From: Mitch B
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Written comment for item 7C of 5/3/26 City Council Meeting Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 12:00:29 PM
Hello,
I will be making a public comment on item 7C for the 5/3/26 City Council Meeting and wanted to share a written copy with linked citations.
Just to start, I want to say that it’s awesome that we have the opportunity to get Bay Wheels in Alameda. Unlike Lime, Bay Wheels is much different as it’s docked and the business model operates more like public transit and less like ride-hailing service which has been proven to be a much more effective model to follow for bike share.
While I am speaking on my own personal behalf today, I wanted to share with you something that I helped to make volunteering as a new board member with Bike Walk Alameda. We decided to update the famous Alameda Bike Map with all the great infrastructure that has been built recently and this meant we needed to chart out the island street by street on bike. I took on most of West Alameda which means I rode much of the bike infrastructure that future Bay Wheels riders will use. I believe some of the insight gained from updating this map will be very helpful in station site selection and so I’d like to refer to it today.
Firstly, I’d like to suggest 10 rather than 8 stations. Bike share gets most use with high density coverage that puts a bike within quick walking distance of most origins and destinations like seen in neighbouring cities. Within the example program agreement are potential savings to the city if the docks are more frequently used, so additional stations may actually save the city money. Secondly, I’d like to point out how current gaps in bike infrastructure will influence how riders move from station to station. Two excellent potential station locations are the Webster/Ralph Appezzato intersection next to College of Alameda and our two bus rapid transit stops and the South end of Webster next to Neptune Plaza. While these are both located in the Webster Business District and are close as the crow flies, they are far as bike rides.
There is no bike infrastructure at the northern end of the Webster Business District so to get from one end to the other, a rider would need to take either 5th or 9th St. This significant distance suggests a station location on 5th and/or 9th could be prudent. These potential locations are within residential areas which are very important to serve as the tubes get the most congestion with residents leaving and entering the island for work. One location I think would be excellent is 9th and Pacific as this is a current slow street and near-future greenway.
Full disclosure, I live on 9th St, but I wouldn’t personally benefit as I already have my own bike. Bike Share is not for out and proud cyclists such as myself, but for those who may consider themselves to be a little more “bike-curious”. I’m not proposing this as a station location because I live nearby; I chose to live nearby for reasons that make this is a great station location. Regardless of whether this site is selected or not, special consideration should be given to the Eastern most station, as this will be the introduction to bikeshare for anyone in Central Alameda. Additionally, to make the route between Main Street Ferry Terminal and the Water Taxi or any similar routes successful, the gap at Singleton Ave should be fixed. The most recent Active Transportation Plan says that this street has a continuous bike lane, but in helping to update this map, I’ve realized that there isn’t one (https://www.activealameda.org/files/sharedassets/transport/v/1/alameda-atp_final- adopted_sm.pdf). Lastly, I don’t know if this would need to be put into the signed agreement, but I think it would be great for the city and Bay Wheels to consider collaborating on a Bike to Work Week Sale. One free ride might be all that’s needed to get people to initiate mode shift.
Thank you,
-Mitch Ball
From: Drake Hayes
To: CITYCOUNCIL-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 7C: Bike Share Pilot
Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2026 6:51:04 AM
Hello Alameda City Council,
I grew up in Alameda (went to Franklin Elementary and graduated from ACLC 9 years ago) and frequently visit my parents and the Alameda Community Sailing Center. I often take the ferry and become reliant on others driving me to get around. With bike share, I'd be more likely to take transit to Alameda and get around sustainably, taking advantage of Alameda's great bike network. I hope you approve this pilot to add more sustainable ways of getting to and around Alameda!
Thanks,
Drake Hayes
(510) 846-3686
City Hall West
950 W Mall Square, Suite 240
Alameda, CA 94501
April 29, 2026
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
City of Alameda
2263 Santa Clara Avenue
Alameda, CA 94501
Letter of Support for Bikeshare in West Alameda
Dear Mayor and Councilmembers,
I write in support of bringing bikeshare to West Alameda on behalf of the Alameda Transportation Management Association. Enthusiasm for such a system is strong in our service areas and several of our member organizations are sending a letter of their own.
Alameda knows the benefit public investment can have. In 1936, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt purchased the old Alameda Point for one dollar, and the Naval Air Station that was built thereafter bolstered the economy and character of the West End of the island for over sixty years.
This proved that public works pay themselves back twice over, once through the people they put to work and again through the businesses and households they make stronger and benefit. Bikeshare for Alameda is a much smaller step in the same direction.
It will cost little compared to the public good it will produce, and it will close the last mile that no other mode of transit can close. In our work on BayPass administration and the Oakland-Alameda Water Shuttle, we have learned that the limiting factor for a transit-dependent commuter is rarely the long leg of the trip. It is the short distance between the dock and someone’s office or between the bus stop and their front door.
Furthermore, the move towards bikeshare makes intuitive sense in the regional context. A network integrated with Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose and San Francisco would let someone from Alameda leave home, grab a bike around the corner, board the water shuttle, and continue all the way to somewhere like UC Berkeley, Chase Center, SAP Center, or Lake Merritt without ever docking the bike, even if they take BART or the ferry. On a Saturday, that same resident could ride to the Main St. ferry, cross the bay with their bike, grab some lunch, and come home on a single membership and fare, creating the seamless experience that intermodality is supposed to feel like.
The decision is in your hands, where it belongs, but the case speaks for itself. A local precedent exists, the cost is reasonable (especially with help from the CTC!), and residents are excited. Thank you for the work you do on behalf of this city.
With high regard,
Arsh Singh Hothi
General Manager, Alameda Transportation Management Association
Advisory Board
Denyse Trepanier
Board Chair
Brian Fowler
Treasurer
Tim Beloney
Secretary
Maria Piper
Board Member
Cyndy Johnsen
Board Member
Mitch Ball
Board Member
Lucy Gigli
Founder, non-voting
Bike Walk Alameda is
fiscally sponsored by
Bike East Bay, a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization.
bikewalkalameda.org
April 30, 2026
RE: Item 7-C: Bike Share Pilot
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Members of the Council, and Staff, Bike share was identified in the City’s adopted Active Transportation Plan (ATP) as a near-term project more than three years ago. It’s time to move from plan to practice. We strongly support this pilot as a first step toward an island-wide program with expanded offerings, and we urge you to do the same.
The ATP highlights bike share’s role in advancing community, mode shift, and equity goals. It is a practical, proven way to expand affordable, low-carbon transportation while improving access for people who may not own or have access to a bike. With the Oakland Alameda Access Project getting under way, it will also bring real economic benefit by improving access to Alameda’s businesses and services, without exacerbating traffic.
We’re especially excited that this pilot would be delivered through Bay Wheels/Lyft, a regional system already used by surrounding cities. That regional integration makes the service more intuitive, more useful, and more likely to succeed—both for residents and for visitors arriving by bike.
We urge you to move forward with this pilot as a cost-effective step toward a safer, more connected, and more prosperous Alameda.
Thank you for your consideration.
Bike Walk Alameda Board