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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
November 18th, 2010
  WOBO Needs Your Support!

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In This Issue:

 

 We Need Your Support: Donate to WOBO Today!

WOBO's annual appeal should be arriving in your mailbox any day now, and we'd really appreciate your support. For every dollar you give, WOBO will receive two, thanks to a generous $10,000 challenge match grant from Trek Bicycles.

The grant money and matching donations will allow WOBO to take on a number of ambitious projects in 2011. We'll be putting on more Oaklavía events, launching a grassroots organizing fellowship throughout Oakland, securing more bike lanes, and getting "parklets" installed in lively commercial areas. That's just the start of our plans... but we can't do it without you.

If you've been considering giving to WOBO, doing so before year's end will make your contribution twice as powerful. We've got a way to go to meet the match, so please donate today – by mail or online at wobo.org/donate.

Join Us for the WOBO/EBBC Wonderland Holiday Party – Friday, Dec. 3rd

Mark your calendar! WOBO and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition (EBBC) are throwing a Member Appreciation Party on December 3rd! Join us from 7-11pm at the Humanist Hall and enjoy local beer and wine, live folk rock/alt-country from Vandella, and noshables from Guerrilla Grub. Free for members.

DETAILS: December 3rd (First Friday) from 7-11pm. Free for WOBO members, admission plus WOBO & EBBC annual memberships: $30, admission only (non-members): $20. Humanist Hall - 411 28th Street (28th & Telegraph), Oakland.

Want Bike Lanes on 40th? Take the Survey!

The City of Oakland has proposed installing new bike lanes along 40th Street to connect Piedmont Avenue and Temescal to MacArthur BART and Emeryville (and someday, the Bay Bridge). Installing the bike lanes would mean changes to medians and traffic flow, so WOBO wants to know what nearby residents think about the potential impacts. We're excited to report that a UCLA graduate student has designed a survey (currently available) which we hope will identify key barriers and concerns that will need to be addressed in order to make 40th Street a "complete street" that is safer and more pleasant for everyone.

The survey is targeted at residents within one block of 40th Street between Webster Street and Yerba Buena Avenue, but all residents of the Longfellow, Mosswood, Temescal, and Piedmont neighborhoods are invited to participate. Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey online and give your opinion. You can also volunteer to join the survey team, which is going door-to-door from now until the end of November. Questions? Want to get involved? Contact Gloria at gloria@wobo.org.

A Bike Broadway Victory: Franklin/Webster Getting Bike Lanes

We reached a new milestone in our Bike Broadway campaign! Two days ago (Tuesday, November 16th), the Oakland Public Works Committee enthusiastically and unanimously endorsed funding for bike lanes on Franklin and Webster from 14th to Broadway! Six WOBO volunteers came to support the item during 10:30am meeting.

We're extremely pleased, as this project will create a safe route into Downtown (parallel to the extremely busy Broadway). It's a great step towards a complete north-south corridor along Broadway. Join us at the City Council meeting on the evening of December 7th as we cheer this on the rest of the way! The meeting starts at 6 pm in the Council Chambers on the 3rd floor of City Hall.

City of Oakland Releases Draft Crosswalk Policy

At the last Bike/Ped Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting, the City of Oakland unveiled the long-awaited draft of its crosswalk implementation policy. Having an official policy on crosswalks is an important step forward for the City and for anyone who ever thought "How can we make it safer to cross the street?" The WOBO Policy Group submitted some suggestions to the City, in an attempt to help the final policy be more progressive and comprehensive, and we await a final version from the City.

If you are interested in joining the WOBO Policy Committee, contact Ruth Miller, ruth@wobo.org.

Thanks to Our Mailing Party Volunteers!

Last week, over 25 energetic WOBO volunteers pitched in to prepare our year-end fundraising letters, and we're extremely grateful. 1,400 letters don’t fold, stuff, seal, and stamp themselves! A big thank you to all our amazing volunteers who helped with this critical effort to raise the funds we need to keep advocating for a more walkable, bikeable Oakland in 2011. We couldn't do it without you!

Do you want to volunteer with WOBO? Opportunities await… so please call 510-269-4034 or email kassie@wobo.org to get involved today!

Millions Awarded for Bike/Ped Projects – Help Make Them Happen

Thanks to the Fourth Bore Coalition (including our friends at the EBBC), the City of Oakland received an $8 million settlement from CalTrans to mitigate the impacts of Caldecott Tunnel construction. Much of the funding will be used for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, including new bike lanes and pedestrian paths along Upper Broadway, intersection safety improvements on Telegraph, Broadway, and Shattuck, and more bike parking and signage at Rockridge BART.

Check out the 20 proposed projects at fourthbore.org. These proposals were designed by residents who bike and walk – they’ll move forward if the city can be assured of community approval. Please share your support, questions, and concerns. Public comments will be accepted until Monday, November 22. Submit comments to Iris Starr via email: istarr@oaklandnet.com, phone: 510-238-1725, or fax: 510-238-7415. Please provide either your address or nearby intersection in your comments.

December Women of WOBO Ride: Blinded by the (Holiday) Lights

ThompsonAveHolidayLights.jpgJust across the estuary, there’s a little street by the name of Thompson Ave that just goes wild for the holidays. Lights, music, trees, reindeer – these folks go all out! Last year, visitors to one yard were encouraged to step on up to a homemade stage for karaoke, and another family handed out mulled cider to passersby. If you’ve got holiday spirit, this is the place for you.

Our winter Women of WOBO ride will take us across the bridge to Alameda to explore the craziest stretch of holiday decorations in the East Bay. And, as a holiday bonus, one lucky rider will head home with "bike lingerie" courtesy of our friends at Pedal Panties. (One name will be selected at random from the list of ride attendees.) All female-identified people with bikes are welcome, though helmets and lights will be required for this nighttime ride. Won't you join us for December's island getaway?

DETAILS: Thursday, December 9 from 6-9pm. Start: Jack London Square, end: Fruitvale BART. Click here for a route map. Please RSVP by Monday, Dec. 6th to shannon@wobo.org. 

WOBO Volunteer of the Month: Danny Snyder

danny.jpg We'd like to introduce you to November's Volunteer of the Month – Danny Snyder! Danny joined WOBO as our Membership and Outreach Fellow in May 2010. Over the last six months he's brought a ton of additional capacity to the WOBO office.

Whether its organizing our monthly meetings, updating our website, designing graphics, or managing our data entry efforts, his help has been critical in making sure the moving parts keep moving. As if that wasn't enough, Danny's new WOBO t-shirt design will be available for sale at our Holiday Party on December 3rd!

Danny graduated from Hampshire College in 2008 with a BA in Architecture and Sustainable Development. A Bay Area native, he's now proud to call Oakland's Longfellow neighborhood home. When he's not moonlighting for WOBO, he's cooking up tasty vegan cuisine at Nature's Express. If you see Danny at an upcoming event, be sure to thank him for all his hard work! 

Other Upcoming Events:

Oakland BPAC Meeting

Thurs., Nov. 18 | 5:30-7:30pm | Oakland City Hall - Hearing Room 4 (2nd Floor)

Oakland's Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meets the third Thursday of each month. The public is welcome to attend all or part of any BPAC meeting. This month's agenda includes discussion of: the CalTrans Bay Bridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Path as well as Oakland's bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community award.

Community Celebration of the "New" Jefferson Square Park

Sat., Nov. 20 | 11am-2pm & 6-9pm | Jefferson Sq Park & La Borinqueña

Jefferson Square Park, recently underwent extensive renovations by Oakland Public Works. This Saturday from 11am-2pm, people will gather for a celebratory community potluck with face-painting, games and more. In the evening, two Oakland-centric films will be shown at La Borinqueña, including "A Profile of Four Squares" - a film about Oakland's four oldest parks, including Jefferson Square. Doors at 6pm and films at 7pm. For more information, click here.

Free Family Cycling Workshop (Alameda)

Sun., Nov. 21 | 9-11:30am | Frank Otis Elementary (3010 Fillmore), Alameda

Join the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and REI safety instructors for a morning of fun games, safety drills, skills building, and a neighborhood ride. For kids able to ride a bike and who are ready to ride on the roadways with their parents. Parents and kids must attend together and should bring their own bikes. Each child receives a free red blinky light for participating! Space limited to 30 people. Drinks and snacks provided.

Wonderland: WOBO & EBBC Holiday Party

Fri., Dec. 3 | 7-11pm | Humanist Hall, 411 28th Street

WOBO is partnering with the East Bay Bicycle Coalition to bring you a year-end holiday party! We will be serving local beer & wine and great food from Guerilla Grub, offering up fabulous raffle prizes all night long, and bringing you live folk rock/alt-country from Vandella. Free to members, $20 admission for non-members, or get admission and membership in both the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and Walk Oakland Bike Oakland for just $30!

Women of WOBO Ride - Blinded by the (Holiday) Lights

Thu., Dec. 9 | 6-9pm | Jack London Square

Our winter Women of WOBO ride will take us across the bridge to Alameda to explore the craziest stretch of holiday decorations in the East Bay. All female-identified people with bikes are welcome. Helmets and lights will be required for this nighttime ride. Ride starts at Jack London Square and ends at Fruitvale BART. Please RSVP by Monday, Dec. 6th to shannon@wobo.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 Links: Bike Mustache & Hang Up and Race

The mustache. In some cycling circles, it's a fashion accessory. And until recently, it was up to the rider to provide the mustache. All that has changed with the Bike Mustache! This mustache-shaped headbadge is the creation of artist & cyclist Laura Crawford. She makes all different types of headbadges (many made-to-order), but only the Bike Mustache has its own blog! People sometimes say that dogs and their owners look alike, and now the same can be said of many riders and their bikes!

It's ill-advised to try and operate a moving vehicle while using your cell phone... especially when you're in the middle of a bike race! You can't make this stuff up. At a recent cyclocross race an Oregon, a photo was snapped of a rider using his cellphone while racing! Since it's hard to get lost on a race course, you have to wonder what was so important that it couldn't wait. Got something fun that's walking/biking related to share? Send it to funlinks@wobo.org – it might end up in the next newsletter!

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:

 

 

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 Walk Oakland Bike Oakland  |  (510) 269-4034  |  436 14th Street, Suite 1216  |  Oakland, CA 94612