Letter from the Saddle
Has biking kept you balanced over the past month? I know it has for me. If there’s one thing the Bike East Bay community has shared, it is that despite having our daily lives upended by the coronavirus pandemic, biking remains essential for transportation, the environment, and our physical and mental health.
Over the past month, your advocates at Bike East Bay have been working hard from our homes to protect and expand access to biking. We confirmed early on that bicycling remains an allowable activity, and made sure that bike shops could stay open as essential businesses. To help you stay connected and informed during the shelter in place period, we rolled out online bike education classes, connected local leaders on rapid response issues, and convened decision makers in online town hall meetings.
More people are discovering the joy of biking and walking on streets in the East Bay than ever before. I have seen an unprecedented number of families with young kids riding and playing on my street. My neighborhood isn’t the only one.
To respond to the demand for outdoor space while maintaining social distance, the City of Oakland rolled out the Slow Streets initiative in mid-April, designating certain neighborhood routes as low-traffic streets for people biking, walking, using wheelchairs, and driving to local destinations only. Slow Streets came after Bike East Bay and our partners at Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, Transport Oakland, and Transform requested the city to respond to concerns of drivers speeding through neighborhoods.
We are excited about Slow Streets, and concerned about the possible impacts on Oakland’s most vulnerable communities. We recognize that not everyone has the privilege of staying at home. Bike East Bay received reports from people in East Oakland who were surprised and concerned that Slow Streets would bring more police and gentrification into black and brown communities. Everyone should be able to use the street without fear of harassment from the police or neighbors.
Let’s emerge from this crisis more committed to better biking and walking in our neighborhoods. For our most vulnerable communities, this means leaning into the multilayered issues that impact how people want to get around town.
We imagine a new normal where neighborhoods are connected by networks of low traffic bike routes — and community bike shops that distribute bikes to people who can’t otherwise afford one. In the new normal, we build resilience into the transportation network by installing safe, dedicated bicycling infrastructure on all major streets — and reinvest in accessible public transit.
Your support makes this new normal — and a better future for biking — possible. Although we are riding apart, we know the only way to get through is together. I especially thank the nearly 20 members who joined the Monthly Giving Circle or increased monthly gifts since shelter in place started. Thank you, and ride on.
Ginger Jui
Executive Director
