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Richmond pulse 5/25/2013 "Why I Joined 'The Ride of Silence' - A Cyclists Story" Click here to read.

Richmond Confidential logo 5/14/2013 Ride of Silence honors cyclists injured or killed on the road by Wendi Johanassen Click here for more.
kpix logo 5/21/2013 An Oakland cyclist was hospitalized following after a late night road rage incident with a truck driver. Witnesses said the driver dragged the woman at least 70 feet. Christin Ayers reports.
Click here to see the video report.
cc times logo 2013 Richmond Ride of Silence featured on the frontpage. Click here for image. Clicking on the image will cause it to enlarge.
Ebbc ;pgp 5/15/2013 Richmond headlined the EBBC's newsletter with our 19% increase in BTWD Riders! Click here to view.
5/17/2012 Ride of Silence raises awareness for Richmond bicyclists
mercury news 5/17/2012 Dozens of Richmond bicyclists pay respects to injured cyclists
NBC logo 5/16/2012 Richmond Cyclists Organize Ride of Silence
Univision 5/16/2012 Richmond Ride of Silence (Spanish)
CC Times 5/17/2012 Riders honor injured cyclists Richmond police Officer Anthony Diaz, who rides on the department's bicycle patrol unit, rode with the group that placed the "ghost bike" at the site where Godinez-Garcia died. "The memorial is a powerful statement to bring awareness that we all need to share the road and respect safety," Diaz said.
ktvu 5/16/2012 Cyclists remember those killed on road with 'Ride of Silence'
5/17/2012 Watch the beautiful and touching Ghost Bike video by Richmond's Lana Husser
04/27/12 Driver arrested in Hit-and Run: On 04/11/12, at approximately 0130 hours, a fatal hit-and-run collision occurred on Barrett Avenue at 33rd Street in Richmond, CA. A 47-year-old motorist identified as Tracy Denise Cooper was traveling eastbound on Barrett Avenue and broadsided a bicyclist traversing Barrett Avenue southbound at 33rd Street. The bicyclist died at the scene from major injuries. Cooper fled the scene immediately after impact. The bicyclist's was identified as 24-year-old Juan Godinez-Garcia of Richmond. On 04/27/12, Richmond police investigators located and arrested Cooper in a Berkeley apartment building. Felony hit-and-run charges have been filed by the Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office. Cooper remains in-custody awaiting arraignment.

kgo logo 4/11/2012 KGO ABC 7 News- Richmond police try to find driver that killed bicyclistUpdated at 06:59 PM today by Lyanne Melendez video (KGO)

Richmond police are asking for help in finding a hit and run driver who ran down and killed a bicyclist early Wednesday morning. Richmond police say the bicyclist killed is 28-year-old Juan Godinez Garcia, a native of Guatemala. The incident occurred at 1:30 a.m. while neighbors were sleeping, that's why police say it's going to be hard to find the driver.

Richmond police found the bicyclist at the intersection of 33rd Street and Barrett Avenue. Garcia was already dead and the driver had fled. "This bicyclist was traveling across the intersection, so the person who was driving that hit him may not have even seen him, but it becomes a crime once they flee the scene," said Richmond Lt. Bisa French.

Nobody reported seeing the hit and run, but police say there are ways of finding the driver. "There should be some paint transfer maybe on the vehicle, maybe some dents on the vehicle," said French.

"There is no contest between a 6,000 pound vehicle and 150 pound person on a bike," said Brian Drayton. Drayton is a bicycle activist who owns Richmond Spokes. Wednesday he posted the incident on his Facebook page hoping one of his 2,000 followers may provide a lead.

A statewide traffic database operated by the California Highway Patrol lists Barrett Avenue as one of the most dangerous streets in Richmond. McDonald Avenue and Cutting Boulevard top that list. "The cars go between 35 and 45 miles an hour down there and you are talking multiple lanes in either direction and with the right of way straight through residential neighborhoods," said Drayton.

Drayton and other bicyclists have pushed for safety improvements in Richmond. The city council recently passed the Richmond Bicycle Master Plan to create bike lanes. Still, Drayton would like to see traffic calming devices that would force drivers to slow down.

This Friday night about 500 bicyclists will gather at the El Cerrito BART Station and from there they'll travel up San Pablo Avenue from Albany to Richmond. The Bike East Bay says they want to do this because they want to push for safer and better conditions for bicyclists.

10/18/2011 Hit-And-Run driver gets 2-year sentence for hitting, killing cyclist MARTINEZ, Calif.

A 55-year-old El Sobrante man was sentenced to two years in prison Thursday for striking a Martinez cyclist with his vehicle in 2008 and then leaving him to die on the side of the road.
Harold Brown was driving on McEwen Road near state Highway 4 on the evening of Nov. 24, 2008, when he crossed over the double yellow lines into the opposite lane and struck 49-year-old Mark Pendleton head on, according to the California Highway Patrol. Brown then fled the scene and hid his vehicle to avoid being caught, Pendleton's family members said.
An off-duty fire captain from Crockett found Pendleton shortly after he was hit and called for medical assistance, but Pendleton died at the scene, the CHP said.

Brown was not arrested until June 2, 2009, when investigators finally got a phone call that led them to a friend of Brown's, who told them he was the driver who had hit Pendleton, investigators said.

The Bike East Bay put up a "ghost bike" at the site to remind people that Pendleton's killer was still out there. After the bike was stolen twice, Denise Pendleton and her sons camped out at the site overnight to see if the person stealing the bike was the driver who killed Pendleton. Full story on KTVU here

12/12/2011 From the City Manager's report - San Francisco Bay Trail Connection, Castro Street to Point Molate Community Meeting
The City of Richmond's Engineering Services Department hosted a successful community meeting on the evening of December 1st to inform community members about the planned San Francisco Bay Trail Connection from Castro Street to Point Molate, and to gather public input on trail alternatives. The meeting was attended by approximately 45 people, including City Councilmember Tom Butt, District Representative Nathan Rapp from the Office of State Senator Loni Hancock, and representatives from the Association of Bay Area Governments' (ABAG) Bay Trail, Richmond Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (RBPAC), Trails for Richmond Action Committee (TRAC), and Chevron. A presentation on the selection process for the recommended trail alternative was given by Questa Engineering Corporation of Richmond. The recommended trail alternative received broad support from members of the community, in addition to representatives from ABAG, RBPAC, and TRAC, with many in attendance posing excellent questions and commentary. The presentation slides can be found online at http://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=8055 .

Staff is planning to present the Draft Architecture and Engineering Report on the planned trail to the Richmond Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the city's Design Review Board. The Final Architectural and Engineering Report will be presented to the City Council during the early part of 2012. Upon city approval, the project will move into the environmental review and final design phase through the Caltrans approval process. Staff will pursue federal and state funding sources to cover an anticipated cost of $15 to $20 million.

The planned trail connection will provide safe, convenient, and inviting access for bicyclists and pedestrians to the Point San Pablo Peninsula and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge by closing a gap in the Bay Trail from Castro Street in Point Richmond to the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Toll Plaza. The project would correct an access deficiency in the state transportation system, and facilitate zero-emissions commuting to and from the Point San Pablo Peninsula, and eventually across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The project would also enhance water-oriented recreational opportunities for residents and visitors by providing bicycle and pedestrian access to the bay shoreline along the Point San Pablo Peninsula. The project would complement land use development throughout the Point San Pablo Peninsula by providing low-cost commute alternatives, and by connecting the peninsula with City of Richmond greenways, parks, and shoreline developments.

Contra Costa Times 12/02/2011 Tom Butt e-forum "Caltrans Should Help With Bay Trail Connection" and reporter Hannah Dreier " Richmond moving ahead with missing link of Bay Trail " Click here

Contra Costa Times 11/06/2011 Richmond approves plan for future of bicycles (text) By Hannah Dreier
City Looks to Expand Bike Use (scanned)
Contra Costa Times August 19, 2011 Victim's family finds solace in driver's prison sentence
RichmondConfidential 11/3/2011 Richmond Confidential City Council adopts master bicycle, pedestrian plans .
7/14/2011 East Bay News Group, Bicyclist Dies in Crash at Pt. Pinole Click here to read
Heralthy cal 6/2/2011 Julia Landau: As bikes get repaired, Richmond rolls out fixes for city
City and county health workers joined with community activists and organizers around this theme: Richmond's mission begins with something as simple as more bicycles.

CC Times Logo 05/21/2011 Chris Treadway: Richmond observes Ride of Silence for killed, injured bicyclists BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

On the same day the ballyhooed Amgen Tour of California race got rolling before thousands of spectators in Livermore, a much smaller and quieter bicycling event headed out of Civic Center Plaza in Richmond.

In fact, quiet was the whole point of the local ride on Wednesday.

The group ride in Richmond was part of the International Ride of Silence in remembrance of cyclists killed or injured while riding.

A group of riders that included members of the city's Bicycle-Pedestrian Committee and Craig Murray of the city Redevelopment Agency tied on arm bands (black for those killed, red for those injured) before they set out from the plaza for their first stop on San Pablo Avenue at the start of the Richmond Greenway.

The greenway is a designated cycling and walking route that led the riders to Carlson Boulevard, where they were joined by more riders, including Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, who spoke about recent bicycling deaths in Richmond.

Those included Laura Casey, struck in an unsolved 2008 vehicle hit-and-run near where the mayor was speaking and Dan Weinstein, struck and killed in 2006 on a designated bicycle route on the shoulder of Interstate 580 near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge tollbooth.

More numerous and less publicized are riders who have been injure d.

Bill Pinkham, a participant in the Richmond ride, described how he was "doomed" and thrown off his bike as he passed an inattentive Advertisement motorist on Carlson Boulevard in an incident 10 years ago that left him with four broken ribs. Two months after that incident Pinkham, who is a board member of the Bike East Bay and the Contra Costa Bike Committee, was struck by a car whose driver admitted he had been drinking.

The riders continued along the greenway to their ultimate destination at the farmers market in Point Richmond.

While it is a day of remembrance, the day is also important to "raise awareness about bikes" and the importance of motorists and cyclists alike sharing the road, said Murray, a development project manager for the Redevelopment Agency who described himself as a "fair weather" bicyclist.

Pinkham said the Bike East Bay offers free bicycling safety workshops, with details available under the "Safety" link at bikeeastbay.org.

This was the first time Richmond has participated in the 8-year-old Ride of Silence and organizers plan to be back next year with a larger turnout.

May 30, 2010 The New York Times: Bicycle Chic Gains Speed Daring young women, in their stylish attire, are turning heads as they roll by.
May 28, 2010 Richmond City Manager Bill Lindsay recognizes Richmond BPAC for our participation in Bike to Work Day 2010. Read the City Manager's Report
sfgate May 20, 2010 Bicyclist dies in collision with AC Transit bus by Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer
SF Streets Blog 5/14/2010 Richmond Seeks Community Input on Bicycle and Pedestrian Plans

Contra Costa Times 4/29/2010 Two pedestrians killed by train in Richmond

X 1/19/2010 Richmond City Council unanimously adopts a key Bike Plan resolution!
I-10. ADOPT a resolution accepting $100,000 in Transportation Development Act Article 3 funding from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for the purpose of preparing a comprehensive Bicycle Master Plan, and APPROVE a contract with Fehr & Peers Transportation Consultants to prepare said Bicycle Master Plan in an amount not to exceed $75,290 - Planning and Building Services Department (Richard Mitchell 620-6706).
US Transportation Department Winter 2010, Safe Pedestrians and a Walkable America VOL. 49
Interesting info about peds and bikes. The first line says that pedestrians represent 11% of all traffic fatalities -- in California it's 20%! Read more
TRAC The upbeat 2010 New Year Repor t for the San Francisco Bay Trail in Richmond prepared by TRAC, the Trails for Richmond Action Committee. See the Richmond Bay Trail Calendar on TRAC's award-winning website. Get out and enjoy the San Francisco Bay Trail in Richmond during 2010!
01/11/2010 by Chris Treadway Our Neighbors: 2010 will be big year for Bay Trail in Richmond Click for a PDF of the article
01/05/2010 by Roman Gokhman Woman on bicycle critically injured in Richmond hit-and-run
RICHMOND -- A bicyclist was seriously injured after a presumed hit-and-run this evening, Richmond police said.
The collision occurred sometime before 7:45 p.m. on San Pablo Avenue between Robert Miller and Hilltop drives, Contra Costa Fire District dispatchers said.
The 52-year-old female bicyclist was traveling north in the southbound shoulder on San Pablo Avenue when she was likely clipped by the side-view mirror of a passing car, police Lt. Mike Gormley said.
Pieces of a mirror were found at the collision site. However, the victim told officers she was not sure whether she was struck by a vehicle, Gormley said.
That stretch of road has no nearby homes or businesses and is not lit at night, he said.
A helicopter landed at Hilltop Mall and took the bicyclist to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek. Read
Contra Costa Times Ferry, network of bike paths and trails plotted for Richmond's future
By Katherine Tam
PDF Scan Read Article Online
Contra Costa Times 10/18/2009 Patrol Officers Ride around Richmond by Karl Fischer PDF scan of the article
Tom butt 08/21/09 Tom Butt E-forum Commentary Richmond businesses have 120 days to enroll in a compulsory program which provides financial incentive for to commute via public transportation, vanpool, or bicycle. Read
Contra Costa Times 9/11/2009 Ferry, network of bike paths and trails plotted for Richmond's future By Katherine Tam See a scan of the article or read it online
X May 26, 2009 Policy Statement The Built Environment: Designing Communities to Promote Physical Activity in Children Read
X 5/23/2009 MTC Approves Sweeping 25 Year Regional Plan... Read
5/14/2009 CompletetheStreets.org Hawaii Complete Streets Bill Becomes Law
5/14/2009: AARP Bulletin America's Streets Aren't Ready for Aging Population - Planning Complete Streets Read the article
4/28/2009 Richmond City Council proclaims May, 2009 as a month to recognize the benefits
of bicycling and to recognize bicycling promotional activities such as the Team
Bike Challenge and May 14, 2009, as Bike-to-Work Day Click for archived agenda
X 3/26/2009: West County Time s Bay Trail advocates sue state, Chevron over public access at refinery by Katherine Tam Read the full article
X 3/18/2009:Bay Trail Backers Sue State, Chevron Over Richmond Wharf Read
3/13/09:Richmond Community Redevelopment Agency acknowledges RBPAC in their newsletter
X 02/18/2009 Chevron, Richmond strike $28 million deal for refinery utility taxes by Katherine Tam West County Times click for PDF file
Tom butt 02/18/09:Tom Butt E-forum Commentary Chevron Spins Agreement with City of Richmond on Utility User Tax Read more
Tom butt 02/17/09:Tom Butt E-forum Commentary Chevron to Pay City of Richmond $28 Million to Settle Utility Tax Underpayment Read more

x 2/5/09 BCDC Richmond San Rafael Bridge Bike/Ped/ADA Access; For meeting results go to bikesyes.org For a pdf of the item click here 2/5/09 BCDC Agenda

X 2/2/09 No Bay Trail money in State Lease to Chevron
1/29/09
"Chevron Bay Trail access - Dead... I feel numb with grief." -Robert Raburn, Bike East Bay Read more
1/29/09 Richmond with support from a broad coalition is seeking as mitigation that Chevron help fund construction to close the Bay Trail gap between Point Richmond and Point Molate. The deadly Bay Trail gap

1/20/09 Application withdrawn for a Kohl's Dep't Store at Pt. Isabel

X 12/30/2008 One driver surrenders in double hit-run that killed Richmond cyclist by Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer

1/10/09 Greenway News Flash: Our city purchased the old Adachi property, saving it from development and reserving it for the Richmond Greenway. It's on the purple strip on the right side of the Greenway map.

X 12/29/2008 Richmond police still seek witnesses in fatal hit-and-run crash - By Karl Fischer West County Times Bicyclist dies after being knocked off ride by one car and hit by another, police say. View Full Story
X "Carlson Boulevard is a route that should have bike lanes according to the Contra Costa Bicycle Pedestrian Plan. Instead, Laura Casey lost her life." - Robert Raburn, Executive Director, EBBC
12/28/2008 Richmond woman killed in double hit-and-run by Karl Fischer West County Times
"A Richmond woman was killed Saturday evening after being knocked off her bike by one car and then dragged down the street by another. Both drivers fled the scene.
Laura Casey, 49, was riding her bike southbound on Carlson Boulevard, just north of Ohio Avenue, around 6 p.m. when she was rear-ended by a white, four-door sedan, said Richmond police Officer Ramon Middleton. She fell off the bike, into the left-hand southbound lane, where witnesses said she screamed for help for about 30 seconds.
A second southbound car then hit Casey, dragging her 25 feet. Police did not have a description of that vehicle.
Anyone with information is asked to call Middleton at 510-621-1583.
Staff writer Matt Krupnick contributed to this story."
X Fall '08 from our good pals in Marin

X GREAT NEWS: On Nov. 18, 2008, the Richmond City Council moved us one step closer to a city-wide bike plan by passing the following resolution:
x

10/9/2008 TAX-FREE $$ for bike commuters

10/2/2008 Folding Bikes

X The final draft of the Richmond General Plan transportation (i.e."Circulation") element is nearing completion (still!) with scant attention to bicyclists. Demand that a Richmond Comprehensive Bicycle Pedestrian Plan be prepared for inclusion in the general plan! E-mail our local lawmakers!!
X Click here for the7/28/2008 Update to the Contra Costa Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan - Issues & Options Report. Click here to review maps of existing and planned west county ("WCCTAC") bicycle facilities Note, this map doesn't include the Richmond Greenway and maybe isn't quite up to snuff from the RBPAC perspective. Anyway- take it for what it is. Click here to view the 98 million $$ plans for the I-80 / San Pablo Dam Road Interchange Improvements Project
4/15/08: Marin Independent Journa Editorial: Bicycle access on bridge makes sense Read the article
X New Racks Installed in Central Richmond 1/26/08

The Richmond Redevelopment Agency has installed Richmond's new bike racks in the west Macdonald Avenue street reconstruction area next to the bus stop at Marina Way South across from BART.

Note that these racks are not surface mounted but poured in place into the concrete sidewalk. In addition, the racks have two points of connection in an inverted "U" rather than the old tire twister or ribbon types of racks.

The original design was an inverted "V" with tubular metal, but after consulting with RBPAC member and EBBC board member Bill Pinkham, the agency instead chose a vendor which provided metal that is not tubular but square.

This rack format will deter thieves who attack bike racks with a pipe cutter tool designed to quickly spin around and cut round metal.