Bike East Bay will be working with several local organizations with their feet (and bicycle wheels) on the ground, along the East Bay Greenway in Oakland and Hayward, and along the Richmond Greenway. These two greenways are not only part of the Bay Area Trail Collaborative, they are key connectors, and wonderful community places, for people walking and bicycling.
When the full 2,590-mile Bay Area regional trail network is complete, nearly 9 in 10 Bay Area residents will live within 2 miles of the trail network. (This analysis by the Rails to Trails Conservancy regarding access to the Bay Area regional trail network was based on data provided by the 2020 U.S. Census and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Plan Bay Area 2050 Equity Priority Communities.)
In Richmond, we are working with Rich City Rides, Founded in August of 2012, Rich City Rides, a non-profit bicycle advocacy organization that helps make Richmond a healthier city where youth and families thrive. Rich City Rides builds real skills through our Earn-a-Bike Bicycle Mechanics Program; creates the culture for health, wellness, physical conditioning, nutrition, and camaraderie through our weekly Self Care Sunday Rides; and builds the inner and outer strengths of our youth by celebrating and activating their neighborhoods through organized Special Ride Events. Youths help with project planning and civic engagement through our bicycle infrastructure advocacy projects that also contribute to making riding a bike safer and more accessible for all Richmond residents. “The sky is the limit for youth of Richmond, if we can build them a connected network of safe places and passages, as they grow into future leaders of Richmond,” says Najari Smith, Executive Director. Follow Rich City Rides on Instagram @richcityrides.
In Hayward, we are working with the Hayward Community Coalition (HayCoCoa), a nascent, volunteer-run group organizing around participatory budgeting, preventing school closures, and re-imagining public safety by re-investing police dollars into chronically underfunded community services (ie. education, housing, social services, etc.). “Creating change starts with building people power,” says HayCoCoa Chair, Vanessa Magaña. “We’re proud of the ideas we’ve brought to life in Hayward by building relationships within our community and leveraging our skills towards a common goal.” Follow the Hayward Community Coalition on Twitter & Instagram at @HayCoCoa.
We look forward to adding more local organizations to this campaign going forward. Bike East Bay, as part of the Bay Area Trails Collaborative including more than 50 organizations, asks state legislators to make a $2 billion surplus investment in the Active Transportation Program for the new budget, which would help fund projects like the Bay Area regional trail network. (Check out the interactive trail map for more information.)
