota, is funded at $612 million over 5 years and will also help improve the environment for people included $800,000 for a “connector pathway” that in will help make it safe and convenient for children who bicycle and walk; please check out our website reality will widen a sidewalk adjacent to Ygnacio to walk to school. Grants administered by state regularly for additional information on all the provi- Valley Road—primarily on the north side where a Departments of Transportation will allow commu- sions. This information will be updated as details narrow four-foot sidewalk is the only existing path nities to build sidewalks, fix hazards, and slow become available. west of John Muir Hospital. EBBC representative traffic near schools while increasing safety -America Bikes John Ruzek noted that he looks forward to the Walnut through focused enforcement and education pro- www.americabikes.org Creek BAC review of any proposed design. grams. A smaller new program, the Non-Motor- ized Transportation Pilot Program, will grant each of four designated communities $6.2 million annu- ally over 4 years to develop comprehensive net- works for bicycling and walking. The intent is to demonstrate the potential of such networks to shift travel patterns. The bill, known as the Safe, Accountable, Flexi- ble, Efficient Transportation Equity Act-Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), also strengthens three existing programs of importance to bicycling: Transportation Enhancements, Congestion Mitiga- tion and Air Quality (CMAQ), and Recreational Trails. The Transportation Enhancements program has been a primary source of funding for multi-use trails and other facilities, and funding for the pro- gram is set at approximately $3.5 billion over 5 years. CMAQ helps communities improve air quality with non-polluting solutions. This program will be available in more communi- ties and funding is set at about $8.6 billion over 5 years. The Recreational Trails program uses off- road vehicle fuel taxes to build trails; it will receive a higher portion of the revenue from those taxes, receiving $370 million over five years, $100 million more than the original allocation in the last bill, TEA-21. “Everyone who contributed funds or contacted their members of Congress – bicycle suppliers, On behalf of EBBC members, Robert Raburn thanks Representative Barbara Lee for her support of bike and transit projects. August 2005 rideOn 3. SHORT REPORTS PARK & RIDE LOCKERS – A report on over the coming month. Of course on-board bicy- vancy, a nonprofit trails & greenways organiza- Bike to Work Day from a Pinole commuter to cle access and secure bicycle parking at the 6 or 7 tion, seeks a Trail Development Manager for Oakland who wanted to use a bike locker near proposed stations will be major goals. Transporta- the Western Regional Office (in San Francisco) SR4 and Sycamore, uncovered that nobody tion environmental issues we are likely to raise to support communities in their trail planning could locate the locker keys — or even who include: walkable communities within ½ mile of efforts by providing technical assistance, con- was responsible for the lockers! After EBBC stations and a dense network of bikeways within 2 ducting public outreach & training workshops, raised the issue at our July quarterly meeting miles; elimination of freeway and railroad barriers and building relationships with local agencies, with Caltrans (CTD4BAC), Caltrans staff have to station access; grade crossing safety; and miti- stakeholders, and allied organizations in the assembled a proposal to augment bike parking gated construction disruption to existing bike- recreation, alternative transportation, health and embark on marketing the long forsaken ways. Diesel engine emissions represent an air and conservation fields.