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 plan to finalize designs for the remainder of Phase 1 and bid projects for construction next year.

Public commenters offered both support and pushback. Jim Streelow, speaking during non-agenda comment and again on the Pacific item, said motorists and visitors will be confused by weak advance signage and poor nighttime lighting, adding that "the lighting is so poor in that area" and that unfamiliar drivers might not spot roundabouts at night. Catherine Hunt, who said she lives on Peru Street near the proposed traffic circle, submitted a neighborhood petition and told the commission that “85% of them were strongly opposed and signed that petition,” urging the city to use speed bumps or a four‑way stop instead.

By contrast, Denise Trepenier, board president of Bike Walk Alameda, urged the commission to prioritize safety and the city’s climate goals: "Our priorities are safety and climate change," she said, and asked commissioners to resist discussions focused mainly on parking and driving convenience. Mitch Ball, an in‑person commenter who biked the pilot route, praised the hardened centerline and recommended small tweaks such as adding bollards to outbound bulb-outs.

Commissioners pressed staff for clarifications about design choices. Several members asked why a traffic circle was proposed rather than an always‑stop intersection; the city engineer, Scott Wilkes, explained that four‑way stops are governed by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and require specific warrants. Wilkes said overuse of stop signs can make them less effective and that traffic circles were selected to slow turning movements while allowing cyclists to travel more continuously. Staff noted the Chestnut traffic circle is a quick-build, lower‑profile device intended to balance visibility with durability and emergency-vehicle access.

The hardened centerline — a raised grooved element in the roadway’s center used at some intersections — drew particular scrutiny. Staff described it as a way to slow and standardize turning geometry. Commissioners and staff discussed trade-offs between a low-profile device (which is easier for large vehicles to mount and more durable) and higher-profile elements (which may be more effective at forcing lower entry speeds). City staff said they are considering thresholds for where to place hardened centerlines, and that Oak Street, a higher-volume crossing, is one likely candidate.

Wheeler told the commission post-installation traffic and speed counts have not yet been collected for the Pacific pilot because the installation was completed only in mid-November. "We have not collected post installation data in the last month," she said, and staff outlined a data-collection plan that calls for counts a year after installation to compare with baseline measurements and decide if further changes are needed.

No formal action was required or taken on the pilot at Wednesday’s meeting; commissioners generally expressed that the pilot appears to be working as a start but agreed it is too soon for definitive conclusions. Staff said they will continue community outreach, refine quick‑build treatments where needed, monitor impacts on nearby streets and return with data-driven recommendations before committing to permanent installations.

The commission’s next steps are to let the pilot run while staff completes the one‑year evaluation plan and to apply the lessons learned from the Pacific Avenue pilot when designing Phase 1 and Phase 2 greenways.