[g2:459 size=200 class=left] At the May 16 2007 dedication of the Richmond Greenway EBBC Director Bill Pinkham resembles the Pied Piper clad in screaming green. Let’s hope the school crowd adopts the bicycle!
Below are Bill’s comments at the dedication ceremony:
As a bicycling resident of Richmond I’m pleased to be here representing the East Bay Bicycle Coalition—a non-profit membership-based organization working since 1972 to promote bicycling as an everyday means of transportation and recreation. We work throughout 33 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.
The Richmond Greenway promises to provide Richmond residents with convenient bicycling and walking alternatives. The Richmond Greenway passes near Richmond BART and three schools. Plus the Richmond Greenway represents a regional route. When it is finished the Richmond Greenway will connect three major East Bay bikeways the Bay Trail—Richmond can proudly say we have more miles of it than other Bay Area city—the Ohlone Greenway which goes south to Berkeley and the I-80 Bikeway which goes north to the Rodeo Transit Center.
After years of lobbying the members of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition are pleased that a large section of the Greenway is finally in place. Most of the abandoned railroad right-of-way has been owned by Richmond since 1979. An entire generation has grown up since the path was proposed in the 1991 Richmond Circulation Plan. For years however the project was moribund. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition kept a close eye on this proposal and led a number of public field trips along the alignment to investigate feasibility and build interest in the project. Bruce Stewart with Richmond’s Community Youth Council for Leadership and Education (CYCLE) hosted the initial community design meeting with Rails to Trails on March 10 2001
Such a long wait is not acceptable. The East Bay Bicycle Coalition urges the City of Richmond to help engage community members as partners in such projects to help the City prioritize bicycle and pedestrian projects. Perhaps now with the Greenway underway and the concept of a city-wide bicycle plan in the making as part of the new Richmond General Plan a Bicycle Advisory Committee could provide valuable input in this process.
The goal of the next phase of the Richmond Greenway project is to connect Richmond neighborhoods with the El Cerrito del Norte BART Station. The I-80 freeway represents a significant barrier and most residents are currently unwilling to brave freeway ramp traffic on foot or on bicycle. The vision is for the Richmond Greenway to offer an appealing pathway under the freeway that leads to BART and connects with a network of existing bikeways that includes the I-80 Bikeway a signed route extending from El Cerrito north to Rodeo and the Ohlone Greenway a popular path for bicyclists and pedestrians that reaches North Berkeley BART. Together this seamless network will offer over one-hundred thousand East Bay residents who live within a mile of the bikeway network an impressive option for travel to work school or play.
We hope to assist in making this vision for the next phase of the Richmond Greenway into a reality. One of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition’s successes has been to create a Safe Routes to Transit program to fund projects that make it easier for bicyclists and pedestrians to use transit. Safe Routes to Transit was funded as part of the bridge toll increase approved by voters in 2004. The Richmond Greenway Phase II proposal was one of 25 project applications recently received for review by the Transportation and Land Use Coalition and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition. This review process is extremely competitive and presently the committee has whittled-down the list to only 15 potential projects—including the Richmond Greenway. However this list represents about $9 million in requests and the committee must ultimately award only $4 million in this current application cycle. Stay tuned.
As a long-time Richmond resident regular bike rider and member of the Friends of the Richmond Greenway Committee I’m ecstatic. Trails parks and trees: these are what we need to help make Richmond a more beautiful people-friendly city and to do our part to help reduce global warming. Thanks to all who have worked on this project for so many years and long live the Richmond Greenway our path to the future!