InBerkeley

No, that isn’t Berkeley. It’s the bicycle nirvana of Amsterdam, where in addition to cycle-friendly streets there is ample, secure parking for bikes. We wrote yesterday about an important step in advancing Berkeley’s bike-friendliness, with the commitment to an improved bike store for the Downtown Berkeley BART station. I spoke today to Robert Raburn, executive director of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, about the future of cycling in Berkeley.

InBerkeley What are the key issues for bicycling in Berkeley?

Robert Raburn The three biggest issues everywhere are access, safety and security. Berkeley has done a good job, particularly in implementing the bike boulevard plan. But it doesn’t mean everything is hunkydory. There’s a need for regular tweaking to make Berkeley a place that continues to encourage bicyclists.

IB Has the city been helpful?

RR The council and mayor have been responsive. The mayor walks everywhere and he’s proud of it. You don’t find that in a lot of cities. We had a good showing at the council’s December meeting [when plans for the Downtown bike store were approved]. Bicycle advocacy is alive and well in Berkeley.

We want issues like security for bikes to be BART’s responsibility and to be Berkeley’s responsibility. The bike store is funded by BART, Berkeley and Safe Routes to Transit. That’s beautiful. We’ve been able to achieve this cooperation. But it’s taken since 2005 to get here.

IB What’s next?

RR We need continued implementation of parking at all three Berkeley BART stations. They are all high-theft stations. North Berkeley is jammed with bikes, and there’s a lot of theft.

There are also issues with the Ohlone Greenway. The seismic retrofit on BART will disrupt travel on the Greenway. We want to make sure there’s a replacement design. And we’re looking to extend it south.

The major issue, however, is to really make all of our streets bike friendly. You have real black spots like Gilman near the freeway. There’s been some progress on bike lanes, but cyclists need better access to the sports fields on the other side of the freeway.

IB Are there any specific events coming up?

RR The EBBC is providing valet bike parking at the July 4th event at the Berkeley Marina. People will love that.

Photo by Saitor from Flickr

Green

Deer in the headlights

You never know what you’re going to come upon while walking the secret paths in the Berkeley hills. Like a real-life game of Chutes & Ladders, these paths lead you to interesting spots you may not have known existed. It’s not unusual for me to find a family of deer resting in my backyard, especially later in the season when the fruit trees are full.

General