El Cerrito/Richmond Annex Walk & Roll blog

This fall El Cerrito welcomed Jarrett Mullen as the city’s new sustainable transportation program manager, a new position that reports to Melanie Mintz, El Cerrito’s community development director. Previously, Mullen worked as a senior Transportation Planner for Fehr & Peers consultants and the City of Palo Alto. A native of Fremont, Mullen attended San Jose State University with degrees in sociology and urban Studies. El Cerrito Strollers & Rollers asked Mullen a few questions. — Janet Byron EC S&R: Tell us a little bit about yourself.  JM: I’m a lifelong Bay Area resident who grew up in Fremont and currently lives in San Francisco. I love spending time outside, whether backpacking, hiking, or bicycling. When I’m not outside, you can probably find me at a music venue listening to a psychedelic rock act or trying a new restaurant. I'm looking forward to resuming traveling again once the pandemic risks and restrictions ease. EC S&R: How did you become interested in

El Cerrito has hills. So does the Richmond Annex for that matter. Even Albany.  But E-bikes are topography killers. Most dealers brag about how far and how fast they go. Around here we should also ask, how high? Depending on how much torque an e-bike has, e-bikes can take you higher into the hills with less effort. For many who live in the hills, an e-bike could let you access local retail and BART without depending on a car. Tom Lent in Berkeley has a website that answers lots of questions about e-bikes including about torque. — Steve Price Climate Action Center PHOTO: RAD POWER BIKES

Not everyone is able-bodied enough to ride a bicycle, stand on an electric scooter, or even walk. Separated bike lanes, like many of us hope for San Pablo Avenue, should really be thought of as non-automobile mobility lanes. In other parts of the world, they give hope to people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters. This video from the steve Netherlands shows the freedom that separated bike lanes give to people with disabilities and the very old. — Steve Price

Auto-oriented arterials like San Pablo Avenue will not drive us to our social and environmental doom; they may be our salvation. In a recent essay, visionary urban planner Peter Calthorpe wrote , "The underutilized commercial land lining the Inner Bay Area’s 700 miles of arterials total 15,400 acres. This land could provide up to 1.3 million new houses with 260,000 affordable units close to jobs and existing services. When compared to the impacts of an average Bay Area house, these ‘Grand Boulevard’ dwellings would generate 55% fewer auto miles; cost 53% less in utilities and transportation; consume 39% less energy; demand 62% less water; and produce 50% less greenhouse gas emissions." Calthorpe also adds that corridor development will benefit local public goods, "without disrupting stable neighborhoods or displacing existing housing . . . Increased property values will provide a tax windfall for state school funding as well as local public investments in transit, parks,

El Cerrito, Richmond Annex, and Albany are uniquely situated geographically; we live in the narrowest part of the East Bay hourglass. In the inner East Bay, we are where the Bay and the East Bay hills come closest together. North and south of us are broad coastal plains, but here nothing is far from anything else. Nearby the Bay Trail is to the west and hilly parkland is to the east, with all the goods and services that San Pablo Avenue offers going down the middle (with some smaller neighborhood centers and the Plaza nearby). In the United States during 2021, 52% of all trips—using all modes of transportation—were for less than 3 miles, which easily encompasses this area. If you want to wean yourself off of car dependency for local errands, our area is a good place to do it. — Steve Price