Tiburon council asks Caltrans for updated plan on SR‑131, forms Greenwood Beach safety subcommittee

Tiburon Town Council on June 18 directed staff to send Caltrans a request for an updated design and schedule for the SR‑131 (Tiburon Boulevard) pavement project and formed an ad hoc subcommittee to study safety concerns raised by Greenwood Beach Road and Greenwood Cove Drive residents.

The action came after roughly two hours of public comment from residents, local school district officials and cycling advocates on a Caltrans proposal that would add bike lanes across the length of the project, including a contested stretch between Trestle Glen Boulevard and Blackfield Road. The council voted 3–2 to approve the letter; Council Member Fredericks, Council Member Nick Farr and Vice Mayor Wellner voted yes; Council Member Ryan and Mayor Thier voted no. The council also voted unanimously to send a separate request to First Student, the district’s school‑bus contractor, asking the company to clarify its safety concerns and how its operations would interact with bike lanes.

Why this matters: The project is tied to a roughly $12.7 million Complete Streets grant. Residents and school officials say the proposed bike lanes could eliminate several existing yellow‑bus stops and create a safety conflict where buses would load and unload students. Supporters of the lanes say the design will improve safety for cyclists and that California law allows buses to stop in bike lanes if necessary.

Public comments captured sharply different views. Bob McCaskill, chair of the Yellow Bus JPA that runs school buses for the Reed Union School District, said the bus operator "has said that they will not allow their buses to stop in the bike lanes to load and unload students," and urged the council to ask Caltrans to delay installing the bike lanes between Trestle Glen and Blackfield until a safer configuration and funding for it exist. Speaking in favor of the lanes, Matthew Hartzell, director of planning at WTB TAM, told the council: "we urge you to support the phase 1 improvements and not to oppose the bike lanes," and argued the bike lanes are part of longstanding county and town bicycle plans.

Council discussion and next steps: Council members acknowledged the depth of community feeling and the technical uncertainty. Council created an ad hoc subcommittee composed of Council Members Isaac (last name on file) and Jack (last name on file) to engage Greenwood Beach Road and Greenwood Cove Drive residents about on‑street cyclist speeds and local safety mitigations. The council asked staff to request from Caltrans a date for delivery of any updated design and a deadline for municipal responses, and to ask First Student to clarify whether and how its drivers would safely serve existing stops if bike lanes are installed.

The council’s letter asks Caltrans to return with a revised plan that addresses the critical concerns raised at the June 4 public workshop and on June 18, including but not limited to safety issues linked to bike lanes, the impacts of bike lanes on public buses and the school yellow‑bus program, and the bike lanes’ effects on traffic flow. The council recorded its vote on the letter 3–2; it recorded a separate unanimous vote to ask First Student for clarification.

What remains unresolved: Caltrans staff previously told the town they plan to move the project forward and incorporate public feedback; town staff reported the agency needs to list the project (be “ready to list”) in August to keep the current funding cycle. Council members and residents expressed concern about losing the grant if the project is significantly reconfigured. The ad hoc subcommittee will report back to council with neighborhood priorities and potential local mitigations for Greenwood Beach/Cove.

The council did not direct staff to withhold the overall project funding; members split over whether to ask Caltrans to remove the contested bike‑lane segment from a first phase or to insist that any phase‑1 plan fully address safety and bus interactions before the project proceeds.

Ending: Council members said they expected continued contact with Caltrans and that the town would review any revised plans when they are provided. The ad hoc subcommittee will begin outreach with affected residents and report to the full council with recommendations.