Walnut Creek studies curb-management plan to ease downtown parking, deliveries and walking access

Walnut Creek City staff on Sept. 2 presented draft recommendations for a downtown curb‑management plan intended to balance parking, loading, pedestrian and bicycle needs and invited City Council feedback.

Brianna Byrne, an associate traffic engineer for the City of Walnut Creek, led the study‑session presentation and said the recommendations are draft and intended to solicit council input. “Again, emphasis on draft. We are here to solicit feedback from our council members,” Byrne said.

The plan, funded in part by a Metropolitan Transportation Commission grant Byrne said was “a little less than $200,000,” responds to data showing curb parking demand exceeding the city’s 85% occupancy target on core downtown blocks and higher utilization in the South Locust Garage. Terrence John, a consultant with Fair and Piers working on the study, said the South Locust Garage averaged above 85% occupancy for the day studied. “The South Locust garage is 85 above 85%, and that's the average for the entire day,” he said.

Why it matters

City officials said the plan aims to improve turnover for short trips and pick‑ups, reduce double‑parking and make it easier for visitors, employees and deliveries to reach downtown businesses while expanding safe walking and bicycling access.

Key findings and figures

- Data collection: curb and garage counts were taken in October (weekday and weekend samples) and supplemental data in December. Byrne said the October sample reported average occupancy from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and staff has additional time‑of‑day snapshots for peak periods.

- Inventory (study area roughly from Parkside Drive to South Main Street): about 465 “green” meters ($2 per hour, up to 3 hours), about 1,041 “purple” meters ($1 per hour, up to 10 hours), municipal garages with about 1,433 spaces, and roughly 3,000 municipally managed spaces overall. Byrne said the study estimated about 10,000 total parking spaces in the downtown area and included roughly two‑thirds of that supply.

- Short‑term spaces: staff said there are about 30 15‑minute curbside pickups—approximately one such space per block face.

Recommendations presented

Staff grouped recommendations by loading/curbside pickup, merchant parking, transit and pedestrian amenities, traffic safety, bicycle facilities, and wayfinding/parking management. Major recommendations included:

- Loading and curbside pickup: clarify/enforce 15‑minute curbside pickup (staff said adding meters is the most enforceable option), allow commercial loading restrictions to end at 5 p.m. so those yellow loading zones can serve food delivery and passenger pick‑up at night, relocate some loading zones away from busiest frontages, establish a dedicated staging area for delivery drivers and explore a digital reservation platform for curbside loading spaces.

- Merchant parking: connect businesses to underutilized private garages for paid employee parking, reevaluate municipal monthly permit allocations, and expand garage participation to reduce curb demand.

- Transit and pedestrian: improve bus stop facilities and wayfinding, install curb extensions to improve pedestrian visibility, and consider more temporary street closures (for farmers markets or events) rather than permanent closures.

- Bicycle and micromobility: add secure bike parking (racks and lockers sized for cargo and family bikes), consider electric‑bike charging opportunistically with larger facility upgrades, add a low‑stress bike network to reach downtown, and study a micro‑mobility rollout and possible shift of some deliveries to micromobility devices.

- Parking wayfinding and meters: upgrade signage and instructions on meters, add perimeter wayfinding to direct drivers to garages, evaluate a new high‑demand meter zone for areas over 85% utilization, and consider adjusting meter hours to match nearby land use (staff currently enforces meters 10 a.m.–8 p.m.).

Council feedback and outstanding questions

Council members generally supported the effort but pressed staff for more detail before any policy changes.

- Timing and scale: Council member Silva asked whether the 85% figure referred to specific times or the whole day; Byrne and the consultants said the 85% result reflected daily averages and that peak windows (midday and evening, notably Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) show higher occupancy. Byrne said staff has peak‑period snapshots and December data to better capture typical peak conditions.

- Enforcement of 15‑minute spaces: staff said enforcement officers prefer meters for clarity and easier ticketing. Byrne said alternatives such as tighter muni‑code language were considered but that meters provide a clear, enforceable standard.

- Loading and delivery staging: council members asked whether moving loading zones off Main and Locust would still meet delivery drivers’ needs; Byrne said additional research would be needed to identify effective staging locations and assess whether relocated spots satisfy app‑driven delivery patterns.

- Garages and pricing: several council members urged stronger marketing of existing garage amenities (including free hours in garages) and questioned raising meter rates as a first step. Suggestions included evaluating a free or subsidized short window in garages to attract more short‑stay visitors, testing permit or ParkSmart-style programs for private lots, and improving garage wayfinding and lighting.

- E‑bike charging and micromobility: some council members expressed concern that adding electric‑bike charging downtown risks mixed messages given enforcement and speed complaints about some e‑bike users; staff said charging infrastructure would be opportunistic, paired with larger bike‑facility upgrades, not an immediate priority.

- Street closures: council members favored temporary closures for community events but were cautious about permanent closures because of traffic impacts; staff confirmed recommendations were for temporary/extended street‑closure opportunities (farmers markets, events), not permanent conversions.

Implementation and next steps

Byrne said the grant requires a completed plan by fall 2025; staff will update the draft with council input, return to the Transportation Commission, and then present revised recommendations to council later this year. Byrne noted that capital changes—especially bus facility capital work—would require external funding and coordination with transit operators.

What the plan does not decide

Staff emphasized the recommendations are draft. No formal policy changes, ordinance amendments or council votes were taken at the Sept. 2 study session. Several items—meter pricing changes, relocation of loading zones, digital reservation platforms and bike‑charging installations—were described as requiring further study, funding decisions and operational details before any formal action.

Quotes

“Again, emphasis on draft. We are here to solicit feedback from our council members,” Byrne said at the start of the presentation.

“If that spot is not great, let’s look at this one instead,” Terrence John, the consultant, said describing coordination with the bus operator on potential stop relocations.

Next scheduled steps

Staff will refine draft recommendations, present updated materials to the Transportation Commission, and return to City Council before the fall 2025 grant deadline. The council did not set dates for specific follow‑up actions at the Sept. 2 meeting.

Ending

Council members commended staff for the year‑long work and asked for additional time‑of‑day data, clearer enforcement options for short‑term curb spaces, stronger garage wayfinding and clearer cost estimates before making binding parking or curb‑use decisions.