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WOBO works to improve neighborhood quality of life in Oakland by making walking and bicycling safe, accessible, easy and fun.

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September 2008
This Month: WOBO Social Ride, Walk to School Day, and O-Trek Scavenger Hunt

In This Issue:

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  • We're looking to expand the issues that we're working on and get more folks involved.
  • We can't do it without you!
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  • WOBO is run entirely on volunteer power.
  • We're efficient and effective and 100% of donations go into public outreach materials and programs to make Oakland more walkable and bikeable.
  • You care about Oakland, right?  WOBO does too!  Let's make it even more fantastic.
  • Help us do more by making a tax-deductible donation today!

 

Bike Broadway Campaign Social Ride: Saturday, Sept. 27th at 10am

Bway_Piedmont.jpgEver ask yourself: “What’s the best way to ride through Downtown?”, “What’s happening near Kaiser Hospital?”, “What’s a sharrow?”, or “Holy cow, that was a hairy intersection – when is this road going to be re-paved?”
 
Join WOBO for a group bike ride from Jack London Square to Lake Temescal on Saturday, September 27th.  It's a great opportunity to see what lies along the route and learn about the City of Oakland Bicycle Master Plan, as well as important developments that could affect bike travel and communities along the Broadway corridor.  It’s a fun way to meet like-minded folks and learn about WOBO campaigns and activities geared toward making Oakland a better place to walk and ride.

Bicyclists of all skill levels welcome.  Refreshments will be provided en route. (Thanks, Manifesto!)

Ride Details: Saturday, September 27 – Meet at 10am in front of Barnes and Noble at Jack London Square.  Bring along picnic items to enjoy at the post-ride gathering at Lake Temescal.  Visit the WOBO website for more details in the coming days.

Free Urban Bike Safety Classes

Want to feel more comfortable riding in traffic?  Back to school season is upon us and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition is offering free urban bike safety classes!  Their course is broken into two parts: Day One is a four-hour class on street skills which teaches the basics of safe cycling, riding in traffic, equipment, crash avoidance, rights and responsibilities.  Day Two is a 6-hour on-road class (bicycle required) allowing you to put what you learned in the street skills class to use!

DAY ONE: Street Skills - Thursday, September 18th: 6-9:30pm, Kaiser Oakland Medical Center - Conference Room 1200B (Main Hospital - 3801 Howe Street)

DAY ONE: Street Skills - Wednesday, October 22nd: 6-9:30pm, Kaiser Oakland Medical Center - 7th Floor Conference Room (Main Hospital - 3801 Howe Street)

DAY TWO: On-Road Instruction - Saturday, November 22nd: 10am-4pm, Joseph P. Bort Metrocenter - Main Conference Room, 101 8th Street at Oak (at Lake Merritt BART)

Register for a bike safety class by email (dcampbel@lmi.net) or at the Berkeley Bikestation – (510) 548-7433.  For more information, visit ebbc.org/safety.

WOBO General Meeting - Tuesday, September 23rd at 6:30pm

Join us for WOBO’s monthly meeting at Vo's Vietnamese Restaurant in downtown Oakland at 59 Grand Avenue. The General meeting is designed to be an orientation for new volunteers.  We're looking to get more folks involved in community outreach for the Bike Broadway campaign!  This meeting will focus on a skill-share about campaign messaging and talking points.

Are you up for reaching out to bicyclists who use Broadway, getting local merchants signed on as campaign supporters and helping to spread the word at farmers markets or community gatherings?  We need your help! Vo's is just 5 blocks from the 19th Street Oakland BART station. Join us for food, drinks and bike and pedestrian advocacy from 6:30-8:30pm.

Urge Governor to Ensure Roads Meet the Needs of People, Not Just Cars

California could be the first state to enact Complete Streets legislation for all local streets and roadways... with your help! On Friday, August 28th, the California Legislature approved Assembly Bill 1358, the Complete Streets Act, and sent the bill to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature.

AB 1358 says that any time cities and counties update the circulation elements of their general plans, they should ensure that local roadways are designed to accommodate all those who use them – bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders, as well as motorists. Now the Governor needs to sign AB 1358! Go to the California Bicycle Coalition website to take action.

Other Upcoming Events:

Bike Tours of Oakland - Sun., Sept. 21st and Sun., Oct. 19th at 10am

Explore Oakland and its environs with the museum's bike-tripping docents as we leisurely wend our way through downtown, Fruitvale, the Port of Oakland, West Oakland, Brooklyn, or the Lake Merritt area. Reservations are a good idea (docentcenter@museumca.org or (510) 238-3514), but if you forget, come anyway. Participants must be over twelve years old. Bring your own bikes, helmets, and repair kits. Meet at 10th Street entrance at 10am.  Free.

The museum is also looking for volunteer bike docents, so if you are interested in becoming a tour guide, let them know!

O-Trek Scavenger Hunt Foot Race - Sat., Sept. 27th at 11am

Join WOBO folks for O-TREK, September 27th around 9:30am.  (The adventure starts at 11!)  What is O-TREK?  It's a scavenger hunt foot race which will guide teams of 2-4 people through a variety of historical sites, landmarks, businesses, and activities in Oakland.  Racers have to decipher clues to locate the different checkpoints and challenges. The team with the fastest time wins!  For details, visit the official O-Trek website.

International Walk to School Day - Wed., October 8th

Kick off a healthy academic year by joining your classmates in walking or biking to school. Last year more than 50 schools in Alameda County celebrated the joys of walking and biking to school.  Highlights included City Council members from Berkeley and Oakland volunteering at local schools, children participating in "walking school buses" (by group-walking to school), parades of hundreds walking around the school neighborhoods, and police officers helping spread the word about pedestrian safety.

Our friends at the Transportation and Land Use Coalition can help you get your school involved and hook you up with volunteer opportunities for Walk to School Day. Contact Susan Silber at 510-740-3150 x332 or email susan@transcoalition.org for more information.

Cycles of Change is Hiring for Fall 2008       

They are looking for bicycle activitists and educators.  Check it out at: http://www.cyclesofchange.org/category/jobs


Fun Link: Picnic Table Bike

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It's a moveable feast that's good for the environment.  See a fusion of of recycling and zero-emissions transportation: a bike crafted from a picnic table.  With a grill, umbrella, headlights and seating for the whole family, this thing has it all.  Click here to see video of the picnic table bike in action.

 

 

 

 

 

Want to Get More Involved with WOBO?

 

 

WOBO is always looking for more folks to get involved with our all-volunteer crew!  Here's how you can help:  
  • Can you volunteer for any of the following positions? If so, contact the folks below:

Like what you see? We'd like to grow the WOBO membership. Forward this message to a friend

 Walk Oakland Bike Oakland  |  (510) 269-4034  |  PO Box 10945 |  Oakland, CA 94610