You Ask: Are There Enough Bike Racks in Albany?

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Albany’s compact nature and proximity to so many things—schools, parks, BART; restaurants, shops and theaters along the avenues; , other parks and El Cerrito Plaza—make it ideal for walking, cycling and reducing the overall carbon footprint.  

And , Albany has encouraged residents . Many of its efforts have been met with enthusiasm from the community, though some say room for improvement remains.

Take bike racks, for example. According to the city's Active Transportation Plan, Albany has 315 racks around town, for a population close to 18,000. 

That's , said , an Albany resident and member of the Albany Stollers & Rollers, a community group focused on bicycle and pedestrian issues.

She said the , , , and the all need more racks.

“If you’re looking at pure numbers, we had 514 people stop by our energizer station on ,” Smolens said. “Granted, all weren’t from Albany, but there are many other Albanians who do ride. Just look at Albany Strollers & Rollers membership, which now numbers 359 households. Add all the kids in Albany, and racks for 315 bikes isn’t sufficient.”

Smolens also said the number is debatable because some racks are located where a rider can’t access them, and the amount of bike parking per rack varies.  

“High school kids reported to one of our members that the lack of racks keeps kids from riding to school,” she said. “My boyfriend tells me that the lack of a safe and secure place to lock his bike will keep him from riding. I don't think those are isolated opinions, so that's why more, better located and more secure bike racks are one of my priorities.”

Smolens also said many racks are installed randomly throughout the city, instead of being placed strategically for maximum benefit.

“It’s the same thing in El Cerrito and in Richmond,” she said.

The overriding issues regarding bicycle racks—how many there are, where they are and the variety of racks—is tied to funding, said city transportation planner Aleida Andrino-Chavez.

She said Albany’s Bicycle Master Plan, originally published in 2003 and currently being updated, is seeking funding—and added that there is no money now to work on several projects, including the racks.

Andrino-Chavez said the city receives, roughly, from $30,000 to $35,000 a year from Alameda County’s Measure B half-cent sales tax, and uses 95 percent of that to match construction grants for various transportation projects, including bike racks.

(In November, 2000, Alameda County voters approved Measure B to continue funding transportation projects through March 2022. Measure B also established the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority to administer this sales tax.)

In addition, Andrino-Chavez said, the city draws on revenue raised by Albany’s Measure F, a $14.5 million bond initiative passed in November 2002 to repair, renew and improve the city’s infrastructure.

She said the city always aims to set aside some of the Measure B money for bike racks. Officials give first priority to racks near public buildings and schools, with any remaining money for racks in commercial areas.

The city also approaches business owners to buy racks when a new business launches, Andrino-Chavez said. 

An individual rack costs $250, including installation and labor, she said, with a series of racks costing $500 or more.

Andrino-Chavez said she'd like to install 200 to 250 bicycle racks each year, but said that “depends on the sales tax revenue and population of Albany—there is a ceiling there. The formula is based on population. Some years, when the economy is good, we have higher revenues.”

In past years, she said, the city has budgeted from $3,000 to $5,000 for the racks. But, she added, “Money has been short for the past three years.”

“We don’t have a lot of money," Andrino-Chavez said. “Measure F is running out. It’s a balancing act between the different transit needs the city has.”

Meanwhile, Smolens praised Andrino-Chavez and the city for listening to residents’ concerns about the racks.

“The city has really been good at talking with us and bringing us in on things that happen,” Smolens said.

Do you think there are enough bicycle racks in Albany? Tell us in the comments.

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, give editor Emilie Raguso a call at 510-459-8325 or shoot her an email at emilier@patch.com.