Recommendation to Accept Additional Information and Renderings Requested by City Council regarding the Design Concept for the Cross Alameda Trail Gap Closure on Atlantic Avenue between Webster Street and Constitution Way. (Transportation 91402)
Of all those in favor I motion cares unanimously. Thank you. So five oh was pulled and now five Q We have a speaker. Jim Strelow five Q. But it's the recommendation to accept additional information and renderings requested by City Council regarding the design concept for the Cross Alameda Trail Gap Closure on Atlantic Avenue between Webster Street and Constitution Way. You can go ahead and speak on it. Thank you. Honorable mayor, city council to a sentence of alameda that we're talking about, the section of atlantic avenue between webster and constitution way. And the main objection I have is the one going eastbound that currently there are two lanes going from Webster becomes three lanes when it gets up to constitution way. That's the existing model with a right hand turn on on the light if you want to. You'll now be taking away practically one full lane. So it'll be a single lane between Webster going up to halfway block and then there'll be a single lane was a left hand turn only lane. The problem is also as is that that single lane that's either going straight or right hand turn on to constitution way you've somehow created a no right hand turn on red. So therefore all it will take is about four or five vehicles not being able to make the normal right hand turn that they can now off of Atlantic Avenue. That will back up to mid block and then that will block people from getting into the left hand turn lane. So therefore, the delay that the consultants gave of the all they're only be about a couple of seconds delay with the new design as already submitted that it will become to about 2 to 3 minutes for somebody wanting to make a left hand turn because they won't be able to get into the left hand turn lane that they'll be blocked because of the backup from cars not being able to make a right hand turn on the Constitution. Now, you folks want to add a mid-block crossing, which will Diana further create a jam so that maybe only four or five cars will come from Webster to Mid-Block and then cars won't even be able to make the left hand turn from Webster Street onto Atlantic or even come from Alameda Point straight going onto Atlantic Avenue. They'll probably even have to wait out an entire cycle or two of traffic lights at Webster and Atlantic and from mayor up auto. So therefore adding in this mid-block just adds to the problem that's already existing because of the no right hand turn designation off of it, off of Atlantic on to Constitution. So doing this mid-block is just making it that much worse. And I really dislike the the, the concept the consultants estimates of the delay only being a few seconds when it will actually come minutes. Thank you. These are only speaker on this staff. Could you clarify what this agenda item is? Because it came to us before. In regards to the merits. At that time, member Ashcraft and myself requested better drawings and we do have them. However, at that point there was, I believe, a vote on the merits that she and I both voted no on because. This was approved by council with a request to bring back the drawings. Option two And I do remember the discussion about the Mid-Block crossing and we heard from folks because that's where Independence Plaza is. And we had almost the requisite number of pedestrian collisions, pedestrians being hit by cars. Not quite. We were like one or two shy, as if we want to wait to get that 12th pedestrian hit and then we'll add the crossing. And then we learned that remember that people were actually driving across the street from Independence Plaza. But so your question, though, I think that I really wanted to get to the vote of you raised discussion on the merits, the substance of the whether or not to have the crosswalk, the impact of the different no right turn on, read those things. I believe that discussion was already determined by council at the prior hearing and at that time two of us. My recollection is actually opposed because to have it come back we would have better drawings, but three decided to go ahead on the merits. So at this point, my understanding we're not we're just being asked to accept these drawings and this additional information. But the council is already so. City Manager Yes, that's true. It was, yes. But Rochelle Wheeler might be able to explain the rationale of the bicycle going through and that they would be driving or. Right. As a vehicle or in the bike lane. And and just so the audience and council can follow along with this, be in your presentation, Miss Wheeler. That's exhibit seven. Yeah. If you wanted to bring that up, we can just show the overview. But that's the, the, the section that I believe the city manager is referring to is the section west of the driveway. You have multiple. Exhibits in your packet. The first exhibit one, which we can bring up on the screen. But that's that's the one with the overview on it. But so the yeah, the section to the west of the driveway includes a two way separated bicycle lanes, which means the bicyclists will be separate from the auto travel lanes. And to address the speaker's comments, there will be and that is the only section of that block that will have any auto lane reduction going from three lanes to two lanes. One of those so this will be. Eastbound Atlantic at Constitution. There will be a. Left turn only lane and a through and a right turn lane. So. Give us just a moment to catch up. Yeah. Can you also. All visual that this is the exhibit one that's in your packet. Sure. So we're there. I'm happy to answer other questions or to do a full presentation. So at this point, I think it'd be appropriate to just answer other questions or provide whatever information a summary that you think is appropriate. I did want to ask about so the issue of the no right turn on red. Is this some of this could be considered work. Staff would be reviewing it and seeing if it's working or not. And then there could be modifications definitely as it's implemented. So if something like that occurs, we are always open to feedback from the community. You can email, staff and counsel and we can always reconsider. That's correct. And so in the as I said, in the a. Point or grade, I know that council can't see the pointer. But this in this section here between the the driveway to Starbucks and Constitution, this is where the separated. Bicycle lanes will basically use the existing travel lane that's there. That's a right. Turn only lane. And that's. Because we do not have adequate width to include them in that in that section. Of the of the block. It is it's not quite accurate to say that there is no right turns allowed. Right turns would be allowed. Perhaps what's being mentioned is that if. There is a car that wants to go straight here blocking that right turn, it's true that if you are one or two cars. Behind and wanted to make a right, you would not be. Able to make a right until there was a green light at this intersection. We did fully study this. We did a multimodal level of service analysis to see what would happen with this configuration exactly as you see it here with the Mid-Block crossing. And we found that obviously it would drastically improve conditions for people walking and biking. And there are some small delays for motorists, including. A 1/2 delay through the intersection in the morning. About seven and a half seconds through in the afternoon, there would be some additional queuing of cars both in the morning and the evening. But there is sufficient capacity for that additional queuing. And if in the future there are. Problems that. Show up here, we could come in and do a retrofit and remove the median there at that intersection and add back a third lane there. So if a car wants to get to the housing authority coming down Atlantic from Webster, well, they'll be able to make a left turn to get in there. How do they get there? Yeah, we we did look at that because that was raised at the last meeting. And our recommendation. Is not to allow left turns into that driveway because there's already. So much complexity in the middle of that block with the added mid-block and the turns in and out of the driveway into Starbucks. So we are looking at the possibility of allowing a U-turn at Constitucion so that cars that are traveling eastbound could make a U-turn. And then go into the housing authority driveway. But that has to be studied further. So that is being looked at because currently if you're trying to get to the housing authority from the other side of Webster, you can't make a left. So you actually have to go down quite a few blocks to turn into some parking lot, turn back around or. Circle the whole. Right block. I appreciate you looking into that as it's accessible from both sides of town. Member matter. I would like. To move acceptance of the drawings. Second, I think Mr. Odey did. There is second all those in favor. I motion carries unanimously. Thank you. And now we're on five. Why? And I think that's the last one. Right. You've covered the rest of them. Okay. Five. Why? I had failed because I had voted no last time, so I wanted to have the opportunity to vote no one more time. So five Why is final passage of ordinance amending the Disposition and development agreement between Alameda Point Partners LLC and the City of Alameda for site at Alameda Point?