With Bike Plan in Gear, City Goes After Grants

With a citywide bicycle plan in place, Walnut Creek will pursue some grants that discourage over-reliance on the internal combustion engine.

The City Council on Tuesday approved the bike plan by a 4-0 vote (Councilwoman Kristina Lawson was absent).

An approved bike plan is a prerequisite for many grants. Senior planner Jeremy Lochirco told the council about some the city is interested in: 

• Transportation for Livable Communities grant from Contra Costa County, funded by sales tax money through Measure J.
• Safe Routes to Transit application, funded by regional Measure 2.
• state Bicycle Lane Transportation Account grant.

The plan isn't perfect, said David Favello, a member of the city's Bicycle Advisory Committee, but "it's time to put some paint on the streets … You start building out the plan, that's when you'll see more cyclists. That's when you'll see grandparents riding with grandchildren."

One avid biker criticized the plan for not being ambitious enough in improving bike access to important thoroughfares such as Ygnacio Valley Road, Main Street, Mount Diablo Boulevard. 

"It's relegating bikes to side streets," said Brad Porter, who rides his bike to work along Olympic Boulevard. "It's pretty much status quo."

Tony Almeida spoke at the council meeting to say cyclists feel safer in San Francisco than in Walnut Creek because of the frame of mind of drivers. He asked the council to ensure that future housing developments ask: "How does this pertain to bicycle safety?"

The plan puts the highest priority on biking improvements (trails and/or lanes) on Buena Vista Avenue, California Boulevard, Cedro Lane, Civic Drive, Lavender Drive, Lincoln Avenue, Livorna Road, Newell Avenue, Olympic Boulevard, Riviera Avenue and South Broadway Extension.

Lochirco said Walnut Creek would coordinate with regional efforts, including a BART project ensuring bike access at stations and a countywide master plan for safe bike routes to schools. This was a point of emphasis with the Planning Commission, which approved the bicycle plan last month.