Fact & Fiction
“Bicycle lanes have been shown to improve the safety of all modes up to 30%.”
MYTH
FACT: Bicycle lanes have not improved safety in multiple U.S. cities that have implemented Vision Zero. Not in San Francisco. Not in Los Angeles. Not in Boulder, CO. Not in Cambridge, MA.
Graph courtesy of www.keepLAmoving.com
Graph courtesy of www.keepLAmoving.com
Graph courtesy of www.keepLAmoving.com
“The analysis shows that 2.5 times more cyclist injuries and 3.5 times more motorist injuries occurred on street segments after separated bike lanes were installed. About two thirds of all cyclist crashes resulted in transport to a hospital. These findings are both surprising and concerning especially given the 23% drop in bike traffic in the last 12 months … .” —Cambridge Cyclist Injuries Doubled with New Lanes
“The $8 million grant dictates the city must install bike lanes.”
FICTION
FACT: The text of the grant application was not accessible for months due to technical difficulties. Members of the Richmond Street Neighbors Association (RSNA) asked the City to fix the problem so they could view the grant. When they were finally able to read the grant, they discovered there was no requirement for bike lanes on Richmond Street.
The grant application reads:
“Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvements – This project component will improve Richmond Street to provide safe and accessible pedestrian connections between El Cerrito’s walkable residential neighborhoods to both the del Norte and Plaza BART Stations and the City’s San Pablo Avenue PDA (recognized as such regionally, across the 9-County San Francisco Bay Area). The improvements will provide safe access for all modes of travel by rehabilitating the pavement; and installing enhanced traffic signing, green pavement markings and signs to enhance the existing shared-lane bike facility (which complements the low-stress Ohlone Greenway, just 1-3 blocks West); and implementing safety upgrades at the Elm/Key/Hill Streets traffic signal. Upgrades to the vehicle signal loop detection to enhance bike detection at the four signalized intersections within the project component limits are proposed as part of the separate countywide CCTA Smart Signals project.”
The grant does not mention separate bike lanes, let alone bike lanes in lieu of parking. Separate bike lanes are not a requirement to receive the grant.
“The Project is a done deal.”
MYTH
The public, as well as decision makers, were repeatedly told that the project was a done deal.
FACT: Neither the design, nor the reports or reviews are remotely final. The police and fire chiefs have not signed off. Everything is still in flux. Karen Pinkos, the City Manager, affirmed that the project is currently at 35% of completion. 65% of the plan is still to be decided. While the project is not exactly on hold, it is progressing very slowly due to push back from the Richmond Street community.
“The project reflects input received from the community.”
FICTION
FACT: As Richmond Street residents who have followed this project and provided survey feedback about improving street safety, we did not hear anything about the proposed removal of street parking until early December 2024, and neither did most of our neighbors.
No proper community input was allowed during the research phase. No dialogue with city representatives was possible during meetings and workshops.
A survey conducted by the Richmond Street Neighbors Association revealed that 90% of the households surveyed on Richmond Street, including a majority of bicyclists, oppose the project, with only 6.5% of households in favor. These numbers indicate a severe disconnect between the City’s outreach and the actual concerns of residents. The project clearly does not reflect input from the 90% of the community, who are against the project. It does display recommendations from bicycle advocates, who do not live on Richmond Street or even in El Cerrito.
MYTH
Image by Steve Price, co-founder of EC/RA Walk & Roll.
FACT: Richmond Street already serves all users, including people walking, people bicycling, persons with disabilities, people driving motor vehicles, movers of commercial goods, users and operators of public transportation, emergency responders, seniors, youth, families and residents who live along the street, and as such complies with the Complete Streets mission.
Richmond Street is currently a Class III (shared) bike route. Bicycle advocates would like to change this to Class II (dedicated) bike lanes, although bicyclists account for only 0.3% of traffic and no bike accidents were reported 2013-2024. Unfortunately, there is not enough space on Richmond Street for two dedicated bike lanes in addition to two lanes for motorists. The City of El Cerrito plans to remove more than 50% of street parking on Richmond Street to accommodate these bike-only lanes that will be rarely used. Eliminating street parking in favor of bike lanes disproportionately harms those who rely on close access to their homes, such as seniors, disabled individuals, young families and caregivers. Without proper accommodations, older adults may struggle to access essential services like healthcare, transportation, and social support and face increased isolation and reduced independence. Once these plans will be implemented our street will no longer be for all. The plans fail to account for residents with mobility challenges. For more information click here.
“Cycle lanes make roads safer for all users.”
ILLUSION
FACT: Driveways and intersections are among the most dangerous places for traffic participants, including cyclists. Whether it is a four-way stop, a traffic light, or an unprotected junction, intersections require both motorists and cyclists to make quick decisions. Intersections are high-risk areas because of the complex flow of traffic and the increased potential for miscommunication between road users.
On the one-mile stretch between Moeser Lane and Hill Street there are 10 road junctions. The National Association of City Traffic Officials (NACTO) also considers driveways as intersections. There are 71 driveways on the east side of Richmond street and 75 on the west side, which means bicyclists will have to navigate more than 80 intersections each way as they travel this section of Richmond Street—10 intersections per block. Add in cars and bicyclists turning into each other’s spaces, and these are accidents waiting to happen. This situation exists now, and the few people who bike Richmond Street are aware of it. Adding a bike lane will not reduce the number of intersections, and if the City promotes something as safe when it is not, people will get hurt. Safe is just a word here, not the reality.
“The El Cerrito community wants safer spaces to walk and bike. Creating these spaces involves tradeoffs in the use of limited public street space.”
FICTION
FACT: There was a double-barreled question on the City’s questionnaire asking about walking and biking in the same sentence. When respondents are asked for feedback on two different issues within one question and they can respond with only a single answer, it is considered a trick question. The results will end up skewed—never a good thing when it comes to survey data. See more here.
The actual usage of Richmond Street by bicyclists was not monitored by the City and its consultants. If they did collect such data, they did not disclose the results. Residents themselves had to monitor bicyclists on Richmond Street to get the data. They observed an average of 25 bicycle trips per day (representing approximately 15 unique bicyclists). Bicyclists on Richmond Street make up 0.3% (three-tenths of a percent) of total traffic. Less than a third of the national average of 1%.
On the other hand, there are about 200 households on Richmond Street between Moeser Lane and Hill Street. The City of El Cerrito plans to strong-arm an entire community of hundreds of residents into making serious involuntary sacrifices to appease 15 mostly non-local bicyclists, who have the freedom and the ability to cycle when and where they want.
Our research of police records concluded that there were no bicyclist accidents between 2013-2024. That means that bicyclists and motorists seem to share the road well on Richmond Street.
The hundreds of pedestrians on Richmond Street that need and will get safe sidewalks and clearly visible crosswalks, do not require tradeoffs.
“Richmond Street is the only continuous north-south street that’s relatively flat.”
“The Ohlone Greenway, while a great asset, is too far from destinations like Korematsu Middle School and the El Cerrito Swim and Community Center to serve local residents.”
FICTION
FACT: At its starting point at Fairmount Avenue, Richmond Street nearly intersects the Ohlone Greenway under BART, which is a dedicated bike and pedestrian route. Any of the five side streets east of Richmond Street can take you north to Moeser Lane and directly to the Swim and Community Center. The safest and straightest route to Korematsu Middle School is either via Everett Street or Norvell Street, not Richmond Street. Norvell Street is also a bike boulevard.
Going north, Richmond Street leads nowhere. At its end at Blake Street, you must choose to go east or west (uphill or down). If your destination is west and downhill, the more direct and safer choice is riding the Ohlone Greenway, a dedicated bicyclist and pedestrian route, which is only two blocks away from Richmond Street. If your destination is east and uphill, a more direct route would be any street in the hills.
Coming from the north going to El Cerrito Plaza, the Ohlone Greenway is again the preferred route for those in the flats, while those who come from the hills are better off staying in the hills until Fairmount Avenue, which is a bike boulevard and will take cyclists straight to their destination.
As local residents, we tested these routes by bicycle for accuracy, and there is nothing in our findings that would suggest Richmond Street as a preferred bike route for any reason or for any of the destinations mentioned above. Besides, Richmond Street is not flat.
“Along Richmond Street, the existing available vehicle parking is underutilized – parking occupancy is typically not higher than 46% and most properties have at least one off-street parking.”
MYTH
FACT: Taking into account that the law requires us to park 20 feet away from an intersection, 15 feet away from a fire hydrant and 5 feet away from a drive way, we found out that the average parking occupancy for each block is the following:
1000 Block: 56%
1200 Block: 49%
1300 Block: 55%
1400 Block: 70%
1500 Block: 47%
1600 Block: 74%
The 1100 Block is an anomaly and does not represent the rest of the Richmond Street. On the east side of this very long block is the Rose Park Condo Complex. Since Rose Park residents have their own internal “streets” within the complex as well as two-car garages, you will hardly see a car parked on that side of the street. (Not that Rose Park residents are in favor of the project. They are not.)
In addition, the Rose Park HOA does not allow residents to park their cars in front of their garage, but everyone does. If the HOA enforces its rule, resident parking will be redirected to Richmond Street.
“The project will reduce vehicle speeds and calm driving behavior.”
“Richmond Street will become a ‘slow’ street.”
POINTLESS
FACT: The speed limit on Richmond Street is 25 mph. The City gathered weekday speed data along Richmond Street and found that 85% of vehicles are traveling at or below the following speeds:
Donal and Manila Avenues: 31 mph
Portola Avenue and Moeser Lane: 28 mph
Stockton and Eureka Avenues: 26 mph
This is consistent with previous speed surveys conducted along the corridor.
Richmond Street is already a slow street! Raised intersections are planned by the City and residents, which will slow motorists down further at each intersection while keeping the street design exactly as it is now.