Issues and Campaigns

Active Issues

• Berkeley Climate Action Plan: Bicycles have a vital part to play in reducing the greenhouse gas emission mandated by Measure G. The City has adopted it's Climate Action Plan, but implementation is slow due to staff and funding challenges. The Plan states that the most effective thing a Berkeley resident can do to help is "reduce one trip a week with walking, bicycling or transit."
• Hearst Avenue Bike Lanes: we are pushing the City and the University to prioritize striping bike lanes on the two-block section of Hearst Avenue, between Shattuck and Arch. New bike lanes here would connect existing bike lanes from the West to the Arch Street connection to the University's north-south on-campus bikeway. This Project is part of a List of Projects approved by the City and The University, but the next step is for the City and The University to start prioritizing the List.
• Streets and Open Space Improvement Plan: the City and University are envisioning grand changes for the downtown area as part of the Downtown Area Plan. More greenery and open space, bike lanes on Hearst, Fulton, and Milvia and several new pedestrian plazas are planned. Check our SOSIP Page.
• Tunnel Road Bike Lanes: we have secured a commitment from neighborhood groups in the Tunnel Road area to include bike lanes on Tunnel Road as a mitigation project for the Caldecott Tunnel 4th Bore Project. Caltrans has allocated $2 Million to the City of Berkeley to pay for traffic and construction mitigation projects in the City, and BFBC is prioritizing the Tunnel Road Bike Lanes and an improved, safe crossing of the Hillgass Bicycle Boulevard-Ashby intersection.
• Hillgass Bicycle Boulevard-Ashby intersection improvements The City is considering improving this intersection as part of the Caldecott Tunnel 4th Bore Project mitigations. The goal is to design a crossing of Ashby that does not attract traffic to Hillegass, yet which provides a crossing that is safe for pedestrians and bicyclists.
• Ninth Street Bicycle Boulevard connection to Emeryville.
  The Bicycle Subcommittee reviewed initial design plans on January 28 for the "Phase 2" interim project to complete the Ninth Street Bicycle Boulevard with Doyle Street in Emeryville. Initials designs include advance bike boxes at 9th Street and Ashby, new sidewalks along 9th Street, and two blocks of linear pathway connecting at the Emeryville border with Doyle. There may also be public art along the side of a new Fire Warehouse building being constructed as part of the project's funding. This project has been almost 10 years in the making, but is nearing the finish line. Please join us at the upcoming meeting to see the initial project designs. Listen to Scott Mace's podcast of the meeting at:

• Sante Fe Right-of-Way PathwayThe City completed the linear park/pathway between University and Delaware 4 years ago and has recently received a State Bicycle Transportation Account grant to finish the connection between Delaware Street and the Ohlone Greenway near Cedar-Rose Park.
• The Alameda Bike Lanes: The City is studying doing a "road diet" on the 6-block stretch of The Alameda, between Hopkins and Solano Avenue. The project is a neighborhood project, not a bike project, with the goals of slowing traffic, improving pedestrian safety, and making it easier for neighbors to get into and out of their driveways. The good news is that a road diet will achieve all of these goals and provide space for new bike lanes. An initial public meeting was held on January 20 and there was strong neighborhood support for the project, but there certainly were neighbors of nearby streets who were concerned about traffic diversion. Staff are studying the concerns expressed and possible solutions and will schedule a public hearing on the Project before the Transportation Commission in the coming months.
• UC Long Range Development Plan, including links to news items, a call to action, and points to make (last updated 2007-03-27).
• Bicycle Parking and Bicycle Racks: the City is currently installing hundreds of new bike racks all over the City and has developed an on-call contract with bike rack installation companies to install even more new bike racks in the future. If you would like a bike rack installed in front of a business or other destination, contact the City Bicycle Planner Eric Anderson.
• Derby Street Playing Fields and possible Derby Street closure between Milvia and MLK. Information provided by BFBC member Pam Webster. (last updated 2007-03-27).

This area contains detailed information on various bicycle issues and open questions facing Berkeley. Our intent is that even if an issue becomes dormant, we will retain the information here for future reference.

See also our separate page with BFBC's formal positions and statements on various issues.

We make no pretense of completeness here! If you have material on other local bike issues you would like to see posted here, let us know. Currently, we have information on the following: