Neighborhood Bike Route Implementation Guide – Revised Draft

At the February 4th, 2021 BPAC Infrastructure Committee meeting, Jennifer Stanley, OakDOT staff from the Bicycle & Pedestrian Section, presented the revised draft of the Neighborhood Bike Routes Implementation Guide. The previous draft is here.

Notes from the presentation and discussion are below.

Neighborhood Bike Route Implementation Guide
REVISED DRAFT, last updated January 26, 2021
Map and Figures (numbering to be updated)

This Guide provides direction on implementing the City of Oakland’s bike plan: Let’s Bike Oakland! (2019) recommendations for “neighborhood bike routes” (NBRs) also known as “bicycle boulevards.” The bike plan proposes over 75 centerline miles of NBRs defined on page 22 as:

  • Calm local streets where bicyclists have priority but share roadway space with automobiles.
  • Include shared roadway bicycle markings on pavement and additional traffic calming measures like speed humps or traffic diverters to keep streets comfortable for bicyclists
  • Comfortable for bicyclists with wider range of comfort levels

This Guide does not apply to proposed NBRs that are infeasible (e.g. on high-volume bus routes or on arterial streets). See [name of document] for the feasibility of individual NBRs and the criteria by which feasibility was determined.

The bike plan outlines four actions for streets to be designated as NBRs: Improving Major Street Crossings; Reducing or Preventing Speeding; Preventing High Car Volumes; and Increasing Pavement Quality. This Guide describes implementation in five subject areas: Scoping & Monitoring, Route Establishment, Traffic Calming, Traffic Control, and Public Notification & Comment.

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Traffic Calming on 8th St in West Oakland

At the February 4th, 2021 BPAC Infrastructure Committee meeting, Tim Courtney of Neighbors United For A Safe 8th Street presented the Safe 8th Street project that he submitted as a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project request. Streetsblog also covered the safety campaign in a Dec. 14, 2020 article.

OakDOT will be paving 8th Street from Market Street to Pine Street in late 2021. The Neighbors would like traffic calming treatments included as part of the paving project, and low-cost quick-build traffic calming treatments in the immediate near-term.

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MacArthur Blvd safety improvements in the Laurel District

Daniel Swafford, Executive Director of the Laurel District Association submitted the below project narrative to OakDOT as a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) project request. Daniel will be presenting this at the February 4th, 2021 BPAC Infrastructure Committee meeting for discussion.

A capital improvement project—S.L.O.W. Laurel [Safe Livable Open Welcoming Laurel]—is a lane reduction, “road diet” proposal, which reduces four traffic lanes to two, builds out open-air dining, and incorporates bike lanes on the section of MacArthur Blvd. located in The Laurel District of Oakland, California. The section of road is a mixed-use area located between 35th Ave and High Street.

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February 2021 Infrastructure Committee Meeting

Thursday, February 4th, 2021, 3:30-5:30pm online and by phone.
Agenda topics include:

  • Grand Ave Mobility Project Update
  • MacArthur Blvd safety improvements in the Laurel District
  • Neighborhood Bike Route Implementation Guide
  • Traffic Calming on 8th St in West Oakland
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Lake Merritt bikeway improvements—Concepts

At the December 03, 2020 Infrastructure Committee meeting, Charlie Ream gave a presentation on Lake Merritt Bikeway Improvements Project.

“The Lake Merritt Bikeway Improvements Project proposes several changes to the roadway on Lakeside Drive from Madison Street to Lake Merritt Boulevard and on Lake Merritt Boulevard from Lakeside to E 12th Street. This section of street is set to be repaved in 2021. This presents an opportunity to extend the popular two-way protected cycletrack around Lake Merritt from Madison Street southward and over the estuary bridge to E 12th Street!”

—from the City of Oakland survey on the Lake Merritt Bikeway Improvements Project

Notes from the discussion and presentation, and 35% design plans (conceptual level) are below.

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East Bay Greenway: Phase 2

At the December 03, 2020 Infrastructure Committee meeting, Manuel Corona gave a presentation on East Bay Greenway Phase II.

Project background

  • FTA and AHSC funding used for this portion of EB Greenway
  • Continuation of first segment of trail already built east of Coliseum BART (73rd to 85th) completed November 2019
  • Grant used to incorporate striping improvements to connect 69th to 75th (Bike lanes)


Project timeline

  • Project currently at 65% design
  • 100% design by March 2021
  • Construction: January through June 2023


Notes from the discussion, and the presentation and 65% design plans are below.

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Coliseum Transit Village

At the December 03, 2020 Infrastructure Committee meeting, Jay Zhang gave a presentation on the Intermodal Terminal Coliseum BART/Transit Village Area Improvements.


Project background


Project limits & scope

  • 71st Ave – Snell St to Hawley St
    • Pedestrian scale lighting
    • Widen sidewalk (south)
    • Plant trees
    • Repaving
    • Update curb ramps
  • Hawley St – 71st Ave to 72nd Ave
    • Pedestrian Scale lighting
    • Repair sidewalk, curb & gutter (west)
    • Repaving
    • Update curb ramps

View the full presentation below or download it here [PDF].

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AC Transit: East Bay Bus Rapid Transit

At the December 03, 2020 Infrastructure Committee meeting, Steven Jones from AC Transit gave a presentation on the recently completed East Bay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, branded as “Tempo”. “Tempo” opened to riders on Aug 09, 2020.

Notes from the discussion, and the presentation are below.

Discussion

  • Committee forwarded a list of concerns to AC Transit before meeting, including concerns around lane striping, signal timing/actuation, and training/policy. How much follow-up can still be done by AC Transit versus by others?
    • North of 42nd Ave is Oakland right-of-way, south of 42nd Ave is Caltrans. AC Transit project is almost entirely complete, so follow-up will likely need to be handled by others.
  • Garrett suggests forming a smaller follow up sub-committee to review specific concerns and find out which can be addressed still via the AC Transit project. Committee members will follow up directly to coordinate.
  • Some issues may be in AC Transit’s interest to adjust, even if built as planned, including pedestrian signal timing.
    • Some of the pedestrian signal timing issues may have been related to signal control problems—now resolved.
  • Drivers are parking in the bike lane, especially around the community market near 56th Ave, and also between 73rd and 105th Aves.
    • AC Transit’s BRT outreach team has been disbanded, so any communications follow-up will have to be done by others.
    • Interested in focusing on non-enforcement solutions.

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