Berkeley Bicycle Plan

The City of Berkeley is updating its bicycle plan, and we need to make sure the new plan protects riders of all ages and abilities.

We also need to make sure the updated plan provides students with safe routes to campus.

Citywide Priorities

1. Make all bike boulevard intersections with main roads and collector roads safe for cyclists. Right now, cyclists often have very little protection when crossing roads with fast-moving traffic, which discourages potential riders by making them feel unsafe. Bike boulevard intersections with major roads should have either full traffic signals or pedestrian-hybrid beacons (PHBs). Bike boulevard intersections with collector streets should have either a four-way stop or an RRFB, median, and raised crosswalks on both sides of crossings.

2. Build frequent and high-quality traffic calming infrastructure on all bike boulevards. Right now, bike boulevards are often just marked by paint, but that doesn’t make them feel safe for riders. Add speed tables, raised crosswalks, and chicanes and cyclists of all abilities will feel safe.

3. Concrete, not paint. Paint doesn't protect cyclists from speeding motorists. Stop skimping on safety and build concrete or parking-protected bike lanes wherever possible.

Safe Routes to Campus

1. Build a 2-way protected bike lane on Bowditch from Dwight to Bancroft, and protect cyclists crossing from Hillegass. Bowditch is a bike boulevard but its door-zone bike lanes and potholes are extremely hostile to cyclists. From Dwight to Bancroft, Bowditch should have a 2-way protected bike lane. Additionally, the bike crossing from Bowditch to Hillegass at Dwight should be turned into a short two-way protected bike lane separated from traffic with concrete, combined with intersection treatments to make the crossing safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

2. Oxford Complete Streets. Oxford, on the west side of campus, is designed for way more cars than it carries, and fast-moving traffic is dangerous for cyclists. We need to build a two-way protected bike lane on the east side of the road, and widen the sidewalks substantially while we’re at it, as they are too narrow for the volume of pedestrians they carry.