Resolution 15648CITY OF AlAMEDA RESOLUTION NO. 15648
ESTABLISHING POLICIES ON STREET WIDTH, lANE WIDTH, CROSSWALKS AND
BULB-OUTS TO PROMOTE SAFE, LIVABLE STREETS AND ENVIRONMENTALLY
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION CHOICES
WHEREAS, in January 2018, the Alameda City Council adopted the
Transportation Choices Plan, which set as a primary goal to increase the safety and
convenience of walking, bicycling, carpooling and using transit within Alameda; and
WHEREAS, in March 2019, the Alameda City Council declared a climate
emergency calling for an immediate, just transition and emergency mobilization effort to
restore a safe climate; and
WHEREAS, in September 2019, the Alameda City Council passed the Climate
Action and Resiliency Plan which will require large numbers of Alamedans to choose
transit, walking, and biking over driving alone in order to meet ambitious greenhouse gas
reduction goals; and
WHEREAS, the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan states that in 2020, seventy
percent of Alameda's greenhouse gas emissions are expected to be generated by the
transportation sector, primarily from private automobile use; and
WHEREAS, in November 2019, the Alameda City Council declared that Vision
Zero is the citywide guiding principle for transportation planning, the design of streets and
sidewalks, and the maintenance of the public rights-of-way, when it adopted the Vision
Zero policy; and
WHEREAS, with the Vision Zero policy, City Council directed the Transportation
Commission and City staff to consider safety as the highest priority when balancing
competing needs and demands for space within the public right-of-way; and
WHEREAS, City Council policy establishing Vision Zero accepted the National
Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) guides as nationally-accepted best
design practices and stated that the City will reference, and use as applicable, these
guides in the design of all transportation projects; and
WHEREAS, from 2011 to 2018, 16 people died and 82 suffered severe, life-
changing injuries on Alameda's streets, an average of 2 deaths and 1 0 severe injuries
per year; and
WHEREAS, half of the traffic crash fatalities during this period were people
walking, and over 60 percent of people who suffered severe injuries were walking or
biking; and
WHEREAS, senior pedestrians are especially vulnerable: 75 percent of the
pedestrians who died in crashes from 2011-2018 in the City were 65 years old or older,
and all were 59 years old or older; and
WHEREAS, wider travel lanes are correlated with higher vehicle speeds, which
increases the likelihood of collisions that result in severe or fatal injuries; and
WHEREAS, speeding vehicles reduce the safety ar;~d livability of Alameda's
residential neighborhoods and commercial districts while discouraging walking and
bicycling; and ~
WHEREAS, NACTO states that lane widths of 10 feet are appropriate in urban
areas and have positive safety impacts without impacting traffi'c operations; and
WHEREAS, NACTO's Urban Street Design Guide states that an 11 foot lane may
be used for designated truck or transit routes; and
WHEREAS, NACTO states that "restrictive policies that favor the use of wider
travel lanes have no place in constrained urban settings, where every foot counts"; and
WHEREAS, the International Fire Code specifies a minimum clear width of 20 feet
(two 10 foot lanes) for fire access and recommends 26 feet in limited circumstances and
only when necessary to provide adequate access to individu .. al buildings exceeding 30
feet in height; and
WHEREAS, increasing real and perceived safety for people walking is a key step
in encouraging more people to walk for transportation; and
WHEREAS, marked crosswalks serve to alert motorists to expect people crossing
the street and to show everyone that the roadway also serves people walking; and
WHEREAS, bulb-outs enhance pedestrian safety by increasing pedestrian
visibility, shortening crossing distances, slowing turning vehicles, and visually narrowing
the roadway; and
WHEREAS, per the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Guide for Improving
Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations, high-visibility crosswalk markings .
and bulb-outs are both appropriate countermeasures to consider at uncontrolled crossing
locations.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that when designing, redesigning or
resurfacing streets consistent with this policy, improvements and right-of-way space shall
be allocated based upon the following principles and priorities: ·
• Provide safe and convenient access for vulnerable users including children, seniors,
and people bicycling and walking; and also for those riding transit.
• Safety for people walking and bicycling shall be the highest priority. Transit efficiency
shall be the second highest priority. On-street parking shall be the lowest priority and
will be managed for safe, efficient use.
• Ensure pedestrian connectivity, including ADA accessible sidewalks and crossings
and, where feasible and appropriate, include accessible parking consistent with United
States Access Board standards.
• Support motor vehicle speeds of 25 miles per hour or less citywide except for on
Doolittle Drive and Harbor Bay Parkway.
• Motor vehicle turning speeds and pedestrian crossing distances should be
appropriately minimized.
• Separated bicycle lanes should be provided instead of unprotected, standard bicycle
lanes, unless not feasible; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that to minimize speeding and reduce collisions
resulting in severe injuries and fatalities on Alameda streets:
• Standard travel lane width in Alameda shall be 1 0 feet on all streets, except on
designated truck routes and streets accommodating AC Transit services where 11
foot lanes are preferable.
• Where auto traffic volumes are low and/or space is constrained, further reductions in
lane widths may be considered, if they meet the objectives in this policy.
• If no parking is present, one foot may be added to the above to provide shy distance
from a vertical curb.
• Standard parking lanes shall be eight feet wide; however, seven feet may be allowed
to accommodate bicycle or transit facilities.
• Where additional street width exists, wider parking lanes may be marked to create a
door-zone buffer to increase safety for people bicycling and to provide an informal
path of travel for increased accessibility and comfort.
• Where necessary to accommodate Fire Department aerial apparatus access roads,
the Fire Chief may require additional clearance, striving to minimize unnecessary
street width to support decreased travel speeds, injuries and fatalities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, to encourage walking and increase safety, marked
crosswalks and bulb-outs should be utilized as follows:
• The City shall place marked crosswalks at regular and frequent intervals on arterial
and collector streets.
• When analyzing pedestrian demand for a marked crosswalk, projected pedestrian
volumes shall be considered as well as existing volumes.
• Crosswalk marking and bulb-out placement shall be prioritized according to high injury
corridors, uncontrolled crossings of arterial and collector streets, as well as other
corridors, typologies, and/or locations identified in the upcoming Alameda Active
Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Action Plan.
• Per the FHWA Guide for Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing
Locations, the City shall use high-visibility crosswalk markings at uncontrolled
crossings of arterial and collector streets; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the use of increased striping and bollards for
crosswalks, bike lanes, buffer zones, and bulb-outs are cost effective traffic safety
improvements compared to countermeasures like concrete bulb-outs and street
reconfigurations; however, they do increase ongoing maintenance costs. Future City
budgets should include sufficient funds to install and maintain safety improvements
consistent with the guidance in this resolution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, to increase safety and encourage sustainable
transportation choices, the Public Works Department shall update existing, and create
new, standards, guidance and design details consistent with this resolution and the
forthcoming Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Action Plan; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the City Engineer and the Fire Chief are
empowered by this resolution to make exceptions to this policy at individual locations or
in special circumstances to protect or improve public safety at specific locations or, if
necessary to improve transit efficiency.
******
I, the undersigned, hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution was duly and
regularly adopted and passed by the Council of the City of Alameda in a continued regular
meeting assembled on the 22nd day of April 2020, by the following vote to wit:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTENTIONS:
IN WITNESS, WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of
said City this 23rd day of April 2020.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
~ fuv Yibin Shen, City Attorney
City of Alameda
Lara Weisiger, c·
City of Alameda