Title
Introduction of Ordinance Amending Alameda Municipal Code Sections 8-8.5 and 8-1.2 to Authorize the Public Works Director to Improve Safety and Visibility at Alameda Intersections. (Planning, Building and Transportation 4227287)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In response to recent City Council requests, staff is recommending that the City Council approve a first reading of an amendment to Alameda Municipal Code (AMC) Sections 8-8.5 and 8-1.2 to authorize the Public Works Director to improve safety and reduce the risk of collisions at City of Alameda (City) intersections by improving visibility for all transportation modes.
BACKGROUND
At its April 16, 2019 and May 7, 2019 meetings, the City Council directed staff to prepare the necessary code amendments and standards to more rapidly improve visibility at intersections on arterial and collector streets (sometimes called “daylighting”) and to include daylighting as part of the City’s annual paving program.
DISCUSSION
The recommended code amendments described below are consistent with Alameda General Plan Safety Element policy SN-5 to eliminate fatalities and severe injuries from traffic collisions in the City, which is known as “Vision Zero.” Although most collisions involve two motor vehicles, when a collision involves a motor vehicle and a person walking or a person on a bicycle, the person walking or on a bicycle suffers the greatest harm.
Since 2011, eight (8) people walking in the City have died as the result of a collision with a motor vehicle in the City. Seven (7) of these eight fatalities occurred where the person walking was in a crosswalk at an intersection. Since 2011, approximately 6,461 collisions occurred on City streets. Only 5% of those collisions involved pedestrians, but 53% of the people who died in those collisions were pedestrians.
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) finds that visibility is critical to safety for all road users. Reduced visibility at intersections increases the number and severity of collisions. NACTO recommends that parked cars be prohibited within 20 to 25 feet of an intersection. The California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) recommends: “At all intersections, one stall length on each side measured from the crosswalk or end of curb return should have parking prohibited.” (Parking stalls in Alameda are typically 20 feet long.) NACTO guidelines identify that daylighting intersections opens up space for bike racks, curb extensions, and bioswales (landscape features designed to capture, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff as it moves downstream) which diversifies the use of curb space. Increasing the availability of bike parking is consistent with the Transportation Choices Plan, Bike Plan, and previous City Council Direction.
Presently, AMC Section 8-8.5 permits the Public Works Director (Director) to prohibit parking at intersections and elsewhere for safety purposes. However, the code does not establish a numeric standard to guide the Director’s decisions, and the code requires that the Director notice the immediate neighborhood within 300 feet prior to the removal of a parking space. The Director’s decision to remove a parking space can be appealed to the Transportation Commission, whose decision can then be appealed to the City Council. If the Director determines that there is an imminent safety concern, the Director may remove the parking space immediately, but then he or she must commence the noticing and appeal process within two business days.
The current AMC provisions raise several procedural and safety concerns:
• The existing AMC provisions do not provide a measurable standard, upon which the Public Works Department can rely to determine whether a parking space should be removed.
• The safety of a public street is a Citywide concern, not a concern that impacts only those residents within 300 feet. The existing AMC gives preference in the decision making process to the immediate neighbors of the intersection. Residents and people walking and bicycling who may use the street, but live further than 300 feet away, are not given notice or an opportunity to participate in the decision making process.
• Public on-street parking is provided for the convenience of all residents and businesses, not just for the immediate neighbors. The existing AMC seems to be predicated on the notion that the residents or businesses within 300 feet have a “right” or expectation that the City will provide public parking in front of their property and that their permission or approval should be acquired before removing that space, even if removing the parking space improves public safety for the larger community.
• The existing policy is time consuming and expensive to administer, which makes it more difficult and time consuming for the City to expeditiously and cost effectively meet its safety and climate change goals.
Staff is recommending that the City Council amend the AMC to:
• Establish a measurable standard for intersection visibility, which is consistent with both NACTO and MUTCD. The standard would allow the Public Works Department to remove parking located within twenty (20) feet of a crosswalk or end of curb return.
• Eliminate the requirement to notice the neighborhood of the decision to remove the parking space. The Public Works Department routinely provides “courtesy notices” for street projects, repaving projects, and other work in the public right of way. The elimination of the required noticing does not prohibit the Department from issuing courtesy notices, but the Public Works Director’s decision would not be subject to appeal.
• Allow the placement of bicycle parking within 20 feet of an intersection, provided that the Director determines that visibility is not significantly impaired by the parked bicycles.
The recommended amendments will:
• Facilitate and expedite the City’s ability to improve safety at intersections Citywide;
• Reduce the cost to Alameda tax payers for improving safety;
• Result in a safer network of streets for all modes of transportation;
• Allow the Public Works Department to implement clear and consistent Administrative Procedures that can accommodate unique factors, engineering analysis, and Citywide investment priorities (a copy of those procedures is attached as Exhibit 1); and
• Increase opportunities to provide bike parking Citywide.
Conclusions:
As recognized by the City Council in May, improving the safety of the City’s transportation network and facilities, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and improving transportation options for City residents will requires significant changes, effort, resources, and compromises. These changes to the AMC sections represents a small but important step towards achieving all three of these goals. As the staff continues its work on the Active Transportation Plan and the implementation of the Transportation Choices Plan and Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, staff will continue to bring additional recommended changes to ordinances, policies, and procedures designed to achieve the City Council’s safety, climate change, and transportation goals.
ALTERNATIVES
• Establish a measurable standard for intersection visibility, which is consistent with both NACTO and MUTCD. The standard would allow the Public Works Department to remove parking located within twenty (20) feet of a crosswalk or end of curb return.
• Eliminate the requirement to notice the neighborhood of the decision to remove the parking space. The Public Works Department routinely provides “courtesy notices” for street projects, repaving projects, and other work in the public right of way. The elimination of the required noticing does not prohibit the Department from issuing courtesy notices, but the Public Works Director’s decision would not be subject to appeal.
• Allow the placement of bicycle parking within 20 feet of an intersection, provided that the Director determines that visibility is not significantly impaired by the parked bicycles.
• Direct staff to revise the amendment to maintain a noticing procedure. This alternative would improve the process by establishing a clear standard, but maintaining the noticing process will serve to slow down the City’s ability to implement changes quickly and cost effectively.
• Take no action and maintain the existing code provisions. This alternative would not be consistent with the City Council’s recent direction and would not move the City closer to meeting climate action, safety, or transportation goals.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Implementation of the proposed policy will be incorporated into existing paving contracts, which have dedicated funding sources. Some additional costs will be incurred in the form of staff time, maintenance of faded curbs, and police time for enforcement, but costs for noticing and staffing appeal hearings will be reduced by the changes. No funding allocation is being requested at this time.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The staff recommendation is consistent with priority strategy four of the Transportation Choices Plan to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety within Alameda. This supports goal two of the plan to “increase the share of walking, bicycling, transit and carpooling trips within Alameda.”
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed amendment to the AMC is categorically exempt from further review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 65301 Minor Adjustments to Existing Facilities.
CLIMATE IMPACTS
Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the City. Making intersections safer for people who walk or bike will encourage more of these trips and fewer automobile trips. Reducing the supply of on street parking will marginally discourage automobile ownership and vehicle trips.
RECOMMENDATION
Hold a public hearing and approve a first reading of an amendment to Alameda Municipal Code Sections 8-8.5 and 8-1.2.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager recommends approval of the amendment to the Alameda Municipal Code Sections 8-8.5 and 8-1.2. I recommend approval due to the strategy being consistent with priority strategy four of the Transportation Choices Plan. While this is consistent with City Council direction, this could provide for less public input into the process.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Acting Director Planning, Building and Transportation
By,
Andrew Thomas, Acting Director Planning, Building and Transportation
Scott Wikstrom, City Engineer
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Elena Adair, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Daylighting Policy
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager