DATE: October 12, 2021
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Director of Public Works
SUBJECT
Patrick Avenue Safety Project: Adopt a Resolution Approving Proposed Changes to the Patrick Ave Safety Improvement Project
RECOMMENDATION
That the Council adopts a resolution (Attachment II) approving changes to the Patrick Avenue Safety Improvement Project by implementing a Buffered Bike Lane design in response to neighborhood concerns, as recommended by the Council Infrastructure Committee.
SUMMARY
The Patrick Avenue Safety Improvement Project (Project), located along Patrick Avenue between Tennyson Road and Schafer Road, was approved by Council on October 6, 2020, as part of the City’s annual Pavement Management project, based on complete street improvements identified in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (BPMP). The purpose of the project was to improve the safety of Patrick Avenue due to the high concentration of schools in the neighborhood, requests for additional crosswalks and traffic calming due to speeding, and implementation of the City’s complete street goals and policies. The first phase of the Project was implemented in October 2020 and consisted of the addition of separated bike lanes next to the curb, the upgrade of ten crosswalks, on-street parking moved further into the street along the bike lane, and a reduction of lanes from four lanes to three, among other changes.
Since implementation of the first phase, there have been significant community concerns expressed regarding the improvements. As a result, City staff paused any further improvements and sought additional community feedback before proceeding with any further changes to Patrick Avenue. In response to the extensive feedback received, staff recommends changes to the street design, which were presented and shared with the community at the July 19th community meeting. This design is also known as the Buffered Bike Lane option. The recommended changes proposed in the Buffered Bike Lane option were generally well-received by the community at the July 19th meeting, although some members preferred returning the street back to way it was originally, and Bike East Bay preferring to complete the project and maintain the separated bikeway along the curb.
As a result, on July 28, 2021, staff recommended the Buffered Bike Lanes design as outlined above to the Council Infrastructure Committee (CIC) since it best balances the needs and desires of the community with the important safety, traffic calming, and complete street goals that were approved by Council last year. The CIC recommended approval of the staff proposal; however, they recommended that a third-party consultant provide a peer review of the Buffered Bike Lane design as proposed to the community on July 19, 2021, and the two-way cycle track on the east side of Patrick Avenue as proposed by Bike East Bay. Consultants Kimley-Horn and Associates (Kimley-Horn) provided a peer review of the options after reviewing both options and meeting with key community stakeholders on September 3, 2021 (Attachment IV).
Based on staff’s own analysis, neighborhood concerns, and the consultant memorandum, staff continues to recommend changes to the Patrick Avenue Safety Improvement Project by implementing the Buffered Bike Lane design.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I Staff Report
Attachment II Resolution
Attachment III Bike East Bay 2-Way Cycle Proposal
Attachment IV Peer Review Memo
Attachment V Summary of Community Feedback