Council hears 1st Street multimodal study; many members favor separated pedestrian and bike zones

City staff and consultant HDR presented findings from the 1st Street Multimodal Boulevard study, a corridor analysis from Bristol Street to Tustin Avenue that examined traffic, crash history, pedestrian and bicycle activity, and community input.

Dawn Wilson of HDR said the study recorded a high number of crashes over the analysis period with 23 percent involving pedestrians and bicyclists and 18 incidents that resulted in severe injury or death; the corridor’s posted speeds are 35–40 mph and observed 85th percentile speeds frequently reached the mid‑40s. The consultant presented three west‑side concepts (a multiuse path, an enhanced pedestrian & bicycle zone that narrows the travelway and adds separated bikeways, and a bus‑lane + bikeway option) and one east‑side concept to reduce lanes and expand pedestrian/bike space.

Councilmembers reviewed tradeoffs among safety, bus travel time and auto delays. Several members — Hernandez, Lopez, Becerra, Fan and others — praised Concept 2 (enhanced pedestrian and bicycle zone) for reducing crossing distances, creating separated facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists and allowing space for landscaping and ADA improvements. Councilmembers also stressed the need to coordinate with OCTA before committing to dedicated bus lanes (Concept 3) and asked staff to provide more detail on community feedback and cost estimates. Several councilmembers said they favored combinations of concepts rather than a single template.

Council direction: staff was asked to refine the concepts based on council feedback, produce more detailed community‑feedback summary and cost information, and coordinate with OCTA about possible bus service changes before any decision to implement bus‑only lanes.