Hayward to repave Hayward Boulevard this summer; council presses staff to focus on pedestrian safety and delay lane reconfiguration

Hayward City Council heard a multi-hour work session May 27 on the Hayward Boulevard Feasibility Study that examined restriping and safety improvements for the corridor between Campus Drive and Farm Hill. Staff presented a recommendation to restripe parts of Hayward Boulevard to two travel lanes with buffered bike lanes and added pedestrian crossing improvements, but council members and many residents urged caution because of traffic, emergency-evacuation and an upcoming school on Campus Drive. Council did not adopt a final lane reconfiguration; staff said the roadway is scheduled for repaving this summer and that limited striping changes tied to repaving will proceed while consultants design pedestrian-safety upgrades for later implementation.

The study, presented by Hugh Louch, deputy public works director, proposed “to restripe Hayward Boulevard between campus and Farm Hill to 2 lanes” and add bicycle lanes and crossing improvements where space allows. Louch told council the feasibility work focused on actions that could be implemented practicably during a repaving project rather than a large, expensive median-and-sidewalk program that had been considered earlier.

Why it matters: the corridor carries high vehicle speeds and several community members cited recent collisions and a pedestrian fatality. Council and residents also raised emergency-evacuation concerns for the Hayward Hills and asked how a future middle school relocation (the district’s Bret Hart site) will affect peak-period traffic on and near Campus Drive. Staff said there is a traffic study for the new school completed in July 2024 and that the school will primarily access the site via Highland rather than direct driveways on Hayward Boulevard; nonetheless several council members and speakers said they want more targeted analysis of the campus–Hayward intersection before changing lane configurations.

What was proposed and what the staff recommended: the staff packet included four alternatives. The staff recommendation presented to council (called option 2 in the report) would convert much of the corridor to two through lanes with a center turn lane and buffered bike lanes. Public Works Director Amiri told the council the choice was difficult and that option 2 aligned with the city’s Complete Streets policy, but he also said staff could live with a narrower set of changes (option 3) if council preferred.

Community response: dozens of residents called in or spoke in person. Multiple speakers said they opposed reducing the existing four-lane cross section and urged enforcement and targeted countermeasures to reduce speed. Brian Schott, a long-time resident, told council, “Not 1 of them supported reducing the lanes,” and recommended targeted enforcement, including radar enforcement runs. Other commenters urged pedestrian-crossing improvements without lane reductions; some urged traffic-calming measures that would not reduce throughput.

Council discussion and staff direction: councilmembers repeatedly said they support slowing speeds and improving pedestrian safety but were split on changing the corridor’s lane configuration now. Several councilmembers favored pausing any lane reduction until the city has more analysis of the school traffic and additional outreach to nearby institutions and neighborhoods. Director Amiri and staff said the pavement overlay is scheduled for this summer, and Director Murray (responding about automated speed cameras) noted that “there’s a statewide pilot; 5 cities are allowed to do to install speed cameras,” and that state law limits broader deployment.

Next steps: staff said the repaving and related striping work will proceed on the schedule tied to the pavement contract. Director Murray stated the city will hire consultants to design and phase pedestrian-safety improvements and that some small, low-cost striping treatments (for example, downhill speed markings) could be added during the repave. Council members suggested piloting treatments, prioritizing intersection-level pedestrian improvements between Campus and Doble, and coordinating with the school district, Cal State East Bay and nearby retail centers on access and safety. No formal council vote was taken to adopt a lane reduction; council asked staff to return with refined designs and further outreach before making a permanent lane-reconfiguration decision.