Robert Prinz
@prinzrob.bsky.social
Advocacy Director at Bike East Bay. See me for bicycle culture & transportation infrastructure news on the sunny side of the Bay.
Pinned
Robert Prinz
@prinzrob.bsky.social
· Nov 18
I will always like your sunset photos. Always.
Also Shellmound/Christie & Powell/Christie in Emeryville. The former is very nearly a pedestrian scramble but the city refuses to finalize it.
February 10, 2026 at 2:38 AM
Also Shellmound/Christie & Powell/Christie in Emeryville. The former is very nearly a pedestrian scramble but the city refuses to finalize it.
Reposted by Robert Prinz
ICYMI: our team rounded up new laws rolling out in California in 2026, that may be of particular interested for cyclists + pedestrians
Check out the blog at bikeeastbay.org/new-laws-for...
Check out the blog at bikeeastbay.org/new-laws-for...
New California Bike and Pedestrian Laws for 2026 - Bike East Bay
Read about new state rules for 2026, to enhance street safety and public access to community meetings.
bikeeastbay.org
February 10, 2026 at 1:33 AM
ICYMI: our team rounded up new laws rolling out in California in 2026, that may be of particular interested for cyclists + pedestrians
Check out the blog at bikeeastbay.org/new-laws-for...
Check out the blog at bikeeastbay.org/new-laws-for...
Yep I totally get it. I used to commute on the Bay Trail from Oakland to Richmond & it was desolate after hours w no lighting. That’s why advisory limits are good, b/c conditions can change significantly.
February 9, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Yep I totally get it. I used to commute on the Bay Trail from Oakland to Richmond & it was desolate after hours w no lighting. That’s why advisory limits are good, b/c conditions can change significantly.
The Railroad Ave eBART station in Pittsburg is a better infill station model IMO.
February 9, 2026 at 7:41 PM
The Railroad Ave eBART station in Pittsburg is a better infill station model IMO.
The entire Bay Trail is a default 15 mph limit, right? Some people go faster than that & there’s almost zero enforcement, but it’s also not a major safety issue.
IMO bike/trail speed limits should just use advisory signs. It reduces the risk of biased enforcement but still gets the point across.
IMO bike/trail speed limits should just use advisory signs. It reduces the risk of biased enforcement but still gets the point across.
February 9, 2026 at 6:57 PM
The entire Bay Trail is a default 15 mph limit, right? Some people go faster than that & there’s almost zero enforcement, but it’s also not a major safety issue.
IMO bike/trail speed limits should just use advisory signs. It reduces the risk of biased enforcement but still gets the point across.
IMO bike/trail speed limits should just use advisory signs. It reduces the risk of biased enforcement but still gets the point across.
FWIW I support & acknowledge the importance of a multitude of transbay travel options regardless of individual ridership & cost. I desperately want to see the west span bike/walk path built despite a max est daily usage of 10k. Even a few % points mode shift can make a big difference wrt congestion.
February 9, 2026 at 5:06 PM
FWIW I support & acknowledge the importance of a multitude of transbay travel options regardless of individual ridership & cost. I desperately want to see the west span bike/walk path built despite a max est daily usage of 10k. Even a few % points mode shift can make a big difference wrt congestion.
Not once during that campaign was added Richmond-North Bay transit service proposed as a solution. It was never about actually improving conditions for working class commuters, but about controlling who has access to wealthy North Bay communities.
February 9, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Not once during that campaign was added Richmond-North Bay transit service proposed as a solution. It was never about actually improving conditions for working class commuters, but about controlling who has access to wealthy North Bay communities.
The SF Bay Ferry expansion plan from 2024 includes many new, proposed connections, but astoundingly NOTHING for Vallejo or Richmond to the North Bay. At the time the report was published the WETA board chair was also the director of Bay Area Council, leading the anti-RSR Bridge trail campaign.
February 9, 2026 at 5:02 PM
The SF Bay Ferry expansion plan from 2024 includes many new, proposed connections, but astoundingly NOTHING for Vallejo or Richmond to the North Bay. At the time the report was published the WETA board chair was also the director of Bay Area Council, leading the anti-RSR Bridge trail campaign.
Thanks for that, my statement was based on info I’ve seen in other reports but I haven’t checked source data. Is there a resource provided online detailing farebox recovery per passenger compared to other transbay transit options, to help set the record straight?
February 9, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Thanks for that, my statement was based on info I’ve seen in other reports but I haven’t checked source data. Is there a resource provided online detailing farebox recovery per passenger compared to other transbay transit options, to help set the record straight?
The op-ed acknowledges that the chronically inept & city-hating Trump admin loves ferries, but never put two & two together to realize that proposals to dump even more $ into ferries as a congestion “solution”, especially at our current inflection point, is an exceptionally dangerous distraction.
February 9, 2026 at 4:32 PM
The op-ed acknowledges that the chronically inept & city-hating Trump admin loves ferries, but never put two & two together to realize that proposals to dump even more $ into ferries as a congestion “solution”, especially at our current inflection point, is an exceptionally dangerous distraction.
It absolutely boggles my mind how someone could write & get published an op-ed like this today, when the ENTIRETY of East Contra Costa is at risk of losing ALL their BART service plus drastic bus service cuts by mid-2027. Wake up people!!!
February 9, 2026 at 4:27 PM
It absolutely boggles my mind how someone could write & get published an op-ed like this today, when the ENTIRETY of East Contra Costa is at risk of losing ALL their BART service plus drastic bus service cuts by mid-2027. Wake up people!!!
Everywhere else, saving & expanding our EXISTING bus & rail services is the absolutely critical emergency need. Qualifying the Connect Bay Area measure for the Nov ballot is how we do it. Learn more & sign up to volunteer TODAY here:
👇👇 👇
luma.com/connectbayarea
👇👇 👇
luma.com/connectbayarea
Connect Bay Area Transit · Events Calendar
View and subscribe to events from Connect Bay Area Transit on Luma. https://connectbayarea.com/
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Committee's Top Funders: Salesforce, Chris Larsen, TransitAmerica...
luma.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Everywhere else, saving & expanding our EXISTING bus & rail services is the absolutely critical emergency need. Qualifying the Connect Bay Area measure for the Nov ballot is how we do it. Learn more & sign up to volunteer TODAY here:
👇👇 👇
luma.com/connectbayarea
👇👇 👇
luma.com/connectbayarea
Ferries are most needed where rail isn’t already provided & improving bus speeds is challenging. Richmond to Larkspur should be priority 1 for this (there are already terminals!), but so far there isn’t even a long-term proposal for this connection.
February 9, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Ferries are most needed where rail isn’t already provided & improving bus speeds is challenging. Richmond to Larkspur should be priority 1 for this (there are already terminals!), but so far there isn’t even a long-term proposal for this connection.
There’s already a new electric Treasure Island ferry funded & starting service by 2028. A Berkeley ferry is in the planning stage but w an estimated total project cost >$120M for fewer than 1k daily riders. That’s equivalent to a SINGLE busy BART train.
February 9, 2026 at 4:19 PM
There’s already a new electric Treasure Island ferry funded & starting service by 2028. A Berkeley ferry is in the planning stage but w an estimated total project cost >$120M for fewer than 1k daily riders. That’s equivalent to a SINGLE busy BART train.
I love the ferries but these zero-information op-eds are dangerous & frustrating. Ferries will only ever serve a very small % of potential rail/bus passengers & they’re among the most subsidized transit systems.
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/arti...
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/arti...
February 9, 2026 at 4:19 PM
I love the ferries but these zero-information op-eds are dangerous & frustrating. Ferries will only ever serve a very small % of potential rail/bus passengers & they’re among the most subsidized transit systems.
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/arti...
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/arti...
Tonight’s clear air & lovely sunset was a great welcome for all the folks visiting the Bay Area this weekend for the Super Bowl.
February 8, 2026 at 2:11 AM
Tonight’s clear air & lovely sunset was a great welcome for all the folks visiting the Bay Area this weekend for the Super Bowl.
I felt the same way about Las Vegas and Niagara (the US side) for pedestrians.
February 7, 2026 at 11:58 PM
I felt the same way about Las Vegas and Niagara (the US side) for pedestrians.
Reposted by Robert Prinz
Don't let transit go backward. Join us with Connect Bay Area at Lake Merritt TOMORROW MORNING to start collecting signatures to reinvest in buses & BART.
RSVP luma.com/q9in3rvd
RSVP luma.com/q9in3rvd
Signature Gathering at Lake Merritt Amphitheater with East Bay for Everyone · Luma
Join us and East Bay for Everyone to gather signatures for Connect Bay Area, the five-county regional transit funding measure! Everyone is welcome.
We will…
luma.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:01 PM
Don't let transit go backward. Join us with Connect Bay Area at Lake Merritt TOMORROW MORNING to start collecting signatures to reinvest in buses & BART.
RSVP luma.com/q9in3rvd
RSVP luma.com/q9in3rvd
WRT the question of labor, I’m not against automated public transit but hope that staffed ambassadors would still be present. Currently bus operators serve many more roles beyond just driving the vehicle, which will still be needed w a shift to AVs.
February 7, 2026 at 8:39 PM
WRT the question of labor, I’m not against automated public transit but hope that staffed ambassadors would still be present. Currently bus operators serve many more roles beyond just driving the vehicle, which will still be needed w a shift to AVs.
Perhaps, but I also feel that doing so is fundamental to the future of our region. So I’m nervous about strategies which might reduce the urgency. We need policies which prioritize generational impacts instead of the next quarterly earnings call.
February 7, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Perhaps, but I also feel that doing so is fundamental to the future of our region. So I’m nervous about strategies which might reduce the urgency. We need policies which prioritize generational impacts instead of the next quarterly earnings call.
I don’t know if anyone has studied this much yet, but the transit station/line structure is good unto itself wrt urban planning as it incentivizes a concentration of destinations, also enhancing bike/walkability. Will replacing transit w AV trips further entrench auto-oriented planning/land use?
February 7, 2026 at 7:30 PM
I don’t know if anyone has studied this much yet, but the transit station/line structure is good unto itself wrt urban planning as it incentivizes a concentration of destinations, also enhancing bike/walkability. Will replacing transit w AV trips further entrench auto-oriented planning/land use?
By that measure, service to Berkeley hills parks is also very achievable via traditional public transit, w only political support lacking. My fear is that support for these solutions will decrease even further as individuals w means opt out of transit in favor of AVs, leaving others w few options.
February 7, 2026 at 7:24 PM
By that measure, service to Berkeley hills parks is also very achievable via traditional public transit, w only political support lacking. My fear is that support for these solutions will decrease even further as individuals w means opt out of transit in favor of AVs, leaving others w few options.
IMO a more likely scenario is that AV service will be concentrated in denser urban areas where it is more profitable, but also cannibalizing the same spaces which currently have the best transit. AV mobility solutions for remote destinations will remain an edge case for those w the means to pay.
February 7, 2026 at 7:13 PM
IMO a more likely scenario is that AV service will be concentrated in denser urban areas where it is more profitable, but also cannibalizing the same spaces which currently have the best transit. AV mobility solutions for remote destinations will remain an edge case for those w the means to pay.
Yes age is a factor, but there are plenty of other places w similar age brackets to FL’s most dangerous counties w/o the same terrible safety outcomes.
Besides that, a high senior population should be even more justification for all ages/abilities infra, not a justification for high fatality rates.
Besides that, a high senior population should be even more justification for all ages/abilities infra, not a justification for high fatality rates.
February 7, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Yes age is a factor, but there are plenty of other places w similar age brackets to FL’s most dangerous counties w/o the same terrible safety outcomes.
Besides that, a high senior population should be even more justification for all ages/abilities infra, not a justification for high fatality rates.
Besides that, a high senior population should be even more justification for all ages/abilities infra, not a justification for high fatality rates.
Yes that is what the proposed law is trying to do. But it’s silly to try to micromanage this via legislation which people won’t know about & will be sporadically enforced, as opposed to just putting up some signs.
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FWIW the bill in question isn’t a blanket 10 mph limit, but only requires ebike riders to slow to 10 mph or less when passing pedestrians on a shared use path or sidewalk.
This actually isn’t a bad recommendation, but does not need to be legislated. Just put up some signs.
This actually isn’t a bad recommendation, but does not need to be legislated. Just put up some signs.
February 7, 2026 at 7:06 PM
Yes that is what the proposed law is trying to do. But it’s silly to try to micromanage this via legislation which people won’t know about & will be sporadically enforced, as opposed to just putting up some signs.
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