Due to its flat terrain, lack of freeways and mild climate, Alameda has long been known as a haven for bicyclists. However, merely possessing those natural elements isn\u2019t enough to be officially honored as one of the country\u2019s best places for cyclists.<\/p>\n
That takes grit and determination \u2014 an effort that Alameda officials didn\u2019t shy away from, which has now paid off as the little island city that could was recently named a gold-level \u201cBicycle Friendly Community\u201d by the nationwide League of American Bicyclists. Alameda earned the prestigious award, a distinction held by only 32 cities across the country, by moving up the League\u2019s ladder.<\/p>\n
The city was first awarded bronze status in 2016 and then reached silver status in 2021. The pivotal steps Alameda took to get to the gold include approving the city\u2019s \u201cActive Transportation Plan,\u201d a comprehensive roadmap for future safety and mobility; green lighting the bicycle-friendly east-west \u201cCross Alameda Trail\u201d to near-completion; and launching the Oakland-Alameda Water Shuttle service, named \u201cWoodstock\u201d after one of the three original mid-1800s communities that make up the Island. The water taxi provides free transport from the Island\u2019s West End to Oakland\u2019s Jack London Square, and bikes are welcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than 40% of Alameda students walk and bike to school, and we are committed to making sure they get there safely,\u201d says Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, who also says the city is committed to achieve this by expanding \u201cNeighborhood Greenways\u201d such as the Cross Alameda Trail so that anyone coming to the Island can travel safely.<\/p>\n
While achieving gold status may be admirable, there\u2019s always room for improvement. In its \u201cFeedback To Improve\u201d report card to the city, the League of American Bicyclists had several recommendations, including narrowing the gender gap between male (3.8%) and female (1.1%) bike commuters; lowering speed limits on all residential streets to 20 mph or less; relaunching the effort to start a bike sharing system in Alameda; and targeting women, seniors, low-income residents and non-English speakers with \u201cencouragement outreach methods and programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, members of Alameda bike advocacy group Bike Walk Alameda are pretty excited about the city achieving gold status.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlameda is uniquely positioned to become the premier cycling city in the U.S.,\u201d says Denyse Trepanier, the group\u2019s board chair, who credits Alameda\u2019s \u201cgenerally forward-thinking City Council and staff\u201d for the honor. \u201cThey have remained laser-focused on making our streets safer and addressing climate change by creating safe alternatives to getting around outside of cars. It\u2019s not surprising to see this recognition come to our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another Alamedan who thinks the city\u2019s newfound \u201cgold\u201d bike status makes sense is George Stephens, a longtime bike sales representative and \u201cBike Fit Specialist\u201d at Alameda Bicycle, a bike shop on Park Street that\u2019s been in business since 1969.<\/p>\n
Like others, Stephens, a former New York City bike messenger, doesn\u2019t seem surprised by the accolades coming Alameda\u2019s way. He describes cycling in Alameda as a \u201ccake walk.\u201d In addition to the flat terrain, he cites Alameda\u2019s 25 mph speed limit, once turning the town into a \u201cspeed trap,\u201d as another factor in making bikes more prominent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you weren\u2019t from here and you were doing 27, you\u2019d get pulled over. So it was a very safe place to ride a bike, but there was no bike infrastructure. There were no bike lanes,\u201d says Stephens, who notes that now there are. \u201cThat\u2019s the big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephens says he has raised two kids on the Island and hasn\u2019t owned a car in 35 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the last 10 to 15 years, they put in more and more bike lanes,\u201d he says. \u201cThey did the bike lane down by the beach, which was big. They\u2019re now building one that\u2019s going to span from the Fruitvale Bridge all the way across to the other side of the Island. So it\u2019s just the increase of protected bike lanes as well as marked bike lanes, bike lanes around all the schools \u2014 there are a lot of pluses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephens says that while he thinks gold status is certainly something to be proud of, he doubts many outside the cycling community will know or care about the distinction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be blatantly honest,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think most people will even know about it. It\u2019s more people in the bike industry and people that follow things like that that\u2019ll notice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephens added that he thinks Alameda Bicycle will see an uptick in foot traffic into the shop \u201cas the bike infrastructure gets used more. From our standpoint it gives more people the idea that they can actually leave that car at home and ride a bike. And that\u2019s not a bad thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gold bike town status or not, Stephens says he appreciates his car-free lifestyle in Alameda, something he knows others may think of as being \u201cun-American.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s easy to live in this area without a car. You don\u2019t need one despite what people have convinced themselves. I do fine.\u201d<\/p>\n