FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dave Campbell, 510-701-5971
DATE: 2005-12-02

BERKELEY’S BIKE ADVOCACY GROUP CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF SUCCESS

On Saturday, December 10th the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition (BFBC), Berkeley’s long-standing bike advocacy group, will celebrate its first decade of successful grassroots efforts to make Berkeley the most “bicycle-friendly” city in the Bay Area. To mark the 10th anniversary, BFBC will host a party open to the public at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian-Universalists, 1924 Cedar St., at the corner of Bonita.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dave Campbell, 510-701-5971
DATE: 2005-12-02

BERKELEY’S BIKE ADVOCACY GROUP CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF SUCCESS

On Saturday, December 10th the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition (BFBC), Berkeley’s long-standing bike advocacy group, will celebrate its first decade of successful grassroots efforts to make Berkeley the most “bicycle-friendly” city in the Bay Area. To mark the 10th anniversary, BFBC will host a party open to the public at the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian-Universalists, 1924 Cedar St., at the corner of Bonita.

On hand to address the celebrants will be Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, and Councilmembers Linda Maio, Kris Worthington, and other councilmembers are anticipated in attendance, all of whom are longtime supporters of bicycle improvements. The party will feature a birthday piñata, cake for all, beer and wine, raffle prizes, and a live dance band to help burn off some carbs. Also available will be another hallmark of BFBC events: attended bike parking to keep two-wheelers secure.

Mayor Bates will also present BFBC with a Mayoral Proclamation in recognition of BFBC’s efforts. Also, it is rumored that a special appearance of Transit Man is in the works. Transit Man is the Bay Area’s action hero who fights for transportation justice for all.

BFBC was founded in 1995 and has played a leading role in planning Berkeley’s network of bike boulevards (bicycle-arterial streets). Other major improvements in which BFBC has been actively involved include the I-80 bicycle-pedestrian overcrossing that links West Berkeley with the Marina, improved bicycle parking throughout Berkeley’s commercial districts, and installation of traffic circles and bike lanes to make Berkeley’s streets calmer and safer for cyclists.

“Berkeley has come a long way, and there are certainly a lot more bicyclists out there than there were ten years ago,” says BFBC president Dave Campbell, also a member of the city’s Transportation Commission. “But the job is not finished. We’re looking forward to celebrating with everyone and continuing to make Berkeley the most bicycle-friendly city in the Bay Area.”

“BFBC has become a critical Berkeley institution” said Stuart Cohen, who co-founded the coalition and now directs the Bay Area-wide Transportation and Land Use Coalition. “We have helped people understand that more cycling means fewer cars on the road, easier parking, and cleaner air, and we have refocused Berkeley’s efforts on making cycling safer everybody.”

BFBC also runs the Berkeley Bikestation in the Downtown Berkeley BART Station, the most popular and successful Bikestation in the country. BART and the City of Berkeley recently received a $500,000 Safe Routes to Transit grant to significantly expand the bike parking capacity of the Bikestation.

A donation of $20 is requested for the party, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. The cost for children 12 and under is $5, and admission can also be earned by volunteering for BFBC.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES, DIGITAL PHOTOS, AND INTERVIEW SUBJECTS AVAILABLE

Photos available:

Photo #1: Cyclists and pedestrians ride and walk across the I-80 bicycle-pedestrian overcrossing. The Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition played a leading role in working with the City of Berkeley to plan the bridge.

Photo #2: This diagram shows the citywide network of seven major bicycle boulevards. For many years the Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition has considered this network one of the keys to making bicycling a safe and convenient form of daily transportation in Berkeley.

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