Why Can’t Alameda County Have a World-Class Bicycle Plan?

Alameda County is updating their Countywide Bicycle Plan and it needs a huge boost when it comes to setting goals for increasing bicycling in the county and for developing a robust implementation plan to achieve those goals. Comments on the Plan are due July 27, 2012 and your Bicycle Coalition is pushing to have the Plan significantly improved, even made ‘world-class.’ You can help.

Contact the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) and let them know you want ‘Measurable Goals’ in the Countywide Bicycle Plan. We are asking for the Alameda CTC to set goals of:

• Bicycle mode share of 10% by 2020
• Bicycle mode share of 15% in North County by 2020 and of 5% in the Central, South, and East County by 2020
• 50% reduction is bike crashes by 2020
• Adopt Alameda County Bikeway Design Guidelines by 2015
• 50% of bikeways meeting design guidelines by 2020
• Adequate bike parking at all major transit stations by 2020
• Complete all major multiuse pathways by 2040 (Iron Horse Trail, Bay Trail, Ohlone Greenway, East Bay Greenway)
• Others?

Are we being too ambitious? Here’s how we compare to other major American bike-friendly cities, as ranked by Bicycling Magazine 2012:

Los Angeles: bike mode share: 0.9% goal: 7% by 2030

Sacramento: bike mode share: 2.5% goal: 4% by 2035

Oakland: bike mode share: 1.8%

Berkeley: bike mode share: 8.0%

Alameda County: bike mode share: 1.5%