Oakland to Host 1st CA Conf on Bicycling and Walking - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

07-16-2003, 02:19 PM

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NEWS FROM
PUBLIC WORKS AGENCY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kathryn Hughes
March 7, 2003 (510) 238-6493

The City of Oakland to Host the First
Statewide Conference on Bicycling and Walking

Urban labs in Oakland? Mobile workshops on bike or foot? These are
among the sessions envisioned for the first Statewide Conference on
Walking and Bicycling, to be held at downtown Oakland¹s Marriott Hotel
on October 15 * 18, 2003. Sponsored by the City of Oakland and the
California Bicycle Coalition, with support from other local sponsors,
the event is expected to draw hundreds of attendees from across the
state, other western states and Washington, D.C.

The first Walk/Bike California conference will tackle education,
accessibility, public health programs, multi-use trails, legal issues,
safe routes to school, and more. Professionals can take advantage of a
variety of sessions on the nuts and bolts of planning, engineering, and
maintaining facilities.

³Getting people out of their cars is fundamental to creating a
convivial city," said Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown. "The more Oaklanders
walk or bike the less we will have to tolerate the noise and pollution
produced by cars. I welcome any and all creative solutions that this
conference‹Walk/Bike California‹will generate.²

The conference will foster lively interactions between policy makers,
transportation professionals, and advocates.Planning workshops and
outdoor ³Urban labs,² will provide hands-on experience in evaluating
the walking and bicycling environment. ³Mobile workshops,² will study
innovative projects, like the attended bicycle facility at the new
Fruitvale BART transit village.

According to Claudette Ford, Director of the Public Works Agency, ³This
convention is a wonderful opportunity for the City of Oakland to
showcase all that we have done and continue to do for alternative modes
of transportation.²

Oakland¹s conference will be the first of its kind to focus on the
interface between walking, bicycling and public transit. As the
transportation hub of the East Bay, with BART, AC Transit, Amtrak, and
the Alameda/Oakland Ferry services all located here, Oakland is the
ideal location to explore nonmotorized connections with transit.

According to Kathryn Hughes, the City¹s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program
Manager. ³About 12 other states hold these conferences. I started
talking to colleagues around California about the potential for our own
conference. Everyone thought it was about time we started sharing our
own state¹s successes and challenges.² To register, visit
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].

# # #

MARTIN KRIEG: "Awake Again" Author c/o BikeRoute.com
79 & 86 TransAms, nonprofit Nat. Bicycle Greenway CEO
Ever wanted anything so bad U were willing to die for it?
Really die? By moving thru clinical death and reversing
paralysis, *I saw God* when I answered that question.