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San Rafael pilot on Embarcadero Way will move to temporary closure after data show sharp rise in wrong-way driving
Summary
City staff say Phase 1 of the Embarcadero Way one-way pilot showed strong neighborhood support and low wrong-way driving, but Phase 2 reversed the direction and produced about 28 wrong-way vehicles per day and higher speeds. Staff plan a Phase 3 temporary closure with physical delineators and continued data collection before a December recommendation to the committee and a final council decision next year.
City staff presented updated findings June 10 to the San Rafael Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee on a three-phase pilot to test curbside changes on Embarcadero Way near the high school.
The pilot began with Phase 1 (January–March), during which the one-way configuration sent vehicles uphill toward the northeast. Jimmy Jessup, a transportation consultant, said Phase 1 produced high compliance and very low wrong-way driving — “five vehicles drove the wrong direction within a week” — and a resident survey showed “70 to 80%” of nearby respondents preferred the Phase 1 direction.
The committee heard that Phase 2 (April–June), which reversed the direction, produced markedly different behavior. Jessup reported a sharp increase in wrong-way movements — roughly 28 vehicles per day were observed driving the wrong way — and higher speeds overall. Staff also received emails describing motorists “blow[ing] right through” do-not-enter signage, and field observations documented motorists turning around or attempting to bypass closure measures.
In response, staff proposed Phase 3: a temporary closure to motor vehicles, with signage directing people walking and bicycling to use the corridor, bolstered warning signs and delineators at the downhill entrances that allow emergency vehicle access. Kelly, the city’s traffic engineering technician, said the delineators are designed to “accommodate fire truck movements, but will at least be delineators to more harden the wrongway travel.”
Staff told the committee they will collect comprehensive school-year traffic, pedestrian and bicycle turning-movement counts during Phase 3, compare those counts to the Phase 1 and Phase 2 baselines, and bring draft recommendations to the committee in December and a final recommendation to City Council early next year.
Several committee members and residents praised the data-driven approach but cautioned about the length of a temporary closure and asked that staff keep open a survey window during the school-year evaluation so residents and users can provide input. Staff said they would keep the pilot closed until the school-year data are collected, unless a new problem emerges that requires an earlier change.
