General Plan Appendix
City of Alameda Street Classifications
Introduction
In support of General Plan and Mobility Element goals, policies and actions, streets are classified according to their transportation and land use purposes. Every street in Alameda is classified as one of five street classifications: Main Street, Gateway Street, Business Commercial Street, Neighborhood Connector Street, or Neighborhood Local Street. These General Plan street classifications recognize that streets provide two primary purposes and that both purposes must be considered in the design and use of a public street: streets serve a circulation purpose (streets must support people's ability to get around town) and streets serve a land use purpose (streets must support the use of the adjacent private or public land). Each street classification is described below and shown on Figure 1 Alameda Street Classifications Map.
In addition to a street classification, streets that provide for citywide circulation may also have a Truck Route or Transit Street designation. The truck route and transit street designations are described below and shown on Figure 2 Transit Street Map and Figure 3 Truck Route Map. Many streets also play an important role in the citywide bikeway network. The designation and design of those streets are described in the Active Transportation Plan. Finally, every street also has a Caltrans State Department of Transportation functional classification, which is important for projects to be eligible for certain types of State infrastructure funding.
Design Standards
In support of each street's transportation and land use purposes, design standards are provided for each street classification. The design standards for each classification include:
Target Maximum Design Speed. Controlling vehicle speed is essential to ensuring that a street fulfills its transportation and land use purpose. Higher speeds result in more severe and fatal collisions.
Lower speeds are safer for people walking, bicycling, and driving cars, and improve neighborhood livability.
Travel Lanes. Different street classifications require a different number of travel lanes. The number of travel lanes will affect the vehicle capacity of the street, the speed at which vehicles move on the street, and the width of the street that pedestrians must cross. The narrower the street, the easier it is to create safe pedestrian crossings.
Lane Width. Different street classifications require different lane widths. Truck and transit streets must accommodate larger vehicles and require wider lanes. Narrower travel lanes serve to reduce automobile speed.
Vehicle Volumes. Different street classifications must accommodate different volumes of automobiles.
Streets that serve a citywide transportation purpose typically have higher automobile volumes; streets that service local circulation needs typically have lower automobile volumes. Maintaining a high level of bicycle and pedestrian safety on a higher volume street requires more significant improvements than may be needed on a street with lower volumes. Lower automobile volumes result in lower harmful emissions in the vicinity of the street. Volumes are measured as average daily traffic (ADT).
Curb Uses. The use of curb space is different in different street classifications. The management of curb space can be critical to the proper operation of the street in certain land use conditions and locations. Curb uses are prioritized for each classification.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities. For bicycle and pedestrian standards and guidelines by street segment, refer to the Active Transportation Plan. Pedestrian street types and design guidelines in the Active Transportation Plan correspond to General Plan street classifications.
LAKE MERRITT
Webster Tube Posey Tube
Main Street
Ferry Terminal
W. Tower Avenue
W. Atlantic Avenue
Street Oakland
Seaplane Lagoon
Ferry Terminal
Webster Clement Avenue Park Street Bridge
Central Avenue incoln Avenue Fruitvale Bridge
Encinal Avenue High Street Bridge
SAN LEANDRO
BAY
FIGURE 1 SAN FRANCISCO Doolittle Drive
ALAMEDA STREET CLASSIFICATIONS BAY
Citywide Circulation MLK Reg.
Shoreline
• Main Street Island) Drive y Harbor Bay Parkway
Gateway Street ecartneyi
Harbor Bay
- Business Commercial Street
Ferry Terminal
- Neighborhood Connector Street
Local Access
- Neighborhood Local Street
Street Classifications
Neighborhood Connector Street
Neighborhood Connector Streets provide connections between neighborhoods and shopping areas, schools, parks, and other neighborhoods across the entire City for people walking, bicycling, taking the bus, or driving. The design of these streets must support citywide circulation needs for all modes of transportation, safe and efficient travel, and a comfortable neighborhood environment. Given the relatively high traffic volumes on Neighborhood Connector Streets, pedestrian crossings on Neighborhood Connector Streets must be carefully designed to ensure safety for children walking to school, seniors, and persons with disabilities. In some cases, a Neighborhood Connector may also serve as a transit street or a truck route. Prioritized curb uses on Neighborhood Connector Streets are:
1) bus stops on active transit routes, 2) bicycle facilities as recommended in the Active Transportation Plan, and 3) on-street parking.
Typical Design Standards and Objectives
Neighborhood Connector Street
Caltrans Functional Classification Principal Arterial, Minor Arterial or Collector Travel Lanes per Direction 1 or 2
10 feet. If the street is a Truck Route or Transit
Street, 11' feet with adequate turning radius at
Lane Width intersections.
Target Maximum Design Speed 25 mph
Traffic Volumes 4,000-18,000 ADT
Neighborhood Local Street
Neighborhood Local Streets support access for people walking, bicycling, and driving within residential neighborhoods. Since the design of a Neighborhood Local Street does not need to support citywide circulation, transit routes, or truck routes, the design of a Neighborhood Local Street should encourage and support low traffic volumes and slower vehicle speeds to create safe travel conditions for children on bicycles and pedestrians of all ages. Prioritized curb uses on Neighborhood Local Streets are: 1) bicycle facilities as recommended in the Active Transportation Plan, and 2) on-street parking.
1 Neighborhood Connectors have a wide range of traffic volumes. The high end is the capacity of a typical street with one lane in each direction, the most common configuration of Alameda's Neighborhood Connectors. The low end is the threshold for traffic volumes that are no longer considered appropriate or comfortable for a Neighborhood Local Street. While some Neighborhood Connectors carry more traffic than others, they share the same safety goals and similar design standards.
4 Typical Design Standards and Objectives
Neighborhood Local Street
Caltrans/FHWA Functional Class Local
Travel Lanes per Direction 1
Lane Width 10' or less. Some have no lane markings
Target Maximum Design Speed 20 mph with traffic calming < 1000-4000 ADT; < 1500 ADT on Neighborhood
Traffic Volumes Greenway?
Main Street
Main Streets serve Alameda's commercial business districts on Webster Street and Park Street and neighborhood "station" commercial areas such as those on Encinal Avenue and Lincoln Avenue.
These streets serve citywide circulation needs, while supporting vibrant mixed-use shopping, dining, entertainment, service, and residential districts. Main Streets must accommodate and balance the need for high automobile volumes, high pedestrian volumes, and transit and truck travel. Sidewalks, crosswalks, and signal timing must support a vibrant and safe pedestrian environment. Transit signal prioritization can support transit service without compromising pedestrian crossing safety. Prioritized curb uses on Main Streets are: 1) bus stops, 2) bicycle facilities as recommended in the Active Transportation Plan, 3) accessible parking, 4) loading zones, and 5) on-street customer parking.
Managing curb space is critical on these streets because curb space is limited and must accommodate bus stops, short term customer parking, accessible parking, and truck loading and unloading.
Typical Design Standards and Objectives
Main Street
Caltrans Functional Classification Principal or Minor Arterial Travel Lanes per Direction 1 or 2
Lane Width 11'
Target Maximum Design Speed 25 mph
Traffic Volumes 4,000-20,000 ADT3
Gateway Street
Gateway Streets are critical to citywide and regional circulation since they serve as the gateways to the City's tubes and bridges and the larger region. Gateway Streets are the entrances to Alameda for 2 The upper end is the threshold for traffic volumes that are appropriate for a quiet and comfortable Neighborhood Local Street. Neighborhood Greenways have even lower traffic volumes to encourage priority for people walking and biking. Refer to the Active Transportation Plan for Neighborhood Greenway specifications. 3 Main Streets are typically segments along the same corridor as Neighborhood Connectors and share similar traffic volumes. Park and Webster Streets are near the high end of the range and are generally highest in the multi-lane segments nearest to the Gateway transition.
5 people driving, walking, bicycling, or riding transit. These streets are typically also truck routes and transit streets. The primary purpose of these streets is the movement of automobiles, buses, trucks, bicycles, and pedestrians. Gateway Streets play an important role in evacuation and emergency planning. Vehicle volumes are extremely high on Gateway Streets; therefore, the priority for curbside uses is: 1) bus stops, or 2) protected bicycle lanes. On-street parking and loading may not exist or be restricted to low volume periods during the day in order to prioritize multi-modal traffic.
Typical Design Standards and Objectives
Gateway Street
Caltrans/FHWA Functional Class Principal or Minor Arterial Travel Lanes per Direction 1 or2
Lane Width 11'
Target Maximum Design Speed 25 mph with traffic calming Traffic Volumes 18,000-27,000 ADT
Business Commercial Street
Business Commercial Streets serve business parks, manufacturing and industrial areas, and shopping centers. The priority for these streets is vehicle travel and goods movement. These streets may also serve as truck routes or transit streets. Prioritized curb uses on Business Commercial Streets are: 1) bus stops, 2) loading zones, 3) protected bike lanes as indicated in the ATP, and 4) on street parking.
Typical Design Standards and Objectives
Business Commercial Street
Caltrans Functional Classification Any
Travel Lanes per Direction 1 or 2
Lane Width 11'
Target Maximum Design Speed 25 mph
Traffic Volumes 1,000-8,000 ADT
Mode-Specific Routes
Transit Streets
Transit streets provide a network of streets to support an effective citywide transit network and meet the mobility needs of residents and employees commuting, children going to school, and senior and lower income residents who do not have the option of driving or would prefer not to drive. Transit streets must also prioritize the safety of vulnerable roadway and transit users - people walking and bicycling, children, and seniors, who all depend on transit.
Effective transit service also requires constant evaluation, adjustment, relocation, and expansion to effectively respond to changing community mobility needs and transit agency financial conditions.
Transit streets must connect to major destinations like Alameda's bridges and tubes, ferry terminals, business and commercial locations, residential neighborhoods, schools, and senior centers.
Therefore, transit streets are appropriate on Gateway, Main, Business Commercial, and Neighborhood Connector Streets. Transit is allowed to use local neighborhood streets if necessary to close a gap in transit service or turn around at the end of a line.
Transit streets should provide 11-foot travel lanes to accommodate full size buses. Bus stop facilities and the necessary sidewalk improvements are a higher priority than on street parking on transit streets with active, regular transit service provided by AC Transit. Transit streets with high-priority bus routes, including at Gateways and along a central spine like Santa Clara Avenue or Lincoln Avenue, should be considered for transit priority treatments like in-lane bus stops, signal upgrades, dedicated lanes, queue lump lanes, and stop amenities. Figure 2 Transit Street Map shows the City's transit street network that supports existing service and potential future expansion or re-routing.
Truck Routes
Truck routes provide a network of streets for truck access to serve the delivery and material transportation needs of residents and businesses. The goal of the truck route network is to limit the number of streets on which truck traffic is allowed. Streets on truck routes facilitate truck movement by providing adequate lane widths and turning space. Truck traffic is allowed to use streets outside of the truck route when it is necessary to reach the destination.
Truck routes often overlap with transit streets and Neighborhood Connectors and therefore must prioritize the safety of vulnerable roadway users, such as people walking and bicycling. Street design on truck routes must balance all these needs based on the frequency of the truck use and the overall goals and purpose of the street segment. Truck routes are shown on Figure 3 Truck Route Map.
Bikeways
Bikeways provide a network of streets to support the needs of residents, employees, and visitors bicycling to and from work, school, parks, weekend activities, daily errands, and for recreation. Like the transit network, an effective and complete bikeway network relieves traffic pressure and adds capacity to the rest of the streets if people feel safe and comfortable bicycling instead of driving. An effective bicycle network must be safe and low-stress and it must also provide convenient connections to the places that people need to go including schools, parks, commercial districts, the waterfront, the ferry terminals, the bridges and tubes, and the on-island business and employment centers. The bikeway network is shown in the Active Transportation Plan, Figures 6 (Bikeway Vision Network) and 10(2030 Low Stress Backbone Network).
7 LAKE MERRITT
580
Webster Tube Posey Tube
Main Street
Ferry Terminal
W. Tower Avenue Oakland
W. Atlantic Avenue
Seaplane Lagoon
Ferry Terminal Webster Street Clement Avenue Park Street Bridge Central Avenue ncoln Avenue l Fruitvale Bridge
High Street Bridge
-High Street
Fernside
SAN LEANDRO
BAY
SAN FRANCISCO Doolittle Drive
BAY
MLK Reg.
Shoreline
Island riveDy Harbor Bay Parkway
ecartneyi
Harbor Bay
Ferry Terminal
FIGURE 2
ALAMEDA TRANSIT STREETS
Transit Street
Non-Transit Street
LAKE MERRITT
Webster Tube Posey Tube
Main Street
Ferry Terminal
W. Tower Avenue Oakland
W. Atlantic Avenue
Seaplane Lagoon
Ferry Terminal Webster Street Clement Avenue Park Street Bridge Central Avenue incoln Avenue Fruitvale Bridge
High Street Bridge
Broadway High Street
Fernside
SAN LEANDRO
BAY
SAN FRANCISCO Doolittle Drive
BAY
MLK Reg.
Shoreline
Island Drive T Harbor Bay Parkway
Harbor Bay
FIGURE 3 Ferry Terminal
ALAMEDA TRUCK ROUTES
• Truck Route
-==-- Temporary Truck Route
No Truck Route