Correspondence - Updated 6/22 — Alameda City Council, June 21, 2022

From: Pat Potter
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Council Agenda Item 7-B 6-21-22 Date: Wednesday, June 22, 2022 6:13:27 AM
This is to support the Grand Avenue project as presented by City Staff with a protected bike lanes. As a driver, I find that having protected bike lanes keep me safe from bicyclists who swerve out into the street.

I also find that the corner of Otis and Grand, going north on Grand has a positive effect on drivers in that they must slow down and they do not automatically have a right on red right of way.

Pat Potter
From: Gail Payne
To: jlau _
Cc: Lara Weisiger; City Clerk
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] June 21 - Grand St - City Council approval of the concept Date: Saturday, June 11, 2022 8:43:37 AM
Jonathan,

I am copying the City Clerk’s office since it is a City Council meeting, and they are in charge of these meetings.

Please note that the Police Dept already is looking into the incident shown in the below video link.

Thank you kindly,
Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, City of Alameda (she/her/hers) 510-747-6892 - [email protected]

From: jlau _ <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, June 10, 2022 4:36 PM
To: Gail Payne <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] June 21 - Grand St - City Council approval of the concept

Dear Gail,

I would like to public comment at the June 21 City Council meeting, but would like to share a road rage driver driving recklessly in the cycle track on Shoreline during my comment time. The incident occurred on June 8, 2022 and shows the necessity of safer bike infrastructure.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_Z4_RM3tJs

Would this be possible?

Thank you,
Jonathan Lau

From: Kristen Schutjer-Mance
To: CityCouncil-List; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] supporting the protected bike lane on Grand Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 10:52:51 PM
I strongly urge you to support the staff recommendation.

I am a resident and parent of elementary and middle school children in Alameda for whom the bike routes on the island are critical.

Because street resurfacing doesn’t happen that often, I would urge you to take a long view, future focused, prioritizing values of community safety, sustainability in a world of climate change and equity for all our community members.

A major factor in allowing/encouraging biking for our children is how safely I believe they can travel independently. The increase in distracted driving means for me that barriers and separation of bike lanes and car lanes feels essential.

Specifically, biking between a row of parked cars on one side and speeding or distracted drivers on the other side, is more hazard than I think we should expect children to manage.

The staff recommendation is also critical for pedestrians and everyone using sidewalks. A key point to me is that with the protected bike lane—it is safer to be on the sidewalks IF bikes can safely be on the road, kids who aren't safe on the roads will not be riding on the sidewalks.

As others have said, our highest value for transportation in Alameda is supposed to be safety.

Parking needs or issues with delivery drivers and even construction cannot be viewed as comparable.

Thank you!!
Kristi Schutjer
From: Joshua Hawn
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda Item 7-B
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 8:22:23 PM
Hello city clerk,
I would like to submit my public comment regarding agenda item 7-B in the city council meeting tonight (June 21st) regarding the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project. I support the actions supported by staff and the transportation commission.

Thank you!
Joshua Hawn
Alameda Resident,
Member of Bike Walk Alameda
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Perspective of Alameda cyclist on "protected" bike lanes Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 8:15:02 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shawn Shadden <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 21, 2022 10:57 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Perspective of Alameda cyclist on "protected" bike lanes To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>,Malia Vella <[email protected]>,Tony Daysog <[email protected]>,Trish Spencer <[email protected]>,John Knox White <[email protected]> Cc: Jennifer Shadden <[email protected]>
Dear City Council,
I would like for you to consider the case that "protected" bike lanes may be less safe for cyclists. This has overwhelmingly been my experience.

My wife informed me about proposed changes to the bike lanes on Grand Avenue that you are currently considering. However, my comments relate to planning for all future bike lanes.

By way of background, I bike regularly and have all of my life. I often bike to work in Berkeley from Alameda. I also cycle for exercise, pleasure and errands. All four of our kids bike, including to Franklin school along Grand. I have spent many hours and many years cycling in all kinds of conditions and environments. My experience has been that "protected" bike lanes (where the bike lane is placed between parked cars and a sidewalk) can create unnecessarily dangerous conditions.

First, when people exit their vehicle on the street side, they are very mindful of traffic, they often look for traffic, and do not loiter. Thus, bike lanes on the street side of parked cars benefit from this instinctive vigilance. Alternatively, most people exiting their vehicle on the sidewalk side, even when there is a bike lane, do not look and may loiter, or use the bike lane as a staging area for loading and unloading. This can be moderately dangerous, but not my main concern.

The more important concern is that when the bike lane is placed outside parked cars, often cyclists become "hidden" from turning cars. Cars cannot as easily see cyclists, and cyclists cannot easily see cars. This creates a potentially dangerous situation where cars turning off (e.g. off Grand onto a side street) can turn right in front of (or worse into) a cyclist.

Likewise cars turning onto the street (e.g from a side street onto Grand) must pull into the bike lane to see around the parked cars. Indeed, I think there is a tendency for drivers to automatically pull into the bike lane without looking for cyclists as a driver's first instinct is to want to see beyond the parked cars. Again, this creates a situation where a car can easily pull right in front of a cyclist.

The above are not hypotheticals. My experience has been that there is a log-fold higher probability of a "close call" with cars while riding in bike lanes hidden behind parked cars, compared to other types of bike lanes. While these bike lanes are described as "protected" I have found them often unsafe in practice. (Note, I asked my friend who is an avid cyclists about this and he agreed these configurations are often less safe. I would anticipate that if you asked others that have sufficient experience biking in different types of bike lanes they might also agree.)
I am very supportive of making Alameda more bike friendly and safe. But, based on my experience, any planner should be very skeptical of placing bike lanes behind parked cars as a move that will improve cyclist safety.

Best regards,
Shawn Shadden

From: Julie Robbins
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please support protected bike lanes on Grand St.

Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 7:51:26 PM
Dear Mayor, Council Members, and City Clerk,
Thank you for your time at tonight's meeting. I am on the meeting now, but also wanted to write in case I miss the public comment section.

Please support protected bike lanes on Grand St.

I speak as a parent in this community, as a previous Safe Routes to School Parent Champion, as a bike commuter within Alameda (part-time), and as a person who loves this island. Alameda is an incredibly special place to live and to raise a family. One important factor that drew our family from San Francisco (via Oakland) to settle in our amazing Island Town, was how bikeable (and walkable) our island is. Please help keep us and our children safe.

Supporting protected bike lanes on Grand St. would benefit me and my family personally, but more importantly, it would support our environmental goals to reduce our carbon footprints, help keep our community physically active and socially engaged with each other, and keep us all safer.

Thank you for your support,
Julie Robbins
Alameda resident, parent, and local business owner
[email protected]
415 373 8598
From: John Knox White
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Bicycle Lanes
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 7:28:24 PM

Best,

John Knox White
City Councilmember, Alameda
(he/him or they/them)

From: Shaun Reid <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 7:26 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; John Knox White <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Bicycle Lanes

Hello,

I’m writing to provide input into the current decision regarding protected bicycle lanes on Grand Street. As a homeowner in the neighborhood (we live at Grand and Encinal), our family would very much like to see these new bike lanes for three main reasons:

Safety:

We’ve just moved into this neighborhood after 17 years of homeownership on Bay Farm Island. A big reason for the move was to be closer to town and to reduce our driving.

Unfortunately, the move has been somewhat negative for our kids because they do not feel safe on either Grand or Encinal, which we are aware will be improved. However, Grand is an important thoroughfare for us (we all ride bicycles).

Speeding - cars go far too fast through this intersection. Any and all traffic calming measures would be welcome to this family of cyclists and dog walkers.

Traffic:

Ironically, because our kids do not feel safe riding on either Encinal or Grand, we find ourselves making the same number or driving trips, just for shorter distances. These trips are often under one mile.

In my 23 years of living in Alameda, I’ve seen the bicycle infrastructure slowly transformed. It has truly been a “build it and they will come” type of situation. In fact, while the City has the same number of bike shops (the old Bicycles Alameda on Harbor Bay is long gone, but we now have West Side Joe’s) as it did in 1998. But, those bike shops are far busier than they were then, especially the ones that cater to people getting around town. It’s empirical data to be sure, but I see more people on bikes and I see busy bike shops, which strongly implies more people are bicycling instead of driving.

Related to traffic is parking; living in this neighborhood, there is plenty of parking. There are multiple available spots on Grand and Encinal at all times of day.

Quality of Life:

Getting around by bicycle is fun! As we have more opportunities to bike safely around town, family outings to Park Street, South Shore, the Naval Air Station businesses and other destinations by bicycle have worked their way into our weekends.

Gaps remain in our kids’ route to Encinal High, where they are slated to go; this effort will close one of them and help them have healthier and more enjoyable commutes.

I ask that you please vote in favor of the Grand Street bicycle lane improvements.

Respectfully,
Shaun

510.917.0249

From: Jason Freeman
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] public comment on 7-B
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 6:39:47 PM
I am a homeowner in Alameda. My son bikes to Wood Middle School every day.

Biking is good for my son, for my family, and for my community. He learns independence and gets exercise.

Both parents work and it is sometimes challenging to find the time to drive him to school.

And we reduce GHG emissions and critically do our part to reduce the traffic that is such a waste of time and emissions.

Alameda should be encouraging more biking and should be focused on high transit corridors and making them safe
for everyone especially the most vulnerable. The safest you can make the bike lanes the more you will grow the community.

We look forward to riding them when they are built.

Thank you,
Jason Freeman
From: Ben Ulrey
To: City Clerk
Cc: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments regarding Item 7-B
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 6:09:21 PM
Hello City Council,
I'm writing to urge you to support fully protected bike lanes on Grand Street. I often drive down Grand and I'm constantly doing my best to avoid cyclists, but the road design makes me feel like I'm going to hit them (and I know it puts them in unsafe positions!). Health and safety for Alamedans should be our number one priority, and paint is an inadequate protection against cars. We MUST
build our bike network with fully protected lanes. To be clear, this means parking-protected bike lanes; anything less is a dereliction of duty to the safety and wellbeing of Alameda residents. Grand is wide enough to accommodate cars, parking, and fully protected cycling. If we have to give up a few parking spaces or slightly inconvenience drivers in order to save lives, good! It's the right thing to do.

Please vote YES on fully parking-protected bike lanes along the entire length of Grand Street.

From a lifelong Alamedan,
Ben Ulrey
1 Ashley Zieba
From: Trish Spencer
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 5:09 PM
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Please reconsider Grand St. bike lanes as before the council. ---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vincent San Nicolas <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 21, 2022 7:40 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please reconsider Grand St. bike lanes as before the council.

To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:

Personally I don't see how this is going to make biking safer, it seems most accidents happen at intersections. Nothing in this plan changes the intersections with cars, pedestrians and bikes interacting together. Please vote no, go back to the drawin g board
and reconsider a better plan in the future.

Vincent T. San Nicolas

From: Angela Dant
To: City Clerk
Cc: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on Item 7-B
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 5:51:22 PM
Good afternoon, City Council members,
I am emailing since I cannot attend in person tonight. I am writing in support of protected bike lanes on Grand Street. As a parent who sent her child to Wood Middle School on his bike for 3 years, I would have a lot fewer gray hairs today from worrying about his safety had there been dedicated bike lanes along this thoroughfare that runs across the island like Grand does. This is a route so many kids need to take to and from school, and they deserve to have a safe place to ride.

We see and hear every day how bad not only traffic has become all over Alameda, but also how driving recklessness has increased. Giving bicycle riders, both children and adults, dedicated and protected lanes will save lives.

Thank you for voting in favor of protected bike lanes on Grand Street. ~ Angela Dant
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
From: Jason Biggs
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Bike Boulevard - City Council 6/21/2022 Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:58:29 PM
Hello,
I support the staff recommendation to redesign Grand Street to make it safer for all modes of transportation, including bicycling. Alameda still does not have a north-south protected bike lane, and Grand Street is the most obvious, and perhaps the only centrally located, choice. I currently have no way of safely getting from my northern Marina neighborhood to Shoreline by bike, except by taking Grand Street and hoping for the best. I implore the residents of Grand Street to see the many benefits of this, including the statistically proven benefit of increasing home values whenever there is a bike route in close proximity.

Thanks,
Jason Biggs
From: Emil Palacios
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White Subject: [EXTERNAL] item 7-B
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 1:51:41 PM
Hi folks,
I’m asking the City Council to please support and vote for improving/adding protected bike lanes along Grand St, as is being currently proposed and considered.

Since age 3, my kids have grown up in Alameda and have needed, and continue to need safe routes available to traverse the island. I’ve met many adults my age in Alameda that grew up here and tell me they used to bike around ‘everywhere’ when they were kids. For many reasons that hardly happens now. Improving and adding protected bike lanes in key thoroughfares around the city will go a long way to giving today’s kids a similar sense of independence and belonging in their ‘hometown’.

Some may argue that existing bike lanes are sufficient. This is only true for highly experienced cyclists. Yet distracted drivers and careless folks opening doors on parked cars are still major risks. However, most kids and even many adults are not always so vigilant. Protected bike lanes eliminate most of these risks.

Obviously kids will never be the most responsible cyclists, and all of us parents should remember to teach them the rules of the road as best we can. We should also not forget that most of us moved to Alameda because of how ‘kid friendly’ this little city is supposed to be. Let’s keep moving toward that honorable goal.

Thanks for your consideration!
Best regards,
Emil Palacios
From: Gail Payne
To: City Clerk
Subject: FW: Support Grand Street Improvements
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:38:14 PM
Fyi – please include in the Grand Street correspondence – thank you!

Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, City of Alameda (she/her/hers) 510-747-6892 -
[email protected]

From:

James Fine [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:36 PM
To: Gail Payne <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support Grand Street Improvements

Dear City of Alameda Council Members,

As a home owner on Grand Street near the Encinal Street intersection, I write to express my strong support for the proposed Grand street improvements.

I heard and expressed comments at the public hearing earlier this month.

I am changing my initial
opposition to strong support.

Safe travel for school children and other pedestrians is a top priority.

Although change is scary, I trust that the experts who are developing and implementing the plan will do a great job.

Thank you,
James Fine
1118 Grand Street, Alameda

This e-mail and any attachments may contain confidential and privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail, delete this e-mail and destroy any copies. Any dissemination or use of this information by a person other than the intended recipient is unauthorized and may be illegal.

From: John Knox White
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Items for consideration on tonight’s Council Agenda Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:31:22 PM
Best,
John Knox White
City Councilmember, Alameda
(he/him or they/them)
-----Original Message-----
From: Jenn Williams <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:28 PM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; John Knox White <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Items for consideration on tonight’s Council Agenda >>
>> Dear Mayor Ashcraft and fellow Councilmembers:
>>
>> I am writing today to urge support for two items on the June 21, 2022 city council agenda. First, I urge you to include $7.5 million of the city budget to support necessary upgrades at Emma Hood pool (item 3-B, adoption of resolution approving and adopting the budget for fiscal year 2022–2023).

>>
>> Since 2016, I have served on many committees between the Alameda Unified School District and the city of Alameda to come up with a plan to fund the necessary repairs to Emma hood pool, including the current AUSD/city subcommittee that I sit on with AUSD Board Vice President Heather Little and Councilmembers Tony Daysog and John Knox White.

As you know, AUSD recently put Measure B, a $298 million facilities bond on the June 7, 2022 ballot. Part of that bond allocates $7.5 million to fund a total estimate of $15 million of necessary upgrades at Emma Hood pool.
>>
>> In addition, city staff have also earmarked $7.5 million to support this work (see May 2022 workshop addendum attached to item 3-B on today’s city council agenda).
>>
>> Although the results of the June 7, 2022 election are not final, the vast majority of votes have been counted and Measure B is currently passing with 56.43% of Alameda voters supporting the bond. Thank you for your ongoing support to fund upgrades at Emma Hood Pool in partnership with AUSD so that our students and community

can
continue to use the Emma Hood Pool for years to come.
>>
>> Second, I urge you to support the staff’s recommendation on item 7-B, the adoption of the resolution authorizing the interim city manager to proceed with the Grand Street resurfacing and safety improvement project.

Exhibit 1 to
this agenda item includes a plan for separated bike lanes for most of the street.

Grand street is a high-use connector
used by many students who ride their bikes to Wood Middle School, Franklin Elementary School, Saint Joseph’s Elementary School, and Saint Joseph’s Notre Dame High School.

It is also used by students to access numerous
sports activities at Rittler Field as well as activities at Crown Beach.

>>
>> Grand Street has been designated a Tier-1 high injury corridor based on the number of accidents that have already occurred in that area. As you know, staff’s recommendation for designated bike lanes has been endorsed by the city of Alameda‘s Transportation Commission as well as the Commission on Disability.

As the President of the
AUSD Board of Education, I hear from many families deeply concerned about the safety of our streets, in particular the location on Grand Street impacted by this plan. Please prioritize the safety of our children as we encourage them to walk and bike to school.
>>
>> Thank you for your service and for your continued partnership with the Alameda Board of Education. >>
>> Jennifer Williams, Esq.
>> President, AUSD Board of Education
>>
>> Megan Sweet, Ph.D
>> Clerk, AUSD Board of Education
From: timbeloney.gmail.com
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support Protected Bike Lanes on Grand Street Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:22:32 PM
Dear Council Members,
I am writing because I cannot be there tonight to voice our support for protected bike lanes on Grand Street, your Agenda item 7B.

My family of four has been in Alameda for over 21 years, having raised a now 21 and 18 year old on the island. Our young adult kids prefer to walk and bike around Alameda for work, school, and entertainment. As East End residents they (and us parents) are often complaining about the lack of truly safe routes to get North-South on the island outside of our Slow Streets.

We have Fernside which has unprotected bike lanes and has become a virtual freeway, we have Broadway which has unprotected bike lanes and similar issues, and closer to the center of the island we have Grand Street, which is very wide and

could be a safe and quiet route for
everyone.

During the Transportation Committee meeting I heard residents in the Grand Street neighborhood complain about losing parking. As one caller pointed out, there were no addresses with apartment numbers on the petition they provided,

which tells you exactly who
is complaining. People who live on and near that street, who for the most part have quite ample off-street parking, are simply prioritizing their status quo over the safety of thousands who could benefit from this project. I do not support that king of NIMBYism and hope our mayor doesn't

as well.

During the TC meeting I heard callers say that cyclists and pedestrians do not wear bright clothing at night or carry flashlights to be seen - that safety is a matter of educating these people. This was to somehow suggest that they are in the wrong and drivers are not responsible for

their

safety. This type of Car Dominant Attitude is pervasive and dangerous, and can only be addressed with proper

design that makes drivers slow down and pay
attention.

I also heard someone use the unfortunate death of Wilma Chan as "proof" these improvements do not work. While no system is perfect, I am sure we can all point to the fact that protected bike lanes and increased bike/ped infrastructure is helpful to everyone.

We need to take a stand that is for the greater good of all Alamedans. Please keep in mind that we all pay taxes to support our public street infrastructure and that those streets are for everyone to use - not just for cars and certainly not just for a few people to park.

I am quite proud of the work we've done in Alameda so far but we have a long way to go. I'd like to see us be a shining example in the East Bay and beyond. I hope you vote to support our continued improvements.

Thank you,
Tim Beloney
510-731-8703
From: Savanna Cheer
To: City Clerk
Cc: Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; John Knox White Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 7-B - Grand Street Improvement Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 4:08:00 PM
Hello:

I'm writing this evening to express my strong support for the safest possible option for the Grand Street improvement project. This route is a critical north-south road

and is a sensitive
byway to a middle school. Safety should be paramount in any projects on Grand Street. Both the Transportation Commission and the Commission on People with Disabilities voted to advance the staff's recommendation and you should as well this evening.

Tonight you might hear from residents of the Gold Coast including those who live on Grand Street. While you should absolutely listen

to their feedback and support them in working
through their anxieties, at the end of the day, you should be recommending safety over any expressed inconveniences. Folks that live in the Gold Coast have tremendous privilege and accumulated wealth. This appears to give them some sense of entitlement over how public streets should be managed. I hope this evening you will set their expectations straight and vote for safety, not appeasement of Alameda's rich.

Additionally, I'd like to point out that the Mayor lives on Grand Street and would be directly impacted by the improvement project. If she doesn't recuse herself, she should

not be
considered an objective analyst of this project. Neither is her husband, Howard, or anyone who lives in her home. That said, please resist any pressure she applies and vote to advance the safest and smartest improvement option. In fact, you, the council, are obligated to prioritize safety over parking in any road improvement project.

Lastly, by recommending the safest option,

you'll make Alameda the accessible, bike and
pedestrian-friendly place we all aspire for it to be. You'll also affirm an important community value for the rest of Alameda - that the entire island is open and available for all modes of transportation to anyone at any time.

Thank you for your consideration,
Savanna Cheer
From: Brian Lin
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; John Knox White; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Cc: City Clerk; Dirk Brazil; Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Improvements
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 3:12:15 PM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and City Council Members Knox White, Vella, Spencer, and Daysog, I am writing to you to show my full support for the Grand Steet Improvement Project and urge you to support staff’s recommended redesign including separated, protected bike lanes for the street. Not only is Grand Street an important connector used by many students,

pedestrians,

bikers, and drivers but also was identified in the city's Vision Zero plan as

a high-injury street so it poses a liability for many to

get into accidents. This

past
school

year, in fact, we had as many as incidents

where three students were hit by reckless
drivers.

As an AUSD student board member and a high school graduate, our greatest priorities above all else, and so should yours, is the good health and safety of our students. I have talked to parents about their concerns when commuting to and from school every day, and they are scared

of letting their students go by themselves because of the higher possible risk of being struck by a reckless driver. This improvement project will lower the risks from/prevent accidents happening, allow safe transportation for all, and reduce the number of vehicles on the streets which in turn will improve traffic and the health of our environment.

Although the reduction of on-street parking is a major concern for this project, you need to consider the number of vehicles actually parked (not an adequate amount to be a concern to find parking). Also consider that residents have driveway parking and parking on other neighboring streets including

Lincoln, Encinal, Otis, etc that can be utilized.

Please prioritize safety of our students and other pedestrians by voting for this project and to include the protected bike lanes. Thank you.

--
Best Regards,

Brian Lin
Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School, Alameda Unified School District | Student Board Member EHS Class of 2022
[email protected]
From: Barry Parker
To: City Clerk; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; John Knox White; Trish Spencer; Barry Parker Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 7-B Grand Street reconfiguration Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2:42:07 PM
I appreciate the time and effort that you and several boards have spent on the need to slow traffic and increase safety for all

citizens who use

one of the most beautiful and traveled
streets in

Alameda: Grand Street.

I wish to point out a serious flaw in the proposed design presented to the transportation commission

on June 25th of this year and in your

packet for the meeting tonight.

when
presented in the Zoom meeting on the 25th, saw thd diagram with the field

of view showing a
car proceeding from a driveway onto Grand street through pedestrian sidewalk, a bicycle lane and either parked cars, if lucky, or onto traffic with the present average speed of 32 miles an hour.

All looked good in the diagram, but as the mayor can tell you, that field

of view diminishes
dramatically when backing onto Grand Street, while swivelling your head from side to side trying to avoid hitting a pedestrian, a bicyclist or being broadsided by an oncoming car.

There are other ways to highlight

and protect bicyclists and insure their safety without creating the many downsides to the plan presented before you tonight.

Thank you,
Barry Parker
From: Beth Foote
To: City Clerk
Cc: R. Hale Foote; John Brennan
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please include in correspondence re: Agenda Item 7B, 2022-2099 Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2:41:23 PM
Dear Council Members:

We urge a NO vote on Agenda item 7B, the plan to reconfigure Grand Street.

Our family lives at 705 Grand Street, and have raised three children here.

Crossing Grand Street has become a life and death issue.

Since 2020 and the beginning of the pandemic, drivers have increased their speed, and have become more aggressive.

Cars whip around cars that have stopped for pedestrians.

Drivers
tailgate us as we slow down to turn into our own driveway, and then honk their horns.

Delivery truck traffic such as Amazon, Fedex, and UPS has increased up and down Grand street.

Large trucks such as Safeway, Sysco, and other 18 wheelers regularly speed down the street.

The proposed plan is focused mainly on bike safety rather than safety for pedestrians and drivers. It creates a highly engineered infrastructure but does not fix the problem of speeding cars, trucks, and poor driving behavior. The proposed meandering roadway is a recipe for more pedestrian accidents.

There is nowhere for the delivery trucks to park.

Delivery people
will be double-parking and walking across the street.

There are better alternatives:

Four way stops at San Antonio, San Jose, and/or Dayton
European style traffic circles that slow down traffic
Bulb-out crosswalks with flashing lights at the above intersections Prominent electronic signs that flash when drivers exceed 25 mph, like on Otis Paint existing bike lanes with green paint and install prominent signage.

Route bike lane onto San Antonio and then onto Paru or another quieter street.

Enforcement of speed limits and driving norms needs to be part of the solution.

There has
been no enforcement at all since 2020.

Where is the Alameda Police Department?

Respectfully submitted,
Beth Lind Foote
The Reverend Beth Lind Foote
she/her
Transition Rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Burlingame, CA
Mobile: 510-205-9843

From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Our support of protected bike lanes on Grand Street Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2:04:28 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Brian Fowler <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 21, 2022 3:31 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Our support of protected bike lanes on Grand Street To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:

Dear Council Members,
Regarding protected bike lanes on Grand Street, Agenda item 7B, please register my family’s support and see it as likely representative of the perspective of many parents on the east end of the main island.

My wife and I moved to Alameda from San Francisco in 2007, lured by the reported safety of the island and the quality of its public schools. Today, I still bike around the island daily for fitness and errands and am often shepherding kids, ages 8-12 around the island on bikes. We are reluctant, however, to go too far west by bike because of the challenge of connecting the North- South routes safely.

I am also a volunteer soccer coach who would like to encourage players to ride to practice at Rittler Park on their bikes, but the North-South route is still quite scary for many of these kids.

They are terrified of Broadway, too.

Separated, protected bike lanes will help our family and our community get around the island more safely without relying on cars. We continue to be encouraged by the city’s commitment to making our roads and sidewalks safe for everyone on the island and those who visit.

Please
don’t stop now.

I urge the city council to approve the recommended plan for protected bike lanes on Grand. It's the right thing to do for all of us.

Warm regards
Brian Fowler
2922 Johnson Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
--

415.948.8393 | LinkedIn
[email protected]
Grab some time on my Calendly calendar
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] item 7-B
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2:02:59 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Emil Palacios <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 21, 2022 4:51 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] item 7-B
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>,Malia Vella <[email protected]>,Tony Daysog <[email protected]>,Trish Spencer <[email protected]>,John Knox White <[email protected]> Cc:

Hi folks,
I’m asking the City Council to please support and vote for improving/adding protected bike lanes along Grand St, as is being currently proposed and considered.

Thanks for your consideration!
Best regards,
Emil Palacios
From: Jenice A
To: City Clerk; John Knox White; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer Subject: [EXTERNAL] 7-B June 21, 2022
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 1:59:10 PM
Please add my voice to the many others supporting the plan for a protected bike lane on Grand. If you are truly committed to the Vision Zero plan there is no reason to not support this. Vehicles are aggressive towards pedestrians and bicyclists in this city to a level I have seen very few other places and we need to do more to combat this. Protected bike lanes are a great start to prioritizing the safety of people not in a two ton vehicle along this avenue.

Best,
Jenice Anderson
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Please support protected cycle lane on Grand Street Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 1:56:10 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ALISON GREENE <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 21, 2022 2:36 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please support protected cycle lane on Grand Street To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>,Malia Vella <[email protected]>,Trish Spencer <[email protected]>,Tony Daysog <[email protected]>,John Knox White <[email protected]> Cc: Manager Manager <[email protected]>
Re: CC Meeting June 21, 2022, Item 7-B 2022-2099: Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project

Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Vella, and Councilmembers Knox White, Daysog, and Spencer,

I strongly urge you to vote for the protected cycle lane option of the Grand Street Improvement and Safety project.

This is a critical time to look at some of the poor design choices in recent public access projects, and not repeat some of the dangerous and confusing configurations (my next letter: Sherman/Atlantic/Clement intersection).

When I moved to Alameda in 2011, our mild year-round climate, flat streets and relatively safe car traffic were a dream come true.

I had a car, but left it parked while I used my bike for everything. I traveled safely (even on rainy days) from my home in Middle Alameda to do grocery shopping at South Shore, the Main St. ferry to commute, the farmer’s market on weekends, and Park St for movies and dinner. In fact, my car sat so long without being driven that a family of rats moved into the engine and chewed up the wires. The most dangerous thing about riding my bike everywhere was getting carried away shopping and having to get 50 pounds of groceries home in my saddle bags.

Sadly, in recent years, and especially since 2020, cycling anywhere in the city has become so dangerous that I have stopped using my bike for even the shortest errands. Many people (especially a bit older like me), have increased our car use because we don’t feel safe cycling or walking in the current environment of speeding, aggressive driving, and near-hits by distracted drivers.

This puts more cars on the road, increasing the risks of crashes, injuries and death.

It isn’t just our children we need to protect; they should absolutely be able to safely ride their bikes to school. But it isn’t just kids we need to look out for - relying on paint is also agist and exclusionary. We aren’t all the confident cyclists in spandex bike shorts, able to quickly maneuver our lightweight cycles out of harm’s way. Some of us are older and getting doored or hit by a moving vehicle brings higher risk of serious injury.

We've got to stop taking the reactive approach to making our streets safer; prioritizing locations after a pedestrian or cyclist dies can't continue to be the criterion for making meaningful changes.

I’m deeply disappointed that a handful of homeowners are more concerned about their property values and inalienable rights to reserve parking in front of their homes than the wider safety and accessibility of our city. Years ago, when neighbors near Del Monte expressed concern over issues such as access to Littlejohn Park and street parking for residents who have no driveways, many were called NIMBYs (some unfairly), and told that there would be plenty of parking, if only people were willing to walk a couple blocks.

Grand Street is an important corridor to enable safe passage- not just for school children, but access to the beach and Shoreline bike track. There is no justification to prioritize the wide open, plentiful street parking in a section of town where everyone home has at least one driveway. If more modest neighborhoods can adapt to changes made for wider community benefit and safety, so can everyone else. Please don’t make NIMFY a “thing.”

Years ago, our elected officials, including many of you here now, adopted a Vision Zero plan, pledging to take steps to make our city safer for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as enabling all of us to do what we can to reduce car use that contributes to our climate crisis. Whatever challenges the protected lanes might bring, I am confident that we can work it out.

Please vote your support for making our city streets safer and more welcoming for all who live or visit here.

Enabling the protected bike lane and any necessary budget required for installation are important actions to walk the talk of “all are welcome here.”

Alison Greene

Pacific Ave

From: Gail Payne
To: City Clerk
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Bike Safety
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 12:55:33 PM
Fyi – please include for the Grand Street project on City Council agenda – thank you! Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, City of Alameda (she/her/hers) 510-747-6892 -

[email protected]
-----Original Message-----
From: Edward Kenna [mailto:[email protected]
]
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 11:42 AM
To: Gail Payne <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Bike Safety
Dear Council Members,
I implore you all to vote YES on improving bike safety not just on Grand Ave., but on all future bike lane projects and proposals. Safety for every Alameda citizen and visitor alike should take precedence, in my opinion. And if you unwisely, but greedily allow developers to add to our already overpopulated city, not providing safe bike lanes for cyclists will very likely result in more accidents. Let’s please avoid more of those scenarios. Thank you.

Most sincerely,
Edward Kenna
510.708.1920
Sent from my iPhone
From: Gail Payne
To: City Clerk
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] we support Grand St redesign
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 12:48:57 PM
Fyi – please include for the Grand Street project on City Council agenda – thank you!

Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, City of Alameda (she/her/hers) 510-747-6892 -
[email protected]

From:

Janie Basile [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 11:21 AM
To: Gail Payne <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] we support Grand St redesign

Hello,

Our family lives near grand and our kids use that route to get to school. My 12 yr old has had 2 near misses-- or rather "near hits" from drivers going too fast and coming over into the current bike lane.

Please don't wait till tragedy strikes and a family is destroyed.

YES to protected bike lanes!

sincerely,

Steve and Janie Basile
639 Larchmont Isle
From: [email protected]
To: Tony Daysog; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Project
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 12:45:00 PM
Honorable City Council Member Daysog,

I am emailing you to register my concerns about the proposed plan consistent with feedback and comments from my neighbors and Grand Street area residents.

I don’t need to repeat what they
have expressed, but I’d encourage you to consider some alternatives to the current proposal:
· Install electronic speed signs
· Install 4 way stops where warranted to increase safety for all modes of travel · When legal (almost happened this year), employ speed cameras to slow traffic.

I want to all of us to have a safer Grand Street with more walking, cycling, and access.

No plan is
perfect.

All plans incorporate a balance of considerations and interests.

We can come up with an
alternative plan that achieves our goals in a better way than the current or original plan can do this.

Respectfully - Jean Fong, 734 Palmera Court

From: Carole Robie
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; John Knox White; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Council Meeting 6-21-2022 Item 7B Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 12:36:11 PM
To: Mayor Ashcroft, Vice-Mayor Vella, CouncilpeopleTony Daysog, Trish Herrera-Spencer, John Knox White
Thank you for attaching the survey to Item 7B;s information.

It is obvious
safety is a concern.

I suspect the City needs to look a bit deeper to
determine how safety can best be addressed for all concerned...not just bike riders but also for walkers, runners, cars, emergency equipment and homeowners.

Buses do not currently

impact Grand Street.

Safety
involves not just bicycle

lanes but also control of traffic.

Between Encinal
Avenue and Otis Drive there is no traffic control.

The current proposal for Grand Street does not address

the speed of
traffic, and it does hinder issues of people getting in and out of driveways.

It narrows the street so getting in and out of driveways becomes a potential hazard especially when cars can be parked outside the bike lanes.

For over eighty years I have been a resident of Alameda, I do not believe this proposal enhances the quality of life of residents and I request that you rethink the proposed plan.

Please pause to help the community understand what your ultimate goal is.

A survey gives one part of the picture,

and safety is a concern at
multiple levels for all of Alameda.

You are presenting one possible
solution.

I think the City needs to explore other possibilities, share them with the community, survey the community about the possibilities and then decide how to move forward.

I request that you DO NOT move forward with this plan.

Carole Robie
1102 Ironwood Rd. Alameda, CA

From: Alice Myerhoff
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Improvements
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 12:10:08 PM
Dear Alameda City Council members -
As an avid cyclist and parent of two students in the Alameda Unified School District (one just graduated from Wood and other

from Alameda High School), I beg you to implement the
proposed updated Grand Street improvements advocated by BikeWalk Alameda. Protected bike lanes will improve safety for all cyclists who are sharing the road with cars. Over the years, it seems that we are seeing more and more reckless driving in Alameda which is making it more dangerous for cyclists and even pedestrians like

Wilma Chan. As our city is adding
housing, the pressure created by more people needing to get around town will only be increasing. We must, as a city, do whatever we can to make it safe for people to get around on bicycles, which are the ideal mode of

transportation on our flat island.

More bikes on the road means fewer cars which means less traffic congestion and more safety for everyone sharing the road.

Thank you
Best
Alice
--
Alice Myerhoff
415-812-7656
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicemyerhoff/
I'm riding around Lake Tahoe to raise funds for cancer research! From: Carol Gottstein
To: City Clerk; Manager Manager; Yibin Shen; Elizabeth Mackenzie; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; John Knox White; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer
Cc: Robert Vance; Andrew Thomas; Gail Payne
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Tuesday 6.21.2022 Council Meeting Agenda Item 7-B. Grand Street Improvements Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 11:46:41 AM
Attachments: We sent you safe versions of your files.msg Sarfaty v. City of Los Angeles.pdf
Seaborn.3.30.2016.DRA.ltr.Alameda.city.attorney.pdf
Mimecast Attachment Protection has deemed this file to be safe, but always exercise caution when opening files.

To: City Clerk, Alameda City Attorney, City Manager, and Councilmembers RE: Tuesday 6.21.2022 Council Meeting Agenda Item 7-B. Grand Street Improvements
Dear City Attorney.

On Mar

30, 2016, the City was notified by certified letter from Disability Rights Associates (DRA) (see letter) that it was in violation of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) after the Shoreline project removed all the formerly accessible parking spaces in order to put in a bike lane. This is not a layperson's opinion.

This is the opinion of attorneys for a national nonprofit civil rights organization.

Quoting page 2 of DRA’s Mar 2016 letter to the City of Alameda:
“…by removing existing accessible parking, the City has violated Title II’s requirement that it maintain existing accessible features of its facilities. See 28 C.F.R. sec.35.133.”
So, the City already has one ADA strike against it.

With this proposed Grand Street parking removal, the City would now be violating the ADA even more egregiously because it will remove 24/7 access between disabled residents and their on-street parking spaces.

The ADA has been Federal Law for 30 years. As City Planner Andrew Thomas is fond of saying about housing: "we may not like the law, but we have to follow it".

The City's Vision Zero plan is a laudable goal, but in order to be implemented, it must not be in conflict with existing Federal and State laws. If it is, the policy has to be adjusted. The relevant law is the

Americans With Disabilities Act
(ADA). The relevant cases are:

Fortyune v. City of Lomita (2014)
Bassilios v. City of Torrance (2015)
Sarfaty v. City of Los Angeles (2020)
The ADA protects disabled persons who need accessible parking spaces from having them taken away by

public works projects built or altered after June 26
1992.

It does not matter how many bicyclists demand removal of accessible parking

spaces so that they can have a curbside bike lane. Especially when they already have a bike lane, bicyclists do not get to demand that their Class 2 lane be enhanced so they can feel safer, at the expense of creating unsafe parking for a class of protected individuals. As far as I know, there is no Americans Who Ride Bicycles Act protecting the rights of persons who ride bicycles.

Taking away curbside parking in front of Grand Street homes would be an act of discrimination against any mobility challenged persons living there, now or in the future. For example, it would prohibit people who use side loading wheelchair vans from visiting or moving in, since such vehicles are incompatible with curbside bike lanes (as determined in Sarfaty v City of Los Angeles).

It
stands to reason that as they age, residents are at increased risk of disability due to strokes, hip or knee replacements, frailty, spine surgery, Parkinson’s etc.

Nobody becomes at increased risk of needing a bicycle with age.

It also does not matter that a local Disability Commission votes in favor of a project. Most members of the Commission are laypeople from the community.

They are not necessarily authorities on personal mobility issues or accessibility case law.

I do not know if they received any legal advice from the Alameda City Attorney’s office before voting.

Did the Alameda City Attorney's office review the staff-recommended plan for removal of existing accessible parking in order to compare it to the published cases of Fortyune and Sarfaty which interpreted the ADA in situations very similar to what is proposed for Grand Street? Nowhere in the City staff reports does it say that this project preserves existing on-street parking access as it is required to do by the ADA.

The staff report says the City Policy ME-6 creates a "vulnerable" population group by combining bicyclists with pedestrians and the disabled. This is inaccurate. Bicyclists have balance, strength, and agility which disabled persons lack. Disabled persons using mobility aids cannot get out of the way of bicyclists, and would have conflicts when crossing bike lanes. What bicyclists perceive as safer for them is not necessarily safer for others. Furthermore, bicyclists using the public right of way are held to the same California Vehicle Code responsibilities as are motorists.

Case Law Indicates That the City of Alameda May Be in Violation of Federal and State Law if the Staff Recommended Option is Built.

There is a robust list of California legal decisions in which cities were sued

by
individuals with disabilities because the

cities either removed or failed
to

provide public on-street accessible parking spaces as required by law:

Fortyune v. Lomita (2014), Bassilios v. Torrance (2015), Sarfaty v. Los Angeles (2020).

All the cities lost, even on appeal.

It only took one person with a disability standing up for their civil rights under the law to win each of these cases. A

court would probably also be impressed
that 110+ people who will have to live with this plan went on record opposing this project before it began.

For the first time in this staff report, staff inserted a line about installing "disabled" parking spaces on side streets "on request". Not only would this impose a new burden on disabled individuals, but it is the dimensions and location of a parking space, not the blue paint, which determines whether it is accessible or not.

The travel distance from that space to the entrance of a destination needs to be minimal.

As quoted in Sarfaty:
“2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, Sect 208.3.1 requires that accessible parking spaces be located on the "shortest accessible

route" from
parking to an entrance.”
This scuttling away of disabled spaces to other streets was tried before, when Shoreline was reconfigured.

Shoreline Drive is still believed to be in violation of the ADA and CDPA (California Disabled Persons Act).

Taking away access that was already there without an overriding reason to do so may be worse than not providing it. City staff contends that this entire stretch of Grand, from Shoreline to Encinal is a “high injury corridor”. But the City's own

data fail to support characterization of Encinal to Otis as a "high injury corridor". You received a copy of Tues 6.14.2022 email response to me from Project Manager Robert Vance:
“In response to your request, city staff reviewed the 2009-2018 crash data used for the Vision Zero Action Plan. Between the lagoon bridge and Encinal there was the following KSI crash: 10/3/2016: fatal solo bicycle crash Grand and Clinton”. That’s it. One.

The recent case of Sarfaty v. City of Los Angeles is particularly compelling as it is so parallel to what is proposed for Grand Street.

Sarfaty v. City of Los Angeles (2020) p 5: "On-street parking cannot properly be considered "accessible" without consideration of how disabled individuals reach the sidewalk from a parking space, because a parking space is useful only to the extent it permits individuals to reach [entrances] that are connected to on-street parking by a public sidewalk".
"..ADA Title II is plainly

intended to redress unequal treatment in a wide range
of public services, programs, and activities..."
".. Accordingly, the fact that the City's alteration of on-street parking on [Reseda Blvd] places a substantially higher burden on disabled individuals than on ambulatory individuals supports the court's conclusion that the altered portion of [Reseda Blvd] is not readily accessible for purposes of 28 CFR sec

35.151 b.1."
Would it be fair for a kid with a skateboard under his arm to get on a bus and ask an old lady to give up her seat for him? That's what cyclists are asking the residents of Grand Street to do by giving up their accessible curbside parking for a Class 4 bike lane.

The bike lanes next to vehicular traffic on Otis suit the needs of cyclists without endangering anyone. Why not look to those for Grand Street? The City Council is a legislative body sworn to uphold the laws of this country and state. I believe it is unlikely the staff recommended curbside Class 4 bike lanes with removal of so much on-street accessible parking would survive an ADA challenge. Therefore, I strongly urge the City Council to choose the alternative traditional Class 2 bike lanes, augmented with four-way stops at additional intersections for traffic calming.

Thank you
Carol Gottstein
1114 Grand Street, Alameda, CA 94501
Date: June 21, 2022

28 CFR 35.151 requires that all public on-street parking facilities constructed or altered after the ADA's effective date be accessible.

From: Karen MIller
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella; John Knox White Cc: Lara Weisiger
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 7B June 21 Council meeting
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 11:33:13 AM
Attachments: image001.png
image002.png
Importance: High
Dear Mayor and Council members,

We are all for safer streets for cars, bikes and pedestrians but the current redesign of Grand St is a disaster and will not achieve those goals. Oakland has added a similar configuration on Telegraph and it has made it more dangerous for pedestrians. I was almost hit by a bicyclist who was not paying attention to people stepping off the curb as he barreled down his protected lane. Bicyclists go faster in these lanes as they have an uninterrupted path. If your goal is to protect pedestrians as well as cars and bikes-this is not it. With the elimination of parking spots on one side of the street, homeowners, guests and delivery people including those providing services for the disabled will be jay walking across Grand. Supposedly, the parking issue was evaluated by the designers of this proposal, and they deemed that the elimination of the parking spots would not affect the residents of the street but did they do a survey of who is living in these homes and what services they may need? Those with disability issues are going to be the most affected.

I don’t believe that any streets in Alameda, where bike lanes have been added, have eliminated parking. It is quite the opposite. In the compromise on Shoreline, parking on the beach side of the street was added for all the residents who complained about losing parking with the original design.

I do not live on Grand but you have a letter signed by more than 100 residents of Grand and the surrounding neighborhood that object to this plan as currently configured. They are not objecting to a redesign to make it safer-just to this design. Their voices should be considered as they are the ones most affected by this proposal. I recognize that a lot of work has gone into this, but the designers were tasked with coming up with a plan with protected bike lanes. This street is not wide enough to accommodate them and keep pedestrians safe at the same time. Having residents backing out of their driveways and first cross the sidewalk, then the bike lane is going to be problematic. On the side of the street where cars are parked it is even more dangerous. There are better ways to make this street safer for everyone and more time needs to be spent coming up with an alternate one. If you decide to go ahead with the protected lanes, I would recommend that you mock it up first to see if it actually does what you are hoping before spending the time and money to make it permanent.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Karen Miller

Regards,
Karen Miller CRS
/ Realtor®
DRE 01378335

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From: John Knox White
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Please support Grand St. Redesign with separated bike lanes Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 10:09:35 AM
Best,
John Knox White
City Councilmember, Alameda
(he/him or they/them)
-----Original Message-----
From: Inbal Graham <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 9:38 AM
To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please support Grand St. Redesign with separated bike lanes Mayor Ashcraft, Council Members Mr. Knox- White, Mr. Daysog, Ms. Vella, and Ms. Spencer:

I am writing to express my support of adding traffic safety measures for bikes and pedestrians along Grand St., including separate protected bike lanes.

My son attended Wood Middle School last school year and rode his bike regularly along Grand - it was a daily nerve wracking experience for me as I wanted to give him the independence to travel to and from school but worried about the drivers who regularly didn’t follow the laws, crossed into the painted bike lanes and didn’t stop at crosswalks.

So many near misses! So many times I would hear the fire engines and worry that my son or a schoolmate had been hit, even more so after the tragic death of Supervisor Chan.

Sadly, drivers are speeding or not paying attention and so the typical safety measures of a painted bike lane are just not enough to protect our children.

I ask that you consider the safety of our children and all members of our community and create separated protected bike lanes.

Thank you and sorry we are not there to represent in person. We are out of the country but feel so very strongly about this need so wanted to reach out.

Warmly,
Inbal Graham
(Alameda home owner and mother of two)
Sent from my iPhone
From: Jayne Chipman
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White; Manager Manager; City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Proposal
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 10:00:53 AM
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Vella, Councilmember Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Council Member Knox White, Interim City Manager Brazil:

We live one block off of Grand Street (corner of San Jose and Paru) and have had the opportunity to observe over the past 23 years the foot, bicycle and automobile traffic in and around Franklin Park and School, as well as on Grand Street which we use every day, throughout the day, beginning with early morning walks.

We are a
family of avid cyclists and support improved safety for cycling on roadways in Alameda and elsewhere in the Bay Area when the plan improves safety for all – pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.

City staff’s recommendation for the new Grand
Street configuration between Encinal Avenue and Otis Drive creates more safety issues than it solves.

It is also out of sync with the roadway safety configurations implemented in other residential neighborhoods around Alameda (for example, Otis, the lower part of Grand near Wood, Fernside etc.)

Those were the configurations that
we (and many others) had in mind when asked to complete the City’s survey regarding Grand Street safety improvements – not the configuration that is presently proposed by City staff.

We will not reiterate at length the safety and other issues with the proposed configuration that have already been well-articulated by many, including John Brennan, MJ Broquedis, Claire Yeaton-Risley, and Gina Harriet to highlight a few.

We agree that Grand Street safety for all (cyclists, pedestrians, drivers, and those who live on Grand) can be vastly improved without adopting the currently proposed configuration.

Ways to significantly and sufficiently improve safety on Grand for all would be to add the following:

Reduce Speed: Speed mitigation and enforcement on Grand Street has been absent for many years.

Speed mitigation that maintains the wide-open visibility on Grand (enforcement of speed limit, addition of electronic speed signs, installation of one or two 4-way stop signs) would greatly and sufficiently address excess speed on Grand Street and without the need to reconfigure the current open boulevard style roadway that is called for by the current proposal.

We witness daily how the addition of a four-way stop at Sherman Street and Santa Clara Avenue has reduced speed and increased safety (a walking route for many to Franklin School) at that intersection and the same should be considered strategic points on Grand Street.

Measures to reduce speed (e.g. to
20 mph) on Grand Street during school hours (as is done in many communities) could also assist with improving safety for children and families as they walk and roll to school.

Improve Crosswalks: Add well-marked pedestrian walkways at intersections such as Grand Street and San Antonio Avenue, and possibly others, which include pedestrian bulbs.

The addition of this type of crossing at Paru Street
and Encinal Avenue has dramatically improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists crossing Encinal (and for drivers), particularly to and from Franklin School.

The addition of a crossing guard during the past several years at San Jose and Grand during the morning and afternoon when children and families walk and stroll to school has also improved safety.

Improve Existing Bike Lanes: Maintenance of the bike lanes already on Grand Street has been virtually non-existent over many years.

New paint
clearly designating the bike paths (including green painted pathways), and where feasible and appropriate, painted buffer zones or other low-profile bike lane designations would exponentially improve cycling safety on Grand Street without creating other safety issues presented by the proposed plan.

Improve Visibility At Intersections: Improved visibility for all at intersections can be accomplished by simply expanding red zones at intersection corners.

We strongly believe that if the above measures are implemented, instead of the current reconfiguration of Grand Street via the proposed plan, that safety for all will be greatly improved on Grand Street in a manner consistent with Vision Zero and other safety measures implemented on other thoroughfares in residential neighborhoods throughout Alameda.

As such, we urge the Council to reject the Grand Street plan as currently proposed.

Respectfully,
Jayne and John Chipman
From: Nuala Creedon
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White; Manager Manager; City Clerk Cc: Matt Anderson
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project - June 21, 2022 Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 9:30:23 AM
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Vella, Councilmember Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Council Member Knox White, Interim City Manager Brazil, Planning, Building and Transportation Director Thomas, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer Vance, Senior Transportation Coordinator Payne,

RE: Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project Final Concept

We are residents of Grand Street and we support the goal of making the street safer for everyone, especially pedestrians and cyclists. However, we oppose the plan as currently outlined and feel that it will substantially reduce access and safety on Grand Street, precisely the opposite of the intended goals.

At its May 25th meeting, the Transportation Commission approved the current plan, despite reservations expressed by some commission members and universal opposition from Grand Street residents that would be directly impacted. We believe the current plan was drafted lacking relevant data, and that the design is both unwieldy and inconsistent with other bike lane designs in Alameda.

Accident Data
No specific data on accidents on Grand (accident types /numbers /exact locations) were presented at the community workshops or at the Transportation Commission meeting on 5/25/22. Staff reported that there were 91 accidents on all of Grand from 2009-2018, with 2 fatalities, 6 severe injuries and 21 other injuries, but gave no specifics on where the accidents occurred. These figures were presented as though they had bearing on the Grand Street Plan, but they were too vague to draw any sort of conclusions, including whether the current plan would address any of the accident causes from the 2009-2018 period.

At the Otis Drive community workshops in 2019, details of vehicle speeds and types and location of accidents were given (slides 16-18 in the link below) which helped inform the discussion on the upcoming changes there.

https://www.alamedaca.gov/files/assets/public/departments/alameda/transportation/otis/otis- drive-workshop-20190131-final-version.pdf
We think the Transportation Commission would benefit from having similar details on Grand Street, to help inform their decision-making regarding the plan. We would request staff provide concrete information on crashes, so the Commission and public can review and comment.

Traffic Flow / Bike Lane Design
One of our main concerns is the weaving nature of the car traffic flow in the current plan. We believe this will substantially reduce safety, by creating more occurrences of drivers drifting into other lanes. Rather than having a traffic-calming effect, we think this will lead drivers to stray into other lanes as they try to find the most efficient travel path on Grand.

We are also concerned that the proposed traffic lane design does not allow for easy passage of emergency vehicles. If an accident occurs during, for example, the “rush hour” at school drop off times, it seems the bollards on both sides of the street would restrict drivers’ ability to pull to the side to allow emergency vehicles through, thereby delaying emergency response times.

The proposed bike lane design (bike lane by the curb, with bollards) is inconsistent with the recently completed bike lanes on Otis; inconsistent with existing bike lanes on parts of Santa Clara and Fernside; and inconsistent with upcoming work on Encinal and on Central east of Washington Park, to name a few cross-Alameda bike routes. It’s unclear why Grand Street needs bollarded bike lanes when Otis, for example -
a street just as busy as Grand - does not

have this type of bike lane on its residential sections.

Given that Grand Street is considered an important North-South bike route, it seems logical that the remainder of Grand - from Encinal to the estuary - will at some point be slated for the same bike lane design (and traffic lane design). There are more apartments and multi-family homes on that part of Grand, many with limited on-site parking. Residents in that area will likely be severely impacted if this plan is adopted, and arguably will have less input on bike lane design if it’s already in place between Otis and Encinal.

Enforcement
The biggest concern we have as residents of Grand Street is pedestrian and cyclist safety. We see cars speeding every day. We experience difficulty crossing Grand on foot. We worry about our kids crossing Grand on foot or bike.

We share other cyclists’ trepidation about cycling on Grand (and many other streets!). It seems to us that part of the solution is clearly-marked bike lanes (basically non-existent on this section of Grand). But enforcement of speed limits has to be part of the solution too. Our experience is that the bulk of the danger arises from vehicle drivers who speed or otherwise drive carelessly.

We fully support the goals of increasing pedestrian and bike safety on this part of Grand, and the city’s goals of increasing walking and cycling throughout Alameda. We appreciate the time and effort city staff has taken to review ideas and input from many sources. We absolutely welcome improvements that will benefit everyone who walks, cycles or drives here, including Clearly painted bike lanes
Bulb outs and painted crosswalks at intersections
Flashing beacons to enhance safer crossing

However, we don’t believe the current plan will achieve these goals and urge you to send the Grand Street Project back to the Transportation Commission for further review to develop a more balanced plan to increase safety and utility for everyone.

Sincerely,

Nuala Creedon and Matt Anderson
924 Grand Street
From: Christine Chilcott
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Project
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 7:55:07 AM
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft and City Council Members,
I am writing to ask that you consider voting in favor of adding protected bike lanes as part of the Grand Street project. As a major street in Alameda for bike commuting including the major thoroughfare for students biking to Wood Middle School, including my own child, making this street as safe as possible helps families feel safer about allowing their children to bike to school and would possibly cut down on the school traffic congestion for pick up and drop off. I am also very much looking forward to the Central Ave. project taking place to
increase the safety of biking on that street.

Thank you,
Christine
--
Christine Chilcott
From: gaylon parsons
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street improvement project - vote yes Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 7:11:46 AM
Dear City Council and Mayor,
Please follow the recommendation of staff and the Transportation Commission to approve the Grand Street improvement project. I have some familiarity with the project area; it is an ideal place for a protected bike lane and repaving using funds from a non-Alameda source is fiscally wise.

None of the arguments in opposition to this project are persuasive, given our commitment to Vision Zero and the use of this public street by students.

Thank you,
Gaylon Parsons

From: Morgan Bellinger
To: City Clerk; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Council - Item 7B Correspondence Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 6:57:54 AM
Dear City Clerk,
Please add the following to the correspondence for agenda item 7B at tonight's city council meeting.
---
Dear City Council,
I'm writing as an Alameda resident with a student enrolled to start at Franklin Elementary next year to support the reconfiguration of Grand Ave that has been proposed by the Transportation Commission.

Whereas the proposed reconfiguration is the only one that meets the Vision Zero requirements that this body enthusiastically adopted in November 2019, and Whereas Grand is clearly a high-injury corridor, and
Whereas professional transportation engineers, much to the chagrin of folks who live on Grand and believe that their experience and self-interest outweigh science, are nearly unanimous in their support of the proposal as the safest possible plan, and Whereas Caltrans, in their wisdom, is going to be paving a similar, compatible design along Encinal next year, and
Whereas you represent the entire city, including those not wealthy enough to own cars, not just 100 folks on a form letter, which (please note) didn't include a single address with an apartment number, and
Whereas reducing or permitting parking is one of the only actions that the Alameda City Council can legally take to impact the deadly sum of automobile subsidies in the USA (we can't implement a local gas tax, a strongly-worded letter on city letterhead to the governor doesn't accomplish much, and we stand to be impacted substantially by climate change), Why is this even a question?
From: Shay Phillips
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street improvements
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 3:52:08 AM
Tonight you vote on whether or which Grand Street improvements will be made. I am an Alameda resident, parent of three school aged children and member of a family which commutes to schools in Alameda by bicycle. I also strongly advocate for protected bike lanes. They create a space for our most vulnerable bikers to safely commute around the island. Grand is used by many young bikers commuting to Wood Middle, SJND, St Joe’s elementary and middle and Franklin Elementary as well as families using Rittler Park for sports. To continue to grow our biking community and create a vision zero reality we must vote for protected bike lanes on Grand. It is time to stop letting a very few vocal Gold Coast voices derail concepts that are being actively pursued and implemented on the rest of our island.

Shay Phillips
Sent from my iPhone
From: Robin Oliva-Kraft
To: CityCouncil-List; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda item 7B - protected bike lanes on Grand St.

Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 11:11:56 PM
Dear Council Members,
I am writing to express my strong support for protected bike lanes on Grand St. There are few good options for biking north-south in the middle of Alameda, which makes it hard for those on the north side of the island to use bikes to reach South Shore for groceries, the beach, and Rittler Park - common trips for my family. Instead, for the safety of our children we are consistently pushed into cars, with all the negative traffic, health, and climate consequences that entails, in addition to the exceptional financial burden of purchasing and operating a car today.

My spouse and I are trying to craft a lifestyle that relies less on cars, for our own benefit as well as that of our children and the larger community. But that will only be successful if bike travel - for commuting, errands, and recreation - is safe and efficient. Alameda is definitely moving in the right direction - our kids love the new protected bike lanes on Clement Ave., for example, and biking to the Seaplane Lagoon ferry terminal is a joy! But we need a great, safe north-south bike route. I look forward to the day when my kids can safely bike the entire way to Wood Middle School or the beach.

While I understand residents' concerns about reduced parking on Grand, city staff have done due diligence when recommending the protected bike lanes, as shown by peak parking usage data in the discussion section of this agenda item. My anecdotal experience - verified just today - is that many of the abundant parking spots on Grand below Encinal go unused. It's a striking departure from the parking challenges elsewhere on the island.

I urge the city council to approve the recommended plan for protected bike lanes on Grand. It's the right thing to do to support healthy, budget- and climate-friendly transportation options.

Warm regards,
Robin Oliva-Kraft
From: Erik Chubb
To: CityCouncil-List; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please approve protected bike lane on Grand Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 11:05:40 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council,
Hi, my child and several others in my neighborhood, will be commuting by bike to Wood middle school. Grand St is a dangerous street in that daily commute. Adding a protected bike lane would help keep our kids safe.

Thank you for considering it,
Erik Chubb
1854 Ninth St
From: Venecio Camarillo
To: John Knox White; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; Manager Manager; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Council Meeting 6/21 Item 7-B
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 10:13:08 PM
Good Evevning Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor, Interim City Manager, and Honorable Councilmembers,
My name is Vinny Camarillo and I will be the incoming Student Board Member of the Alameda Unified School District Board of Education for Encinal High School. First and
foremost, I would like to acknowledge my strong support in passing this item.

I represent student’s interests, well-being, and the most important of all, safety. Now, many students who attend EHS live on Grand, near Grand, or have to travel through Grand in order to get to school safely. Many of these students bike, walk, or drive and it is imperative that we keep these students safe and ensure that cars are more cautious when driving around bikers. In addition, Wood Middle School is at the end of Grand and it is important that we keep these middle schoolers safe as they travel to school. This council has approved the Otis Redevelopment and it looks both beautiful and has greatly reduced potential accidents in the future.

This council has support the Vision Zero Plan for months now and this is one of the first projects. This council can’t strike down the very first safety redevelopment even one that would significantly reduce accidents on Grand, which has been shown to be one of the targeted areas of redevelopment for traffic safety. This council has supported every traffic safety measure, so why change now? Why put students at risk for no reason? The reduction of parking spaces is better than potentially losing a student. If this is a political issue, which it shouldn’t be, whoever refuses to support this, will lose the support of the youth in the process in this next election.

Councilmember John Knox White and Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, you both are bikers and it is imperative that you support this. Mayor Ashcraft should recuse herself as she lives in Grand and it is a conflict of interest.

This council has continuously listened to the youth and have acted. Now should not be different.

Thank you for your time.
--
Vinny Camarillo
Encinal Jr. Sr. High School
[email protected]
(510)458-6839
"Life doesn't
require that we be the best, only that we try our best." -H. Jackson Brown Jr.

From: Tom Jenkins
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; John Knox White; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer Cc: Erica Peck
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Project - resident of Grand Street Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 9:50:10 PM
Hello,
My wife, Erica, and I own the home at 1000 Grand Street.

We have reviewed the plans for bike safety improvements along Grand Street and we are very much in favor of the protected bike lanes. We have three sons, who regularly bike to three separate schools in Alameda, and several of the streets are far too dangerous for cyclists as well as pedestrians.

Our family holds this issue with heightened importance as our oldest was hit by a car and injured while riding home from school a few years ago. My highest priority would be for protected bike lanes along Central Avenue to protect all the kids riding to Paden Elementary and Encinal High School. However, it is obvious Grand Street is also in need of an upgrade to protect our cities kids heading to Wood.

I regularly ride around the island with my kids, and have been especially pleased with the improved bike routes and safety lanes across the island, and I am hoping this will continue with the project on Grand Street.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about my support of this project.

Tom Jenkins
1000 Grand St, Alameda, CA 94501
From: Lindsay Kemp Bruckstein
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Gold Coast Support: Grand Street Improvement Project Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 9:32:38 PM
I live in the Gold Coast, a few blocks from Grand Street. I am in strong support of the Grand Street Improvement Project in its entirety, recommended by the Staff and Transportation Commission.

My husband, 5 year old and I bike on Grand Street, which has been identified in our city’s Vision Zero plan as a high injury corridor.

We ride our bikes to the beach, to Southshore for bagels and groceries, and for exercise. We, in addition to many of our
neighbors, have been striving to rely less on our cars, and are proud to be using our bikes more as everyday transportation.

Please support these safety measures. The future of Alameda IS more reliance on biking and walking. The Gold Coast is growing with many new families who want to embrace the ideals outlined in our city’s vision zero plan and be more safety-centric in our decision making.

As more people discover Alameda as their forever home, I want to create the welcoming environment that so many other progressive cities have adopted as the norm, rather than as the exception.

Lindsay Kemp Bruckstein
1232 Bay Street
206.437.4183
From: Rachel Lee
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Protected Bike Lanes on Grand Street, item 7-B Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 9:26:48 PM
Dear Mayor and City Council Members,
Please support staff’s recommended Grand Street redesign that includes separated bike lanes.

Even the most careful drivers can take out a bicyclist in a moment of brief distraction. Let's keep this important bike route truly safe for cyclists by creating a protected route.

Thank you,
Rachel Lee
From: DENINE KELTNER
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Fwd: Item 7-B. 2022-2099
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 9:19:11 PM
This comment is for the Council meeting. I’ve been having computer issues, please include it in the communications.

Thank you
---------- Original Message ----------
From: DENINE KELTNER <[email protected]>
To: "Ashcraft, Marilyn" <[email protected]>, "Vella, Malia" <[email protected]>, "Spencer, Trish" <[email protected]> Date: 06/20/2022 9:14 PM
Subject: Item 7-B. 2022-2099
Mayor and Council
the proposal for Grand Street safety improvements are
sadly lacking in
achieving safety and visibility for bicyclists, elders and homeowners.

Danger appears to be created and traffic is not slowed. Visibility is reduced at driveways, and corners.

Emergency vehicles won’t have areas to pull over
and stop.

I could go on and on, yet it is obvious, this plan has hazards created, not solved.

I have walked this neighborhood for a lifetime and I personally feel this proposal creates problems….it does not solve anything.

Possibility add a few 4 way stops or add bumps. PLEASE do not go forward with this proposal.

Dee Keltner
1137 Bay St, Alameda, CA
H 510-865-0479
C 510-409-6657
Family & Friends Multiply Joy!
Dee Keltner
510-865-0479 H
510-409-6657 C
Family & Friends Multiply Joy !
From: Carmen Plaza de Jennings
To: CityCouncil-List; Manager Manager
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Tuesday June 21, 2022 Council Meeting, agenda item 7-B, Grand Street Improvements Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 8:56:36 PM

Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Vella, Councilmember Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Council Member Knox White, Interim City Manager Brazil:

We are writing regarding the proposed Grand Street improvement project. By way of background, we have lived in Alameda 33 years (East Side, Harbor Bay and currently within a block of Grand Street).

We mention this because it means that we can speak with perspective based on observation of and involvement in cycling, walking, and driving around Alameda over a long period of time.

We raised 2 children in Alameda and have ridden our bicycles throughout the Island. Our children rode their bicycles to school (Franklin and St. Joseph’s) and to Rittler Park for sport activities. As longtime residents of Alameda, we appreciate the City’s efforts to make Alameda more bicycle friendly, safer, and accessible. That said, we think that the current Grand Street proposed improvements regarding bicycle lanes in particular are misguided and do not address the true problem on Grand Street - - cars driving over the speed limit --- creating safety issues for residents seeking to cross Grand, especially at busier intersections such as San Antonio, Clinton and San Jose.

The issue of cars and speed on Grand
has persisted over many years, without any apparent mitigation efforts such as electronic speed signs or traffic enforcement.

Regarding the current bicycle lanes, the issue is that they are poorly marked (not painted in a very long time) making it difficult for vehicles and bike riders to readily discern their existence.

The current design and implementation approach
throughout the City also appears to be piecemeal and does not appear to involve a consistently applied, Island-wide comprehensive plan.

This was a concern echoed by some
members of the City’s Transportation Commission at the recent May meeting, which we and many others share.

The lack of a comprehensive approach can result in a lack of uniformity throughout the Island and can create pedestrian and driver confusion leading to unsafe rather than the intended safer conditions.

We believe that there are more effective and overall safer ways than the proposed Grand Street plan to address these issues.

We also agree with several of the alternative solutions suggested during the May Transportation Commission meeting that accomplish the dual goals of pedestrian and bicyclist safety (as well as automobile safety) in a in a better, safer, and more balanced comprehensive manner for all concerned than the current proposed plan.

These include:

Better marked cross walks and cross walks with flashing lights (currently effectively used at Paru and Encinal, and elsewhere)
Bike lanes that are clearly painted, and wider
Using electronic speed signs (currently used on Otis, Lincoln, Fernside and elsewhere) Enforcement of the current speed limit on Grand
Four way stop signs where possible

Thank you in advance for your consideration of these important issues.

Carmen Plaza de Jennings
Dwight Jennings

From: mark little
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; John Knox White; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Cc: Manager Manager; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Improvement Project
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 7:53:37 PM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and members of the City Council,
I am writing to you to express my emphatic support for the Grand Street Improvement Project, and my dismay that opposition to it from a tiny minority of vocal and influential Alameda Residents is having an undue impact on your business, as you have been elected to be the representatives of the larger Alameda community.

I am a lifelong cyclist who grew up in a time where there were no such things as bike lanes. I have been a bicycle racer, a messenger and a commuter, and as such I have a level of comfort in most situations I find myself in as I ride my way through life.

I must say, however, that I
often feel a heightened sense of discomfort when riding in Alameda. If I, as a lifelong cyclist who has experienced everything from respectful deference to physical abuse on a bicycle feels this way, I can only imagine the trepidation and outright fear many of our citizens feel when they consider hopping on their bike to do an errand, have a peaceful spin on a beautiful day, or to ride to school. Even worse, I fear that there are those who will never consider getting on a bike in Alameda if they do not feel like there is a robust pathway of safe, protected lanes to take them on their journey.

I think there is a sense that most of us want to feel; that Alameda is a small town, a safe place, someplace that we all think of as an (almost) idyllic place where we want to live and thrive and feel safe.

But then I see someone driving 50 mph down Otis or
Lincoln, or blasting down Pacific in front of Little John Park as a family tries to cross the road to go to the playground, or as the pre-school is letting out for the day (so much for Slow Streets!).

The City adopted the Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic deaths and life-changing injuries to zero, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for allI. I have supported the bold ways the City has implemented improvements to our infrastructure that acknowledge and empower our citizens to consider and embrace mobility that doesn’t include an automobile, as well as the many small moves like daylighting corners that, in isolation, make incremental differences, but in total, contribute to a sense that the City cares, and walks the walk.

Grand Street has been identified in our city’s Vision Zero plan as a high injury corridor.

It is also a vital link in our city-wide Complete Streets plan that is designed to have a connected network of protected pathways around our city. Need I mention that it is a corridor utilized by Wood students as well as our youngest citizens at Franklin? We must protect these most vulnerable of our citizens and allow them to feel comfortable to use whatever road they choose, including Grand, as is their right, and it is our obligation to make it as safe as possible with a protected bicycle corridor.

Those few who are opposed to the plan seem to be grasping at self-serving straws for excuses, I would urge you, Mayor Ashcraft and City Council, to really think about the precedent it would set if a vocal, influential minority is able to influence you to dismisses the public safety of all in favor of the disingenuous musings of a few.

Grand Street is aptly named. Let’s show how the Grand Street Improvement Project can make it a hallmark of Vision Zero and the Complete Streets plan. Let’s allow everyone to enjoy the beauty of the street in a safe manner that encourages us all to embrace a forward thinking and positive attitude towards bicycles as an equal, viable, and even preferable mode of transportation within our City.

Please do not let the selfish agenda of a few overshadow the overwhelming majority of Alamedans who support the plan when you consider your decision to vote for or against the majority of Alamedans, and the Staff's recommendation to approve the plan.

We all look forward to, and will take note of, your votes on this matter.

Sincerely,
Mark Little
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] When Street Design Leaves Some People Behind. Links to Conflicts Bikes v. Disabled Pedestrians
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 6:36:26 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Carol Gottstein <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 20, 2022 5:28 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] When Street Design Leaves Some People Behind. Links to Conflicts Bikes v. Disabled Pedestrians
To: Tony Daysog <[email protected]>,Trish Spencer <[email protected]> Cc: John P Brennan <[email protected]>
When Street Design Leaves Some People Behind
When Street Design Leaves Some People
Behind
John Surico
Expanding road space for bikes can limit accessibility for others — a balancing act for street planners and disa...

Bike-Dominated Amsterdam Is Not a Walker's Paradise
Bike-Dominated Amsterdam Is Not a Walker's
Paradise
As Amsterdammers jostle for space, the city government is trying to ease conflicts between those on bikes and on...

From: Phoebe Grow
To: CityCouncil-List; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] support for protected bike lanes on Grand Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 4:56:07 PM
Hi there - I won't be able to make the meeting tomorrow but would like to express my support for protected bike lanes on Grand Street. I live near Shoreline and see the benefits of that protected bike lane everyday. Would be so great to have a north-south protected bike corridor as well.

Thank you,
Phoebe Grow
319 Laguna Vista, Alameda, CA 94501

From: Cameron Holland
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: Gail Payne; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comments in support of Agenda Item 7-B, Grand Street Protected Bike Lanes Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 4:51:59 PM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and Members of the City Council,
I am writing in support of Agenda Item 7-B, and in particular in support of the protected bike lanes on Grand Street.

My family and children bicycle throughout the island. During shelter-in-place, we began taking frequent weekend family rides to the beach and Alameda Point using the Slow Streets and Cross Alameda Trail. As our children get older, we are encouraging them to ride by themselves to after-school or summer activities and to meet friends. We moved to Alameda in part because of the City's commitment to climate friendly transportation and the healthy development and safety of its residents, including kids.

We have followed and cheered on the City’s bicycle infrastructure improvements, including the work on Otis, Central and Clement, and are thrilled to see it tackle head-on a major north-south connector. We ride the narrow Grand Street bike lanes frequently (and nervously). Other than the Versailles Slow Street and the new developing paths at Alameda Point, there are no other relatively safe ways for vulnerable riders to travel north-south in the city.

In response to parking concerns, it would seem that reduction of parking is a small price to pay for critical climate friendly infrastructure as well as the safety of residents actively trying to improve individual and family health while reducing emissions. This project may seem small but, to me and others, it is vitally important to show the values that our city embraces.

Thank you to staff for their work on this crucial infrastructure project and for the council’s consideration of my comments.

Cameron Holland
From: Jason Cannava
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Pavement Resurfacing and Safety Improvements Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 4:34:32 PM
Mayor Ashchraft,
As a resident of Grand Street, I am writing to express my support for the ' Grand Street Pavement Resurfacing and Safety Improvements' project as depicted in the presentation from the second community workshop on this project.

In our approximately two years of living on Grand Street, we have seen multiple accidents along the length of Grand Street.

On a daily basis, we witness both speeding vehicular traffic as well as a high volume of bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Traffic calming along with pedestrian and bicycle safety needs to be prioritized on this project.

The separated bike lanes are an essential feature of this improvement that addresses safety concerns and improves
usability for all users at a reasonable expense of parking spots. I don't believe the loss of parking on Grand street between Otis and Encinal is impactful as most residences are single family with their own driveways and garages for parking. I would like to see the concept to be extended all the way to Clement Avenue if feasible..

I do believe there is a parking concern that is exacerbated near Shoreline Avenue by the removal of parking spots. Alameda Beach is a great resource for all in our community to enjoy. However there is little available parking around the beach due to the commercial and multifamily residential developments up and down the beach. This impacts safety and usability of Shoreline Drive as visitors double park and wait for parking spots to open up. I would like to see the City work on a plan to have more allocated beach parking including dedicated drop off areas if the parking area is a substantial distance from the beach.

Thanks for your attention.

Sincerely,
Jason Cannava
From: Olive Little
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tony Daysog; John Knox White Cc: Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Protected Bike Lane
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 4:28:39 PM
Good afternoon Mayor Ashcraft and City Council members, I am writing to ask you to please approve the Grand Street project, as staff recommended, with the protected bike lanes. As an AUSD student I rode my bike to Franklin, Wood, and eventually Encinal, but I never felt very safe. Having cars go past me, so close sometimes that I could feel their air, was really scary, and I never felt very confident.

And then one day, on my way home from Encinal, my fears were realized and I was hit by a car. Luckily I wasn’t seriously injured, but I could have been.

And now that I’m a driver, I try to be very aware of all my surroundings and of all the distractions, but it’s difficult. Having separate, protected bike lanes so that kids of all ages can feel and be safer while riding their bikes around town is really important. More important than someone being able to park right in front of their house.

Thank you for understanding why this is so personal for me and for so many of my friends.

Thanks,
Olive Little
Former student, new voter
From: Neela Miller
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Vote for Grand Street Protected Bike Lanes! Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 3:55:26 PM
Hi there,
My family lives a block off of Grand Street and frequents it on foot, on bikes and in cars multiple times a day. We are thrilled at the thought of having a protected bike lane for our 4 year old to soon be able to ride his bike with us to the beach, and for the intersections to be safer to cross on foot due to the road diet and improved striping. Grand Street also serves as an important North/South route for bikes as one of the only streets with the possibility of a protected lane, making biking around the city as a whole so much safer.

Please follow staff recommendation for protected bike lanes on Grand Street! Thanks,
Neela Miller
1825 Clinton Ave
Date: 6/19/2022
Subject: June 21 Alameda
Council Meeting, agenda item 7‐B, GRAND STREET IMPROVEMENTS.

Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Malia Vella, Councilmember Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Council
Member Knox White, Interim City Manager Dirk Brazil, Planning, Building and Transportation Director Andrew Thomas, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer Robert Vance, Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator:

I’m very appreciative of the work city staff has done to make Grand Street safer for everyone, a very challenging
task. I have lived 2 houses off of Grand Street for 25 years. I travel the island by car, foot & bike. I frequently bike to run errands and for pleasure, I am very familiar with Grand Street & most bike routes
across the island. I believe there are more effective ways to achieve the Grand Street goals than are currently being presented.

Pedestrian safety is a huge issue on Grand Street and should be the priority, with focus on improved safety
crossings. The current proposed plan eliminates parking and staggers spots each alternative block, which will only lead to more riskier crossing behavior. The new parking arrangement also requires people to open doors into the traffic lane, increasing dangerous exiting from parked cars. As the neighborhood
ages, we should encourage easiest access as possible to dwellings, this plan makes it more difficult. As a driver I am much safer parking next to the curb, having space between me and moving traffic to safely exit.

Grand St. currently has virtually no marked bike lanes. As a cyclist, well‐marked visible painted lanes, & a selected method of buffering by bollards would be a dramatic safety improvement. There is no reason regarding bike safety
to eliminate curb parking on both sides of the street. We need a design that preserves disability, visitor and service provider access and residential parking to both sides of the street.

We all want a safer Grand Street that encourages walking, cycling and access. Let’s focus on slowing the traffic down and improving pedestrian safety. Recognizing no plan is perfect, I am confident the city can do better than the current or original plan.

Thank you for your consideration,
Linda Kibler
1625 San Antonio Avenue, Alameda, CA. 94501
From: Sharon Nearn
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Protected bike lanes on Grand
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 3:15:10 PM
Hello,
I am writing to request our Alameda City Council support the protected bike lanes for Grand Street which will provide safer north/south connectivity for bicyclists on the island.

The separated bike lane with partial parking offers the best solution and honestly, it will enhance the street and possibly assist in reminding folks to drive at 25 mph! Since moving to Alameda in 2016, I noticed we are more car focused. Our limited bike lanes and our all too numerous beg lights at intersections seem to give drivers the belief that they have priority
at all times. Redesigning our streets and connecting bicycle paths to transit hubs will encourage more folks to bicycle. North/south bicycle passage is imperative.

Thanks so much,
Sharon Nearn
2712 San Jose Ave
Alameda, CA

From: Tara Etayo
To: John Knox White
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Bike Lane
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 3:13:07 PM
Dear Council Member Knox,
The City has committed to Vision Zero goals, where there are zero traffic deaths and serious injuries.

The City General Plan commits us to prioritizing pedestrian and bike safety.

A great deal of time, money and energy has been spent identifying the Tier One, high risk zones so that they may be prioritized for amelioration and then producing solutions to these
issues.

Grand Street is a Tier One Zone, meaning that it has a high incidence and high risk of further pedestrian
and bike collisions with cars.

People who live on Grand, don't, in fact own the street; the City does.

It is unconscionable that a small group of Alamedans could prevent these policies, that benefit the whole city, from being seen through.

The "right" to street parking is not only not true, but should take the lowest priority according to the City's General Plan. The fact that every house on this part of Grand has a private driveway makes this privileged
argument incredibly arrogant.

The effect of blocking this is that those opposing the plan would prefer a serious or fatal collision to doing something to prevent
it.

Everything in our City Plan and the majority of Alameda residents cite traffic and traffic collisions as being a top concern. A group was gathered to study it and make recommendations, but now we are here, it looks like the City Council may thwart those efforts and thumb their nose at their constituents
in favor of a very small and vocal group of people
who behave as if they literally own the street.

I live on Santa Clara with two cars and no driveway, so people really can't school me on parking woes.

I urge you to save lives and pass this sensible plan.

Yours sincerely,
Tara Etayo
Alameda resident, parent, Encinal PTSA Treasurer
From: mj Broquedis
To: [email protected]; Tony Daysog; [email protected]; City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand St. Improvements - Grand St Resident Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 3:12:51 PM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft, Vise Mayor Vella, Council members Spencer, Daysog and White, I will not try to reiterate what John Brennan has spent countless hours trying to contribute alternative thoughts which could help Grand St improve safety for bicycles including talking to city staff and one council member who flatly refused to consider them or the first plan which was proposed by the city. Our community encourages safety improvements for Grand St.

I have lived and worked from my second floor office on the lagoon overlooking Grand St for thirty two years.

Other than the corner of Otis and Grand and people trying to cross east /west there have been no accidents associated to cars and bikes going north/south from Encinal to Otis. In those thirty two years the city has never added any safety measures including repainting lines on Grand St. There is a definite need to improve safety but not to make areas unsafe for the people who live here and the workers who are consistently working and delivering. Vision Zero was not created for the traffic needs to be managed solely for the use of bicycles in fact pedestrians are considered one of the top priorities. Three weeks ago crossing on Grand and San Jose at a marked crosswalk two of us were almost run over (the car was not speeding) in the middle of
Grand. The death of Mr. Sauce and Supervisor Chan
again happened at cross walks. To respond with the most extreme plan specifically for bikes does not help pedestrians. It also does not hold validity statistically, in fact it increases the danger for us as people who live and walk here. The majority of public use is with joggers, walkers and dog walkers which starts at 5:30 am to after dusk every day.

Wood school issues associated to bikes have been at the corner of Otis and Grand which has been improved already for the safety of children who attend.The parents from Wood School use the first two blocks of Grand St. from Otis to Palmera Court to drop off and pick up their children every morning/afternoon due to the congestion in the small driveway at Wood School. The parents who attend the practices and games involving soccer, baseball and other sports at Ridler Park with their children and gear park on the first two blocks on Grand St to Palmera Court on week nights and weekends throughout the year.

As an aside I sat out on
Grand for Memorial Day and counted maybe 25 bikes going down Grand St. for the day and when asked they did not feel unsafe. I also stopped children walking on their way back from Wood School last month and they again voiced no concerns.

We don't understand why what we anticipated in the plan for Grand St. in December all of a sudden changed to one extreme plan last month which was loaded with people calling in after being prompted by specific club of people in Alameda. We asked for statistics and received none. The small children at Franklin school are walked by their parents and St Joseph's school I have yet to see more than three bikes in our neighborhood in the morning. These two schools are again east/west of Grand and the complaints by parents have been the crosswalks which is why there is a crossing guard at San Jose.

There is no other entirely residential neighborhoods with houses and driveways facing the street in the entire city where all the ability to park along one side of the street and very little on the other side for a quarter of a mile will be taken away. Yes, we need to improve the bike lanes but there is no more need than what was done on Fernside and Otis where all the residential areas have parking next to the bike lanes with improved protection.

Safety is as important to our community as the rest of Alameda but we don't understand why we are being targeted to be the only all residential community to loose our neighborhood and safety.

Also with the practicality of home ownership I will be doing construction next year and will be placing a dumpster in the street for the concrete. I had a delivery last month which took forty five minutes and now truckers will not enter driveways due to liability to homeowners driveway entry pads. He informed me that is now common practice. We will be blocking traffic and the bike lane if this proposal goes through. Also the majority of houses are currently owned by empty nesters but more have been sold in the last year to young families with greater needs to use the street in traditional ways.

Since the zoom meeting last month the vote has been moved up and the letter to our neighborhood letting us know was sent out last week with many neighbors gone on vacation as schools recently let out for the summer.

Please vote no and give us an opportunity to either go with the other plan which was proposed by the city or look into the suggestions John Brennan proposed to help making safety a priority without negating our needs.

With the improvements on Shoreline I continue to watch cars running the stop sign at Grand St while I walk each morning.

Thank You, MJ Broquedis
From: Kevis Brownson
To: CityCouncil-List; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project, Item 7B Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 2:23:05 PM
Honorable Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Council Members:

I write today to strongly support the protected bike lanes per the staff recommendation for this project.

A few years ago, I was working at a location in the west end of Alameda, and was commuting by bike from my home in the east end. Part of my commute involved a section of Grand Street as the recommended bike route. It was not a pleasant experience and felt very unsafe with speeding drivers and impatient right and left turners during commute hours. Protected bike lanes would have made all the difference to me in feeling safe along my route.

I drive a car too, and feel that we need more traffic calming measures on Grand.

This now retired senior bicyclist thanks you for all you have done so far to make biking and walking safer in Alameda, and hopes to bike on the new protected Grand Street bike lane soon, once you vote for it at this meeting and it is completed.

Kevis Brownson
Resident, pedestrian, bicyclist
Claire Yeaton-Risley
1101 Grand Street
Alameda, CA 94501

[email protected]
415 370-6522

June 20, 2022

RE:Tuesday June 21,2022 Council Meeting, agenda item 7-B, Grand Street Improvements

Mayor Ashcraft
Vice-Mayor Malia
Tony Daysog
Trish Spencer
John Knox White

CC:Dirk Brazil

I live at 1101 Grand St, in the block between Encinal an San Antonio Ave. This project is being touted as a safety improvement. However, it raises multiple safety concerns, which in many ways, make Grand Street less safe for pedestrians, motorist, and bicyclists.

For cyclists, I think this actually increases the risk of being struck by a motor vehicle turning off Grand St. onto a side street. On one side of Grand St. motorists may be blocked from seeing bicyclists by cars parked between the traffic lanes and the bike lane. As it is now, cars are parked at the curb and the bicycle lane is clearly visible to motorist making turns. This will be especially dangerous for low height bicycles and bicycles pulling trailers, often with children in them.

Grand Street is lined with single family homes, most of which have a single

driveway leading off Grand Street. Residents who pull their cars into their driveway, have no place to turn them around and thus must back them out onto Grand Street. As it is now they have a pretty clear view of oncoming traffic in both directions and they have space in the parking lane to safely back into before they merge into traffic. Under the “recommended“ design, residents will have to back their vehicles directly into oncoming traffic and they will not have the relatively clear view of traffic in both directions because that view will be blocked by parked vehicles which have squeezed into the greatly reduced number of parking spaces.

As I have been sitting on my front porch for the less half hour today, three sets of emergency vehicles, with sirens and lights flashing, have barreled down Grand Street in front of my home. Motorist have quickly pulled to the side of the street, as required by law and common decency, to allow the emergency vehicles to pass. Under the proposed “improvements“ there will be few free, if any, places for motorists to pull into quickly to make room for emergency vehicles.

Under the proposal, residence and their visitors will be forced to park or disembark directly into the traffic lanes or bicycle lanes. With the “alternating, single side of the street parking” proposed, people will be forced more than half of the time, to park on the side of the street opposite their destination. This will increase jay walking. For elderly and mobility impaired individuals, this will greatly exacerbate their hardships. Under the “recommended“ proposal, vehicles will not be able to pull up and discharge passengers right at the curb. The best that the individual with the walker can hope for is space between the parked cars to get to the sidewalk. This will be made even more difficult if there is a physical barrier between the bike lane and the parking lane. If the mobility impaired individual has to exit a car on the side of Grand Street opposite his/her destination, once that individual manages to get to the sidewalk he/she will now be required to walk to the nearest crosswalk, cross the street, and walk back to their destinations. I hope no one with these issues would be foolish enough to jaywalk but it is a possibility.

Grand Street does not need the elaborate “improvements“ that are recommended. It does need repaving but many other streets need it much more.

Grand Street needs stop signs at carefully selected intersections and the faded paint delineating the bike lanes needs to be repainted. Police enforcement of our traffic laws would go a long way toward reducing speeding. When we had officers patrolling, we did not have the problems with speeders that we occasionally have now.

The foregoing are only a few of the safety issues raised by this proposal. I am a bicyclist, motorist, and pedestrian. I ask you to give very serious consideration to all of the safety issues. Thank you.

Claire Yeaton-Risley

Sent from my iPhone

From: John Brennan
To: John Knox White
Subject: Re: [EXTERNAL] Thoughts on Grand Street Changes and Improvements Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 1:53:52 PM
Thanks, John! I guess I wasn’t think of the term jaywalking as a legal term as much as generic term for crossing mid-block. The crossing mid-block data/research is interesting and makes one wonder why we try to improve intersections with cross walks, pedestrian curb extensions and flashers?
Anyway, I’m still look for a way to have thing both ways—this has been a good path for me in my life—and won’t stop until I’m convinced that all possibilities are exhausted! Hope you had a nice Father’s Day as well—I did, albeit with kids remote! Best,
John
On Jun 20, 2022, at 8:46 PM, John Knox White <[email protected] >
wrote:

Hi John.

As there’s some confusion on the issue, and it’s a cause celebre for me, there is nowhere between Central and Shoreline where “jaywalking” happens. Crossing mid- block through this area is 100% legal at any time, the only distinction from the crosswalks at the corner is that pedestrians do not have the right of way mid-block.

They have to wait for cars.

There’s some really interesting research coming out showing that mid-block crossing is likely safer than at the intersection, not really a point of argument, but one I thought you might be interested in.

Hope you had a nice Father’s Day.

Best,

John Knox White
City Councilmember, Alameda
(he/him or they/them)

From: John Brennan <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2022 11:33 AM
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; John Knox White <[email protected]>; Manager Manager <[email protected]>; Andrew Thomas
<[email protected]>; Robert Vance <[email protected]>; Gail Payne <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Thoughts on Grand Street Changes and Improvements

Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Malia Vella, Councilmember Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Council Member Knox White, Interim City Manager Dirk Brazil, Planning, Building and Transportation Director Andrew Thomas, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer Robert Vance, Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator:

I’m very appreciative of the work city staff has done to make Grand Street safer—safer for residents, pedestrians, cyclists, students and motorists.

It is very challenging to
balance all interests. I especially appreciate Gail Payne, Robert Vance and Andrew Thomas for the time they’ve taken to review various ideas and concepts to achieve all our goals: measures to increase safety and increase walking and cycling to make our city greener and healthier.

And I believe there are better, more effective ways to do this on Grand than either the current proposed plan or the original plan.

Pedestrian safety is a huge issue on Grand Street. It is what residents who live on this street observe and experience everyday as we see cars speeding and failing to stop for pedestrians. I live at 711 Grand, and I see—and experience this—every day. Our worst accidents and near misses have involved pedestrians. We need a plan that makes this a priority, with physical concrete Intersection bulbs to make crossing Grand Street more safe.

Elimination of parking in the current proposed plan will lead to more jay-walking —crossing mid-block—leading to riskier behavior we want to discourage, with greater chance of injury.

Additionally, I believe the current plan will lead to more double parking of delivery vehicles, resulting in driving behavior risky to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

The new parking arrangement requires people to open doors into the traffic lane, making exiting/unloading much more dangerous.

As a city we want to encourage people to age in place, make access to their homes and visit-ability as easy as possible, and encourage Accessory Dwelling Units.

Removing so
much parking will make all this significantly more difficult.

I absolutely endorse our city’s goals to encourage and increase walking and cycling— leading to a greener, healthier city.

There are better ways than either the original plan
or the current plan to do this—ways that preserve access to homes, increase pedestrian and cycling safety (and thereby increased walking and cycling).

On Grand
we really don’t have any of that infrastructure right now. The cycling lanes on Grand currently are almost non-existent—and yet we have many cyclists, including students.

We can make dramatic improvements with a buffered bike lane protected by bollards, combined with pedestrian bulbs and robust crosswalks as follows:
·
A bike lane separated from the traffic lane by bollards placed selectively in a buffer zone between the bike lane and traffic lane, with clearly marked and brightly painted bike travel lanes
· Pedestrian safety measures that incorporate physical pedestrian bulbs and robust crosswalks to increase pedestrian safety
· A design that preserves disability, visitor and service provider access and residential parking with at curb parking on both sides of street
· Will not lead to increased jay-walking as the current proposed plan will · Would narrow the driving lanes to encourage reduced speed, providing increased width to bike lanes to increase comfort and safety.
· Preserves the open feel and aesthetics of Grand and avoids the winding road design while still providing real advances in pedestrian and cyclist safety and usability.

We could consider additional steps:
· Reduce the speed limit to 20mph
· Install electronic speed signs
· Consider 4 way stops where warranted to increase safety for all modes of travel
· Increase enforcement on Grand with additional police monitoring · When legal (almost happened this year), employ speed cameras to slow traffic.

I want to all of us to have a safer Grand Street with more walking, cycling, and access.

No plan is perfect. All plans incorporate a balance of considerations and interests. We can come up with an alternative plan that achieves our goals in a better way than the current or original plan can do this, and I’m confident our city can do this.

Thanks for listening.

With appreciation,
John
John Brennan
510-517-7622
[email protected]
From: susan carson
To: CityCouncil-List; [email protected]; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White; [email protected]
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Vote "No" re Proposed Grand Street Imvprovement Project Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 1:50:34 PM
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Vella, Council Members Daysog, Herrera Spencer and Knox White, and Acting City Manager Brazil:

I am writing about the proposed Grand Street Improvement Project to voice my opposition to the aspect of the plan that would create a buffered bicycle lane for only five blocks along single family houses on Grand Street. This project will not impact the traditional bike lane that will continue along Grand north of Encinal Avenue to the Estuary (nine blocks). Carving out Grand Street on these five blocks is not required under either Vision Zero or OBAG funding, and will not render the Grand Street safer for cyclists for these five blocks.

The Transportation Commission has not cited any incidents regarding cyclists on Grand Street.

The real problems with Grand Street—speeding cars and difficulty crossing for both pedestrians and cyclists—are well addressed in other aspects of the proposed Project which I wholeheartedly support.

I urge you to adopt them without destroying Grand Street and creating more safety issues than a five-block buffered bike lane would address.

I live at 1627 San Jose Avenue near the corner of Grand in the house my parents bought in 1969. I walk and drive on Grand Street every day. I believe that the plan to create a buffered bike lane from essentially Palmera Court to Encinal would actually increase problems for bicyclists.

For example, last week on two different days there were tree trimming trucks and then City trucks parked at the curb on the block between Clinton and Dayton Streets. A buffered bike lane would have necessarily been blocked, forcing cyclists into regular traffic.

There are frequently gardening trucks and other service trucks and vans parked in front of houses along this stretch of Grand.

It does not appear that this aspect of traffic has been considered with this proposed Project. Moreover, the assumption that package delivery and trash collection vehicles can simply pull over in designated non-parking spots does not seem feasible, especially given that they would have bollards according to the renderings provided.

Indeed, the perfunctory parking survey does not begin to address the regular activity that occurs along these five residential blocks.

Finally, I cannot help but be saddened that this proposed Project would destroy what is inarguably one of the most beautiful and iconic streets in Alameda.

For what? Five blocks of a
buffered bike lane that is not needed, does not address the actual safety issues on Grand Street, and would likely create more problems for cyclists than this aspect of the proposed Project
would address.

I urge you to vote “no” on this proposed Project. I believe the wiser course would be to adopt a Project with the other aspects of this proposal to see what effect they have on the ability to cross Grand and slow traffic along the street before carving up Grand Street.

Finally, if a concern is that the OBAG 2 grant must be spent before October 2023, I’m sure that the funds could be spent to improve other streets in Alameda, many of which need repaving and lighted crosswalks.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Susan M. Carson
1627 San Jose Avenue
Alameda, California
Tel: (510) 522-9555
[email protected]
cc: City Clerk
From: Laura Gamble
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; John Knox White Subject: [EXTERNAL] City Council 6/21 Agenda Item 7-B
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 1:18:49 PM
City Council,
I am writing to urge you to approve the protected bike lanes on Grand Street.

I walk my dogs on/around Grand street nearly 4 times each week. It never gets less scary. But more importantly, we have the data that fully supports my anecdotal experiences. Grand Street is a high injury corridor. This street is dangerous.

You have a solution that will help mitigate this danger - particularly for the young Alamedans
who attend school near Grand Street. Data shows that protected bike lanes make streets safer for *all* users - not just bikers. You have a rare opportunity to say, unequivocally, that you have voted to make the island safer.

Please vote to approve the protected bike lanes. Paint is not infrastructure. Paint will keep nobody safe.

Please show that you value the safety of the community.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Laura Gamble
From: Jeremy Saum
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Protected bike lanes on Grand
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 1:17:38 PM
Hello,
I would like to express my strong support for the proposed protected bike lanes on Grand.

As a parent of a child who rides a bike and as a bicyclist myself, I can say that I feel much safer when my child or I am riding in a protected lane.

The more protected lanes we have on the island, the more trips we can take by bike instead of by car. I already do more errands by bike because of the protected lanes we have. That means less car traffic and less pollution, which is better for everyone.

I would like to thank you for all that you have done to make Alameda safer and more family- friendly, and I encourage you to continue this valuable work.

Thank you again,
Jeremy Saum
2620
Buena Vista Ave
From: Mark Dieter
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] In favor of protected bike lanes on grand Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 12:55:46 PM
Mayor and council,
I am writing to speak in favor of protected bike lanes on Grand St.

This is a crucial N-S corridor in Alameda. We are currently severely lacking in safe N-S routes for more vulnerable road users. This route will provide better access to wood middle school for many students and allow parents to feel safer with their children walking and biking to school, potentially reducing many car trips.

Please stand by vision zero and start making the decisions that will make our streets truly safer for all users.

Thanks,
Mark Dieter
Alameda resident and AUSD teacher
Sent from my iPhone
From: Drew Dara-Abrams
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; John Knox White Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Item 7-B Grand Street
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 12:34:11 PM
Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor, and Councilmembers (with a CC to the City Clerk), I am writing to strongly support the recommended configuration for Grand Street with protected bicycle lanes.

My family and I regularly make use of this portion of Grand Street in two ways:
- First, we walk across Grand at either the San Jose slow street or San Antonio while walking through the Bronze and Gold Coast neighborhoods. This currently requires waiting for drivers that rarely see or stop for pedestrians. Then it requires a walk across a very wide tarmac to reach the other side.
- Second, we regularly use Grand Street on bike as the way to jog north/south on the way to my kids' preschool and afterschool. There are few good options for connecting north/south by bike in the central portion of Alameda. Going on Grand from San Jose up to Eagle is the least worst of the options.

As the staff report notes, there are very few cars or trucks parked in on-street parking along Grand Street when we ride past. However, just one truck sticking out into the unprotected bike lane can make cycling awkward, especially with one or two kids riding on the back of my bike. Grand Street is also the one corridor in Alameda on which I find I have to be very mindful not to be "doored" by a motorist — that is, the driver of a parked car obliviously opening their door right into a cyclist in the bike lane. As a fit adult, I will assume these responsibilities — but I strongly believe that we should not ask for that level of skill and control for everyone who wishes to ride a bike in Alameda, particularly school-age children cycling to school.

Re safety for school kids, I'd also like to add that we are in a very pernicious cycle right now.

Parents are purchasing larger and larger SUVs, which may provide more safety to the occupants of the vehicle. However, these cars are ever more dangerous to those outside of the vehicle. Collisions that used to lead to minor injuries now lead to major injuries or deaths for pedestrians and cyclists. Children and seniors are at particular risk to the high profile of vehicles' fronts. These worrying trends are visible in both local and national statistics. Redesigning key streets so that they physically protect and prioritize the most vulnerable of their users is the best means of countering those trends.

Re neighbors' concerns
: I strongly believe that safety should be the highest priority for this project, especially safety for those outside of vehicles. This will also benefit drivers, because they will have lower odds of hitting someone on foot or bike -- no one wants to be the cause of a crash.

Please consider how to listen to neighbors' concerns and prioritize safety. For example, consider directing staff to improve the aesthetics of the project materials and design. The separated bike lanes near Lincoln Middle School look pretty nice — could the same type of planted strip be used on Grand? Neighbors are asking for speed enforcement cameras -- this is not currently legal in California, but state legislators have been working on the issue -- can Alameda help to support this legislation? Also, neighbors are asking for the speed limit to be lowered to 20 MPH. This is now legal at the state-level thanks to Assembly Bill 43 -- but transportation engineers will only lower a speed limit together with actual changes to street design that guide motorists to travel at lower speeds. This is exactly what the configuration recommended by the Transportation Commission, city staff, and consultants is designed to do, and I hope that City Council will approve it.

Thank you for your time,
Drew Dara-Abrams
Calhoun St
From: Deborah Goldberg
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] We need protected bike lanes on Grand Street.

Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 12:25:13 PM
Dear City Council Members,
The data from the city's Vision Zero plan is clear. Grand Street is marked Tier 1 as a High Injury Corridor for almost its entire length both for cars and for bicycles. The Vision Zero plan makes clear the solutions (source: vision zero website):
" 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."
" Separated bicycle lanes should be provided instead of unprotected, standard bicycle lanes, when feasible"
SO, we know Grand Street is a major problem and dangerous for bikers. We know that street parking is the lowest priority. We know that the City's preferred solution is separated bike lanes. So, why is this even a question?
Grand Street will be safer, there will be a North-South connector for our slow streets, and (as we all know statistics prove) auto traffic will be slowed by the protected bike lanes.

We need protected bike lanes on Grand Street.

Deborah Zuniga Goldberg (she/her)
Mobile: 917.749.4879
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.deborahgoldberg.net
From: jlau _
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] In Favor of protected bike lanes on Grand St Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 12:18:12 PM
Please vote YES in favor of protected bike lanes on Grand St. I have lived on Grand St for over 40 years and this critical North/South protected bike infrastructure is sorely needed to create an island wide bike network.

Thank you,
Jonathan Lau
309 Grand St, Alameda, CA 94501
From: Ezra Denney
To: City Clerk; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; John Knox White; Trish Spencer; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] We Need Protected Bike Lanes on Grand Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 12:13:18 PM
City Council Members,
The data from the cities Vision Zero plan is clear. Grand street is marked Tier 1 as a High Injury Corridor for almost it's entire length both for cars and for bicycles. The Vision Zero plan makes clear the solutions
(source: vision zero website):
" 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."
" Separated bicycle lanes should be provided instead of unprotected, standard bicycle lanes, when feasible"
SO, we know Grand Street is a major problem and dangerous for bikers. We know that street parking is the lowest priority. We know that the City's preferred solution is separated bike
lanes. So, why is this even a question?
Grand Street will be safer, there will be a North-South connector for our slow streets, and (as we all know statistics
prove) auto traffic will be slowed by the protected bike lanes.

This is a chance for the politicians who say they are pro-cyclists to prove it. We need protected bike lanes on Grand Street.

From: Chris Clark
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] 7-B - Protected Bike Lanes on Grand Street Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 12:05:33 PM
Dear Mayor and Council members,

Thank you for looking at Protected Bike Lanes on Grand Street in Alameda, I would like you to vote to support this.

Protected bike lanes are one of the best ways to promote more bike usage on the island. With both the Southshore and Clement protected bike lanes we have great routes west-east, we need that for north-south.

I love Alameda and I’ve lived here for more than half my life. One of the many-many things I love about Alameda is how flat (well relatively, it feels less flat when running and/or biking in a couple of spots ) is. It is great for biking around the neighborhood. I do most of my grocery shopping on my bike.

I’ve seen a large uptick in the number of novice/beginner cyclist since the protected lanes were installed along Southshore. This is fantastic and directly attributable to the forward planning of the city council. However I have seen a number of new cyclists walking with their bikes, or taking side streets to get access to the Southshore bike lanes. This is because they don’t feel safe without the protected bike lanes. My wife would like to cycle but she is VERY nervous without the protection of a bike lane, I would like to be able to go for bike rides with her!

Thank you for your time in reading this, I hope the meeting finishes promptly for you!

Chris
From: Debra Gilliss
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Avenue proposal
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 12:04:32 PM
Re: Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of Resolution Authorizing the Interim City Manager to Proceed with the Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project Final Concept and Adoption of Environmental Findings. (Transportation 20962740)
I urge you to approve the proposed recommended project to have separated bike lanes on Grand Avenue. This is an important corridor that I use frequently when cycling in Alameda.

Furthermore it is used by schoolchildren and the proposed project will greatly improve safety.

Debra Gilliss MD, MPH
From: KERRY PLAIN
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand St project
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 11:50:26 AM
Dear Council Members
We are writing to you to voice our opposition to the current proposal for "safety improvement" to Grand St . We too are concerned about safety for all...cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles. We agree that improvements should be made, yet the proposal that is before the City Council appears to us to only appease a small, but vocal group,
and creates some safety
issues for most others.

It is obvious that speed is an issue on our street and it seems to us that can be tempered in various ways without reconfiguring the street.

Additional traffic patrol/ticketing, or the addition of speed monitors ( possibly with cameras) and/or an additional 4 way stop between Otis and Encinal ( possibly San Antonio)
would certainly curb the speed issue We
have read in a few articles about these blocks being a "high injury corridor" however from our memory, the injuries have mostly been at intersections, not along the street.

Is there somewhere we could find that
information? Also is there data on the age range of Alameda's population as it seems that there is no consideration for those of us who are not able to ride a bicycle..

The new configuration is worrisome for a number of reasons regarding safety:
.1. With the number of emergency vehicles daily on Grand St, narrower lanes
and cars out 6' from the curb would seem to impede everyone's safety, minimizing areas to pull over to allow emergency vehicles to pass. Should they be stopped on those blocks, a hazard for trying to go around them would be presented. Additionally, Amazon, FedEx, Instacart, and food service delivery vehicles ( which are at our house alone a few times a week), as well as the mail truck, and garbage trucks will also block the streets for vehicles behind them, with some moving into the oncoming lane to go around,
becoming a safety issue.

2. For turning onto Grand St or crossing Grand from the side streets, the addition of the red painted curbs has been helpful in increasing visibility, but by having to cross the 6' bike lane, to view around parked cars, to proceed into a narrower lane on Grand seems like truly "an accident waiting to happen".

We can also assume this an issue for those coming
out of driveways on Grand.

3. At 70 years old, while not disabled, if the parked cars are so near the moving cars, we are concerned about getting in and out of the vehicles safely.

4.. We are one of the houses without a driveway (650 Grand St) and while our cars are parked at the current curb ( against the guard rail at the Grand St bridge ) we have had our cars involved in a hit and run, stolen twice, and too many break ins to count (3 in 2021)
Moving it out 6', giving
access to the passenger side will invite break ins, and make it a target for moving vehicles.

We implore you to consider improvement to the markings of the current
lane markers and address the speed issue, which would make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians and not INTRODUCE the proposed separated bicycle lanes that would created new "safety issues" for the residents and those parking on Grand St by proceeding with this new configuration. It appears that current identification for bike lanes throughout the city are being made more visible, and it does not appear that this separated lane has been suggested for any other area in town that is strictly residential, with housing on both sides of the street.

Thank you for your consideration
Sincerely,
Cindy Seibert
Kerry Plain
PS
While proponents are looking for a North South bicycle path, if this is just to be done from Otis to Encinal, how does that tie into the East West route?
From: Jayne DeYoung
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Protected Bike Lanes
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 11:37:57 AM
Dear City Council,
I know you are considering whether to have protected bike lanes on Grand Street. I am a cyclist and I have experienced many close calls. I bike in areas where I would not want my kids to cycle because of dangerous intersections, fast traffic, and just a general feeling of not being safe.

Even so my kids have experienced close calls themselves while bicycling to school. While we may not benefit directly from the new bike lane on Grand Street since we don't bike in that area very often, it will benefit other cyclists, help reduce obesity by getting folks outside and taking exercise and reduce carbon emissions.

The number one reason bikers
or would-be bikers are not out on the streets is because of a lack of safety. I have three adult friends who were hit by cars while riding their bikes. Thankfully all of them survived but unfortunately one of them is too afraid to cycle again. We should no longer put the needs of car drivers first in every instance. Building a protected bike lane will help create the love of cycling in kids and promote a healthier lifestyle while also reducing our carbon footprint.

Thank you for your consideration.

Jayne DeYoung
From: Todd Hallenbeck
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] June 21 Council Meeting - Protected Bike Lanes on Grand Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 11:28:17 AM
Hello Council Members, I am an Alameda resident and live at the north end of Grand Street at Buena Vista. I am in full support of the city adopting and adding protected bike lanes along grand street. This is a major thoroughfare on the island and I bile it constantly with my

toddler children. Even with them in a bike trailer pulled behind my bike, it is often dangerous at intersections, with cars parked in the bike lane, and generally creating conditions where I will have to ride with fast moving traffic. Protected lanes along the length of Grand will help ensure that a number of these safety concerns are reduced or eliminated, making it a much safer place to bike. This will also provide a critical north/south path to connect to some of the islands newly established
east/west connectors at wind river/jean sweeney as well as along clement.

I would further support any and all efforts you can consider to implement traffic calming at the intersections of buena vista and grand. This is a scary place to bike with many cars running red lights, making fast right and left turns off of grand, and generally creating unsafe conditions. If bike lanes extended through this intersection, Im sure that motorists would be more aware of pedestrians and bikers.

Thanks for continuing to help make alameda a great place to bike and walk.

Todd Hallenbeck
From: Andrew Kaufman
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] We NEED protected bike lanes on Grand Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 11:21:36 AM
Thank you
Andrew Kaufman
1420 Broadway
Alameda
From: Sarah Henry
To: "Henry Mills"; CityCouncil-List
Cc: Lara Weisiger
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street protected Bike Lane Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 11:18:29 AM
Good morning Mayor and Councilmembers,

Please see the below correspondence from Henry Mills regarding the Grand Street project.

Many thanks,
Sarah

From: Henry Mills [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2022 8:50 AM
To:

Sarah Henry <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street protected Bike Lane

Hello Ms. Henry,

I hope you are doing well and staying safe. I am hoping to pass along the following message to our CC members, however I am regretfully not sure of the proper channels to do so. Can you pass along the following message to the members or enter it into the record of the meeting,
however written public comment is best handled? Thank you so much.

Dear Alameda City Council Members,

My name is Henry Mills and I am writing in strong support of the staff recommendation to approve the Grand Street Improvement project to include the protected bike lanes. For the past couple years, I have been a student representative on the school/city joint subcommittee. In these meetings, I was constantly impressed and encouraged by our city's effective response to our collective Mission Zero vision. I have followed the Grand Street projects as it has gone through public forums, and I have to admit I was, frankly, shocked to hear there are calls to oppose these improvements. I know I do not need to reiterate the support these improvements have from city staff and the transportation commission.

Every year, I have seen the number of students biking and rolling to school grow. Given student's high demand for options to bike to school, Alameda does not have the option to wait, recall. or impede developments in safety for students who choose to bike to school. For all my years in Alameda, the community has consistently championed for more and more students to walk and roll to school. In order for students to make that commitment and to get more cars off the road, the City has to be right where with them, committing to student safety.

It is true that not all streets need protected bike lanes, and it is also true changes will have to be made by residents to accommodate these changes. But Grand Street is one of Alameda's higher-injury corridors, and in the conversation of student and community safety, the tradeoffs are extremely minimal.

Having worked with city staff and city council members on the school and city joint subcommittee, I have complete faith and trust in their ability to draft and approve a plan that prioritizes community safety and accommodates the needs of residents. I am excited the City Council has another opportunity to commit to student and community road safety this Tuesday. Thank you for your time.

All the best,
Henry Mills
From: Jo Lawson
To: City Clerk
Cc: 16kpsi; Jo Lawson
Subject: [EXTERNAL] For Tuesday June 21, 2022 Council Meeting, agenda item 7-B, Grand Street improvements Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 11:03:41 AM
Attachments: Dangerous visibility.png
Dear Clerk and Council Members,
For Tuesday June 21, 2022 Council Meeting, agenda item 7-B, Grand Street improvements:

The current/new plan is dangerous.

This photo (attached) from the developers, shows exactly how limited the visibility will be pulling out of driveways. Most people on Grand Street have to back out of driveways on this busy street, and this is a terrifying level of visibility (circled in red and not even one full car length of visibility!!) when moving into this high traffic street.

Additionally, those drivers will be blocking bike lanes as we wait for a window to pull out and with such limited visibility, more accidents are inevitable. As it is, we are honked at and yelled at for slowing down and pulling in and out of our driveways, even when children are walking home from School on the sidewalk and we slow for their safety before we pull into our driveways.

This recommendation is dangerous. There are alternatives that were earlier proposed and somehow seem to have disappeared from conversation.

There are safer (and likely cheaper ways) to improve safety such as:
> Mark current lanes VERY WELL,

> Add high visibility cross walks,
> Add crosswalk flashers,
> Add speed bumps,
Again, this current plan increases danger to bikers, walkers and drivers.

I personally don’t care about parking, but I do care about increased danger for everyone on Grand Street.

I am also concerned about how City Services will work on such a busy street with such limited road way. Again, this will increase dangerous driving on this street as people race around city trash pick up.

Please rethink this decision or take more time to understand impact and alternative options for increased safety for Alameda walkers and riders.

Thank you,
Jo Lawson

415-867-2176
918 Grand Street

From: [email protected]
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; John Knox White; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please vote in support of the Grand Street Improvement Project Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 10:57:15 AM
Mayor Ashcraft and City Council members Knox White, Vella, Spencer, and Daysog,

I am writing to ask for your full support of the Grand Street Improvement Project, in its entirety, including keeping the staff-recommended protected bike lanes.

As you know, Grand Street has been identified in our city’s Vision Zero plan as a high- injury corridor due to the number of accidents among drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians that frequent this route.

The Grand Street Improvement Project is a critical component of our city-wide Complete Streets plan to have a connected network of protected pathways to move our community members, including children, across our city in as safe a manner as possible.

Please do the right thing for our children and our community and vote for the Grand Street Improvement Project.

Thank you for your service,
Diane Cunningham Rizzo
From: Cyndy Johnsen
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: BWA Board; Andrew Thomas; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment for 6/21 Council Meeting, Item 7-B (Grand Street) Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 9:26:13 AM
Attachments: We sent you safe versions of your files.msg CC 6_21_22 Grand.pdf
Mimecast Attachment Protection has deemed this file to be safe, but always exercise caution when opening files.

Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Vella, and Members of the City Council, We would like to share our thoughts on Item 7-B on tomorrow's agenda, attached. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Respectfully,
Bike Walk Alameda Board Member

From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Project
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 9:09:00 AM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gena Harriet <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 18, 2022 1:20 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Project
To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>,Malia Vella <[email protected]>,Manager Manager <[email protected]>,Trish Spencer <[email protected]>,John Knox White <[email protected]> Dear Council Members involved with the Grand Street repavement project, I am a homeowner on Grand Street and this project will directly affect my family and I. We walk and bike on Grand and my children will be attending Wood Middle School next year.

I
am very happy that the street will be repaved and support improved bicycle/pedestrian safety.

We have off street parking so parking loss is not an issue for us. However I still have several concerns with the planned separated bike lane and road configuration, as well as the overall aesthetics of the design.

I believe that some additional considerations should be made for the people that actually live on Grand Street 24 hours a day instead of just people who ride their bikes down the street for several minutes.

I know there was pushback from the original design
by the biking community and so the design was modified with the separated bike lanes. I feel the residents of Grand Street did not have an issue with the original design and therefore did not voice any additional concerns at that time.

Now that the original design was changed
drastically those of us who will be affected most by the changes should have an equal opportunity to be heard.

So I appreciate you taking the time to review these concerns before making a final decision to approve this project as it stands. I believe there is room to create a plan that will make all parties happy.

I'm not convinced that Grand Street is as dangerous as they are claiming in the workshop.

I
walk and bike Grand almost daily and I watch from my front window numerous bikers ride up and down the street safely. I have never witnessed the amount of danger that is suggested. I would like to see the actual statistics that warrant such an extreme change in the street configuration. There are some vague percentages sited in the slide show but no real numbers and specifically what are the numbers on this particular stretch of Grand Street? During the second workshop no one could really give specifics on this.

The project consultants' design plan is flawed. The idea for delivery vehicles is to block driveways. Unfortunately the plan shows a double width driveway. In reality most homes on Grand Street have only a narrow single car width tandem driveway. I only counted two double width driveways from Encinal to the lagoon bridge. Even so only a small delivery truck would fit this space. They also show delivery trucks can park in the spots but by reducing street parking I fear these spots won't be available. Furniture, landscape supplies, large UPS trucks, utility trucks would be forced to double park blocking the road. These larger deliveries take longer to unload and it won't be just for a couple of minutes. This will cause traffic congestion and danger when cars are going around in opposite lane.

The plan for driveway visibility is similarly flawed. Again it shows a double car width driveway with a car pulling forward onto the street. The reality, single car width with cars backing out of driveways. The rendering shows the cars pulling out with no parked cars on the other side but if you notice the opposite side of the street the driveways have cars parked across from them. When you do back out of the driveway I'm afraid you will have difficulty clearing a narrow radius when the parked cars are in the middle of the street. I already have difficulty attempting this with a much larger space.

I'm also worried that cars only parked on one side of the street will cause increased pedestrians jaywalking across to their homes on the other side. As well as gardeners, contractors, delivery people etc. We need to consider the elderly on our street as well, not all of them have off street parking. My parents are elderly and use a cane and walker and visit weekly I’m concerned for their safety. My neighbor also uses a cane and has to park in the street so according to the plan she would have to park across the street on our block. Where there is parking people will be at more risk getting out of their cars directly in vehicle traffic instead of a bike lane (bike traffic is much less than vehicle traffic). I feel this plan is great for bikes but more dangerous for pedestrians.

With the narrowing of the lanes and bollards on one side, parked cars on the other it does not seem that there will be enough room for cars to move out of the way for emergency vehicles, in particular fire trucks. Because the fire station is at one end of Grand they use Grand as a thorough way. There are several huge fire trucks
that come through multiple times daily
responding to emergencies. Where are the cars going to pull over to get out of their way? The road is just not wide enough to accommodate the proposed plan effectively. If there was capability for a center turn lane, a lot of these issues would be resolved.

The project is in a strictly residential neighborhood and the section between Encinal and the lagoon bridge is historically significant. It is a charming tree lined street and I'm worried that projects like these will slowly erode Alamedas small town feel. The application of this plan is more fitting for an urban commercial or industrial zone not a residential neighborhood. The bollards and posts are aesthetically ugly and the city has failed to maintain any of the current separated bike lane gutters or bollards. The dilapidated bollards and dirty gutters throughout the city lead me to believe there is no funding for future repair or general maintenance for this project either. Look at our downtown and shoreline, most of the bollards are destroyed, damaged or vandalized and are an eyesore. We currently have street sweeping on Grand, who will be maintaining the street and keeping it clean? There is no room for street cleaners in the separated bike lanes. The city's current separated bike lanes are filthy, full of garbage and debris, some places so thick weeds are growing in them. It's bad enough the city can't maintain this in our public spaces but would you want this in front of your home? I'd encourage you to look around town and ask yourself if you would like this to be the view from your front window? I feel that maintenance will likely fall on the homeowners that can and are willing to maintain the street so that they don’t have to have filth in front of their homes. I hope that maybe some thought about where these projects currently exist and how they are currently maintained and if there is ongoing funding for this.

If the council proceeds with this project
please consider some more aesthetically pleasing options for bollards and dividers.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my concerns. Please consider them when making your decision. I understand the community's desire for safe bike routes but there are families that have to live everyday with whatever decision is made. I believe the first design accomplishes increased safety while maintaining consideration to the homeowners and residents of Grand Street. It had improved bike lanes, crosswalks and calming measures at a much less aggressive scale. Hopefully we can work together to make Grand Street better for everyone.

Sincerely,
Gena Harriet
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Protected Bike Lanes
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 8:56:04 AM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lauren M <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 19, 2022 1:43 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Protected Bike Lanes
To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:

Good morning,
I am writing to you in support of the Grand Street Improvement Project, in its entirety, including keeping the staff- recommended protected bike lanes.

As a mother and stepmother to four children, I know that painted bike lanes mean nothing and I do not allow my children to bike anywhere without protected lanes. Being the primary path to Wood, this particular location makes it exceptionally necessary to create a protected bike lane. As you know, Grand St has been identified in our city’s Vision Zero plan as a high injury corridor due to the number of accidents between users (drivers, cyclists, pedestrians) who frequent the route, including the three children struck by vehicles this past school year.

Safety measures should never become a political issue. This is clearly an important safety problem you’ve been given the authority to address, so I hope to see a united effort from you all supporting it.

Thank you,
Lauren Merian-Klein
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 8:47:26 AM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sherry Price <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 19, 2022 3:04 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street
To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:
'm responding to the proposed changes on Grand Street, but my comments apply to all of Alameda.

The government is requiring Alameda to add 10,000 more housing units over the next several years. At a minimum this will add 15,000+ more people, 10,000+ more cars and probably a few bicycles.

Adding more people and cars at a time when the city plans to narrow/reduce traffic lanes, makes no sense.

Main thoroughfares include Broadway, Park Street, Grand Avenue, Webster Street, Shoreline, Otis, Encinal, and Clement, to name a few.

At 3:00 pm on a weekday, stand at Park Street and Clement and watch the traffic coming from Broadway to Clement, Grand Street to Clement and then all turning on Park Street to cross over the bridge.

And then someone put a stoplight across the bridge which further added to traffic back-up. As cars wait their turn, they emit more exhaust, impacting air quality. Narrowing streets that carry the most traffic results in making them unsafe for everyone.

For example, Shoreline is more dangerous after city improvements than before. Cars parking away from the curb now open doors into both the bicycle and traffic lanes. The blocks are long on Shoreline and people parking there to go to the beach jay-walk. Children among them are less observant of on-coming traffic. As the street is now narrow for cars, it’s not as easy to see people coming across – mid-street.

I was on shoreline when I heard sirens behind me. What to do? There was no place to pull over. I thought of continuing to drive ahead but I was not comfortable that it would be safe to do so. Stay in place and let the emergency vehicles try to get around me? Fortunately, the on-coming traffic slowed and left an opening for the vehicles to pass me in the on-coming lane. It was a harrowing experience. And we have a fire and emergency station on Grand Street.

Grand Street is in dis-repair.

The street is wide enough to accommodate parking, cars and bicycles. But the street needs resurfacing, bicycle lanes need to be marked as do crosswalks. When I stop to turn left off of Grand, it is common for people behind me going through to pass on my right side. Pedestrians, cyclists, and cars coming from the other direction turning left are all at risk of being hit. I’ve even had a police car pass me on the right side. People need to be issued citations for speeding and passing on the right.

The aesthetics are important but the goal should be to make everyone safe – wider more visible streets – and keep traffic moving.

Sherry Price
Palmera Court

From: Rod Baker
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project Date: Sunday, June 19, 2022 2:37:27 PM
TO: Ezzy Ashcraft, Mayor
Malia Vella, Vice Mayor
Tony Daysog, Councilmember
Trish Herrera Spencer, Councilmember
John Knox White, Councilmember
Dirk Brazil, Interim City Manager
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director Robert Vance, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator

Re: Grand Street Resurfacing and Safety Improvement Project While we commend the City for working to improve safety on Alameda Streets for pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, and alternative sources of transportation as well as vehicles, we feel that your focus has become too convoluted and complex.

As Alamedans living in our home on the Island for 44 years, we generally bike or walk most days of the year. During the past year, we have conservatively walked 700 miles and ridden our bicycles 2700 miles on the Island, for recreation as well as running errands, shopping, and going to medical appointments, haircuts, etc.

We believe the proposed changes to Grand Street will, in most instances, create more problems than they solve, i.e. leaving no space to park for mail carriers, delivery vehicles, work trucks, gardeners and so on, let alone residents and their guests.

The result will be having to go around parked vehicles and confusion for everyone involved.

We have only ridden our bikes on the section of Grand between Shoreline and Otis a few times. We generally choose to avoid it because it is now too confusing for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike resulting in people not paying attention simply because they are having trouble trying to figure out where they are supposed to be.

Our suggestions for improved safety on Grand Street would be as follows:
1) There needs to be a stop light at San Jose Avenue and Grand Street. There are way too many pedestrians and cyclists in this area not to have a safe crossing and the distance between Encinal Avenue and Otis allows vehicles to gain speed.

2) We believe funds allocated for transportation safety and especially bicycles would be better spent making sure the current pavement is in good condition for cyclists, i.e. the pavement at Grand Street and Alameda Avenue is falling apart leaving holes and loose gravel.

Also, repaving where tree roots are
extending into bike lanes, i.e. south side of Santa Clara Avenue between Caroline and St Charles.

These are just examples, but there
are many more. We should also be renewing the striping on the current bike lanes and maintain a reserve for ongoing maintenance of the current bike and sharrow lanes we have.

We could also purchase
a sweeper for bike trails that could routinely remove debris and glass. 3) Make sure the intersections governed by stop lights provide enough time between turning green and red so a bicycles can safely negotiate the intersection.

The lights should also
be made uniform and predictable with countdown numbers so a cyclist knows if he will need to stop or can safely make it through.

4) We see many parents riding with their children and teaching them the correct, safe way to ride and commend them for doing so.

Education through Bike/Walk Alameda and the
local bike shops would help new people know what the rules are and how to ride safely.

It’s not just one group that is behaving in an
unsafe manner. It’s pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicle drivers alike. 5) Last, but in our minds, most important is enforcement of the rules we currently have. Alameda Police appear to be attempting to move in this direction, but they need to have the full support of the City and its residents. We are far more concerned with getting hit by a car running a red light or not fully stopping at a stop sign than we are riding in a bike lane such as configured on Grand Street or Santa Clara Avenue, which we probably do the lengths of 3-4 times a week.

Thank you for your consideration.

Cris & Rod Baker
898 Laurel Street, Alameda, CA
From: Michael Sullivan
To: CityCouncil-List; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] June 21 Council Meeting, Item 7-B: Grand Street Date: Sunday, June 19, 2022 12:26:56 PM
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft and City Council Members Knox White, Vella, Spencer, and Daysog,
I am writing in support of protected bike lanes on Grand. They are clearly the safest option for everyone using this street. While the changes will reduce the amount of parking, safety is our top priority when improving our streets, not maintaining convenient parking. Staff has done a great job on this plan, and their recommendation is the right direction for Alameda. My feeling is that any design that doesn't include
installing protected bike lanes on Grand and opening up a safe north-south route on this bicycle high injury corridor will be a failure.

I also want to comment on the petition signed by over a hundred Grand Street neighbors opposing the protected bike lanes. The petition proposed a number of “better ways” to improve safety instead of installing protected bike lanes. My concern is that most of these suggestions, as I understand, are not feasible because they are not in line with either city, state, or federal policies. It’s unfortunate that this petition could cause confusion about what’s actually possible. If there’s a way for the city to clarify what's truly feasible for projects like this, it might be worth considering.

Regards,
Michael Sullivan
From: Heather Little
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; John Knox White; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Cc: Dirk Brazil; Manager Manager; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Grand St Improvement Plan
Date: Saturday, June 18, 2022 9:45:53 AM
Good morning: one clarification: at the end of my letter is said I never saw more than 3-5 cars parked on either side. That was meant to read on each block. I didn’t want to suggest there were only 3-5 cars down the entire stretch.

Appreciate your taking the time to read.

Thanks, Heather
On Jun 16, 2022, at 4:32 PM, Heather Little <[email protected]> wrote:

Good afternoon Mayor Ashcraft and City Council members Knox White, Vella, Spencer, and Daysog,

I am writing to you this afternoon in support of the Grand Street Improvement Project, in its entirety, including keeping the staff-recommended protected bike lanes. Several years ago I, and my family, came before an earlier version of this very City Council (which encompassed almost all of you) to share the story of my husband being run off Main Street by a driver, nearly ending his life. I am thankful every single day that he lived, and that our lives were not forever changed because of the carelessness of a driver. As most of you know, Mark is an avid and competent cyclist who is well-aware of his surroundings, and who does not take unnecessary risks when it comes to riding alongside vehicles…and yet that day he could have died. Instead he ended up with a ruined bike, bruises and cuts all over his body, several broken ribs and one of the most complex and dangerous collarbone breaks on record. Or so his surgeon told us.

All this to say, no one in infallible to injury or death when moving about this town. We have seen a serious uptick in speeding and reckless/distracted driving. And you have thankfully been responsive to this, as demonstrated by your commitment to Alameda’s Vision Zero plan and not accepting this as the norm but to, instead, do everything you can to put the
safety of our community members first. Yet we continue to lead the country, for a city our size, in the number of serious injury and fatal car-related events.

As you know, Grand St has been identified in our city’s Vision Zero plan as a high injury corridor due to the number of accidents between users (drivers, cyclists, pedestrians) that frequent the route. It is also a critical component to our city-wide Complete Streets plan to have a connected network of protected pathways to move our community members, including children, around, through, and across our city in as safe a manner as possible. As a parent of two children, and a current AUSD school board member, I know all too well the dangers that exist. With no less than three students being struck by cars this past school year, and having this be a major discussion point during our city/school subcommittee meetings, I don’t see how we could move forward without them. I hear from parents and students regularly about how scared they are to send their children to school unsupervised, even as teenagers, because of how crazy drivers have become. And I also hear, though not as frequently, from families who are lucky enough to have access to protected bike lanes about how appreciative they are that their children can go to and from school with a greater sense of confidence and peace of mind.

I am alarmed to think that a small group of residents who live on and around Grand St might be successful in blockading this effort and hold hostage the safe passage of so many others in our city. Despite opposition, this council has held strong and supported past, current and future-planned improvements throughout our city, all aimed at creating the opportunity for more people to forego the use of their car in exchange for an alternate mode of transportation. All of which have been met with praise and, in some cases, surprised agreement that yes, indeed, it was a good decision to make.

I have read the survey results that overwhelming demonstrated what the public wants to see happen. And I’ve read all the arguments against the protected bike lanes, including the petition circulated primarily among the Gold Coast neighborhood. I simply cannot understand why any reason to oppose is more important than protecting children by giving them the safest option possible, which means not settling for paint on the ground. The petition cites “unlike (other areas) Grand street residents need to back out of their driveways, which is already very difficult”. I’m curious, is there an unknown city regulation that requires residents on Grand St to pull head first into their driveways? Is it more challenging to back out onto Grand St than say, Broadway, where I lived for several years? I don’t think so. Or how about residents who have driveways on any other major street artery: Lincoln? Encinal? Otis? Fernside? You did not allow such arguments to be factors in your decision to support the other street improvement projects. And contrary to those particular roads, Grand St has the luxury of space and lack of impacted parking circumstances, making it a prime choice for supporting this need. Just this morning I drove down Grand St between Central and Shoreline and saw no more than 3-5 cars parked on either side. As has been the case in other controversial decisions, the arguments are, in the end, proven to be baseless.

Safety measures should never become a political issue, and yet here we are. Doing everything we can, so long as we have the means, to ensure the upmost safety of our community, and especially our children, should not be a political issue, and again, here we are. Street safety is one topic where I hope you will be unified and do the right thing by voting for this project and including protected bike lanes along the full Grand St corridor. Thank you for your service.

In partnership,

Heather Little
Mother, voter
AUSD Board Vice President
From: John Brennan
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Petition from Grand Street neighborhood residents to the City Council of Alameda regarding proposed changes to Grand Street Date: Saturday, June 18, 2022 5:57:47 AM
Dear City Clerk,
Please include this email to city council members in the packet for the Tuesday 21 June City Council Meeting, agenda item 7-B, Grand Street Improvements.

Thanks very much,
John
Begin forwarded message:

From: John Brennan <[email protected]
>
Subject: Petition from Grand Street neighborhood residents to the City Council of Alameda regarding proposed changes to Grand Street
Date: June 17, 2022 at 10:38:37 AM MDT
To: [email protected]
, [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], Andrew Thomas <[email protected]>, Robert Vance <[email protected]>, Gail Payne <[email protected]>
Dear Alameda officials,
I’m sending this email on behalf of over 100 Grand Street area residents who are submitting the following petition regarding the proposed changes to Grand Street. We believe that there are better alternatives to make Grand Street safer than either the current plan or the original plan. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks very much,
John
John Brennan
711 Grand Street
Alameda, CA 94501
510-517-7622
Dear City of Alameda officials: Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Malia Vella, Councilmember Tony Daysog, Councilmember, Trish Herrera Spencer, Councilmember John Knox White, Dirk Brazil, Interim City Manager; Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director; Robert Vance, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer, Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator
We, the more than 100 undersigned residents of Grand Street and associated side streets, are writing to you about changes the city proposes for Grand Street from Encinal to Otis.

We applaud and endorse the
city’s goals to make our streets safer, slowing traffic and improving safety, especially for pedestrians and cyclists.

However, the current proposed solution needs rethinking.

Many of us walk and bike throughout Alameda
and appreciate the increased ability to do so safely. Our kids bike and walk to school. We all support safe streets for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. We all need to be willing to give up some things for the common good, but the recently proposed plan with a bike lane between parked cars and the curb and alternating no parking blocks reduces safety and imposes significant burdens on Grand Street residents.

The current proposal will make Grand Street significantly less safe and usable for residents.

Unlike
Shoreline Drive, Grand Street residents must back out of their driveways, which is already difficult. The proposed configuration significantly increases the likelihood of collisions by making it more difficult to see oncoming traffic and requiring drivers to back much further into Grand Street –likely into the opposing lane of traffic—before they can turn onto the street. The proposed configuration will also increase double-parking of delivery and service vehicles, effectively blocking a major cross-town street. Impatient drivers will unsafely swing around the double-parked vehicles creating further risks.

Aging in place will become much more challenging under the proposed plan. As many of our residents age or cope with disabilities they rely on home health-aids, care givers, delivery services, and visits from friends and relatives that allow them to remain in their homes. Removing parking for more than half of our residents increases the burden on those with disabilities and impairs the provision of services and visitation.

There are better and less disruptive ways to make Grand Street safer and slow traffic down , which is
one of the biggest issues on Grand:
 · Put in more 4 way stops to force traffic to slow down  · Install speed bumps  · Reduce the speed limit to 20mph  · Put in electronic speed monitoring signs or devices, including traffic enforcement cameras
 · Encourage the Alameda Police Department to increase patrols on Grand  · Deploy clearer, more vivid signage, bicycle lane striping, and crosswalk lights
We urge you not to proceed with the current plan but to come up with another that improves safety while maintaining accessibility and usability.

A new plan needs prioritize pedestrian safety, have clearer bike lanes, add clear crossing markers at intersections with traffic blinkers, preserve parking on both sides of Grand Street and provide for clearly marked auto travel lanes.

Thank you for listening to our concerns and factoring them into achieving the goals we all share and the city is working towards: an Alameda that is safe and usable for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers—and residents!

We, the undersigned residents of Grand Street and associated side streets 

First
Name
Last Name Address
Number
Street Email Phone
Denise Bartalini 1224 Bay Street [email protected]
510-769-9776
Sally Damsen 1243 Bay Street [email protected] 510-523-1823 Fred Damsen 1243 Bay Street [email protected] 510-523-1823
Michael Lee 1633 Clinton Street [email protected] 510-995-8514 Connie Ulasewicz 1633 Clinton Street [email protected] 510-995-8514 Barry Schutz 1616 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-219-6329 Karen Lee 1616 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-295-7527 Barry Parker 1622 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-504-5136 Lolly Parker 1622 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-504-5137 Matthew Dean 1639 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-865-8830 Elizabeth Dean 1639 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-865-8830 Katy Davies-Perez 1700 Dayton Street [email protected] 415.200.7027 Vanessa Perez 1700 Dayton Street [email protected] 650.504.9738 Tom Bertken 1703 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-523-1333 Bob Poala 1710 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-522-5227 Rochelle Poala 1710 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-522-5227 Katie Saco 1712 Dayton Street [email protected] 510.522.1717 Mark Sacco 1712 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-522-1717 Francis Ho 1715 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-409-8486 Connie Wong 1715 Dayton Street [email protected] 510-409-8486 Kerry Plain 650 Grand Street [email protected] 510-967-5588 Cindy Seibert 650 Grand Street [email protected] 510-967-5588 Gina Jabor 700 Grand Street [email protected] 510-390-1813 Philip Jabor 700 Grand Street [email protected] 510-390-1812 Marsha Broquedis 701 Grand Street [email protected] 510-918-0817 Hale Foote 705 Grand Street [email protected] (510) 517-3024 Beth Foote 705 Grand Street [email protected] (510) 205-9843 Jon Glazebrook 710 Grand Street [email protected] 910-352-6504 Desilu Glazebrook 710 Grand Street [email protected] 707-342-4826 Jean Brennan 711 Grand Street [email protected] 510-326-3369 John Brennan 711 Grand Street [email protected] 510-517-7622 Deborah Camp 714 Grand Street [email protected] 510-377-2077 Lars Damerow 715 Grand Street [email protected] 510-384-2486 Andrea Warren 715 Grand Street [email protected] 415-290-7846 Margeret Weber 718 Grand Street [email protected] (510) 769-8552 Joshua Weber 718 Grand Street [email protected] (510) 612-2693 Jillian Bullick 718 Grand Street [email protected] (510) 345-8752 Andre Jukhoop 719 Grand Street [email protected] 415 624 7367 Bunnie Hollis 719 Grand Street [email protected] 659 455 4404 Dan Elshire 806 Grand Street [email protected] 510-708-8824 Jackie Elshire 806 Grand Street [email protected] 510-708-8824 Sue Devine 811 Grand Street [email protected] 510-334-9996 Joe Devine 811 Grand Street [email protected] 510-384-9996 Anthony Torza 815 Grand Street [email protected] 415.830.0703 Shima Faramarzi 815 Grand Street [email protected] 415.830.0703 Paolo Friedman 816 Grand Street [email protected] 415-720-6990 Siam Peav 816 Grand Street [email protected] 415-720-6990 Howard Ashcraft 903 Grand Street [email protected] 510-523-3135 Jose Patino 911 Grand Street [email protected] (510) 561- 5210 Aurora Patino 911 Grand Street [email protected] (510) 561- 5210 Veronica Baum 912 Grand Street [email protected] 510-864-1167 John Baum 912 Grand Street [email protected] 510-864-1167 Laura Satersmoen 912 Grand Street [email protected] 510-864-1167 Paul Ferry 917 Grand Street [email protected] 510-506-2571 Regina Muccillo 917 Grand Street [email protected] 510-506-2615 Anthony Lawson 918 Grand Street [email protected] 415-867-2176 Jo Lawson 918 Grand Street [email protected] 650-387-6402 Marjorie Setchko 920 Grand Street [email protected] (510) 812 5078 Natalee Thomas 921 Grand Street [email protected] 415-377-9710 Jeff Thomas 921 Grand Street [email protected] 650-346-3327 Karen Pavlik 921 Grand Street [email protected] 412-216-0887 Matthew Anderson 924 Grand Street [email protected] 510-337-0714 Nuala Creedon 924 Grand Street [email protected] 510-337-0714 Bill Francis 1012 Grand Street [email protected] 510-306-5170 Lois Francis 1012 Grand Street [email protected] 510-523-9420 Kerry Koffler 1019 Grand Street [email protected] 510-919-0737 Steven Archer 1024 Grand Street [email protected] 415-519-4214 Andy Wohn 1100 Grand Street [email protected] 646-825-0518 Hyunjin Kim 1100 Grand Street mailto:[email protected] 510-913-5172 Claire Yeaton-
Risley
1101 Grand Street [email protected] 415-370-6522 Gena Harriet 1112 Grand Street [email protected] 510-213-1576 Pierra Harriet 1112 Grand Street [email protected] 510-213-1576 Carol Gottstein 1114 Grand Street [email protected] 510-930-4471 Gary Takeoka 1115 Grand Street [email protected] 510-213-4234 Bob Orbeta 1117 Grand Street [email protected] 510-846-1732 Barbara Orbeta 1117 Grand Street [email protected] 510-846-1732 Roger Hacker 1121 Grand Street [email protected] 408-649-8824 Marisa Giller 1121 Grand Street [email protected] 314-630-4123 Carmen Plaza-
Jennings
720 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-522-6123 Dwight Jennings 720 Palmera Court [email protected] 510) 522-6123 Tessa Bajema 722 Palmera Court [email protected] 480-227-1073 Nick Bajema 722 Palmera Court [email protected] 480-227-1073 John Roveda 724 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-521-1661 Mary Roveda 724 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-521-1661 Judith Roveda 724 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-521-1661 Arup Roy-Burman 730 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-995-8742 Sheila Jenkins 730 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-220-1595 Jean Fong 734 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-390-8830 Todd Roloff 735 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-775-3241 Jennifer Roloff 735 Palmera Court [email protected] 415-999-4395 Ken Flanagan 742 Palmera Court [email protected] 917-399-8508 Jeanette Bettles 742 Palmera Court [email protected] 917-399-8512 Janine Shafer 1710 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-523-2934 Howard Brizendine 1715 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-522-4888 Sherry Price 1715 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-522-4888 John Mahoney 1720 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-522-3825 Tita Mahoney 1720 Palmera Court [email protected] 510-522-3825 Karen Miller 720 Paru [email protected] 510-388-2501 Nancy Leavitt 1612 San Antonio [email protected] 510-449-4483 James Harrison 1615 San Antonio [email protected] 5105213818 Suzie Harrison 1615 San Antonio [email protected] 51052138318 Diane Steed 1616 San Antonio [email protected] 510-521-6929 David Penney 1620 San Antonio [email protected] (510) 326-4796 Joanie Weber 1621 San Antonio [email protected] (925) 998-8021 Andy Weber 1621 San Antonio [email protected] (510) 566-1510 Steven Kibler 1625 San Antonio [email protected] 408-309-6760 Lisa Kibler 1625 San Antonio [email protected] 510-919-3947 Madeline Deaton 1615 San Jose [email protected] (510) 523-2443 Myrkle Deaton 1615 San Jose [email protected] (510) 523-2443 Milt Friedman 2626 Santa Clara
Ave.
[email protected] 5109151243
Michelle Minor 2626 Santa Clara
Ave.
[email protected] 5109151243
Jayne Chipman 1424 San Jose [email protected] 510-522-7941 John Chipman 1424 San Jose [email protected] 510-522-7941 Lee Sadeg 999 Morton [email protected] 510-522-4802

From: John Brennan
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Thoughts on Grand Street Changes and Improvements for 21 June 22 City Council Meeting, agenda item 7-B
Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 2:46:22 PM
Dear City Clerk,
Please include this email to city council members in the packet for the Tuesday 21 June City Council Meeting, agenda item 7-B, Grand Street Improvements.

Thanks very much,
John
Begin forwarded message:

From: John Brennan <[email protected]
>
Subject: Thoughts on Grand Street Changes and Improvements Date: June 17, 2022 at 12:33:21 PM MDT
To: [email protected]
, [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], Andrew Thomas <[email protected]>, Robert Vance <[email protected]>, Gail Payne <[email protected]>
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Malia Vella, Councilmember Daysog, Councilmember Spencer, Council Member Knox White, Interim City Manager Dirk Brazil, Planning, Building and Transportation Director Andrew Thomas, Deputy Public Works Director/City Engineer Robert Vance, Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator:

I’m very appreciative of the work city staff has done to make Grand Street safer— safer for residents, pedestrians, cyclists, students and motorists.

It is very

challenging to balance all interests. I especially appreciate Gail Payne, Robert

Vance and Andrew Thomas for the time they’ve taken to review various ideas and concepts to achieve all our goals: measures to increase safety and increase walking and cycling to make our city greener and healthier.

And I believe there

are better, more effective ways to do this on Grand than either the current proposed plan or the original plan.

Pedestrian safety is a huge issue on Grand Street.

It is what residents who live on

this street observe and experience everyday as we see cars speeding and failing to stop for pedestrians. I live at 711 Grand, and I see—and experience this—every

day. Our worst accidents and near misses have involved pedestrians. We need a

plan that makes this a priority, with physical concrete Intersection bulbs to make crossing Grand Street more safe. Elimination of parking in the current proposed plan will lead to more jay-walking—crossing mid-block—leading to riskier behavior we want to discourage, with greater chance of injury. Additionally, I believe the current plan will lead to more double parking of delivery vehicles, resulting in driving behavior risky to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists. The new

parking arrangement requires people to open doors into the traffic lane, making exiting/unloading much more dangerous.

As a city we want to encourage people to age in place, make access to their homes and visit-ability as easy as possible, and encourage Accessory Dwelling Units.

Removing so much parking will make all this significantly more difficult.

I absolutely endorse our city’s goals to encourage and increase walking and

cycling—leading to a greener, healthier city. There are better ways than either the

original plan or the current plan to do this—ways that preserve access to homes, increase pedestrian and cycling safety (and thereby increased walking and cycling).

On Grand we really don’t have any of that infrastructure right now.

The cycling lanes on Grand currently are almost non-existent—and yet we have

many cyclists, including students.

We can make dramatic improvements with a buffered bike lane protected by bollards, combined with pedestrian bulbs and robust crosswalks as follows:
 ·
A bike lane separated from the traffic lane by bollards placed selectively in a buffer zone between the bike lane and traffic lane, with clearly marked and brightly painted bike travel lanes  · Pedestrian safety measures that incorporate physical pedestrian bulbs and robust crosswalks to increase pedestrian safety
 ·
A design that preserves disability, visitor and service provider access and residential parking with at curb parking on both sides of street
 ·
Will not lead to increased jay-walking as the current proposed plan will
 · Would narrow the driving lanes to encourage reduced speed, providing increased width to bike lanes to increase comfort and safety.
 ·
Preserves the open feel and aesthetics of Grand and avoids the winding road design while still providing real advances in pedestrian and cyclist safety and usability.

We could consider additional steps:

· Reduce the speed limit to 20mph · Install electronic speed signs · Consider 4 way stops where warranted to increase safety for all modes of travel
· Increase enforcement on Grand with additional police monitoring
· When legal (almost happened this year), employ speed cameras to slow traffic.

I want to all of us to have a safer Grand Street with more walking, cycling, and access. No plan is perfect. All plans incorporate a balance of considerations and

interests. We can come up with an alternative plan that achieves our goals in a

better way than the current or original plan can do this, and I’m confident our city can do this.

Thanks for listening.

With appreciation,

John
John Brennan
510-517-7622
[email protected]


From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Support for Grand Street safety improvements, including separated bike lanes Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 1:26:52 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ashley Rogers <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 14, 2022 11:03 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support for Grand Street safety improvements, including separated bike lanes
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>,Malia Vella <[email protected]>,Tony Daysog <[email protected]>,Trish Spencer <[email protected]>,John Knox White <[email protected]> Cc: Gail Payne
<[email protected]>,[email protected],[email protected],Steve Perez <[email protected]>,Evaly Long
<[email protected]>,[email protected],Mike Stevens <[email protected]>
Hello Mayor Ashcraft and City Councilmembers,

I am writing in support of the Grand Street safety improvements, including separated bike lanes, that will come to you for a vote on June 21. As a Frankin parent and former Frankin PTA President, I can assure you that any and all safety improvements along Grand are of the upmost importance to our school community. We need to do everything possible to live up to our City's Vision Zero goals, minimize roadway injuries and fatalities, and ensure the safety of our children and families.

As I'm sure you know, several young people have been hit by cars on Grand this year.

While the proposed flashing beacons at Grand/San Antonio and in front of Wood will directly benefit two of our school communities, I am personally excited about the proposed protected bike lanes along Grand.

My family bikes around town regularly, and we use Grand to get to get to our kids' Little League practices and games at Rittler Park, as well as to the beach.

Separated bike lanes on Grand will benefit everyone who bikes along Grand and will provide important connectivity to the existing/new bike lanes on Shore Line, Otis, and Clement.

These, combined with our slow streets (which I also LOVE and use regularly), make biking a viable, convenient, and hopefully safer option to travel around Alameda, while reducing our family's carbon footprint and staying fit.

And with a new middle schooler in our family who
will be biking to school on his own for the first time, I whol eheartedly support more protected
bike lanes around our City.

I urge you to approve this project, including the separated bike lanes, as a vote to prioritize the safety of our children. Thank you.

Respectfully,
Ashley Rogers
1542 Sherman Street
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Grand St improvements
Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 1:26:32 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Steve Perez <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 14, 2022 11:22 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand St improvements
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>,Malia Vella <[email protected]>,Tony Daysog <[email protected]>,Trish Spencer <[email protected]>,John Knox White <[email protected]> Cc:

Dear Mayor Ashcraft and City Councilmembers,
I am writing to voice my support for the Grand Street safety improvements, including separated bike lanes. I am an avid cyclist whose two elementary school-aged daughters attend Franklin Elementary and regularly bike to school. The safety improvements will boost the safety of our children, minimize injuries, and further incentivize biking, which minimizes our carbon footprint and increases the fitness levels of our community.

My family and I encourage you to approve this project.

Respectfully,
Steve Perez
2012 Otis Dr.
--
Steve
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Support for protected bike lane on grand Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 1:26:14 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Brooke Atherton El-Amine <[email protected]> Date: Jun 15, 2022 1:01 AM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support for protected bike lane on grand To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:

Dear Council Members,
I am a West End resident with a child at Wood and one who will be there soon. Grand is a highway of kids on bikes every weekday morning during the school year. We desperately need a separated bike lane there to reduce risk of injuries.

It has been such a joy to live in such a bike friendly community for the last year after moving to Alameda from Beirut, Lebanon where my children could have never bikes to school. Please continue to make the changes that make our community safer and even more bike and kid friendly!

Brooke El-Amine
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Grand St. improvement vote
Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 1:24:49 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sarah Coombs <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 15, 2022 2:51 AM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand St. improvement vote
To: Trish Spencer <[email protected]>
Cc:

Dear Mayor Ashcraft and City Councilmembers,
I am writing in support of the Grand Street safety improvements, including separated bike lanes, that are coming up for a vote on June 21. As a resident of Grand Street, and parent of Wood and Franklin students, I can confirm that any safety improvements in this area are both needed and welcome. We should do everything possible to live up to our City's Vision Zero goals, minimize roadway injuries and fatalities, and encourage the independence and health of children by allowing them to travel safely by bike. As I'm sure you know, several people have been hit by cars in this area this year, which has made some parents reluctant to let their kids ride their bikes on their own. This is a shame.

Separated bike lanes on Grand will benefit not just Franklin and Wood students. They’ll benefit everyone who bikes along Grand and will provide important connectivity to the bike lanes on Shoreline, Otis, and Clement.

These,
combined with our slow streets, make biking a viable, convenient, and safer option to travel around Alameda, while reducing people’s carbon footprint and helping them to stay fit.

I urge you to approve this project as a vote to prioritize the safety of our children and bikers. I say this despite the fact that with the separated bike lanes, my family will lose a parking space in front of our house that we make use of often. The benefits for our children, and doing the right thing for our environment, is worth this loss of parking for us.

Thank you.

Sarah Coombs
--
Sarah Coombs
Principal, Coombs Design
www.coombsdesign.com
[email protected]
646.247.2356
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Please support the Grand Street Bicycle Improvements Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 1:24:27 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ryan McLaughlin <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 15, 2022 10:29 AM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please support the Grand Street Bicycle Improvements To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:

I live on Pacific and have a young son who will be riding his bike to/from school, and we as a family ride to preschool. My neighbor also rides to Wood by himself down Grand every day.

The improvements won't change anything about traffic flow as we're not losing any lanes.

Please support connecting the other existing bike lanes to build a safe bicycle infrastructure on the island.

From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Please support the Grand Street Improvement Project Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 1:24:01 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Vicki Sedlack <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 15, 2022 2:45 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please support the Grand Street Improvement Project To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:

Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
I am writing to urge approval of the Grand Street protected bike lanes proposal. The separated bikeways offer important protection for the many children and families who bike along Grand Street to schools and recreational activities, which encourages more biking and reduces reliance on the automobile. This is vital for community safety and efforts to address climate change.

As leaders of our community, we count on you to do the right thing for our community, and especially for our children who do not have a direct voice.

I hope that those of you who are committed to Alameda’s children, youth, and their families will center the safety and well-being of our children and youth and vote to approve the staff- recommended Grand Street Improvement Project, including the separated bikeways.

Sincerely,
Vicki Sedlack
[email protected]
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] We need protected bike lanes on Grand.

Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 1:23:42 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: James Martin <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 15, 2022 3:13 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] We need protected bike lanes on Grand.

To: Trish Spencer <[email protected]>
Cc:

Hi Trish,
I want you to know that I am in support of protected bike lanes on Grand Ave.

As a major north-south connector that runs from estuary to beach, Grand Ave. protected bike lanes make sense because they connect other major walking & running paths and other bike routes
These intertwined bike routes and walking
paths are one of the best things about Alameda!
Additionally, Grand Ave. is a road that serves major parks and schools, and will give Wood Middle School students and the many soccer, baseball and football teams that use the Rittler
Park fields safe access.

Protected bike lanes on Grand Ave. are a very important step for Alameda to take to connect our already wonderful
paths and bikeways and make the city safer, better, and more accessible!
Thank you!
James Martin
From: Trish Spencer
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Improvement Project Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 1:22:59 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: emily muse <[email protected]>
Date: Jun 15, 2022 4:42 PM
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Improvement Project
To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc:

To the City Council Members of Alameda,
I am writing in regards to the Grand Street Improvement project. I recently attended the Transportation Commission meeting, and hope that the City Council approves the recommendation for protected bike lanes.

I live and work in Alameda, and have 2 children (ages 6 and 9) who attend school in our city. We all bike to work and school everyday and are excited about the safety improvements for bikers. Although my children do not attend Wood Middle School yet, we support protected bike lanes.

On April 7 of this year, my kids and I were biking to Love Elementary at 8:10 am. We were at the entrance and a parked car driver opened his car door into my bike and threw me into the street. My arm was severely broken- casted to my shoulder for 6 weeks and I am still unable to ride a bike or engage in my normal activities. I was lucky to walk away from the accident. I was also lucky that neither of my children were hit. They were on their bikes right behind me. We need to make schools safe for our children to enter.

There is a big difference between painted bike lanes and protected bike lanes. Drivers do not respect painted bike lanes. When I pick up my children at the end of the day (on our bikes), we ride for several blocks on Central Ave.

We use the painted bike lanes. However, every day there are cars and trucks double parked in the bike lane. When this happens, we have to bike into the street to pass the parked cars or trucks. Drivers are not looking out for bikers.

They often honk at us if they see us. It is an unsettling situation.

Please pass the plans for protected bike lanes. Our children deserve safety. Protected bike lanes allow children (and adults) to be healthy, independent, and environmentally conscious.

Thank you,
Emily Muse
Alameda resident
From: Anne Kohler
To: John Knox White; Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand Street Bike Lanes
Date: Friday, June 17, 2022 2:53:22 AM
Good morning. I am out of the country for the next few weeks and sadly cannot attend meetings to support these new improvements being discussed but want to send a letter of support.

I am writing to let you know I fully support the Grand Street Improvement Project. I know several people who have been hit by cars while running, biking, and walking on and near Grand. I know these improvements have been suggested after some studies were done so I feel that to ignore them or not pass them due to parking concerns would be a shame. I live just one block from Grand and have several friends living
on Grand and have never known parking to
be an issue. And let's decide what's more important here.....parking or lives??? Marilyn, you live on Grand and bike often. I have heard through grapevines that you are not in support of these improvements which saddens me! Can you tell me more about why you don't support it? Our city has WAY too many cars on the streets already! Let's support our bikers!!
Anne
From: Heather Little
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; John Knox White; Trish Spencer; Malia Vella Cc: Dirk Brazil; Manager Manager; City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand St Improvement Plan
Date: Thursday, June 16, 2022 4:33:11 PM
Good afternoon Mayor Ashcraft and City Council members Knox White, Vella, Spencer, and Daysog,

I am writing to you this afternoon in support of the Grand Street Improvement Project, in its entirety, including keeping the staff-recommended protected bike lanes. Several years ago I, and my family, came before an earlier version of this very City Council (which encompassed almost all of you) to share the story of my husband being run off Main Street by a driver, nearly ending his life. I am thankful every single day that he lived, and that our lives were not forever changed because of the carelessness of a driver. As most of you know, Mark is an avid and competent cyclist who is well- aware of his surroundings, and who does not take unnecessary risks when it comes to riding alongside vehicles…and yet that day he could have died. Instead he ended up with a ruined bike, bruises and cuts all over his body, several broken ribs and one of the most complex and dangerous collarbone breaks on record. Or so his surgeon told us.

All this to say, no one in infallible to injury or death when moving about this town. We have seen a serious uptick in speeding and reckless/distracted driving. And you have thankfully been responsive to this, as demonstrated by your commitment to Alameda’s Vision Zero plan and not accepting this as the norm but to, instead, do everything you can to put the safety of our community members
first. Yet we continue to lead the country, for a city our size, in the number of serious injury and fatal car-related events.

I am alarmed to think that a small group of residents who live on and around Grand St might be successful in blockading this effort and hold hostage the safe passage of so many others in our city.

Despite opposition, this council has held strong and supported past, current and future-planned improvements throughout our city, all aimed at creating the opportunity for more people to forego the use of their car in exchange for an alternate mode of transportation. All of which have been met with praise and, in some cases, surprised agreement that yes, indeed, it was a good decision to make.

In partnership,

Heather Little
Mother, voter
AUSD Board Vice President
From: Gail Payne
To: City Clerk
Subject: FW: Support for Grand Street safety improvements, including separated bike lanes Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2022 7:48:45 AM
fyi

Gail Payne, Senior Transportation Coordinator, City of Alameda (she/her/hers) 510-747-6892 - [email protected]

From: Ashley Rogers [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2022 8:03 PM
To:

Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; John Knox White <[email protected]>
Cc: Gail Payne <[email protected]>; [email protected]; [email protected]; Steve Perez <[email protected]>; Evaly Long <[email protected]>; [email protected]; Mike Stevens <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Support for Grand Street safety improvements, including separated bike lanes

Hello Mayor Ashcraft and City Councilmembers,

As I'm sure you know, several young people have been hit by cars on Grand this year.

My family bikes around town regularly, and we use Grand to get to get to our kids' Little League practices and games at Rittler Park, as well as to the beach.

Separated bike lanes on Grand will benefit everyone who bikes along Grand and will provide important connectivity to the existing/new bike lanes on Shore Line, Otis, and Clement.

And with a new middle schooler in our family who
will be biking to school on his own for the first time, I wholeheartedly support more protected bike lanes around our City.

I urge you to approve this project, including the separated bike lanes, as a vote to prioritize the safety of our children. Thank you.

Respectfully,
Ashley Rogers
1542 Sherman Street

From: Steve Perez
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Malia Vella; Tony Daysog; Trish Spencer; John Knox White Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand St improvements
Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2022 8:22:33 PM
Dear Mayor Ashcraft and City Councilmembers,
I am writing to voice my support for the Grand Street safety improvements, including separated bike lanes. I am an avid cyclist whose two elementary school-aged daughters attend Franklin Elementary and regularly bike to school. The safety improvements will boost the safety of our children, minimize injuries, and further incentivize biking, which minimizes our carbon footprint and increases the fitness levels of our community.

My family and I encourage you to approve this project.

Respectfully,
Steve Perez
2012 Otis Dr.
--
Steve
From: James Johnston (mail)
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please vote for staff-recommended PROTECTED bike lanes on Grand St Date: Sunday, June 12, 2022 8:25:32 PM
To Alameda City Councilmembers,

Please vote in favor of the staff recommendation to build protected bike lanes on Grand St, including protected lanes between Otis and Encinal.

My wife and I both regularly use nearly all possible modes of transportation in Alameda: bicycling, driving a car, walking, and using the bus.

Having exposure to each of these modes in Alameda,
including both bicycling and driving on other streets with protected bike lanes, I feel that the staff recommendation with protected bike lanes is the best choice.

It will provide the best safety for
bicyclists, while still leaving the street quite usable for cars.

This street needs to work for everyone, and right now it’s suboptimal for bicycles. Especially given that there is a school on this road, we need to choose the safest possible option for both children and adults:
protected bike lanes that both feel and are safe, and are easy to use for even bicycling novices. Traditional Class II bike lanes often fall short, leaving bicyclists both more vulnerable to moving traffic, and also to being “doored” by parked vehicles when you ride “in the lane” and don’t know any better.

The protected bike lane concept does not suffer from these problems. Alameda needs more north-south corridors that are safe for bicycles. This is an excellent opportunity to improve one.

If city council cannot vote in favor of the recommendation, then the city is not truly serious about its Vision Zero objectives in my opinion.

We must not prioritize publicly-subsidized “free” street parking for private automobiles at the cost of people’s lives. Nothing is ever free. (Plus, we heard at the transportation commission that street parking is so underutilized anyway, and most housing here has private driveways – there is absolutely no reason to keep excessive street parking here.)

Best regards,

James Johnston
From: Maria Piper
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Bike lanes and increased safety in Alameda Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022 8:52:51 PM
Hello,
I want to email the city council in support of additional investment in non-car modes of transportation. After reading this letter to the editor and months of consideration, I finally invested in a bike. We sold one of our family cars, and are working to reduce our reliance on cars to get from place to place. Although Alameda is a fairly small town, I’ve found navigating the city on a bike to be less easy than I expected. I have to go out of my way to find safe routes to places I want to go, and there are few safe places to park bikes. I appreciate the dedicated, protected bike lane on Shoreline and Fernside and would like to see more of them across the city. I also appreciate the lanes on Central. I heard there is a proposal to add a dedicated lane on Grand, and I am in support of that as well.

As far as the Bay Trail goes, if maintenance is the responsibility of Alameda, there is a lot of room for improvement on the Bay Farm trail. It’s quite rough and bumpy, and has been for years. It’s not a great trail for many bikes.

Since we are experiencing climate change already, we need to start incentivizing people to change their habits. Making it easier and safer to ride in Alameda would help with that goal.

Since bikes aren’t as heavy as cars, we would need less road maintenance and fewer pedestrians are likely to be killed by a bicycle. Moreover, as more e-bikes are used, there may be a need to have multiple lanes or better guidelines on which speeds are appropriate on which streets and paths.

As a city and society, we’ve invested so much money in infrastructure for cars, all while (in Alameda) insisting on a 25mph speed limit that few cars adhere to. This has only incentivized people to drive everywhere because it’s the most convenient. I understand that some people may have difficulty using alternative means of transportation due to being disabled or elderly, but there are other solutions like busing, or even tricycle taxis, that could help mitigate that problem.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Maria Piper
94502
From: John Knox White
To: Lara Weisiger
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Proposed Bike Lane Grand Ave
Date: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 6:53:59 AM
For future council meeting packet
Best,
John Knox White
City Councilmember, Alameda
(he/him or they/them)
-----Original Message-----
From: Constane Ulasewicz <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, June 6, 2022 6:24 PM
To: CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Proposed Bike Lane Grand Ave
Dear City Council,
Am not a Grand Street Resident, but am a bike rider. As such, I am not in favor of a raised platform/sidewalk for bikers but am for a fully separated bike lane at the regulated width, separated from traffic lane by the parking lane.

Thank you for your work and attention to this matter, Connie Ulasewicz From: John Knox White
To: City Clerk
Subject: FW: Grand St. bike lane impacts
Date: Thursday, June 2, 2022 6:22:12 PM
For council packet

Best,

John Knox White
City Councilmember, Alameda
(he/him or they/them)

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, June 2, 2022 4:36 PM
To:

CityCouncil-List <[email protected]>
Cc: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft <[email protected]>; Malia Vella <[email protected]>; Tony Daysog <[email protected]>; Trish Spencer <[email protected]>; John Knox White <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand St. bike lane impacts

To whom it may concern,

My name is Paolo Friedman and my wife Siam Peav and I live at 816 Grand St with our 3 children. I am writing you to formally protest the bike lane plan that the City is recommending for Grand St.

Whereas I can appreciate bike lanes, I do not see that the existing lanes are an issue.

We should not
suffer a loss of parking in front of our home nor be burden by the liability of backing out of our driveway across a bike lane. We also do not want to be forced to risk walking across the street in traffic with our young children to get to our vehicles. We actually bought the home with the knowledge that there was adequate street parking for us and our guests and really should not have to suffer a loss of such a simple requirement and convenience. Last year, Grand St received Red Zones at all corner parking spots without as much as a warning that it was coming. That reduced parking by 10-15% on all blocks of Grand. Now with this new plan the remaining 90-85% is going to be reduced by half!
In general my concerns are two fold, (1) that the lack of parking and driveway access ( ingress/egress) will create dangers and (2) it will also reduce the VALUE of our property due to it being less attractive to future buyers because of the issues discussed in (1). Our neighborhood pays the highest property taxes in the City and yet we are not being considered in this new plan.

Lastly, bike lanes create certain risk for everyone. The biker does not carry insurance and is treated like a hybrid pedestrian/motorist. They get their own lane and still weave in and out of traffic or run red lights…causing vehicle accidents throughout the State. Then the motorist is held responsible.

There are so many other streets running parallel to Grand with so much less vehicle traffic thus reducing the risks of vehicle/bike accidents. It seems prudent to consider other options which, save the parking on Grand St, keep backing out of our driveways safe and still provide plenty of bike lanes/paths. I personally would love to see our tax dollars used towards other needed things in this City such as more Police/Fire Depts or Park and Rec improvements.

The City may move forward with this plan and ignore the very real comments and concerns of this email but the aftermath this plan will cause will bring legal culpability to the City as vehicle and bike accidents increase and pedestrian injuries or worse occur.

Please keep Grand St as it is.

Sincerely,

Paolo Friedman
This e-mail is covered by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 U.S.C. Secs: 2510-2521 and is legally privileged. Therefore, communication herein, including any attachments, is confidential and is protected by privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by telephone or email, and permanently delete all copies, electronic or other, you may have. The foregoing applies even if this notice is embedded in a message that is forwarded or attached.

From: Stefani L
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; John Knox White; Trish Spencer; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella Subject: [EXTERNAL] Grand St. Bike Lanes
Date: Wednesday, May 18, 2022 9:31:43 AM
Dear Council,
I'm writing to express my strongest support for protected bike lanes along Grand St. I bicycle all over Alameda, and can't tell you how many close calls I've been involved in and/or seen around town. Every protected bike lane is one less child put at risk of terrible injury or death, and one less driver traumatized by a moment's inattention taking away a life. Especially on a route to a school!
It's time we prioritize safety for bicyclists over convenience for cars. Please help bring Alameda into a vibrant future where our city looks like busy European ones that people love to visit, rather than a racetrack for climate-killing cars.

Sincerely,
Stefani Leto
Homeowner, long-term Alameda resident, parent to four Alameda kids

Alameda City CouncilJune 21, 2022

Alameda City Council
June 21, 2022