Featured events- 08/28/2013 - Free Outdoor Screening in the BAM/PFA Sculpture Garden
- 08/27/2013 - MARK EPSTEIN / The Trauma of Everyday Life
- 08/24/2013 - The goat Rodeo Sessions
- 08/03/2013 - Book Signing and Discussion with Dave Kehr, followed by The Lawless Breed
- 06/24/2013 - BERKELEY PRIDE 365! First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage…
Tag Archives: Berkeley cycling
Berkeley set for $12.7m in downtown transport grants
Berkeley expects to get $12.7 million in grant funding for changes to BART Plaza, Shattuck Avenue and Hearst Street that should make life easier for people using the Downtown BART station and buses, biking to campus and even just driving through the center of town.
On Thursday, May 23, the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) voted unanimously on an initial approval of the city’s grant proposals for the three transit projects. Construction could begin in 2015, said Matt Nichols, principal transportation planner for the city. … Continue reading »
Tagged AC Transit, Acheson Commons, Alameda County Transportation Commission, BART, Berkeley cycling, Berkeley Lab, Dave Campbell, Downtown Area Plan, Downtown Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley Association, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, Hearst Avenue Complete Streets Improvements, John Caner, Laurie Capitelli, Matt Nichols, Measure B, OneBayArea Grant, UC Berkeley
Dump truck collision did not kill visiting Israeli professor
Israeli professor Shlomo Bentin did not die because he was hit by a dump truck while riding on his bicycle on July 13, according to new details released today by the Berkeley Police Department.
Instead, the dump truck passed so close to Bentin that he may have taken evasive action that inadvertently propelled him over the handlebars of his bike, where he struck his head on the sidewalk, according to police.
Bentin was riding his bicycle westbound on Bancroft Avenue near Fulton around 3:38 p.m., and was riding in the right lane close to a line of parked cars, as the law requires, according to Capt. Andrew Greenwood of the Berkeley Police Department. A dump truck traveling in the same direction passed Bentin but did not strike him, according to an investigation by the Fatal Accident Investigation Team. … Continue reading »
Neighbors demand safer streets in Berkeley’s District 4
More than 40 residents in one of Berkeley’s busiest districts came together last week to voice their frustration about traffic issues on their neighborhood streets.
Constant cut-throughs, shrugged-off stop signs, overgrown round-abouts and high speeds were among the concerns shared at a meeting Thursday night hosted by District 4 Councilman Jesse Arreguín. City Manager Christine Daniel and Berkeley Police Sgt. Robert Rittenhouse also were in attendance.
Arreguín said he scheduled the meeting, at Congregation Beth Israel, because of neighborhood complaints related to pedestrian safety and demands for traffic-calming measures. He noted a recently received petition, signed by several hundred people, calling for the installation of a four-way stop sign at one dangerous intersection. Arreguín also said he was working to bring resident concerns to city officials to have them addressed.
District 4 encompasses downtown Berkeley and is bound by Oxford St. to the east, Sacramento to the west, Dwight Way to the south and Vine St. to the north.
Concerns expressed at the gathering included high-priority intersections, such as the junction of McKinley Avenue and Channing Way, where attendees said they hoped to see traffic-calming tools or more stop signs. Others said they want the city to install barriers, such as those that exist around the Elmwood district near Ashby Avenue, to keep out through-traffic altogether. … Continue reading »
BART tests allowing bikes on trains at all times
BART wants to make its system more bike-friendly. With that in mind, the transit company today launched a new Commute Period Bike Pilot Program that allows passengers to brings their bikes on trains all day every Friday in August. Bikes are usually banned from BART trains during commute hours.
BART Board Vice President Tom Radulovich says the pilot program is part of an ongoing effort to increase the number of bicyclists using BART.
“The pilot program is an experiment to expand bike access. BART has always had a willingness to try new things. We’ve experimented with cyclist permits and lockout periods. BART is once again experimenting,” he said Thursday at an event at the Berkeley Bike Station to launch the program.
The program will run through August, at which point the BART Board will determine whether to make any permanent changes to the rules regulating bike usage. … Continue reading »
Tagged BART, Berkeley cycling, Bikes on trains
Berkeley’s rocky relationship between paving and bikes
When Israeli neuroscientist Shlomo Bentin died after a bicycle accident last Friday, many of the commenters on Berkeleyside were convinced they knew the culprit: the poor state of the pavement on Bancroft Way. “The pavement quality going down Bancroft is in absolutely atrocious condition,” wrote one commenter. “The reason this could have a bearing on this accident is that cyclists often must deviate from an ideal line in order to avoid htting a huge crater, pothole or logitudinal fissure thereby forcing them to swerve more into the line of traffic.”
Berkeley police are still investigating the accident, and there is no way yet to know whether the pavement is at issue. But cycling advocates and transport experts agree that pavement quality is a factor in both bike safety and bike use.
“The condition of the roadway plays a significant role,” said Dave Campbell, program director of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. “If you hit a pothole on a bicycle you can go down, and lots of terrible things can happen when you go down.” … Continue reading »
Cyclist killed in accident involving a dump truck
A cyclist died today after colliding with a dump truck on Bancroft Way west of Fulton Street.
At about 3:38 p.m., Berkeley Police received calls reporting a collision involving a bicyclist and a dump truck. The bicyclist, a man in his 60s, was lying in the roadway on Bancroft Way west of Fulton Street, according to BPD. The dump truck driver was not aware of a collision, but returned to the scene after being alerted by a passing motorcyclist.
Berkeley Fire Department paramedics tended to the bicyclist and transported him to a local trauma center where he was pronounced dead by physicians. Members of the BPD Fatal Accident Investigation Team responded to the scene to head the ongoing investigation. The details of the incident have not been firmly established, but the driver of the truck has been cooperative throughout the initial investigation and is not under arrest. … Continue reading »
Berkeley approves number of bike-friendly initiatives
By Dave Campbell
At a time when cities are facing budget cuts and reducing staff, Berkeley is pushing ahead with several bikeway projects and initiatives to make the city more walkable and more bikeable.
Many of the Berkeley’s bikeway improvements were highlighted at the June 25 meeting of the Berkeley Bicycle Subcommittee, where the City’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Planner, Eric Anderson, had a lot of exciting updates to share with a group of 18 interested residents. Anderson led a discussion of the Hearst Avenue Corridor Study and its proposed road diet, green bikeway features, and significantly improved pedestrian crossings. … Continue reading »
Last week’s hit-and-run bike collision is rare, says expert
The dramatic hit-and-run collision last week between a car and two cyclists on Tunnel Road in Berkeley that was captured on video drew a widespread response — both from within and outside the cycling community. Writing in Berkeleyside’s Opinionator section, Renee Rivera, Executive Director of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, says that, while the video was scary, it is worth knowing that this is an extremely rare type of collision. Read her thoughts on bicycle safety.
Berkeleyside welcomes submissions of op-ed articles … Continue reading »
Video: Cyclists struck by hit-and-run driver in Berkeley
Update, 1:44pm: The Berkeley Police are investigating the collision between a black car and two cyclists that occurred Wednesday April 25 at about 4:30 pm. Responding to a request for information from Berkeleyside, the police issued the following statement (which has been slightly modified):
On 4/25/12, at about 4:30 PM, two bicycle riders riding east on Tunnel Road were struck by a black vehicle driving east on Tunnel Road. The driver of the black vehicle did not stop after the collision, as required by law.
One of the riders had a camera mounted on his handlebars, and the collision was captured on video.
The riders, both of whom were wearing helmets, suffered from abrasions from the contact with the roadway, but did not require hospitalization for their injuries. A passerby called 9-1-1, and the riders were seen and treated by Oakland Fire. Their clothing and bicycles were significantly damaged as a result of the collision. … Continue reading »
Cyclist anti-harassment law live in Berkeley from today
Today, Berkeley joins Los Angeles as only the second city in the nation to provide specific civil recourse for harassed and assaulted cyclists. The ordinance was approved by the Berkeley City Council on January 17th.
Dave Campbell, Program Director at the East Bay Bicycle Coalition, says the legislation is as much about educating drivers as anything else.
“Drivers, with no ill intent, often don’t know the rules of the road for cyclists,” he said. Campbell cites as an example drivers who wonder why cyclists can’t just ride on the sidewalk, although they actually should be in traffic sharing the road with cars.
Below, Christopher Kidd explains what the new ordinance does and why he thinks it is needed:
Why is this ordinance needed?
It may be hard to fathom for those who rarely ride a bicycle, but there are drivers out there who will assault or harass bicyclists simply because they are using the road. … Continue reading »
Berkeley cyclist missing, help sought from community
Berkeley resident Anthony Michael Martin has been reported missing after going on a bike ride on Saturday which took in Tunnel Road in Berkeley. His friends and family are asking the community for help finding him.
The 29-year-old Martin, who is known as Mike as well as Michael, and was formerly a professional cyclist, was reported as missing to the Berkeley Police Department at 10:45 pm on Saturday by his girlfriend, Amaya James, 29, of Berkeley, after he failed to return home, according to Sgt Mary Kusmiss of the Berkeley Police Department.
James spoke to him on the phone earlier that day, and they were meant to meet for dinner at 8:00 pm on Saturday.
A cyclist found Martin’s cellphone on Tunnel Road, close to the Oakland Fire Memorial on Saturday afternoon and returned it to James.
Sgt Kusmiss said the challenge for the police is how to conduct a search in such a potentially large geographic area. “Martin could have taken any number of directions from Tunnel Road,” she said. In order to use assets such as search and rescue resources or dogs, the police would need at least a starting point, she said. … Continue reading »
Berkeley bicyclists go bare for World Naked Bike Ride
Update, 6:20 pm: Think we went too far posting a video of the naked cyclists? Not worried about nudity in this context? Take the poll on our Facebook page so we can get your feedback.
Update, 5:45pm: After YouTube took down our video (a first for Berkeleyside — being censored), we have uploaded the same video on vimeo with a perhaps less offensive still front image. It can be viewed above.
Update, 4:25pm: YouTube took down our video of the Naked Bike Day cyclists in Berkeley because of the nudity content. Stay posted –we will try to replace it or at least provide still images.
Just over a dozen Bay Area cyclists assembled in People’s Park Saturday to roll out Berkeley’s World Naked Bike Ride 2011. “As bare as you dare,” was the general rule at the gathering. There weren’t many regulations past that.
Berkeley dangerous city for cyclists and pedestrians
Berkeley is considered the most dangerous city of its size for pedestrians and cyclists, according to the city’s health department which, along with its police force, has received funds worth a total of $434,000 to address road safety.
The health department ranked Berkeley number 1 out of 55 similarly sized cities for bicyclists and pedestrians injured and killed, according to a report in the Oakland Tribune. Last year, three pedestrians were killed by cars, and … Continue reading »
