Overview
In late 2024, our Richmond Street community was presented with well-intended yet rather unfortunate urban street planning that promises to produce significant negative elements, such as traffic congestion, disability barriers, environmental concerns, and social inequalities.
The Project:
In 2016, the City adopted an Active Transportation Plan and a Complete Streets Policy, which call for creating a safe, comfortable, and convenient transportation network that serves users of all modes and abilities. These plans include proposed work to improve the East Side Bicycle Boulevard (Blake Street, Norvell Street, Schmidt Lane, Richmond Street) and sidewalk reconstruction and repair on Richmond/Elm Street to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility.
Rather than following the 2016 recommendations, the City chose to unveil a new project in late 2024—one that sang a different tune: Chicanes, artificial curves; bulb-outs, extended sidewalks; and dedicated (Class II) bike lanes were going to be added to Richmond Street at the cost of 60% of on-street parking (50% plus 10-13% due to the new state daylight law). The City intended to improve the connectivity of El Cerrito in all aspects and take a holistic approach to street design. Yet by failing to consider and consult Richmond Street residents—the people who use the street the most—the City contradicted the principles of inclusivity and undermined the very nature of holism.
The contentions are numerous with this project and are surrounded by many myths and misinformation. Here are some facts:
The Richmond Street Complete Streets Improvement Project will not make Richmond Street safer. Read more here
It does not make Richmond Street greener. Read more here.
It discriminates against Richmond Street’s large demographic of older adults, who face social isolation or even displacement from their communities due to the elimination of street parking. This directly impacts their right to "age in place" and have access to essential social and medical services. Read more here.
When these older residents are pushed out of the community, they will be replaced by young, affluent, able-bodied residents, harming the rich and complex history of diversity in our neighborhood.
Richmond Street is an emergency evacuation route. Certain features, such as chicanes and bulb-outs, impede resident evacuation efforts and delay emergency vehicles.
Richmond Street is already a shared (Class III) bikeway. Chicanes, bulb-outs and dedicated (Class II) bike lanes are not a condition for the $8 million grant that the City received for this project. Read more here.
There are over 200 homes on Richmond Street, housing hundreds of residents. On the other hand, bicyclists account for 0.3% of traffic on Richmond Street, less than a third of the national average of 1%— that is only 25 daily trips across 15 unique bicyclists.
According to the police reports, there have been no bike accidents on Richmond Street between 2013 and 2024.
In addition to Richmond Street, there are plenty of alternative bike routes going north-south in El Cerrito, including the Ohlone Greenway—a safe, dedicated bike and pedestrian route—as well as Everett and Norvell Streets (a bike boulevard). See the Bike Network Map here.
Richmond Street is not a fast street. The speed limit is 25 mph. Though some people may break the speed limit, the maximum speed recorded on Richmond Street is 31 mph. These higher speeds are directly related to the street not being updated for more than 16 years. Installing high-visibility raised intersections, which also function as much safer pedestrian crossings, will slow traffic down considerably without changing the layout of the street. These raised intersections are already planned for Richmond Street. Read more here.
The proposed removal of parking spaces on Richmond Street was based on flawed research that concluded only 46% of our street parking is being used. When we conducted the research ourselves, we found the average parking occupancy to be 58.5% overall, with different residential blocks falling between 47%-74%. Read more here.
If you take parking away from one side of the street, it follows that there will be no parking availability on the other side either. Read stories of San Mateo residents here.
Class II - separate- bike lanes on Richmond Street do not make bicyclists or any other traffic participants safer, because they do not eliminate the high risk of crossing 156 driveways and intersections along this 1-mile stretch. They also do not prevent cars and bicyclists turning into each other’s spaces and causing accidents.
Similar Safe Streets designs have increased—not decreased—traffic accidents in other cities, such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boulder, CO and Cambridge, MA. Read more here.
We need our City to takes a real interest in our well-being. The City did not consult Richmond Street residents for this project. Being out of touch with resident concerns can lead to legal challenges, protests, and increased project costs and delays. It is crucial for a local government to involve residents in the planning process, allowing for meaningful participation and dialogue. Read more here.
This project not only disregards the needs of the entire community, but also fails to deliver on its stated goals—raising concerns about equity, safety, environmental impact, property values, financial responsibility, and research integrity. Read more here.
90% of Richmond Street Residents north of Moeser Lane—voters and taxpayers—oppose the project, yet their proposal for a project that is actually safe, green, fair, and considerate to the community—the people who use the street the most—is not supported. Read more here.
The project is not a done deal. Neither the design nor the required reports or reviews are final. Karen Pinkos, the City Manager, confirmed that the project is barely 35% of the way to completion.
Our street could certainly use a makeover, but there are alternatives to the current Complete Streets Project that are safer, greener, and a lot cheaper, while simultaneously preserving our prided diversity and sense of community.
What we have done so far:
A group of neighbors found alliance in their protest against the City’s Complete Streets proposal and started the Richmond Street Neighbors Association.
We spoke at city council meetings, wrote to city council members and crafted a 23-page rebuttal to the City’s Complete Streets proposal.
We met with the city manager, the city engineer, and city council members.
We declared solidarity with other communities like ours, such as Hopkins Street in Berkeley and the North Central Neighborhood in San Mateo, and shared information and ideas.
We created a website and window posters for those who are interested to know or do more. Order your free window posters by contacting us.
Community outreach advances each week. We would love to hear from you!
Contact us at richmondstreetforall@gmail.com
Further Reading
“San Mateo Moves to Remove Most of Bike Lanes” by Alyse DiNapoli The San Mateo Daily Journal