Subject: The Albany City Council will soon consider an expensive, impractical cycle track/bike path proposal for Solano Ave
Dear fellow Albany residents,
My name is Michael Barnes. Some of you may remember me from my years on the Albany City Council (2012-2020). I also served on the Albany school board (2002-2006) and until recently I was a member of the city's Transportation Commission, where I first heard about the Solano Ave cycle track/bike path proposal. However, I resigned from the Transportation Commission in protest of the commission's and council's support for this impractical idea. Now that I am once again a mere resident, I have no conflicts and I am free to speak my mind to oppose the cycle track/bike path.
Don't be surprised if you haven't heard of this proposal. Let's just say the council has not gone out of its way to let Albany residents know about the controversial plan. The cycle track is on the agenda for the Thursday, May 28, Transportation Commission meeting, although you would have a hard time finding it, since there are only a few minor references to it buried in the draft Active Transportation Plan (ATP), which is on the agenda.
My goal for this note is not to dig into the nitty gritty of the proposal, but rather to notify you of the existence of the plan, and direct you to some information so you can sort through the proposal yourself. After studying the details, you might come to a different conclusion than me. That's fine. I believe you have the right to know what is going on, and to make your own judgements. In case you doubt that learning more about this cycle track is worth your time, I'll just mention that the cost estimates range from $30 to $50 million. That's money the city doesn't have, and money that, one way or another, we will probably have to pay back.
Still interested? If so, I've attached four pdf documents. Check 'em out:
1) Solano ATP MB letter.pdf--This is the letter I wrote to the City Council for their Apr 20, 2026, meeting. This my short take on the problems with the Solano cycle track. It's a useful introduction.
2) Solano ATP Dede Public Comment.pdf--This is the text of an in-person comment made by Dede Pansino at the Dec 4, 2025, Transportation Commission meeting. Dede is the Vice President of both the Friends of Albany Seniors and the Friends of Albany Library. She raised several concerns that I failed to mention in my letter.
3) Solano ATP Parametrix.pdf--This is the consultant's report. Plenty of details to chew on here. I have several concerns, but I'll let you read this report with an open mind for now.
4) Solano ATP Staff Memo Fire Dept.pdf--This a memo regarding the Albany Fire Department's objections to the Parametrix consultant's plan. These objections are not new, the fire dept. has raised them before.
If you have concerns about the Solano cycle track plans, please feel to write the Transportation Commission and the City Council at the following email addresses:
City Council: citycouncil@albanyca.gov
Transportation Commission: tc@albanyca.gov
The plan now appears to be this: Once the Transportation Commission inevitably approves the draft at their Thursday, May 28, meeting, the City Council will review the plan at one of their July meetings (which occur on the first and third Mondays of the month). Why the rush? Many Albany residents haven't even heard of the plan yet. As it turns out, July is the last convenient time this year to pass the Active Transportation Plan with the cycle track embedded in it. The council and the city commissions take a vacation break and do not meet in August. September and October will be busy with planning for the November elections. Of course, the city council could put off considering the ATP and cycle track until early next year, but two of the supporters of the cycle track, council members John Miki and Robin Lopez, are up for election in November. A new council in 2027 might be less inclined to favor the cycle track proposal, so the three supporters on the current council (Miki, Lopez and Jordan) may want to lock in the vote before the next election.
Regards,
Michael Barnes