BART to Bay: Connecting El Cerrito, Richmond, and the Bay Trail




By Janet Byron.

On April 16, about 25 cyclists—ranging in age from 8 to 80—met at El Cerrito Plaza BART station to explore the possibilities and promise of an improved route from to the Bay Trail via Richmond Annex and the Sacramento Street pedestrian bridge.

Along the way, Steve Price and Janet Byron of El Cerrito Strollers & Rollers highlighted a series of “pain-points,” including the lack of signage pointing out a bike route to the Bay Trail (and back), challenges crossing San Pablo and Carlson avenues, unsafe landings and limited traffic calming on both sides of the Sacramento Street pedestrian bridge over I-80, and  the need for better bike protections on the I-580 overpass.

Once we made it to the Bay Trail at Central Avenue, it was smooth sailing to Armistice Brewing Company! The trip from the Plaza BART to Bay Trail takes only about 10 minutes by bike. From there, cyclists have easy access to terrific birdwatching, the Point Isabel dog park, Costco, Albany Beach and Bulb, Richmond Ferry and Marina, Craneway Pavilion, and Rosie the Riveter museum. The spectacular views from the Bay Trail include San Francisco, the Golden Gate, Mt. Tamalpais, and beyond. It wasn’t hard for our group of intrepid riders to imagine an accessible, safe, and low-stress route to the Bay!

On May 24 from 6 to 8 p.m., UC Berkeley SafeTREC, El Cerrito Strollers & Rollers, and the City of El Cerrito will gather for an in-person workshop, “BART to Bay: Connecting El Cerrito, Richmond and the Bay Trail” Please join us at Hana Gardens Community Room, 10860 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito. Light snacks will be served. Feel free to BYO dinner.

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