As an island city surrounded by the spectacular San Francisco Bay, Alameda enjoys one of the finest settings of any city in California. Residents of Alameda have access to beaches, parks, lagoons, wildlife sanctuaries and the Bay Trail with panoramic, breath taking views of the San Francisco Bay and city sky line as well as access to a wide variety of cultural amenities centered around the numerous schools, the College of Alameda and harbor areas. They also enjoy a wide variety of local businesses as well as close proximity to nightlife, restaurants, and movie theaters at the nearby Jack London Square, and access via the ferry service to museums and cultural activities in San Francisco.

The City is relatively isolated from major transportation corridors, although Webster Street (State Route 61) a major regional route and connection to the City of Oakland to the north, can be congested during commute hours. State Route 61 also provides a direct connection to San Leandro and the Oakland International Airport to the east. Interstate 880, just outside of Alameda in Oakland, provides a connection to the regional highway system running throughout the Bay Area region.

The City is also connected to other regional centers by scheduled transit service provided by AC Transit, and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system. A major international airport is located nearby in Oakland on the border of Alameda=s Bay Farm Island. Nearby Jack London Square has recently become a major regional visitor destination and is served by numerous transit lines, Amtrak, as well as a regular ferry service that connects to Alameda and San Francisco. Relatively few trucks use the downtown avenues, however Buena Vista and Clement Streets are manufacturing corridors that serve as a major truck and traffic thoroughfares for the City=s industrial activities.

Historically, the island was home to the Ohlone Indians who lived by hunting, fishing and gathering on the island. In more recent history, life in Alameda has centered around the local Naval Air Station, various maritime activities (both recreational and industrial based) and the area=s schools. The area is also known as a major Northern California yachting center. The city has a unique history of preserving the historical character of its homes and buildings rather than allowing for fast-growth and box type developments. As a result the city has retained a wide variety of unique architecturally styled homes and buildings that have helped preserve the City=s historic character. As a primarily residential community, many residents commute to nearby employment centers in Alameda, San Francisco and Santa Clara Counties. This trend has been increased by the recent closure of the Naval Air Station, and loss of a significant portion of the island=s employment base. However, the recent development of the Harbor Bay and Marina Village Business Parks, as well as redevelopment of Alameda Point (former NAS) and Fleet Industrial Supply Center (FISC) are currently bringing more high quality jobs to the area.

Why does Alameda need a Bicycle Master Plan? One reason is the conversion of the former Naval Air Station (NAS) to a visitor attraction, shopping and employment center. With the former NAS accounting for a quarter of Alameda=s land area, the redevelopment may have a significant impact on the island=s demographic composition and travel demand, subsequently increasing the demand for cycling throughout the island.

Simply put, visitors and residents desire to get out of their cars and bicycle on the quiet streets lined with magnificent Victorian-style homes and beautiful tree canopy, bay shore and view, and the rich wildlife sanctuaries. In order to achieve this goal the bicycling environment in Alameda must be enhanced. Having a planning document that identifies facility priorities will enable the city to create an attractive and usable infrastructure.

Another reason is the enjoyment and quality of life for the residents of Alameda. Since bicycling is one of the most popular forms of recreational activity in the United States (with 46% of Americans bicycling for pleasure), we can assume that about 33,350 residents in Alameda bicycle purely for pleasure at least occasionally.

Safety is a primary reason to improve bicycling conditions in Alameda. Concerns for safety is the single greatest reason people don=t commute by bicycle, according to a 1991 Lou Harris Poll. Addressing those concerns for bicyclists through physical and program improvements is another major objective of this Bicycle Master Plan. With many redeveloping areas (Alameda Point, FISC, and Northern Waterfront) a comprehensive BMP will provide guidance to secure bicycle access.

Safety, access, quality of life, and effective implementation are imperative elements for Alameda=s success as a bicycle-friendly city.

Safety is the number one concern of citizens, whether they are avid or casual recreational cyclists or bicycle commuters. The city=s wide residential streets, which have been historically used as rail and trolley ways, create a fairly safe cycling environment along many of the east-west routes, although this width also contributes to higher vehicle speeds which offsets these benefits. However, heavy traffic volumes combined with narrower streets along the north-south avenues, which also house the City=s commercial areas, create difficult conditions for cyclists. In particular, many bicyclists are forced to use side streets to avoid traffic along the commercial corridors of Park and Webster Streets, making safe access to shopping destinations problematic.

Access for bicyclists to shopping, work, recreation, school, and other destinations is somewhat hampered by the Park and Webster Street corridors. Movement across Santa Clara Avenue via Sherman St. is also hampered by the sheer volume of traffic (especially during the commute hours) and a lack of signaling at the intersection. A major ongoing challenge to bicyclists are the Webster/Posey Tubes, with their extremely narrow paths, along with elevated noise levels and high concentrations of automobile exhaust. Additionally, access to the Bay Farm Island Bike Bridge as well as connecting streets is difficult from both sides of the bridge.

This Plan urges Alameda to take measurable steps toward the goal of improving every Alameda citizen=s Quality of Life, creating a more sustainable environment, reducing traffic congestion, vehicle exhaust emissions, noise, and energy consumption. The importance of developing a bicycle system that is attractive and inviting is a key element in preserving Alameda as a city where people want to live, work, and visit. The attractiveness of the environment not only invites bicyclists to explore Alameda, but more importantly, a beautiful environment helps to improve everyone=s positive feelings about the quality of life in Alameda.

Education, enforcement, engineering, and funding are the basic components of an Effective Implementation Program for this Master Plan. Education must be targeted to the bicyclist as well as to the motorist regarding the rights and responsibilities of the bicyclist, and automobile driver. Comprehensive enforcement of existing traffic and parking laws, coupled with the implementation of sound design and engineering principles for bike corridors is also critical. This plan also proposes systematic review of all new development projects, including public works efforts, to assure compliance with planning and building codes and the principles of this Master Plan. Finally, this plan proposes an aggressive strategy for obtaining grants and competing for other funding sources in order to realize the physical improvements identified as the highest priorities.

The Bicycle Master Plan recommends the completion of a comprehensive bikeway network and implementation of new educational and promotional programs to be implemented over the 20-year life of the Plan. Specific short-to-mid-term projects in general order of preference that are detailed later in this report include:

3. Bicycle Support Facilities
4. Shoreline Trail Enhancements

7. San Jose-Sherman Bikeway Corridor

8. Commercial Area Bicycle Corridors
9. Fifth Street Corridor

Numerous programs and smaller projects are also included in the short and mid-term list of recommended projects, and are detailed later in this report, as are specific actions that are needed to implement these projects in the next five (5) to ten (10) years.

The Bicycle Master Plan has been created through the diligent efforts of the City and citizens interested in improving the Alameda bicycling environment. Without the sustained efforts of these people, this Plan would not have been conceived and written.

As an Element of the General Plan, the Bicycle Master Plan has the comprehensive scope and jurisdictional authority required to coordinate and guide the provision of all bicycle-related plans, programs, and projects. Many current planning efforts provide recommendations regarding one element or aspect of the bicycle network; the task of the Alameda Bicycle Master Plan is to ensure compatibility of all of these blueprints, while attending to planning for areas of the City not already targeted by other studies. The studies or planning efforts listed below have been reviewed and consulted, studied for consistency, and where appropriate, folded into Alameda=s Bicycle Master Plan:

The Alameda General Plan Land Use and Transportation Elements are the most recent policy documents that deal directly with bicycle issues. The Land Use Element primarily focuses on maintaining Alameda=s Asmall-city@ feel. The Land Use Element recognizes the benefits of having a jobs/housing balance within the city and the potential to reduce travel demand. The subsequent reduction of commute distances for locally employed residents resulting from a jobs/housing balance would provide increased opportunities for commuting by bicycle. Finally, the Land Use Element states a policy to Alimit the size of stores in neighborhood business districts (Y) to avoid transforming pedestrian-scale business districts into auto-oriented shopping centers (Y).@ The attributes of pedestrian scale business districts tend to also coincide with those of bicycle friendly environments.

The Transportation Element has a goal of providing Aa system of bike paths, bike lanes, and bike routes that will encourage both commute and recreational cycling,@ with objectives to de-emphasize the dependence on single occupant automobile travel by providing a high level of transit, pedestrian and bicycle opportunities.@ Plan recommendations include many items that would benefit bicyclists, including a traffic management system that minimizes the intrusion of traffic onto residential streets, opposes increasing through traffic capacity on the Main Island, encourages through traffic to the Harbor Bay Business Park to utilize alternative connections to I-880, and utilizes general traffic calming measures (stop signs, speed limits, narrowing of roads) on residential streets. The Recreation and Parks, Shoreline Access, Schools and Cultural Facilities Element supports completion of the Bay Trail, a Class I path, that follows the shoreline as closely as possible and circles Alameda=s portion of Bay Farm Island and the Main Island.

Descriptions of Class I, II, and III facilities are provided in the Transportation Element, along with a map of the existing and proposed bikeways system. The plan contains a brief section stating the guiding and implementing bikeway policies but these are lacking the implementation detail necessary to support and carry out a thorough plan which allows for the fullest development and utilization of the city=s bikeway system. In addition, in order to help achieve the city=s bikeway system goals and visions, the plan needs to present a well thought-out set of recommendations, accompanied by a feasibility analysis, financial estimates and funding information.

The Alameda County Bikeways Plan contains a detailed map of existing and proposed bikeways and will be updated in 1999.

The NAS Alameda Reuse Plan recognizes the need to provide adequate bicycling facilities that are conducive to the efficient and safe circulation between the various land uses on the base. The plan calls for providing a system of bicycle paths, lanes and routes that Aencourage both commute and recreational bicycling.@ This includes establishing Class I bicycle paths on Main Street, Atlantic Avenue, Tinker Avenue, and Mitchell-Mosely, requiring employers to provide ample and safe storage areas for bicycles, and encouraging bike transport on board transit systems throughout the base. Additionally, the plan calls for the creation and distribution of a map showing existing and proposed bikeways in NAS Alameda as well as a bikeway implementation program with schedules and priorities.

The NAS Street Improvement Plan is a proposal for transportation improvements at the Alameda Point. The bikeways section of the plan proposes to provide a network of bikeways to sustain and promote bicycling as a viable transportation mode on the base.

Standards for bikeways classifications are defined using CalTrans guidelines along with guidelines for their placement in the bikeway system. The plan makes several proposals for bike paths, lanes and routes throughout the base as well as along routes connecting the base to Alameda. This includes a Class I bikepath along the entire perimeter of the base, connecting to the existing Class I bikeway south of Central Avenue and to the bike path to the Main Street Ferry Terminal.

Goals provide the context for the specific policies and recommendations discussed in the Bicycle Master Plan. The goals provide the long-term vision and serve as the foundation of the plan. The goals are broad statements of purpose that do not provide details, but show the plan=s direction and give overall guidance. Objectives provide more specific descriptions of the goal, while policy actions provide a bridge between general goals and actual implementation guidelines, which are provided in the Implementation chapters.

The following Goals and Objectives are intended to guide bicycle planning, design, and implementation. Note that each policy action that is addressed in this Plan is noted with a [P].

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