Somerset Avenue Bike Lane

I attended the first presentation by the Alameda County Public Works Agency (PWA) on the proposed Somerset Avenue bike lane. It was clear that outreach to residents who live on Somerset was not adequate, and that there was disdain by some presenters toward the bike riders who did attend the meeting to review the plans. It also appeared the three options presented were developed without input from the community. Attendees offered suggestions and the majority of them voiced concerns about the safety of Alternative 1 because the bike lane is not protected and riders must share the space with cars. Community input and alternatives were “duly noted” but it does not sound like the PWA is making an alteration to the three options.  It was essentially a case of choosing the least-worst option for the attendees.

As for Mr. Crawford’s remark in the June 22 edition that there’s not enough bicycle traffic on Somerset to justify a safe bike lane, if Somerset Ave. or any street in Castro Valley offered a protected lane of travel, there would be many more people using it, including kids riding to school and folks wishing to cut down their carbon footprint. Sadly, Mr. Carbone is right when he said he has to make a “logical choice” when he rides his bike; I’d love to know what streets in Castro Valley he considers logical or safe.

As a 35- year resident, I don’t consider my own community safe enough to ride in. That’s a shame because Castro Valley has the potential to be so much more livable.

I urge the MAC to think expansively and with greater vision about what our community could be, rather than wait for the PWA or other agencies to tell our community what it has to be.

–Sharon Travers, Castro Valley