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Recommendation to Consider New Information Regarding the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project and Authorize the Interim City Manager, or Designee, to Proceed with Construction Documents for the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project Final Concept. (Planning, Building & Transportation 20962710)
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To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On October 18, 2022, the City Council voted to schedule a public hearing to consider new information regarding the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project. This report provides the new information that was not provided at the October 4, 2022 public hearing on the proposed Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project.
BACKGROUND
As described in the October 4, 2022 staff report, the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project is a plan to improve the condition and operations on a 0.7 mile segment of Grand Street in central City of Alameda (City).
On May 25, 2022, the Transportation Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council proceed with the staff recommended resurfacing and restriping plan, which includes protected bicycle lanes, pedestrian crossing improvements, and chicanes (lane shifts) to slow traffic and reduce speeding on the street.
On June 21, 2022 City Council voted 3-2 to direct staff to make some specific changes to the design and address a short list of remaining concerns.
On October 4, 2022, staff presented the requested revisions to the design and the additional information in response to the Council’s June 21, 2022 concerns. During the deliberations, at least one Councilmember expressed the opinion that staff had not provided sufficient information to address concerns regarding the safety of the design. Based on the information provided, the City Council voted to modify the design to eliminate the separated bicycle lanes north of Otis Drive and eliminate the traffic-calming chicanes from the design.
After the meeting, the Mayor learned additional information about the safety of the project and examples of other locations where parking on alternate sides of the street delineated by chicanes are successfully in place.
On October 18, 2022, in response to the new information regarding the safety of the design, the City Council voted to schedule a public hearing to consider new information regarding the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project.
The design as originally recommended is attached as Exhibit 1 and is available for review at: www.alamedaca.gov/GrandStreet <http://www.alamedaca.gov/GrandStreet>
DISCUSSION
The following information was not available during the October 4, 2022 City Council deliberations.
Safety Design Standards: When considering the need to change the design of a public street, the City of Alameda utilizes national and statewide standards and guidelines and qualified, licensed Civil Engineers, Traffic Engineers and consultants to develop the design recommendations. Licensed engineers and consultants ensure consistency with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD), the Caltrans Highway Design Manual and other sources. These statewide standards and guidelines are specifically developed to ensure safety for the users of streets in California.
The Grand Street project is designed to improve safety for all users through the use of physical design changes to slow down automobile speeds on the street and increase protections for bicyclists and pedestrians. The design has been reviewed by the City’s licensed engineers and the City’s licensed consultant civil and traffic engineers to ensure compliance with published and accepted traffic engineering safety standards.
Chicanes: In addition to protected bicycle lanes, the originally recommended design introduces traffic calming chicanes to slow down traffic and improve safety for all users. Chicanes are recommended by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), and a wide variety of cities throughout the United States as a strategy to reduce automobile speeds in neighborhoods and increase the safety of the street for all users.
Chicanes are a safe and proven technique to slow traffic on residential streets like Grand Street. Chicanes work because they force drivers to slow down to negotiate a designed curve in the travel lane. NACTO published a study conducted in Seattle that found that adding chicanes reduced the percentage of automobiles driving over 25 miles per hour from approximately 45% to less than 10% after introduction of the chicanes. On Grand Street, vehicle speeds routinely exceed the 25 miles per hour (mph) posted speed limit, with 32 mph for 85th percentile speed. Reducing automobile speeds to 25 miles per hour or less is critical to reducing the severity of collisions between vehicles and bicyclists or pedestrians.
The cities of New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Lafayette, San Anselmo, Berkeley and others have all adopted the use of chicanes as a proven method to slow traffic and reduce the severity of collisions. Exhibit 2 provides examples of other American cities that have taken advantage of this technic to improve livability and safety on local neighborhood streets like Grand Street.
Additional Information: Additional information regarding the speed reduction and safety benefits of chicanes of chicanes can be found at:
The U.S Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration website at:
<https://highways.dot.gov/safety/speed-management/traffic-calming-eprimer>
The U.S Department of Transportation website at:
<https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/Traffic-Calming-to-Slow-Vehicle-Speeds>
The Institute of Traffic Engineers website at <https://www.ite.org/pub/?id=29df6928%2D0059%2D96b7%2Dcfb7%2Dc79b3585a17d>
The National Association of City Transportation Officials website at:
<https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/design-controls/design-speed/speed-reduction-mechanisms/>
The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy website at: <http://www.ncchpp.ca/docs/ReviewLiteratureTrafficCalming_En.pdf>
The City of Lafayette website at: <https://www.lovelafayette.org/home/showpublisheddocument/845/635561390008430000>
The City of San Anselmo website at: <https://www.townofsananselmo.org/DocumentCenter/View/5911/SA-Traffic-Calming-Guidebook-May-2016-PDF?bidId>=
Conclusions: Staff is confident that the design as originally proposed with the protected bicycle lanes and traffic slowing chicanes north of Otis Drive and as recommended by the Transportation Commission and the Commission on People with Disabilities is a safer design for all users than the design approved on October 4, 2022.
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council may:
• Consider the new information and approve the recommended concept for the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project with separated bike lanes and chicanes north of Otis Drive,
or,
• Consider the new information and take no action to modify the Council’s October 4, 2022 decision to approve the project without the separated bicycle lanes and chicanes north of Otis Drive.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
As described in prior reports, the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvements Project (C11000) is a funded project.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvements Project is consistent with the General Plan (2021) citywide mobility and climate action goals.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project team submitted required environmental clearance documentation to Caltrans and received a signed California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Exemption/ National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) Categorical Exclusion Determination Form in September 2021. Caltrans determined that this project has no significant impacts on the environment as defined by NEPA. As such, the project is categorically excluded from the requirements to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under NEPA.
Additionally, the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvements Project is categorically exempt pursuant to 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
According to the City of Alameda Climate Action and Resiliency Plan, addition of protected bicycle lanes and pedestrian safety improvements is critical to the City’s ability to meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals, since automobile use is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the Interim City Manager, or Designee, to Proceed with the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project, including preparation of final design and construction documents, consistent with the recommended final concept plan with the separated bicycle lanes and chicanes north of Otis Drive.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Planning Building and Transportation Director.
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret O’Brien, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Proposed Final Concept Plan
2. Examples of Chicanes
cc: Nancy Bronstein, Interim City Manager Erin Smith, Public Works Director