Other Resources
- Educational Resources includes information on or links to maps, bicycling skills, bicycle commuting, and bicycle parking security tips
- Oakland Bicycle Facility Design Guidelines is the one-stop resource page for the most current information on how Oakland designs bicycle facilities
- Other City Resources provides information on or links to other City programs/projects relevant to bicycle facility implementation, maintenance, and safety
- Other Organizations includes a list of links to Advocacy/Community Groups and/or Programs that are relevant to the mission of the Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities Program
- Oakland Bike Shops
Educational Resources
From maps to skills to tips, these resources are provided to assist those who wish to enjoy Oakland safely and easily by bicycle.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Maps
Bicycle Commuting & Skills
- Getting to Work: Bike Commuting 101 (City of Oakland flyer)
- Bicycling.511.org, a resource for bicycling information in the nine-county Bay Area and beyond, sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission
- AC Transit's two-minute video shows how easy it is to use their front-mounted bike racks and cargo bays (located on the big green AC Transit commuter buses)
- Find a Bike Buddy to get started on commuting by bicycle (through 511.org)
- Fruitvale Bikestation (secure bicycle parking at the Fruitvale Transit Village)
- California Vehicle Code, Bicyclists
- Facts About Bicycle Commuting (one page .pdf, from the California Bike Commute)
- How to ride in bike lanes (tips from the League of American Bicyclists)
- Walk Oakland! Map & Guide, 3rd Edition (2007) w/ existing and recommending bikeways (see the Bike and Ped Maps page for a list of retailers)
- Bicycle Safety Quiz - How much do you really know about the rules that affect bicyclists? Take the East Bay Bicycle Coalition's Bicycle Safety Quiz (.html version) and find out. You may be surprised.
- Bicycle Safety Courses
- League of American Bicyclists, Better Bicycle Fact Sheets
Bicycle Parking Do’s and Don’ts
There are no guarantees of safety when parking your bicycle. Generally speaking, bicycle thieves are opportunists, looking for the easiest bicycles to steal. Following are some bike parking "do's" and "don'ts" that may make it less likely that a thief will select your bicycle, and which also help bicyclists "share the road" with pedestrians.
Do:
- Park in well lit open areas where many people pass by, your bicycle can be seen easily, and you can get to your bike quickly.
- Lock to a bike rack (if there is one available*) and park so that your bike doesn't block the sidewalk or curb ramps.
- Use a strong lock. U locks are popular and work well, but some U locks are stronger than others; make sure you buy a strong steel-alloy lock, and one without a cylindrical barrel. If you use a padlock or chain, links, cables, and lock clasps should be at least 3/8 of an inch thick and case-hardened.
- Use an additional lock or cable to secure wheels or other valuable parts such as seats.
- Consider locking skewers to secure wheels.
- Remove lights, pump, bags or other valuables from the bike.
- If a U-Lock is used:
- and it has a keyway on the end of the crossbar, position the lock with its keyway towards the ground. This makes it harder for a thief to access the lock.
- position the bicycle frame and wheels so that as much open space as possible within the U-portion of the lock is filled or taken up. This makes it more difficult for a thief to use tools to attack the lock.
Don't:
- Don't park so that your bicycle blocks a curb ramp.
- Don't park so that your bicycle blocks the sidewalk. (In most cases, this means parking parallel to the curb.)
- Don't park to a tree; not only is it insecure, it's also bad for the tree!
- Don't secure only the bike wheel (unless that's the part you want to keep.)
- Don't leave your bike locked in one spot for several days.
- Don't leave your bike unlocked "just for a minute" while you run into a shop. It takes less than a minute to steal a bike.
(Thanks to the Springfield, Illinois Police Department and Bike Pittsburgh for some of the above tips.)
* If a rack is available, please use it instead of a parking meter. Bikes parked at meters can pose problems for those with disabilities and others when exiting or entering parked vehicles. Bikes at meters also pose problems for City maintenance crews. If a meter is the only option at a location you frequent, please contact the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Coordinator at (510) 238-3983 or bikeped@oaklandnet.com or use our Online Request Form to request a rack.
To report a stolen bicycle, please see Bicycle Registration.
Bicycle Facility Design Guidelines
- Design Guidelines for Bicycle Wayfinding Signage (July 2009)
- Bicycle Parking Rack Guidelines (September 2009)
- Supplemental Design Guidance--Shared Roadway Bicycle Marking ("Sharrow") (December 2007)
- Supplemental Design Guidance for Door Zone Treatments on Bikeways (July 2008)
- Bike Lane Symbol/Arrow Placement for Blocks of Various Length (February 2010)
- Supplemental Design Guidance--Bicyclist Detection at Traffic-actuated Signals (June 2010)
- Standard Detail: Oakland Parking "T" (excerpted from Standard Details for Public Works page
- Standard Detail: Crosswalk & Bikeway
- Draft Detail: Bollard Placement and Markings
- About Bikeway Feasibility Studies
Other City Resources
Reporting Hazards/Issues
To report roadway hazards, such as glass, potholes, drainage grates, or other obstructions; missing route signs or bicycle lane striping/marking; and to report abandoned bikes that need removal from bike racks or sign/meter poles, please contact the Infrastructure Maintenance Division at (510) 615-5566 or use PWA's online reporting form.
To report damaged or missing bicycle parking racks, or bicycles that have been abandoned that are locked to City property, please contact the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Coordinator at (510) 238-3983 or bikeped@oaklandnet.com.
To report speeding, or to request a traffic calming or other roadway improvement, please contact the Transportation Services Division at (510) 238-3466.
To report problems with a traffic signal, please contact the Electrical Services Division at (510) 615-5430 (24 hours).
Bicycle Registration
Related City Programs/Projects
- Street Cleaning
- Street and Sidewalk Maintenance
- Pavement Management Program (including five-year paving plan adopted by City Council in 2007)
- Safe Routes to School Toolkit
- Bike Tours of Historic Oakland (aka Oakland Bike Trippers) sponsored by the Oakland Museum of California
- Oakland Parks and Recreation, Enjoy Oakland's many walking and bicycling facilities in our parks, (some of which are managed by the East Bay Regional Park District.)
Other Organizations
Oakland/East Bay
- Bicycle Trails Council of the East Bay
- Centro Comunitario de Bicicletas, community bike shop in East Oakland that focuses on Spanish-language bike repair
- The Crucible, Bike Fix-A-Thon Weekends
- Cycles of Change, a youth adventure and earn-a-bike program (also accepts bicycle donations)
- East Bay Bicycle Coalition
- Rock Paper Scissors Collective, offers “Mess With Bikes” repair classes
- Tinker's Workshop (accepts bicycle donations)
- Walk Oakland Bike Oakland
Regional/State
- California Association of Bicycling Organizations
- California Bicycle Coalition
- California Walks
- Norcal Mountain Bike League, provides coaching and instruction to high school cycling teams
National
- Alliance for Biking and Walking
- Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
- National Center for Safe Routes to School
- Pedestrian and Bicycling Information Center
Oakland Bike Shops
The following information is current as of April 2010. To add an Oakland bike shop to this list, please email bikeped@oaklandnet.com.
Bay Area Bikes
2424 Webster Street
763-BIKE (2453), M-F 10-7; Sa 10-6; Su 12-5
The Bent Spoke
6124 Telegraph Avenue
652-3089, T-F 11-6; Sa-Su 11-5
Bikes4Life
1600 7th Street
452-BIKE, M-F 11-7; Sa 11-5
Cycle Sports
3530 Grand Avenue
444-7900, M-F 11-7; Sa 10-6; Su 11-5
Fruitvale Bikestation at the Fruitvale BART
left of the Caesar Chavez Plaza entrance
within a hundred feet of the northeast BART exit
536-2200, M-F 6a-8p
Hank & Frank Bikes
6030 College Avenue
654-BIKE, M-Sa 10-6; Su 11-5
Manifesto Bicycles
421 40th Street
595-1155, M,T,Th,F 11-7; Sa, Su 11-6
Montano Velo
4266 Piedmont Avenue
654-VELO (8356), T-F 11-7; Sa 10-5; Su 12-5
Pioneer Bike Shop
11 Rio Vista Avenue
658-8981, T-Sa 10-6
rideSFO
1724 Mandela Parkway
832-2800, M-F 10-7; Sa-Su 12-5
Tip Top Bike Shop
4800A Telegraph Ave.
444-4148, M, W-F 11-7; Sa-Su 12-6
Wheels of Justice Cyclery
2024 Mountain Blvd
339-6091, M-W, F-Sa 10-6; Th 11-7; Su 10-5

