Alameda discusses Pacific Avenue greenway pilot amid mixed public feedback; staff to monitor data for a year

Alameda staff on Wednesday reviewed a pilot of the city’s Neighborhood Greenways program on Pacific Avenue and asked the Transportation Commission for design feedback while they collect further performance data.

Rochelle Wheeler, the city’s senior transportation coordinator, told the commission the greenways come from the Active Transportation Plan adopted by the council in 2022 and that the city’s goal for those streets is a 20 mph target speed. Wheeler said the pilot (between Lafayette and Oak) was constructed in two phases and includes a quick-build traffic circle at Chestnut, painted bulb-outs with bollards, full-length asphalt speed humps and a ‘‘hardened centerline’’ to make turning behavior more predictable. She told commissioners the city received 221 survey responses and that “46% of Alameda residents are interested in biking but concerned,” a statistic staff used to justify low-stress bikeways.

The pilot is part of Phase 1 of an implementation strategy that, Wheeler said, was funded in part by a recently awarded $2,000,000 grant for major intersection crossings and $1,200,000 the council allocated for Phase 2 work. Wheeler said staff…