Telegraph Avenue safety to be sacrificed to bikers? Rockridge wants to dump its traffic by removing through lanes on Claremont? Has Public Works gone mad? Has Jane Brunner?
Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rockridge Library, the RCPC will be presenting a proposal to remove 2 through travel lanes on Claremont Avenue between College and Telegraph Avenues, inserting a middle turn lane and installing bicycle lanes.
Please forward this notice to all who might be interested.
Jackie Hoeppner-Freitas
Chair, DNA
CITY OF OAKLAND PUBLIC WORKS AGENCY
TELEGRAPH AVENUE
BICYCLE LANE PROPOSAL
COMMUNITY MEETING
~ WHEN ~
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 TH
7-9 PM
~ WHERE ~
FAITH UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
430 49 TH STREET (AT WEBSTER)
LIGHT REFRESHMENTS WILL BE PROVIDED
THE CITY OF OAKLAND IS UNDERTAKING AN ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE TELEGRAPH AVENUE CORRIDOR FROM AILEEN ST. TO 16TH ST. TO STUDY THE PROPOSAL TO INSTALL BICYCLE LANES
JOIN CITY REPRESENTATIVES AND PROJECT CONSULTANTS TO DISCUSS THE STUDY
~ MEETING AGENDA ~
· BRIEF HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
· STUDY PROCESS
· EXISTING TRAFFIC CONDITIONS
· PUBLIC FEEDBACK
For more information about the meeting: CONTACT SARAH SYED AT (510) 238-3983;
EMAIL: SSYED@OAKLANDNET.COM
Although the notice doesn't say so, meeting participants will also be presented with a proposal to remove left turn lanes and traffic islands from Telegraph as well as with a proposal to add bicycle lanes.
Apparently, it is an unfortunate fact that adding bikelanes to Telegraph Avenue necessarily involves the removal of left turn lanes and center islands.
The City's original Year 2000 proposal was to remove 34 left-turn lanes on a 2.5 mile stretch of Telegraph Avenue from just north of 55th St. and Highway 24 (Aileen St.) to 16th St. downtown, deleting left turn lanes at 10 of 25 signalized intersections (including 50th & 55th Streets) and 24 of 28 non-signalized instersections (including 47th, 48th & 49th Streets).
At that time the City claimed that the project was exempt from environmental impact review. However, on January 16, 2001, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ordered the City to conduct an environmental impact report (which includes holding community meetings).
Judge Richard Hodge stated: "The City euphemistically characterizes this Project as the creation of bicycle lanes. However, the Project is more accurately defined as one involving the removal of 34 left-turn lanes." (Order, p. 7.) With this Order in mind, it would seem that the City's notice is inadequate.
If you would like to receive a copy of Judge Hodge's Order, I will be happy to fax it to you.
Please note also that tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Rockridge Library, the RCPC will be presenting a proposal to remove 2 through travel lanes on Claremont Avenue between College and Telegraph Avenues, inserting a middle turn lane and installing bicycle lanes.
Please forward this notice to all who might be interested.
Jackie Hoeppner-Freitas
Chair, DNA
In regard to Claremont Avenue:
The proposal to convert Claremont from four to three lanes has not been endorsed by public works. People who live on and drive on Claremont Avenue every day who have to deal with dangerous drivers from all neighborhoods speeding and crashing are asking if there is an equitable solution to the problem of dangerous and negligent driving.
The solution is a three lane conversion. The conversion can calm down the bad drivers and yet still allow everyone to use Claremont as a safe way to get around. No traffic will be "dumped" from Claremont. A three lane conversion can carry nearly twice the present level of traffic on Claremont without congestion. Most of the "congestion" on Claremont is precisely because there isn't a turn lane - especially at Forest. Most of the speeding and accidents on Claremont are caused by an unnecessary lane in either direction.
This is not experimental, many communities have employed conversions to the great benefit of the whole community. Below are links that detail the experience of other communities. For your reference, Claremont Avenue has an average daily total volume of traffic of 12,000.
http://www.walkable.org/download/rdiets.pdf
http://www.walkable.org/4-3CON%7E1.PDF
Regarding Telegraph Ave:
The plan being proposed is reasonable. Telegraph
has an unacceptably high accident rate for
cyclists.
(see this: http://www.ebbc.org/images/TelegraphCrash.gif").
The impact to automobile traffic would be neglible as no high-volume
left-turn pockets are to be removed.
In terms of connectivity, it is the fastest
and most popular route between Berkeley/Oakland,
and is the only street for reaching several
BART stations and commercial areas.
The safety argument is disingenuous as there
already exist many intersections without left-
turn pockets. Moreover, opponents of the bike
lane project had a chance to support an earlier
proposal to convert one of the through-lanes
into a center-turning lane (i.e. providing
turning pockets at all intersections) but they
rejected that idea as well, so it is hard
to take their safety argument seriously.
*This discussion has been closed. No more comments may be added.*
