Despite being recognized at the “Silver” level by The League of American Bicyclists, Emeryville still ranks fairly low in some key bicycle-friendly metrics. Admittedly, we have a long way to go to make our city truly “Bikable” and our East-West connectivity in particular remains a challenge to safe navigation.

Bike East Bay and Caltrans are both seeking input on improving bike-safety in Emeryville and the entire region. Bike East Bay will be hosting a meeting for members on Monday, March 20th to strategize priorities for our city. Meanwhile, Caltrans has kicked off its own initiative to enact a comprehensive Bicycle Plan and are soliciting initial feedback through an online survey.

East-West Connectivity a Priority?

The Horton-Overland Bike Boulevard and our Greenway provide adequate if not pleasant North to South navigation of our city. East to West navigation is a completely different story if you’re familiar with traversing our town on foot, bike, stroller or wheelchair. The 1.3 mile segment between 40th & 65th contains only a single Bikable way across the tracks – the “pungent” Amtrak bridge elevator ;).

The Powell Street “Four Intersections” remain the most challenging segment within our city and is one of the biggest bottlenecks of the ongoing Bay Trail project. Crossing San Pablo Avenue and the 40th/Horton intersection also remain tops on the list among conversations I’ve had with neighbors.

On a  positive note, planning of the fabled “South Bayfront Bridge” steel tied-arch ped/bike bridge is back underway and expected to begin this year. The bridge would provide a vital connection over the railroad tracks near 53rd to Ohlone Way at Bay Street and encourage neighborhood connectivity. According to the most recent CIP project summary, the design consultant for the $22m project is under contract to update plans and specifications for code changes. Plans to the Union Pacific Railroad and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) are also underway and must be approved before construction can begin.

Emeryville Bike East Bay Member Organizing Meeting

Join Bike East Bay members who live and work in Emeryville to strategize about priority bike improvement opportunities and organize to build public support for their rapid implementation. Pizza and drinks will be provided.

We want to hear your ideas on where to focus our work on Emeryville bike improvements. Which north-south streets and east-west streets are your highest priority streets for bikeways? Also think about in what ways city staff can be more empowered to build out a bikeway network in Emeryville.

We have invited new Emeryville City Councilmembers Ally Medina and John Bauters to join us and contribute to the conversation.

WHEN: Monday, March 20th from 6 – 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Doyle Street Cohousing Common House
5514 Doyle Street, Emeryville, CA 94608

RSVP for this meeting online →
Become a Bike East Bay Member →

Caltrans District 4 Bike Plan

The Caltrans District 4 Bicycle Plan will be a visionary and comprehensive planning document to improve safety and mobility for bicyclists on and across the State transportation network in the Bay Area region.

We want your input! Please take a moment to complete a brief survey. This survey is one of your opportunities to help shape the bicycle network in your local community and the Bay Area region. The survey is available in English and Spanish.

View the Plan and take the online survey →

City of Emeryville Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan & Implementation Strategy

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