It can be challenging or downright scary to travel Oakland by bike, but the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program has several major upgrades in the works.

GIven the city's status as a major hub for cyclists, the improvements couldn't have come at a better time. Oakland was ranked seventh among U.S. cities for the percentage of the population that uses bicycles for transportation, according to a recent report by the Alliance for Biking and Walking.

There are a few reasons Oakland isn't the easiest city in which to set up a network of bike routes.

First of all, Oakland streets are laid out in a hub-and-spoke pattern, with most major streets radiating from downtown. This means cyclists traversing the city often must contend with large, heavily trafficked streets.

Contrast this to Berkeley, where streets are laid out in a grid. Its layout made it easy for the city to designate bike boulevards parallel to major streets.

According to Jason Patton, manager of the Oakland's Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Program, the city currently is painting ("striping") 30 new miles of bikeways around town. Is this progress? Oh yes. That's comparable to all of the mileage the city striped for cyclists in the past decade.

Also, new way-finding signs for cyclists are going up all over the area. And Oakland will hand out free bike maps during Bike to Work Month in May.

Even more exciting to Patton are new bike lanes and routes that will connect neighborhoods to each other. Oakland's somewhat haphazard development created a situation where many local streets stop and start between districts.

“The value of any bikeway is how it connects to the network,” said Patton.

Oakland's Bicycle Master Plan (adopted in December 2007) aims to bridge gaps between neighborhoods and give cyclists clear routes from one part of town to another. Proposed routes will be marked on the new city bicycle map, showing cyclists preferred travel corridors even before signage and striping are complete.

The new map also will tie in with improved way-finding signage, highlighting locations displayed on the signs. The signs, with mileages to popular destinations, have been installed on Market Street. Look for more to appear around town in later this year.

Bicycle parking is also part of Oakland's plan. The city installed 400 new street racks, in addition to 1,000 existing racks, after parking meters were replaced by pay-and-display machines in several neighborhoods. The city has a program to install more racks based on requests from merchants and residents.

Patton said he is optimistic about Oakland’s future, as new connections are made and more bicycle routes striped and signed.

“The people demand the facilities," he said, "then the facilities draw the people.”

OAKLAND BIKING RESOURCES:

Oakland Bicycling and Pedestrian Information.

Request a bike rack in Oakland

May 13 is Oakland's annual Bike to Work day. Volunteer to help.

About Laura McCamy

Laura McCamy is an East Bay writer and artist. In addition to Oakland Local, her pieces have appeared in Momentum Magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle and Berkeley Daily Planet. When she's not writing about bicycles, she's riding them. She was the 2009 Alameda County Bicycle Commuter of the Year. Send your tips on Oakland bicycle news to bicycle@oaklandlocal.com.