Bike East Bay’s mission is to promote healthy, sustainable communities by making bicycling safe, fun, and accessible for everyone. The nonprofit was founded in 1972 as the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and has a long history of advancing bicycle use and access in the region. The group successfully advocated for bicycle access on BART trains; thanks to its work, bicyclists are now accommodated on all local and transbay buses, ferries, local Amtrak trains, and on shuttles over bridges that do not currently offer direct access for cyclists. It is also responsible for opening a bike and pedestrian path on the Bay Bridge, and helping to win hundreds of millions of dollars for East Bay active transportation projects.

“Biking gets better every year in the East Bay,” according to Chelsey Prewitt, the Communications Manager for Bike East Bay. “Since 2020, we’ve seen more protected bikeways built, more citywide bike plans updated, more local advocates moving the needle, and more ride groups pop up as people are ready to reconnect with community post-pandemic.”

Bike East Bay offers free classes, group rides, and community events to help riders feel confident, safe, and excited to ride throughout the East Bay. The nonprofit operates one of the largest free bike education programs in the country. It has also successfully advocated for the installation of 144 protected bikeways across the East Bay, including six in Pleasanton.

Over the years, “our mission has remained the same, but we have continued to adapt our programming and advocacy to meet our community’s needs,” notes Prewitt. “We’ve welcomed the recent popularity of ebikes. We love the ways ebikes get more people riding and going further. We’ve heard countless stories of older rides, folks with disabilities, parents with young kids, and neighbors in hilly areas whose lives have been transformed by their ebike.”

According to Prewitt, the nonprofit’s small staff punches above its weight, running programming and keeping track of projects across more than 40 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The staff finds many reasons to be optimistic about its goal. After all, 50% of all household trips are within three miles of home, according to the League of American Bicyclists. “We see this as plenty of opportunities to swap car trips with bike rides,” Prewitt says.

The nonprofit helps Pleasanton cyclists in a variety of ways. It tracks bike plans developed throughout the East Bay, including the City of Pleasanton. Pleasanton is in the process of updating its Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan for the first time since 2018. Bike East Bay also tracks regional bike groups. Bike Pleasanton, for example, is a growing local cycling group.

The community can support Bike East Bay and cycling in several ways. Residents can join the nonprofit at a free bike class, group ride, or social event. They can also join the nonprofit's year-round advocacy efforts to create safer streets and better infrastructure. Fans of the nonprofit can also support its fundraising efforts.

On Wednesday, September 16, Bike East Bay is holding Biketopia, the group’s annual party and fundraiser, at Preservation Park, which is located at 1233 Preservation Park Way in Oakland. The event runs from 5 to 8:30 pm and features a silent auction, music, food, and awards for local bike projects. On Saturday, October 3, from 11 am to 2 pm, the nonprofit is hosting a Youth Bike Rodeo at Pleasanton Palooza in downtown Pleasanton. This drop-in class is designed for children ages seven to 12 who know how to bike, and want some practice before riding with their families, to school, and beyond.

“The more we design streets for people, not cars, the more our neighborhoods will thrive,” says Prewitt. “More people riding bikes creates safer roads, slower traffic, and more livable communities for all.”

For more information about Bike East Bay, please visit bikeeastbay.org.

For more information about Biketopia or to buy tickets, please visit www.bikeeastbay.org/biketopia.

To track and follow East Bay bicycle plans as they are developed, please visit www.bikeeastbay.org/BikePlans.

To learn more about Bike Pleasanton, sign up at www.docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf-zRenGpLx9_2378EQg4uUhUcOMxWenThBbxpO6RAd2MLFtw/viewform.

Photo by Denago eBikes on Unsplash