Painting Green Bike Lanes in Oakland

Hopefully Oakland is heading toward a more just and sustainable transportation future...

Are green bike lanes the precursor of safer, better bike infrastructure?

Perhaps, yes.

These green painted portions of the bike lane are only in "conflict zones" in the Adam's Point/Lake Merritt area.  The image above is on Grand Avenue just past the Harrison Street intersection.  There is a wide right turn through lane, where cars barely have to slow down to veer right onto Grand Avenue. This type of cars-first infrastructure is common all over Oakland. This particular area here is a danger zone for both bicyclists and pedestrians. Even though there is a light, which apparently turns red on occasion for drivers, I rarely see it red. I both walk and ride my bike in this area on a daily basis. This can be a tricky area for bicyclists and pedestrians, and we often feel unsafe with cars barreling by us at unsafe (and illegal) speeds.  

Hopefully, this green bike lane paint will be one step (along with many others) to democratize our city streets. Everyone owns our streets. It's time that we all have access to our fair share of the street. People driving vehicles do not have any rights above those on foot or on bike. I hope that we will begin to see real design changes to our community infrastructure that make us ALL safer, happier and healthier. 

blog revival!

alrighty, so it's time to revive this blog! 

there will be more images and discussions about city planning with a particular focus (most likely) on biking, walking, and place-making.  

get ready. 

Exploratorium Exhibits in Emeryville!

The Exploratorium has arrived in Emeryville!  There are now outdoor Exploratorium exhibits open to the public 24/7 at the Public Market in Emeryville.  How cool is that?!  Here are some images from a recent outing...

demonstrates the ocean tides of different places in the bay - and this one you get to have fun turning it!

demonstrates the ocean tides of different places in the bay

fun round mirror

demonstrates the ocean tides of different places in the bay

I highly recommend a trek out to Emeryville to play with these exhibits, as well as take in the awesomeness that is Public Market -- the first platinum level LEED-ND project in the US!  That's right.  Emeryville's got it goin' on.

trucks in the bike lane...

The other day I was doing fieldwork on bicycle boulevards in Emeryville, and I noticed this truck parked in the bike lane.  The bike lane is not a parking lot for trucks, cars or other vehicles.  It always bothers me to see vehicles taking up this precious space, which is supposed to be a safe space for bicyclists.

Polk Street - Community Forum

It was interesting to go back to another community forum for the Polk Street project.  It'll be interesting to see how they work with the issue of potentially decreasing on-street parking so that the bike lane can extend throughout Polk (and not just be sporadic).  Personally, I don't feel safe biking on Polk Street unless the bike lane is there.  Car drivers are just too careless, speedy, and unconcerned for the well-being of pedestrians and bicyclists.  I prefer defined spaces for different users.

I'm also still concerned about public safety, especially in Lower Polk.  While an array of transportation enhancements are great for the community, I still believe that there needs to be broader police involvement in the neighborhood.  I would like to see police walking or biking up and down Polk Street to assist with maintaining a calm, pleasant atmosphere.  Otherwise, some of the drunk, drug-induced, or mentally challenged people create an inhospitable environment.  I do not want my neighborhood reduced to such a place.

Scene: Emeryville Street Art

The other day while I was doing some fieldwork for my job (walking the streets and marking where the City needs to put up the bicycle boulevard signage), I happened upon this great street art piece.  There are lovely little street art pieces around the city.  You just need to have your eyes focused on these little treasures.

Accidents Happen, Gatzby

If you haven't meandered around Emeryville in a while (or ever), I highly recommend a little jaunt around the cute, little off-the-beaten path streets in the heart of the City.  Get off the freeway on those hectic commutes home for a leisurely little walk, or hop on your bike on a lovely sunny Saturday and check it out.  I certainly enjoy my little walks every day, and I often happen upon little street art projects that make me smile.

parking lot art

Personally, I'm moving into a mode of DOING, rather than simply THINKING.  I have had discussions with many different young (or energetic) urbanists, and the common thread we all have is our desire to get busy. We want to DO good work.  We want to be out there playing in our urban environment, interacting with it and each other, and trying to find new ways to make the human experience better.  One way to enhance our urban environment is through art, some of which is informal (like the below image).  Recently, a planner friend of mine and I were discussing this amazing parking lot art that we came across online:

Courtesy of http://roadsworth.com/

We kept talking about how we wanted do art projects like this, and even smaller street art projects that would be easier to plan, coordinate and implement.  Our art project may not be exactly like the one above, but it certainly is our inspiration.  We are still in the planning phase of our little art project, but it amazes me just how much you can actually do by energizing each other through an active discussion.  I am happy to say that my planner friend and I are making headway on our little art project and have received the 'OK' from a property owner to commence our art project!  Yay!  Ask.  You never know how easy it can be.

I'm excited!  Let's DO this.