El Cerrito City Council voted to approve plan including parking protected bike lanes
Despite concerns from many residents about higher building heights and zoning changes, the El Cerrito City Council unanimously approved the San Pablo Ave Specific Plan, which includes buffered and protected bikeways. Twenty three speakers at City Council on Sept 22 approved of the new people-friendly designs for the street, with only 6 speakers opposed to the bike improvements.
What you can do:
- Please thank city staff who worked hard on this plan. Email your thanks directly to Melanie Mintz, interim Community Development Director, or Yvetteh Ortiz, Public Works Director. They deserve to hear from you.
Despite the number of supporters at the Council meeting, the Council still showed great leadership in approving greater height limits and form based codes, which had many other residents up in arms at the council meeting. In the end Councilmembers were swayed by the need for investment and revitalization of San Pablo Avenue, which the new Specific Plan and its complete street component promises.
We also want to see bike lanes included at the north end of San Pablo Avenue, where the buffered bike lanes proposed are conditional on sufficient bicycling demand to justify asking drivers to park in any of the numerous off-street parking lots in this area. Additionally, sharrows are currently proposed in the Downtown area of El Cerrito and we feel there is room to build protected bike lanes downtown, by similarly narrowing the median, as the Plan calls for in Midtown.. The goal is a continuous bikeway on San Pablo Avenue between public transit, businesses, and residences, connecting you to the places you ride. Sharrows are no substitute for your safety.
- Also send a thank you email to the El Cerrito City Council and let them know you support protected bike lanes on San Pablo Avenue.
To learn more about this great project, please contact Emily Alter, Community Planning Analyst, City of El Cerrito at (510) 215-4385 or via email at [email protected] or visit El Cerrito’s website at San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan
