Mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 24! That’s the night the City Council will consider a proposal to make Central Avenue safer for people who walk and bike.
As proposed, the Central Avenue Complete Street concept plan would extend Central Avenue’s existing bike lanes from Sherman Street to Paden Elementary School and add a two-way cycle track from Paden to Pacific Avenue and Main Street, providing a safe, cross-Island bike route for ferry commuters and thousands of students who attend West End schools.
The plan also includes a bevy of improvements that will make it safer for people to walk along and across Central, including more (and more visible) crosswalks, bulb-outs that will shorten the crossing distance on Central and a reduction in car lanes on some Central segments from four to three, which will reduce traffic to Island speeds.
The changes are similar to ones already made on Alameda’s East End – changes that have increased the number of people who use East End streets to walk and bike, without causing traffic gridlock.
In addition to making Central Avenue safer and more accessible for people who walk and bike on the Island’s West End, the fixes are good for business: Studies show that people who walk and bike spend more money than those who drive. Moving forward now will also make Alameda a strong candidate for money to fund the project through the state’s new Active Transportation Plan and Alameda County’s Measure B/BB sales tax – something the city can’t do without a plan in place.
The proposal also has widespread support: The Transportation Commission recommended it with a unanimous vote after a list of groups and agencies, including Bike Walk Alameda, the Alameda Police Department, the Alameda Unified School District, Caltrans and the San Francisco Bay Trail gave it the thumb’s up, along with dozens of your fellow Alameda residents.
A recent poll of Alameda residents found that 86 percent support safer streets for people who walk and bike, while more than half support more bike lanes on the Island.
Despite the benefits this proposal offers and the widespread community support for it, there’s no guarantee the City Council will move this common-sense plan forward.
If you support these improvements and want the council to approve them, there are several ways you can let them know. You can attend the February 24 meeting in your biking brights. Or write a letter to the editor in the local papers. You can also sign and send this handy e-postcard to tell the council you want Central to be safer and more accessible to people who walk and bike or send the council your own letter.
If you’ve got questions or suggestions, feel free to contact us at info@bikewalkalameda.org. And stay tuned for updates on Facebook and Twitter.