Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Watergate resident warns Powell Street redesign could reduce safety for residents
Summary
A Watergate resident told the council that a proposed Powell Street redesign—particularly replacing parallel parking with angled parking and adding separated bike lanes—could reduce safety for the 2,000 residents living along the peninsula. She urged immediate, low‑cost fixes for flooding, crosswalk lights, and pest control.
Fran Coachella, a Watergate resident and member of two city committees, told the Emeryville City Council during public comment that proposed changes to Powell Street could decrease safety for residents and that city resources should first address a set of immediate problems.
Coachella said that roughly 2,000 people live in the Watergate complex and that Powell Street is an arterial used daily by emergency vehicles, trash trucks and a broad mix of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. She asked the council to prioritize short‑term safety improvements rather than an expensive redesign that would place angled parking next to bike lanes. “Parallel parking is much safer than angled parking,” Coachella said, adding that angled spaces require more time and visibility for drivers backing out and can impede large vehicles during emergency response.
She also urged the city to fix chronic flooding in the area, install flashing yellow lights at crosswalks, and address soil stability under marina boardwalks and a rodent problem under the public boardwalk. Coachella asked the council to ensure any parking changes do not shift noise, lighting and emissions to the residential side of Powell Street.
Council members thanked her for the comments and noted staff presentations on the Powell Street project have been held; staff will take these public concerns into account in ongoing project planning. No council action was taken during the meeting on Powell Street redesigns; Coachella’s remarks were recorded as public comment.
