On June 30th, Oakland City Council approved Council President McElhaney's 2015-2017 budget, which included $1.5 Million towards funding for a new Department of Transportation. As of now transportation projects are worked on by both the Department of Public Works and Planning Department, resulting in a fragmented planning and implementation process for projects. This budget will create several new staff positions to develop complete street projects, vet them with the public, and secure funding to construct them. The new DOT will bring more rapid development, approval, and construction of street redesigns. Our next push is to form the new DOT right away and help Oakland secure up to $200 million in countywide discretionary grants being awarded in spring 2016.
Keep your eye on our Facebook, Twitter, and Website for updates as the DOT forms and takes to the streets!
We have been out in force at the Grand Lake Farmers Market and its clear what people want to see along Grand Avenue. As seen on the right, the people have spoken, parking protected bikeways are by far the most popular option being studied by the city for the redesign of Grand through the Grand Lake District.
Where do we go from here? Tomorrow evening's Community Meeting is a great start! We will be at Barnett Hall, 3534 Lakeshore Ave, from 7 to 9 PM relaying our results from outreach at Farmers Market. We need volunteer help tomorrow from 5 to 7 PM distributing fliers along Grand and reminding commuters about the meeting and project.
We hope to see you there, but if you can't attend email the cityand let them know how you feel about the road diet and protected bikeways along Grand Avenue. The city will be accepting comments on the project by email until July 15th.
We are very excited about the momentum building for these exciting changes for A Better Grand Avenue!
How a good cup of coffee can change a neighborhood
For the past fourteen years Sal Bednarz has been living and working in Oakland’s Golden Gate neighborhood, comforted by the neighborhood feel and the unique diversity of his neighbors. He can usually be found behind the coffee bar at Actual Café, chatting up his neighbors.
Bednarz opened Actual Café in 2009 and with bike friendly extras like indoor bike parking, bicycle art shows, and hosting an annual Bike To Work Day Energizer Station, Actual Café quickly became a hot spot for local cyclists to retire their pedals for a pint. Actual Café won the Bike East Bay Bike-Friendly Business Award in 2010.
“This became a defining characteristic of Actual Café and has won us the support of cyclists and cycling organizations,” said Bednarz.
But Actual Café is more than just a hub for cyclists. Bednarz’s main focus for the café is to serve as a meeting place for neighborhood folks, a place to get comfortable, enjoy a great bite to eat and just relax.
Due to an overlap with other Downtown Oakland Bike Tours, we've changed the date for our Wheels + Walls tour. Join us Sunday, August 9th for Wheels + Walls, a fabulous artsy bike ride through Oakland to gawk at the fantastic murals and learn about the history of our community through the art it has inspired. The ride will meet at 10 AM at the large mural on the corner of 14th and Alice St and the tour will last approximately two hours. Lead by our very own Christopher Ulrich, you’re sure to come away feeling newly connected to Oakland’s diverse community with some awesome conversation for your next house party! The ride is free for members, $10 donation for non-members, or discounted membership signup ($25/year) and you can join us on this wonderful tour of our city's public artwork. Save yourself a spot now. Other opportunities to have way too much fun with your feet! 7/11 – Oakland Urban Paths Walk (2nd Saturday every month) 7/18 – BBQ + Bikes Savory Ride II with Bike East Bay 7/19 – Oakland on Two Wheels: OMCA Bike Tour 7/25 – Pedalfest at Jack London Square 7/19 –Wheels + Walls Mural Ride
The City of Oakland is creating a new Pedestrian Master Plan and they want to hear from you! The plan will define specific steps to improve the safety and walkability of streets and pathways throughout Oakland. To let the City know what you think works best about walking in Oakland and what sorts of improvements you would recommend, please complete the online survey by August 31, 2015. The draft Plan is expected in early 2016, with the final version to be published in April 2016.
For questions about the Oakland Pedestrian Master Plan or the planning process please contact Christina Blackston at cblackston@oaklandnet.com or 510-238-6657.
Looking to stay busy this summer? There are tons of great events and happenings around The Town and we need your help! Below is a shortlist of where we need some volunteer help:
A Better Grand Ave outreach: Volunteers are needed to help with outreach to businesses and neighbors. Share the City's andWOBO's fliers on the project, email your comments to the City, and attend the community outreach meeting on July 8th (thats tomorrow!).
Outreach for New Protected Bike Lanes on Telegraph Avenue: August 2015, Volunteers are needed as on-street bike ambassadors, handing out good parking awards to drivers who correctly use new parking-protected bike lanes on Telegraph Ave, giving heads-up to people bicycling about the new lane designs next to the curb, and signing up new members to build support for continuing the bike lanes all the way to UC Berkeley.
Oaktown Throwdown BBQ Competition: August 1, 2015, Volunteers are needed to help serve BBQ samples to the public at the Oaktown Throwdown BBQ Competition, part of the Art + Soul Festival in Downtown Oakland. 2-hour shifts handing out 2-ounce samples of delicious smoked BBQ. It's a fundraiser for our advocacy efforts and we'll feed you too! Saturday, August 1, 11AM-7PM.
Bike Rides/Walking tours: We are planning lots of bike and walking tours throughout the summer! Do you have any ideas on themes, locations, and/or guides for rides? We are taking suggestions, let us know!
Love Our Lake Day: Join our community planning team or sign up to volunteer on the day of the event. There is serious fun to be had, you'll WANT to be part of the action. Sign up hereto join the team today!
Sticker Contest: Vote for your favorite slogan for our new stickers! After much deliberation and long hours filled with laughter we have selected the finalists for our Great Sticker Contest! Visit our Facebook (or just click the sticker picture below) to cast your vote! Do it now!
If you're interested in joining our wonderful volunteer team send us an email!
Alameda County Meals on Wheels (ACMOW) is organizing their 7th Annual Meals for Wheels Ride (WFMR) and needs a Ride Coordinator! This much-loved and well-supported fundraising event is perfect for avid cyclists, recreational riders and families alike. WFMR features 15, 35 and 70 mile routes to accommodate all levels. It launches from Shadow Cliffs Park in Pleasanton and ends with a lakeside celebration and BBQ lunch.
To reach the ambitious goals of this ride, ACMOW is seeking temporary, contract assistance in the following areas:
Engaging local corporations and businesses (sponsorships, teams and volunteers);
Recruiting participants and volunteers (recruiting, orienting, training and logistics);
Day-of-event logistics assistance.
Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communications required. Knowledge of/connection to the local cycling community is a huge plus. ACMOW seeks a professional with a strong customer-service orientation who is accountable, detail-oriented, well-organized, creative, tenacious, and adaptable. This contract position works mostly from home, but in-office and community meetings will occasionally be required. ACMOW is located near Oakland Airport in a building with ample free parking.
TO APPLY
Send a customized cover letter and resume to recruitment@feedingseniors.org. When describing your event experience, be sure to highlight key event figures such as: 1) sponsorship dollars raised 2) numbers of volunteers/ teams/riders recruited and 3) the overall amount raised for the event. Explain your level of involvement in both pre-event and day-of-event coordination. Please state your per hour rate or total project amount. Please, no phone calls.
The City of Oakland is creating a new Pedestrian Master Plan and they want to hear from you! The plan will define specific steps to improve the safety and walkability of streets and pathways throughout Oakland. To let the City know what you think works best about walking in Oakland and what sorts of improvements you would recommend, please complete the 