Description
This 4-way intersection has no stop signs, but has frequent vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic with folks of all ages including children getting to school. With 3 streets (Fairview/Bayo Vista/Southwood) merging into 1 (Southwood) at non-standard angles, it's common that vehicles don't see each other until very late, which then requires a rapid stop and confusion over whom to yield to. The very large intersection space seems to be an excellent candidate for a simple roundabout, perhaps created with planters or other large stationary objects, which would allow a space in the middle for neighbor gathering and kids to play, and smoother traffic flow. Garbage trucks and other large vehicles also use this intersection to make u-turns, and a roundabout would continue to allow that in a safer manner than currently offered.
also asked...
A. Other safety issue
4 Comments
Alameda, CA (Verified Official)
jwtm (Registered User)
CC4C (Registered User)
Acknowledged Transportation Planning (Verified Official)
Thank you for reporting your concerns about street safety in Alameda. The City uses High Injury Corridor maps to prioritize on traffic safety improvements where they are needed most, supplemented by equity indicators and public feedback. High Injury Corridors are the stretches of road with the highest densities of injury crashes, weighted by severity, based on ten years of crash data. The maps are here: www.alamedaca.gov/VisionZero#section-4
This intersection is not on a high injury corridor. However, the City is also systematically improving street safety as part of our pavement resurfacing program. The next time these streets are resurfaced, we will consider improvements to this intersection, and project managers will see this Street Safety Concern report.
You may want to monitor the Active Transportation Plan and consider giving feedback. Gibbons is proposed to be a traffic-calmed bicycle boulevard in the draft Active Transportation Plan recommendations. This would include crossing improvements at key intersections. More information here: https://www.activealameda.org/Recommendations#section-3. The full draft Active Transportation Plan should be released in fall 2022. Join the mailing list here: www.alamedaca.gov/Subscribe
Your report will help inform the City of Alameda’s work to achieve our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries. We will use street safety reports, including yours, in combination with crash data and equity indicators to prioritize and design street safety investments. This evaluation will generally happen on an annual basis, with some exceptions for clear and pressing trends. Issues that the City deems to be immediate safety concerns will be elevated for quick action.
For more information and a list of current and planned transportation projects, see www.AlamedaCA.gov/SaferStreets