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WOBO works to improve neighborhood quality of life in Oakland by making walking and bicycling safe, accessible, easy and fun.
  Word on the Street title
July 25, 2011
  Be a WOBO Ambassador - Info Session Thursday!

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Dear WOBO Supporter,

In This Issue:

 

Be a WOBO Ambassador!

Are you planning on attending your Neighborhood's Block Party next Tuesday, August 2 as part of National Night Out? Mayor Quan is expecting over 300 block parties across the city, and we're calling out to all WOBO supporters to see if you'd be interested in telling your neighbors about WOBO and the work we're doing. This Thursday evening we'll have an informal meeting to catch you up on WOBO's happenings and make sure you have some stickers to hand out at your block party.

The Deets

What: WOBO Ambassador Training

When: Thursday, July 28

Where: WOBO HQ - 436 14th St, 2nd Floor Conference Room

Time: 6pm - 7pm

What's a WOBO Ambassador you ask? We're looking for folks who are proud to be a member of WOBO and want to be informed and engaged in our campaigns and activities, helping to share our work with other Oakland residents. While helping to recruit new members is ideal, we're primarily looking for folks who want to help raise awareness about our work in Oakland.

Gear Up for the National Brotherhood of Cyclists Conference

Photo by Nathan Y
With the City of Oakland's support for the bicycling community, the National Brotherhood of Cyclists 2011 Annual Conference, in conjunction with the Oakland Yellowjackets, will bring together bicyclists from the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean to showcase one of Oakland's most inspiring landmarks. On August 7th, come along with other Bay Area bicycling teams and bicyclists as they hold a blessing ceremony for the bicycling community at the Cathedral of Christ the Light.

There will be a moment of silence for bicyclists who have passed on while enjoying their love and passion for bicycling. Bring a picture of your loved one to commemorate their life. This event is open to all. Conference attendance is not required. For conference information, click here.

Keep Up to Speed With the Lake Merritt Station Area Planning Process

Image By City of Oakland
The Lake Merritt Station Area Planning Process is moving along! The draft emerging plan is ready for review, and a community meeting to discuss it is being held Monday, September 12, at the Laney College Student Center, 900 Fallon St. A spiffy new newsletter has just been released to keep you informed on the latest developments with this exciting plan. It's available in both English and Chinese versions.

For those of you who'd like to review the draft plan in it's entirety, the project website is your one stop shop for anything and everything related to the project and the planning process. Get involved!

PARK(ing) Day Planning Workshop, August 18

Photo by Steve Rhodes
Are you excited to see permanent parklets in Oakland as early as this fall? Want to help kickstart one in your neighborhood? Help put together a temporary parklet on PARK(ing) Day!

PARK(ing) Day is Friday, September 16, but we're encouraging people to chose the any day that weekend that will draw the most foot traffic. Do you have an idea for a location? Are you inspired to design a parklet? Do you have a bunch of plants or chairs to donate for a day? Do you make a great lemonade or know a masterful balloon animal? Do you know how to make our streets more exciting and people-friendly places?

Join us for an evening of brainstorming temporary parklets. Help us match ideas and resources to needs. The workshop starts on Thursday, August 18th, at 6:00 pm in the second floor conference room at 436 14th Street, and will go until 7:30.

10,000 Steps Launch

Photo by Marksearch
Installation of Oakland's latest public art 10,000 Steps: Walking the Invisible City has begun and will continue through July! The installation includes 36 permanent conversational sidewalk markers that encourage residents and visitors to explore downtown Oakland and its five original parks.

The markers are being etched and stained in sidewalks at 36 locations stretching from Oak to Castro streets and from 5th to 12th streets. The two-foot-square markers contain poetic text identifying a nearby point of interest. In addition to English, six of the markers will also include Chinese characters and four will also include Spanish text.

10,000 Steps began in 2006 on the initiative of the intrepid art duo marksearch. Nearly five years later, marksearch is delighted to have begun installing the 36 markers and will officially launch the self-guided tour component on Sunday, August 7 at the Oakland Museum of California. The team creates interactive projects that invite people to reflect upon their local communities and increase their awareness of the natural environment within the urban fabric. To learn more about their work, visit marksearch.org.

  

SB 910 Support Messages Needed

Image by California Bicycle Coalition
A bill in Sacramento to give drivers clearer guidance for how to pass bicyclists safely heads to a vote by the entire California State Assembly in late August. SB 910, authored by Long Beach Sen. Alan Lowenthal and cosponsored by the California Bicycle Coalition and the City of Los Angeles, would require drivers to give bicyclists three feet of clearance when passing from behind. If SB 910 is enacted, California will join 19 other states that already have minimum passing distances on the books. Read more about the bill here

Bicyclists and their allies are urged to contact their Assemblymember to vote yes for on SB 910. Messages of support are especially important for this next vote: unlike a committee hearing, the debate on the Assembly floor won't include testimony from outside experts and supporters. Instead, the Assemblymembers themselves will be speaking for or against the bill. That's why they need to be as informed as possible before the vote!

You can help by sending your message of support by going here for a sample letter and list of Assemblymembers.

Oakland Is a Top 10 Most Walkable City

Photo by Hitchster
Walk Score, a Seattle-based nonprofit recently included Oakland in it's top 10 most walkable cities list. Among the nation's 50 largest cities Oakland ranked 10th (with San Francisco and New York scoring second and first respectively). Walk Score assigns numerical ratings on a scale of 1 to 100 that quantify how close any address is to amenities like grocery stores, restaurants, schools and parks. Being within one-quarter mile of destinations garners the highest ratings.

Oakland's most-walkable areas include Downtown, Civic Center, Chinatown, Lakewide, Old Oakland, San Pablo Gateway, Piedmont Avenue and Waverly.

"Oakland has areas like Piedmont and Rockridge with a lot of single-family homes close together but also close to shopping areas," said Matt Lerner, Walk Score chief technology officer. "It's expensive because it's such a desirable form of housing with the benefits of single-family homes such as yards, but near to restaurants, grocery stores and coffee shops." More affordable transit-oriented developments such as Fruitvale Village also ranked high, he said.

Here's looking forward to Oakland climbing ever higher up the list! Check out Walk Score's website for more information on rankings and criteria.

Other Upcoming Events:

Lake Merritt Master Volunteers Work Day

July 30 | 9 am | The Pergola on El Embarcadero

The Lake Merritt Master Volunteers' next work day will take place on Saturday, July 30, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm noon. Meet at the Pergola on El Embarcadero (across from Lakeview Branch Library) to sign in and for assignment. Bring your own gloves, pruners and other favorite hand tools for your use, and water to drink.

Secret Stairs: East Bay Booksigning

August 5 | 7:30 pm | Pegasus Books, Solano Ave

Author Charles Fleming will be in town for a discussion and book signing of Secret Stairs: East Bay at Pegasus Books in Berkeley.

Art & Soul Festival

August 20-21 | Noon | Frank Ogawa Plaza

A symbol of downtown Oakland's renaissance, Art & Soul is a great entertainment value that sizzles with two music-packed days featuring Jazz, Rock, Gospel, Latin, R&B, Acoustic and Blues performed by national recording artists and top local talent.

Youngsters will love the kid-friendly carnival rides, interactive art projects, face painting and roaming costumed characters.

Sistah's Steppin In Oakland Pride Ride

August 27 | 11 am | Snow Park

Bring your bike out to the Pride March! Last year there over 80 cyclists in Oakland's March. This year the bike contingent will have its own sound system so you can roll out in style. Come one, come all and join the fun at this historic final march and festival. More info at www.sistahssteppin.org

For more bike/ped events in the Bay Area, check out the Streetsblog, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and East Bay Bicycle Coalition calendars.

Fun Link(s):

Bike & Ride!

Park & Ride may be an international institution when it comes to commuting and public transit. But Portland is looking to the future - installing Bike & Ride facilities, designed to make access to transit hubs more equitable for all modes of transit, not just cars.

Take the BART Cyclist Survey

Chances are, if you ride a bike, you've taken it on BART. Have your voice heard by taking part in BART's online survey. The more they hear from cyclists, the better!

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:

 
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