Dear Neighbor,

Tomorrow, Tues., July 28, the City Council will consider my item to repave Hopkins Street from Sutter Street to San Pablo Avenue with enhanced safety features for all users. Specifically, the item asks the City Manager to design one-way "Class IV" separated bikeways—physically protected bike lanes—on each side of Hopkins from The Alameda to Peralta Avenue / Ohlone Greenway. This proposed design was considered to be the safest by our Public Works staff because cyclists travel in the same direction as adjacent vehicle traffic, reducing conflicts at intersections. The item also calls for "Class II" buffered green-painted bike lanes from Sutter Street to The Alameda (similar to Monterey Avenue), and traffic calming features west of Peralta to Stannage Avenue; a raised intersection at Hopkins and Monterey/California for pedestrian safety; bus boarding islands at AC Transit stops; a comprehensive Curb Management Plan to address parking, loading zones, ADA spaces, and waste collection needs; and outreach to businesses, schools, houses of worship, and residents as staff develop the detailed engineering design. The proposed safety treatments are directly informed by the locations where pedestrians and bicyclists have been killed or severely injured along this corridor over the last 15 years.

Evolution of the Hopkins Council Item

In February 2026, I co-authored an item with District 5 Councilmember Shoshana O'Keefe (who represents the segment of Hopkins east of Sacramento Street), asking the City Manager to pave Hopkins Street with pedestrian safety improvements only. That item reflected my understanding at the time that unresolved Fire Department concerns—about lane widths, traffic calming approval, and evacuation impacts—raised serious questions about the feasibility of bike infrastructure on Hopkins. At the April 15, 2026 Facilities, Infrastructure, Transportation, Environment, and Sustainability (FITES) Policy Committee meeting, the Council committee—comprised of Councilmembers Mark Humbert, Cecilia Lunaparra, and Terry Taplin—voted unanimously to send the February item to Council with a "qualified negative recommendation," asking that it be amended to include protected bike lanes before coming to a full Council vote. Critically, the April FITES Policy Committee Meeting also featured new information from the Fire Department confirming that bike safety infrastructure on Hopkins "retains workable emergency access." That new information, combined with the committee's recommendation, led me to revise the item substantially.

I want to be transparent: I could have chosen not to move the item forward with bike safety infrastructure included. Hopkins is a complicated and contested corridor, and I know this item represents an unprecedented change to how the public right-of-way is used in a residential neighborhood. However, I believe it is important to build consensus with my colleagues and take action on a street that has been waiting for repaving for far too long. We have to move beyond the current impasse.

Thank You for Your Input

My office has received close to 500 communications on this topic, and I am taking all of your opinions, concerns, and questions seriously. We are tracking significant interest on both sides of this issue—from District 1 residents and residents across the City—who are in support of my item and those who remain concerned about the reallocation of parking spaces in the public right-of-way. I have confidence that the item's proposed Curb Management Plan for the commercial, recreational, and residential areas around Hopkins Street will allow us to better manage the parking spaces that remain, with ADA parking spaces, loading zones, short-term parking zones, and metering adjacent to commercial and/or recreational uses to encourage parking turnover. We are a diverse community, and Hopkins matters deeply to many of us; that is reflected in the volume and passion of the feedback we have received.

I have always strived to make decisions with an eye toward the City we hope to be in the future. As Berkeley continues to grow—with significant new housing planned at the North Berkeley BART Station and along San Pablo Avenue and other commercial/transportation corridors—I believe we have an opportunity and an obligation to plan for that growth in a way that allows people, including parents, children, the young who cannot afford a car, and the elderly who cannot safely operate one—to walk or bike safely. The median age of the pedestrians and bicyclists killed or severely injured on the Hopkins corridor is 67.5. We have an opportunity before us on Tuesday to dramatically reduce the safety risk of Hopkins Street. The time to make a decision is now, while Hopkins is already scheduled for repaving in FY 2028.

How to Participate

The Council meeting takes place on Tues., July 28 at the BUSD Board Room (1231 Addison Street) beginning at 6 p.m. You are also welcome to attend remotely via Zoom. To request to speak, use the "raise hand" function in Zoom. To join by phone, dial 1-669-254-5252 or 1-833-568-8864 (Toll Free) and enter Meeting ID: 165 286 9280; press *9 to provide public comment and wait to be recognized by the Chair. To submit a written communication for the public record, email council@berkeleyca.gov.