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Phil Bowman (right) takes a ride across the Iron Horse Trail bridge over Dublin Boulevard that was opened in 2024. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
Cyclists take to the road on the Arroyo Valle Bridge during a sunny day in August. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
Outside of the city’s major throughways, Augustin Bernal Park offers riders a reprieve from traffic and access to more rugged terrain. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
Students on foot and bikes at Amador Valley High School. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
Cyclist at the base of the Iron Horse Trail Bridge in Dublin during a summer day. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
A student bicycling to Amador Valley High School. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
As bicyclists on city streets become more commonplace with the rise of e-bikes and bike commuting, Tri-Valley cities are seeking to balance safety concerns with promoting benefits of cycling. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
Cyclist on the Iron Horse Trail Bridge in Dublin. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
Amador Valley Community Park is one of a number of desirable bicycling destinations in Pleasanton. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
The bike racks at Walnut Grove Elementary School. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
A bicyclist in front of Good Common Sense Naturals in Downtown Pleasanton. (Photo by Chuck Deckert) 
Students on their way to Walnut Grove Elementary School. (Photo by Chuck Deckert)
While bicycles have been a popular mode of travel and recreation for more than 200 years, the present era of environmental awareness in response to climate change – and advances in technology – have made them more popular than ever in the Tri-Valley as residents look to alternatives to gas-powered vehicles.
Sharon Piekarski is among many in the region and elsewhere who have come to increasingly rely on cycling as a practical form of transportation in addition to an enjoyable form of recreation, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions while reaping the mental and physical health benefits that it offers.
“I’m really concerned about the environment and the climate, and what it’s going to do for my children and grandchildren, and all the young people,” said Piekarski, a Pleasanton resident and chair of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Trails Committee. “And so that’s why I got started in being an advocate about eight years ago.”
While it was her concern for the environment that made her begin to turn to cycling as a form of transportation and become an advocate, Piekarski said she had also found she loved it as a form of exercise while participating in a triathlon in her late 50s.
“I still hated the running and I still hated the overwater, but I really liked riding the bike,” Piekarski said.
Nonetheless, Piekarski, now 77, said it wasn’t until more recently that bicycling has become one of her primary modes of transportation – specifically with her recent purchase of an e-bike.
“Once I did that, I’ve been riding a whole lot of my trips within the city of Pleasanton on that bike,” Piekarski said. “I ride to yoga, to the Senior Center on the other end of town – I’m doing a lot of my trips via bicycle.”
While cargo-style e-bikes such as Piekarski’s enable people of all ages and fitness levels to easily travel, shop and carry items throughout town, the benefits of e-bike technology have been overshadowed in recent months by abundant safety concerns, particularly about their use on sidewalks and by inexperienced younger riders on the roads over the summer.
Piekarski said concerns about young people using fast, high-powered vehicles that she said are better classified as “e-motos” than e-bikes were a topic at a recent bike and trails committee meeting in which Pleasanton Police Department officials had been on hand to answer questions.
“What they’ve been doing is figuring out who it belongs to and then having a chat with the parents and letting them know that these are not legal for these kids,” Piekarski said. “He said it’s not a huge problem in Pleasanton.”
Meanwhile in the San Ramon Valley, e-bike safety has been top of mind for elected officials, school district administrators, and police departments alike as they coordinate their outreach, education and enforcement efforts.
San Ramon Police Chief Denton Carlson noted that while bicycling benefits the community in numerous ways, the rapid rise of e-bikes has poised new challenges.
“Unfortunately, significant risks have also come with the dramatic increase in the unsafe (and illegal) use of e-bikes by youth throughout the San Ramon community,” Carlson said.
He noted that some e-bikes can reach speeds of more than 35 mph with simple modifications.
“Parents need to understand the capabilities of the e-bikes their children are riding,” Carlson said. “The speeds of these e-bikes can be excessive and dangerous — not just to the rider, but to members of the San Ramon community who may be sharing roadways, sidewalks, or trails with e-bike riders.”
Legally, Carlson said that e-bikes that can travel more than 20 mph without pedaling are considered motorized bicycles, which is also the case for e-bikes that can exceed 28 mph with pedal assistance – thereby requiring that riders have valid motorcycle licenses.
“If they do not have the proper license, they are at risk of being issued a citation for driving without a license,” Carlson said. “This could have significant implications for anyone, and especially for someone under 16. Delays in the ability to obtain a driver’s license, extended provisional license restrictions and significantly increased insurance premiums are all potential consequences for someone in these circumstances.”
E-bike safety has been the topic of numerous public comments and council discussions in Danville, with the latest step from the town being its “Not My Kid” campaign launched last week with the goal of addressing some of the same concerns that Carlson touched on.
Even for e-bikes not classified as motorized bicycles, vehicles that can travel more than 20 mph – and even regular bicycles – can pose safety challenges, particularly in the hands of inexperienced riders. Danville’s campaign calls for parental awareness and education, with resources including a quiz to see how their children’s bicycles are classified under state law.
Other measures aimed at promoting e-bike safety in the San Ramon Valley include a double-tracking pilot program in San Ramon between Crow Canyon and Bollinger Canyon roads, as well as the recently opened Iron Horse Regional Trail overcrossing over the latter.
Contra Costa County Supervisor Candace Andersen has spearheaded that effort in her district, which covers a majority of the San Ramon Valley, in partnership with the East Bay Regional Park District as it seeks to recognize the Iron Horse Trail’s road as a transportation throughway in addition to accommodating recreational riders.
“From my perspective, we also needed trail separation with the ultimate creation of a ‘bicycle expressway’ so that people wanting to ride at faster speeds would not come in conflict with those who enjoy walking on the trail, or ride slower,” Andersen said. “A child learning to ride a bike or parents pushing a stroller should be able to enjoy the trail as much as someone wanting to get to and from work or the BART station quickly.”
“With the increase in use of e-bikes along the trail, the need for trail separation is even greater,” the supervisor added.
Andersen, who helped to secure $500,000 in park dedication fees for the design pilot project last year, said that the Board of Supervisors was “actively looking for additional funding” to build a second trail upon completion of the design phase.
Dublin has also sought to promote bicycle and pedestrian safety with its bridge connecting the Iron Horse Trail over Dublin Boulevard, which opened late last year. It is part of the city’s overall efforts to promote bicycling as a viable form of transit – and a connection to BART – via its bike and pedestrian programs, including twice-yearly public workshops aimed at garnering feedback from residents and commuters.
While numerous efforts are underway locally to contend with safety challenges posed by advancements in e-bike technology and more riders on the roads, the promotion of bicycling as an environmentally sustainable means of transit with added health benefits is also at the center of local initiatives from both public and private entities.
For example, Dublin-based Patelco Credit Union hosted its fourth bike build event on July 23 in partnership with the local non-profit Kids Bike Lane, which seeks to provide bicycles access and education to underserved youth. Since the start of that partnership, Patelco employees have volunteered to build and contribute 93 new bikes and helmets.
Piekarski pointed to the range of benefits that could be seen if more people were to travel by bicycle – including reductions in carbon emissions, traffic, and parking needs, particularly for children old enough to ride to school.
“I think if more people did that, everyone would be better off,” Piekarski said. “It would reduce traffic, it would reduce parking, which is a major concern here in the Tri-Valley. It would be safer for everyone, it would be more convenient for parents – there’s a lot of benefits, but I think going back to making sure that the child is educated and understands how to be safe. So that’s the starting point, with learning the right way to be safe and what dangers to be aware of.”
In addition to contending with new safety challenges, Piekarski and Vishal Saboo, a Pleasanton resident who bikes regularly to his job near Stoneridge Shopping Center, called on the city to maintain and improve its existing bike infrastructure and contend with longstanding challenges.
“Right now, I actually have two flats because the lanes – they are often filled with sweetgum seed pods, twigs, and debris,” Saboo said. “That’s the same route many kids take to bike to school. On roads like Parkside Drive, Springdale Avenue and Muirwood Drive, there are no bike lanes at all. And with cars flying by, it doesn’t always feel safe.”
Saboo said that he would like to see more city officials get on bikes themselves and navigate the city’s existing infrastructure as it adapts to a more cycling-centric future.
“The debris in bike lanes, the lack of protection on certain roads, etc., it all adds up to an environment that could be much safer and more inviting with just a bit more attention and care,” Saboo said.
“But here’s the exciting part: Pleasanton has so much potential to become a truly bike-friendly city,” he continued. “We already have beautiful trails and a great climate. With more consistent infrastructure, better maintenance, and a stronger focus on safety, we can create a real biking culture — one where kids can ride to school confidently, families can ride to parks or downtown without worry, and commuters like me can make biking a normal, healthy part of daily life.”
