Title
Approve Otis Drive Traffic Calming and Safety Improvement Project Design Concept Recommendations
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
From: Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
BACKGROUND
Safety concerns along Otis Drive between Westline Drive and Willow Street include high speeds, long crossings for pedestrians and a lack of bicycle facilities. The street is classified in the Transportation Element of the City of Alameda's General Plan as an Island Arterial, which are streets intended to provide cross-island access for local intra-island trips generally through residential neighborhoods. Otis Drive is identified as a bicycle priority street and as a primary transit street, and the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) operates daily bus service along the corridor - Lines 20 (local route), W (Transbay service) and 663 (school service). Otis Drive is listed in the citywide transportation plan - the Transportation Choices Plan - as a Vision Zero corridor with a goal to reduce citywide traffic deaths and severe injuries to zero.
The goals of the Otis Drive Traffic Calming and Safety Improvement project include:
* Reducing driving speeds to the 25 miles per hour limit;
* Improving safety for all users;
* Adding bicycle facilities to connect to Wood School, the beach, Alameda Hospital and with existing bike lanes on Westline Drive and Grand Street;
* Improving bus stops;
* Improving streetscape, such as gateways and landscaping; and
* Reducing impacts of flooding/sea level rise.
In 2017, the City identified this segment of Otis Drive as a high priority for traffic safety improvements, and designated $500,000 in the 2017-2019 Capital Improvement Program for the initial phase work. In 2018, the City conducted a survey and obtained City Council approval to hire Parisi/CSW Design Group for outreach, planning and design services. In January 2019, the City met with...
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