LAMORINDA, CA — It happens about every 20 years or so when people start thinking about how they’re getting around and moving about town — from home to schools, work, stores by foot, bike, or car. Likewise, city planners start thinking about changing travel patterns, new safety standards and shifting demographics.
In Orinda, the current Bicycle, Trails and Walkways Master Plan was adopted in 2011 with a 20-year horizon. Most of the projects identified in that document have since been completed or are underway, prompting the city to revisit the plan to address new safety concerns, evolving transportation habits, and the needs of a changing population.
These long-range planning documents assess existing infrastructure, identify gaps and hazards, and prioritize projects that guide public investment for years to come. For example, e-bikes were new 20 years ago but proliferated so quickly that cities are just catching up.
The updated plan will build on the city’s 2011 master plan, which guided two decades of bicycle and pedestrian improvements. But the new plan will reassess current conditions and set priorities for the next phase of improvements as Orinda’s population shifts to include more young families.
To turn plans into reality, Orinda is hiring a consultant team to rewrite the master plan, launching a citywide effort to identify safety gaps, strengthen school routes, and expand connections across its bike and pedestrian network.
The overriding vision spelled out in the request for proposals is improving safety, encouraging bike riding and walking , and keeping the city’s semi-rural character, all while strengthening connections across the community.
The process typically begins with a technical review of current conditions — mapping bike lanes, sidewalks and trails, analyzing collision data, and evaluating how residents use the system. Planners then compare those findings with updated state and regional guidelines, climate goals, and emerging trends such as e-bike use. Public outreach is part of the effort, with workshops, surveys and advisory committee meetings shaping priorities before a draft plan goes to city leaders for adoption.
One focus in the network of paths, bike lanes, and routes, which largely run along Camino Pablo, Moraga Way, and Glorietta Boulevard. The study will identify gaps in sidewalks and bikeways, especially near schools and in neighborhoods that lack safe connections.
The plan will focus heavily on safety. Consultants will evaluate school zones and multi-modal commuter routes serving Del Rey Elementary, Orinda Intermediate School, and Miramonte High School, where some pedestrian and bicycle facilities already exist but remain incomplete. The city will prioritize projects that improve safe routes to school and increase protections for cyclists and pedestrians.
The update also will address the rapid rise of e-bikes and scooters. The city will examine how to integrate newer modes of transportation safely into existing streets, trails and pathways.
Officials say the effort will go beyond mapping infrastructure. The consultant will identify needs, demands and stresses on the network, including barriers that limit walking and biking between neighborhoods, community facilities, high-use centers and popular trails. The study will evaluate key corridors and trail systems such as the de Laveaga Trail, the EBMUD trail at Wagner Ranch, the St. Stephen’s pedestrian and bicycle trail, and public trails in Wilder.
The city plans to look outward by proposing stronger bicycle and pedestrian connections to Moraga, Lafayette, and regional destinations such as Tilden Regional Park, while considering future development outside city limits.
City officials have issued a request for proposals for engineering services to complete the 2026 update. Proposals are due by 4 p.m. Thursday.
The consultant will develop a public participation strategy that may include pop-up events, walking and biking tours, workshops, online interactive maps, and surveys, according to the request for proposals.