El Cerrito City Council approves road plan aimed at eliminating deaths, serious injuries
The El Cerrito City Council voted Sept. 15, 2026 to adopt a Local Road Safety Plan that includes increasing bike lanes, adding speed humps, improving intersection markings, and setting and strictly enforcing a 25 mph speed limit citywide.
”I think this is the right direction,” said Council Member Lisa Motoyama. “It makes much more sense to prioritize humans rather than how fast cars can get through an intersection.”
The road plan is structured around a “Vision Zero” policy, aimed at eliminating fatal and serious injury crashes citywide by 2035.
Council Member Carolyn Wysinger said people ask why we have things like bulbouts. “People are getting hurt in our streets.”
In speaking in support of the plan, Mayor Gabe Quinto said he was hit on his bike on San Pablo Avenue as a child.
Rebecca Saltzman said she thought the city should consider speed limits even lower than 25 miles per hour in some places.
The vote was 4-1. William Ktsanes voted no, saying while the plan contains great ideas he feels more ongoing City Council involvement should be built into the plan, and the appeal process for people who lose their parking to new bike lanes should not be suspended.
Ktsanes said he wanted to avoid the anger caused by plans for Richmond Street, where many residents were upset at the loss of parking and felt they weren’t heard by the city.
In presenting the plan to the council, Public Works Director Yvetteh Ortiz said while some suggestions received through community input were incorporated into the plan, other suggestions require further study and can still be accomplished outside the scope of the plan.
While the plan calls for encouraging e-bike use, some council members and speakers reiterated the need to address unsafe and illegal riding on the Ohlone Greenway and elsewhere in town as the use of e-bikes and e-motos increases. Some of the strategies discussed included a 15 mph speed limit, more police presence and signs about safe riding practices on the Greenway, and education of parents and other community members about laws and safety around e-motos.
Under financial considerations, the staff report says, “There are no immediate costs associated with the recommended action. LRSP projects will largely need to be funded by grants and the City’s special funds for transportation purposes. Importantly, the LRSP increases the City’s eligibility and competitiveness for receiving grants. Ongoing maintenance costs after each project is completed will need to be considered as part of the City’s annual budget process.”
The council also authorized the city to accept a $200,000 federal Community Development Block Grant for Americans with Disabilities Act and architectural improvements to the Swim Center locker room and a $50,000 match of city funds.
The locker room improvements are part of a series of improvements to the swim center that also includes replastering the pool, improvements to the parking lot, and the addition of EV chargers.
The Local Road Safety Plan adopted by the council: https://elcerritoca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1204/files/attachment/8040
A video of the meeting: https://elcerritoca.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1204/media
Earlier article on the Local Road Safety Plan https://elcerritowire.blogspot.com/2026/08/comment-online-on-draft-plan-for.html
Livable El Cerrito coverage of plans for Richmond Street:
https://www.livableelcerrito.org/post/design-moves-forward
and
https://www.livableelcerrito.org/post/final-parking-notice
Image from El Cerrito Local Road Safety Plan presentation