Letter to Project Manager of Hearst Street Renovations

I regularly ride my bicycle in Berkeley & Oakland, and I find that my most dangerous biking occurs when I have to pass a stopped bus. Not only does this force me to pull further into traffic, but it also requires me to pass the bus, and unfortunately buses have the bad habit of pulling into traffic without watching for who might be there. Though I'm as careful as I possibly can be, literally every time I pass a stopped bus, it has the potential to be life threatening. Worse, I sometimes have to pass the same bus many times on a longer trip, as they tend to pass bicyclists between stops; this multiplies the danger.

I understand that on Hearst Avenue, one of the options being considered is bus-boarding islands, which will allow bicyclists to pass behind stopped buses. As a regular urban cyclist, I think these are more important than almost anything else you could do on the street. I hope you'll include them in the final plans.