Title
Recommend City Council Approval of the Mecartney Road/Island Drive Roundabout Concept
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As stated in the City’s Capital Budget for 2015-17, the goal of the Mecartney Road/Island Drive intersection project is to improve this wide and busy intersection for all modes of transportation by using best practices to enhance safety and mobility. In 2021, City staff and Kittelson & Associates, Inc. (Kittelson) considered the following potential improvement options: roundabout, reduced footprint all-way stop, “do nothing” and traffic signal. Based on an analysis and community outreach in late 2021 and early 2022, the City staff/consultant team recommends a roundabout concept for the Mecartney Road/Island Drive intersection, which is expected to best improve safety and operations, and also would reduce the footprint of the intersection relative to existing conditions, and would provide landscaping, art and flood reduction opportunities. The City staff/consultant team is requesting the Transportation Commission to recommend City Council to approve the roundabout concept. City staff also is requesting City Council authorization of an amendment to the Kittelson agreement, which would allow the design to be completed in 2023. The project webpage is www.alamedaca.gov/MecartneyIsland <http://www.alamedaca.gov/MecartneyIsland>
BACKGROUND
The Goals for the Mecartney Road/Island Drive improvements include to:
• Promote safety by prioritizing Vision Zero, which the City Council approved as a policy in 2019 to reduce traffic deaths and severe injuries to zero.
• Be consistent with the 2040 General Plan goals:
o Vision Zero. To eliminate fatalities and severe injuries on Alameda’s streets, avenues, sidewalks, crosswalks, paths, and trails.
o Intersection Safety. To improve safety at stop-controlled or signalized intersections, consider a roundabout design.
o Roundabouts and Traffic Circles. When considering modification to an intersection, prioritize roundabouts and traffic circles for consideration.
• Improve mobility for all modes, including AC Transit buses and trucks.
• Comply with existing policies and plans, including the City’s Draft Active Transportation Plan.
• Provide landscaping and flood reduction opportunities.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Roundabouts reduce the types of crashes where people are seriously hurt or killed by up to 90 percent when compared to conventional stop-controlled and signalized intersections. Roundabouts result in lower vehicle speeds, generally 15-25 miles per hour, around the roundabout. Crashes that occur will be less severe because of this reduced speed and the more “sideswipe” nature of crashes. Pedestrians are generally safer at roundabouts, and are faced with simpler decisions at a time. Videos and presentations on roundabouts are as follows:
• Roundabout Education at City of Alameda Transportation Commission (Jan 27, 2021) - Staff Report/Presentation <https://alameda.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4758234&GUID=2345B774-9EAA-4A94-9A51-BFC236809F5E&Options=&Search=&FullText=1> - Video <http://alameda.granicus.com/player/clip/2716?view_id=6&redirect=true> (at 30 minute mark)
• Metropolitan Transportation Commission Roundabouts <https://mtc.ca.gov/operations/programs-projects/streets-roads-arterials/roundabouts>
• FHWA Video: A Safer Choice <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhHzly_6lWM>
• FHWA Video: An Innovative Solution to Intersection Safety Concerns <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6LoK0hxj7k>
• FHWA Roundabout Safety Resources <https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/roundabouts/index.cfm>
DISCUSSION
As stated in the City’s Capital Budget for 2015-17, the Mecartney Road/Island Drive intersection project is to improve this wide and busy intersection for all modes of transportation by using best practices to enhance safety and mobility even though it is not a high-injury intersection in the City. Kittelson is under contract with the City to provide transportation services related to roundabouts including at the Mecartney Road/Island Drive intersection with completed work tasks as follows:
• Reviewed an intersection evaluation from 2019, which showed improved operations for a roundabout concept compared to an all-way stop and signal alternative;
• Confirmed roundabout findings (Exhibit 1); and
• Engaged the Bay Farm Island community with an online survey, a virtual community workshop and focus group meetings at Bay Farm and Earhart Schools (Exhibits 2 and 3).
For the online survey, there were about 360 survey respondents who mainly were residents on Bay Farm Island (86 percent). The majority of the respondents stated that they are dissatisfied with the safety and operations of the intersection. The roundabout and traffic signal concepts tied as the highest priority. The least preferred way to proceed is “do nothing” at 44 percent of the respondents. Key themes discussed during the community outreach process include emergency vehicles access and evacuation, which both work with the roundabout concept, and Starbucks traffic issues, which will return to the Planning Board this fall for potential circulatory improvements with recommendations provided by Kittelson. Community members also express concern about bicycle and pedestrian safety, which the roundabout concept simplifies in that people walking and bicycling cross one travel lane at a time with a pedestrian refuge between each travel lane.
Based on the analysis and community outreach in late 2021 and early 2022, the City staff/consultant team recommends the roundabout concept for the Mecartney Road/Island Drive intersection, which is expected to best improve safety and operations, and also would reduce the footprint of the intersection relative to existing conditions, and would provide landscaping, art and flood reduction opportunities (Exhibit 4). The City staff/consultant team is coordinating exact locations of the bus stops with AC Transit staff, and is considering far side bus stops on Mecartney Road in both directions as the locations that will work best for safety and operations (Table 1). City staff also will request City Council authorization of a Third Amendment to the Kittelson agreement, which would allow the design to be completed in 2023 by Kittelson. As for construction, the consultant is finalizing cost estimates with the initial estimate at $2 million and is expected to increase with the addition of adjacent path improvements and bioretention areas for flood reduction. It is expected that City staff will seek grant monies to construct and also will consider using TIFF monies, which can be used for intersection control improvements on Bay Farm Island.
Table 1: Roundabout Concept Recommendation Summary
|
Evaluation Category |
Improvement |
|
Safety and quality of service |
Shorter pedestrian crossings Speed control features Reduced conflicts between and among travel modes Provide option for bike travel on-street or in separate path with bike crossings |
|
Improved vehicle mobility and operations |
Reduced travel delay Volume-to-capacity ratio of 0.6 Resilient to future increased travel demand |
|
Opportunities for landscaping and flood reduction |
Reduced intersection footprint Flexibility in additional use of space Central island landscaping and art opportunities |
|
Transit mobility and accessibility |
Improved operations keeps buses moving Coordinating optimal stop locations with AC Transit |
|
Site specific issues |
Eliminates existing U-turn patterns Coordinating Starbucks access with Planning |
|
Design vehicles |
Serves AC Transit buses and large trucks Accommodates emergency vehicle access |
ALTERNATIVES
The Transportation Commission may consider a range of alternatives:
• Approve the roundabout concept for the Mecartney Road/Island Drive intersection;
• Approve the roundabout concept with revisions; and
• Not approve the roundabout concept and recommend to proceed with another approach.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Mecartney Road/Island Drive intersection project (C65500) is funded by Measures B/BB, Alameda County’s transportation sales tax, which is administered by the Alameda County Transportation Commission.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The roundabout concept is consistent with the General Plan (2021), which mentions roundabouts as follows:
ME-7: Safe Streets:
e. Roundabouts. Increase the use of roundabouts at intersections to improve the safety and lower maintenance costs compared to traffic signals.
j. Intersection Safety. To improve safety at a stop controlled or signalized intersections, consider a roundabout design or eliminating right turns on red and adding pedestrian scrambles to existing signals.
k. Roundabouts and Traffic Circles. When considering modification to an intersection, prioritize roundabouts and traffic circles for consideration recognizing that land acquisition needs, operational considerations, or other engineering factors or constraints may result in other intersection solutions on a case-by-case basis.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Approval of the Mecartney Road/Island Drive roundabout concept is categorically exempt pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15301(c) Existing Facilities (Minor alterations to existing facilities including bicycle facilities) and Section 15304(h) Minor Alterations to Land and the creation of bicycle lanes on existing public rights of way.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Since vehicle miles traveled in Alameda is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda, City staff is expecting that a roundabout at the Mecartney Road/Island Drive intersection would have a positive climate impact. The roundabout concept was developed to make it safer and more convenient to ride a bicycle and walk and to reduce congestion and idling motor vehicles.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommend City Council approval of the Mecartney Road/Island Drive Roundabout Concept.
Respectfully submitted,
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Exhibits:
1. Evaluation Summary
2. Online Survey Results
3. Community Workshop Notes
4. Roundabout Concept
5. Bus Turn Templates
6. Truck Turn Templates
7. Fire Truck Turn Templates
8. Presentation