From: Drew Swartz
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Comment on Potential Investment in Closed Alameda Ave Block Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2023 10:03:53 PM
Hello City Council,
I wanted to comment on Councilmember Vella's idea from the July 5th council meeting about better developing and investing in the closed Alameda Ave block at Park Street. We moved from Montclair in Oakland and they recently did a streetscape project that included personalized engraved bricks to raise funds. Something like this would be a great way to invest in that block. I just wanted to share. More details in the link below:
https://www.montclairneighbors.org/community-projects/
Thanks,
Drew Swartz
From: Transportation
To: Lara Weisiger
Cc: Ashley Zieba; Robert Vance
Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL] Enough already [Item 7B]
Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2023 5:15:48 PM
Lara,
I’m just seeing this after returning from some time off – it pertains to Item 7B tonight.
Thanks,
Rochelle
Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator, City of Alameda (she/her) 510-747-7442 | [email protected]
From: Robert T. Maclean <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 29, 2023 5:48 PM
To: Transportation <[email protected]>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Enough already
Dear City of Alameda,
As a long-time resident, I cannot stand what you’ve done to Park and Webster Streets. Reverse the changes!
What about commercial truck deliveries?? No one seemed to think about that. Now they block the only lane sometimes when making deliveries. Before, they could block a lane, but it was still safe to get around them using the other lane. Don’t blame the truck driver—what is he supposed to do? He’s told he can’t park here, or there, or block bike lanes, or cars parked….so where does HE park???!!! He’s got a job to do so our businesses can survive.
Parking is critical for businesses to succeed. You’ve
eliminated parking due to a utopian vision that everyone will arrive by transit and bicycles. Sorry, that isn’t reality—because every part of this city IS NOT served by convenient transit, and never will be. Just ask AC TRANSIT. That leaves transit by car as the #1 way to get around. That will likely never change.
What about police and fire vehicles? When I see them trying to avoid backed up traffic on these streets on their way to an emergency call, it’s embarrassing to see what they have to do,
ALL BECAUSE OUR CITY HALL MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR
THEM TO USE THE STREETS. That’s insane, and dangerous.
What we need is attention to these areas:
—sewer replacement
—water supply reliability for human and fire-fighting use after an earthquake
—bridge strengthening for the coming earthquake
—hardening our computer systems against hacking attacks, like Oakland is experiencing
—storm water mitigation and flood prevention, as seen this past winter
—more police to help prevent rising crime rates in Alameda
The rest of this stuff is all secondary, and not truly important to the survival of the city. It’s just window dressing to make people feel good, as if they accomplished something
while “serving the city.”
Focus on the basics. The basics are what keep us functioning.
Sincerely,
Bob Maclean
Resident since 1964
From: Birgitt Evans
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tracy Jensen; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Lara Weisiger Subject: [EXTERNAL] Please Return Park and Webster Streets to their Pre-Pandemic 4 Traffic Lane Configuration Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2023 5:02:30 PM
Mayor and City Council,
I am writing to urge you to return Webster and Park Streets to their pre-pandemic four lane configurations and to strengthen use requirements of permitted parklets.
I was very disappointed by the reduction in traffic lanes at the beginning of the pandemic, but understood the need to social distance and protect both our health and the health of our businesses. With the introduction of vaccines and increase general immunity, however, the use of outside spaces and parklets has waned and many of the new spaces are now sitting mostly empty.
Alameda does not have a lot of major streets with two lanes. We also don't have a great many transit alternatives. We seem to have focused almost entirely on bicycles as a solution to future transit problems. Bicycles don't work for everyone however. During the pandemic, I grocery shopped for two older couples with health issues and there is no way for me to do that or to care for my 94 year old father on a bike. And to do these things, I need to be able to get from point A to point B in a reasonable amount of time.
In addition, both Webster and Park Streets are complex environments with lots of things happening all at once which does not make them a good place to add bicyclists. Especially since many people are now riding e-bikes and scooters which move at speeds faster than bikes and in a fashion unpredictable to both drivers and pedestrians.
Finally, repaving and striping these streets in a permanent fashion limits future public transportation options that would be of more use to our elderly and differently abled residents as well as to caregivers such as myself as well as mothers with small children.
Please do not approve City Staff's recommendation to add bike lanes to our two major commercial streets. The pandemic is over. Please put our streets back so that everyone can use them again. I would love to return to shopping on Webster and Park Streets.
In addition, please require that parklets actually be used a minimum amount every year in order to stay. Empty parklets were a waste of lumber and materials to construct and prevent patrons from accessing and frequenting adjoining buildings. In addition, delivery truck frequently park next to them (especially on Santa Clara Avenue) forcing cars and busses to dodge oncoming traffic to get around them.
Thank you for your consideration,
Birgitt Evans
From: Drew Dara-Abrams
To: Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft; Tony Daysog; Malia Vella; Trish Spencer; Tracy Jensen; City Clerk Subject: [EXTERNAL] 7B Commercial Streets
Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2023 11:02:02 AM
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, and Councilmembers, One of the most pleasant improvements to Alameda in recent years is the iterative redesign of the core of Park Street and a portion of Webster Street.
The majority of street space was previously allocated to thru auto traffic — now it's more evenly distributed to shoppers on foot, diners in parklets, and also still those who are driving through on their way across the city. My family and I enjoy walking to and along both of the business districts now more than before, and I often eat in the parklets or the Alameda Ave plaza with family or coworkers.
City staff, their consultants, and the business districts (particularly DABA) have been doing a great job of improving the space allocation and design of these two important commercial streets in an iterative manner. Some businesses have added parklets, others have removed theirs, as the pandemic progressed and their own needs changed. The city has been working to gradually replace temporary materials with more permanent materials.
This latest proposed iteration builds upon the successes on Park Street (and a small portion of Webster). It retains the more pleasant and safer experience for those on foot by also making it safer and more comfortable for those arriving by bike.
In the longer run, I hope the city will continue to pursue its plans as adopted in the Active Transportation Plan to rebuild Park (and also parallel Oak Street) with attractive high-quality sidewalks/cycletracks and to create more comfortable and safer walking and cycling facilities on Webster continuously up the Cross Alameda Trail. Still, in the meantime, the plans you are reviewing tonight are a positive and balanced set of improvements for the next iteration for the core of Park and a subset of Webster.
Please move ahead with the Commercial Streets designs recommended by staff, their consultants, and the city's Transportation Commission.
Thanks for your time,
Drew Dara-Abrams
Calhoun St.
1 Lara Weisiger
From: Zac Bowling <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, July 3, 2023 12:24 PM
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Public Comment - 7-B Webster/Park restriping Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
I want to register my full support for the restriping plan to allow a full class 2 bike lane on Webster and Park.
I've mentioned this in past council meetings but Park and Webster do not have convenient parallel streets that go all the way through that we can use as an alternative bike route fully. And as of today, we don't have an easy way to get to business on bike on these streets without taking the full lane, which is not the faint of heart, especially with the ban on bikes on the sidewalk in commercial areas. This is a welcome improvement to better connect our bike route network.
I understand the restriction on space for a full class 4 separated bikeway, but I do have a recommendation to improve the class 2 bike lanes proposed here to make the area safer for everyone.
Since we buy so many products from US REFLECTOR (specifically the infamous K71 and K72 plastic bollards around town), they make an inexpensive product for narrow bike lanes called a "bike separator" we could source from them made of recycled rubber. Products like the Zebra cycle lane separators and the QWICK KURB system also exist.
2 I suspect the transition from the current state of double parking and made-up ad-hoc spots in the current setup will be difficult, so I hope we could also step up parking enforcement after the restriping, especially focusing on car idlers in the bike lane.
Using any of these systems would discourage double parking and cars illegally idling in the bike lane. All these take minutes to install; they do minimal damage to the street to anchor and can be quickly removed if necessary, and most allow soft bollards to be installed on top. This pushes drivers not to encroach but doesn't impede in all cases. While it's not a wall, it functions like a virtual barrier that can be placed along the bike lane edge to keep the bike lanes clear and increase rider comfort.
Thank you,
Zac Bowling
(510) 516-0497
P.O. BOX 2732
ALAMEDA, CA 94501
www.bikewalkalameda.org
Board of
Directors
Denyse Trepanier
President
Brian Fowler
Treasurer
Tim Beloney
Secretary
Cyndy Johnsen
Board Member
Maria Piper
Board Member
Lucy Gigli
Founder,
non-voting
July 2, 2023
RE: Agenda Item 7B: Park Street and Webster Street Commercial Corridor Restriping Plan
Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, and Members of the City Council,
We believe that our business districts and community overall will be much better served by the street configuration proposed here rather than reverting to the pre-pandemic configuration. While we would much rather see protected bike lanes (versus unprotected) in these districts, we acknowledge the planned phasing for bike facilities as described in the Active Transportation Plan, and support staff’s recommendations.
We also strongly support staff’s plans to better manage parking, which will improve traffic flow and bicyclists' safety by reducing double parking. Local resident Drew Dara-Abrams has written compellingly about parking in two recent posts: The future of walking, biking, and dining on Alameda's two main drags and Better living through parking policy reforms . We encourage you to read these posts in full for greater context and ideas, such as inventorying and signage for existing parking garages, lots, and spaces, and thinking around pricing that ensures availability at all times.
In sections of the corridors where there are parklets instead of parking, we support installing posts between the bike lane and the traffic lane as shown in this image, but also wonder if moving the barriers out from the edge of the parklet, so they protect both bicyclists as well as parklet guests, might be something to consider:
Dangerous driving and turning maneuvers also concern us, and we hope you will consider effective countermeasures, like adding posts to the centerlines (“hardening”) to prevent drivers from passing other vehicles, and “no right on red” restrictions or bollarding to reduce intersection conflicts.
We support the Transportation Commission’s suggestions for bike boxes and green thermoplastic.
Finally, we hope we’ll see more on-street bike corrals — at daylighted corners on side streets where space is not currently being used for visibility reasons, and at midblock, for example. These are easier and more convenient for people with larger bikes, and will help preserve sidewalk space for pedestrian traffic.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Bike Walk Alameda
From: Don Gravestock
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: Manager Manager
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Agenda Item 2023-3170 Negative Impact of Closing Alameda Avenue Date: Sunday, July 2, 2023 5:08:53 PM
Attachments: Negative Impact of Closing Alameda Ave.pdf The public comments regarding the Alameda Avenue street closure showed vague abstract support and lots of specific negatives.
TO… Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
City of Alameda
FROM… Donald Gravestock, General Partner
Pascoon Properties
DATE… 3 July 2023
RE… Negative Impact of Closing the 2300 Block of Alameda Avenue Agenda Item 2023-3170 section 5)
Behind the idea of closing part of the 2300 block of Alameda is a vision of a delightful oasis, amid the busy urban setting. The actual cost and work of creating and maintaining a parklike setting would be substantial. It does not seem to be addressed in the significant deliberations regarding the Park Street striping and the use of its parklets. The fate of the closed street is left to the future. Actually, only part of the street is closed. The part next to our building. The remainder of the street is open to provide access to the municipal parking lot.
The stated goal was to create a unique community gathering place for people to walk, bike, eat to-go food and gather informally. The actuality for our tenants is an empty space dominated by twenty-five garbage cans. And at night, loud teenagers drinking beer.
The Downtown Alameda Business Association made a good attempt to deal with the Covid Era situation.
Today the occasionally cleaned tables, tents and wine barrels are simply a place for people to hang out at night, make noise and bother our residential tenants. The lack of street access is a problem for our commercial tenants. The restaurants have deliveries, and their customers pick up takeout. Almost every student at the Kumon School arrives and departs in a parent’s car.
When the street was open, this was a vital urban place. Now it is desolate.
Please restore it to being a proper downtown city street.
1 City Clerk
From: Cyndy Johnsen <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, July 2, 2023 7:41 AM
To: CityCouncil-List
Cc: City Clerk; Jennifer Ott; [email protected] Subject: [EXTERNAL] RE: Item 7B (Commercial Streets)
Attachments: 7_5_23 CC Comments Webster and Park Restriping.pdf Dear Mayor Ezzy Ashcraft, Vice Mayor Daysog, and Members of the City Council,
We hope you will consider our comments regarding item 7B on Wednesday's City Council agenda, attached.
Thank you,
Bike Walk Alameda
From: Francisco Sprouse
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Park and Webster striping plan
Date: Saturday, July 1, 2023 7:42:10 PM
Dear City Council,
I am writing to express my approval of Staff's Recommendation for the Park and Webster striping plans.
Being the main commercial districts of our town, it is vital that they be a safe and welcoming space for the community. Frankly, I would prefer we shut them down to car traffic, but I recognize that that is not going to happen anytime soon. That being said, it is vital that we follow staff's recommendation and keep the road in a 2 lane configuration from the prior 4 lane configurations pre-covid. The 2 lane configuration ensures that the streets have adequate traffic calming measures which is extremely important considering the volume of pedestrians that walk around our business districts.
The parklets provide vital outdoor dining space for our business. All it takes is to visit Almanac a few times to realize just how much our community values outdoor dining. Despite that part of town being very much incomplete and lacking a full array of shopping destinations, the area is often filled to the brim with people enjoying the outdoor dining experience.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I am hopeful that you will take into account the numerous benefits of this plan and ensure its implementation for the safety and well-being of our community.
From: Barbara at Daisy"s
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Commercial streets
Date: Saturday, July 1, 2023 2:12:05 PM
Hello all,
I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about our commercial streets and how it has helped businesses and downtown find its way back from the pandemic.
1. Safer streets. Single lanes slow down traffic. This is a good thing. Before the pandemic the amount of insane speeding, double parking fights, and so many other unsafe behaviors were all part of the day. For those that would say that slower isn’t better I would remind everyone that one of the bragging rights to living in Alameda is how kid friendly it is. People move here, hang out here and love it here because it is so family friendly. You can’t have family friendly and fast. It doesn’t work that way. When I moved to Alameda in 1997 the speeds weren’t faster we just had more traffic enforcement patrols etc so if you were going over 25 you were going to get a ticket. Things like single lanes take some of the load off police department as it naturally slows things down. When it was two lanes I can tell you that at least once a month on my side of the block there was a mirror knocked off a car by someone going to fast, there were so many screeching brakes we used to tally them at the store. Friday night wasn’t even a Friday night without a couple of guys getting out of their cars and screaming about double parking or a parking spot. Slowing things down is a small price to pay to keep our streets safer for kids and adults alike.
2. An enhanced walking experience. I am sure all of you are aware of the Facebook group Alameda Peeps. One of the things on there that always makes me laugh is someone will post about the changes on Park Street and most people say how much they like it but one of my favorite repeated comments is “it may not be more fun to drive but it is definitely more fun to walk.” We want people out in our downtown walking and enjoying all the local shops and restaurants. It is what makes a town like ours great and so filled with that small town feel. I can’t tell you how often people will laugh when they run into a friend at Daisy’s or even better a neighbor that they rarely see at home.
3. Parklets, I absolutely agree that parklets need to be made well and structured, not the temporary things we let slide during the pandemic. A good example is my neighbor at Burma Superstar. That parklet is so well maintained, is always busy and brings such life to the street.
If we take these away there is be more car traffic and less vibrancy on the street. People love the food at Burma and now they know the odds of a table are better so they come downtown.
If we send those people away they have options of uber eats and door dash or even worse they can hit the Burma in Oakland that has a parklet. I can’t tell you how much we have enjoyed having a blooming parklet, it brings joy to so many. We have also hosted so many people in our parklet, local Alameda makers that don’t have store fronts. What a sense of community it
4. Alameda Avenue has given everyone a place to congregate. Most importantly it has given our teen citizens a place to meet up, have lunch etc. This has made the sidewalks so much nicer for our senior citizens etc. Lunch pre-pandemic was chaotic on Park Street with all the kids. Not their fault there was not too many places to go. The Alameda Ave spot has given them a place to sit on down and leave more of the sidewalk space flowing. On top of that the music gatherings and other events that now start on Alameda Ave have really given a destination to meet me on Park Street.
I could go on and on about the benefits for Park Street and all of Alameda when we keep our downtowns slow and safe. Although I have lived in Alameda since 1997, we moved to Park Street in 2018. It is absolutely such a fun place to live and work. So I really can tell you from a 24 hour a day perspective that is has improved our downtown so much.
One of the things I think a lot of people object to is how the barriers etc are unsightly and the end barriers at Alameda Ave just plain old don’t work. We really need to city to re-stripe and put in the upgraded barriers so that the street is more cohesive.
Thank you so much for your time and hard work. I know that even if we agree or not being a city council person is a lot of work and I appreciate that you all care enough to do that work.
Barbara Mooney
Daisy’s Mercantile
1347 Park Street
Alameda, California 94501
510.522.6443 shop
510.387.3968 cell
[email protected] - work
[email protected] - personal
www.daisysmercantile.com
Insta: @Daisys_mercantile
Facebook: Daisys
From: Jerome Szymczak
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Parklets and traffic on Park St and Webster St Date: Friday, June 30, 2023 3:17:02 PM
Just a quick e-mail here in FULL support of keeping all existing parklets and the half-block blocked-off-from-traffic picnic area off of Park Street. The more pedestrian-friendly we make Alameda, the better! Jerome Szymczak
1 City Clerk
From: Betsy Mathieson <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2023 1:54 PM
To: City Clerk
Subject: [EXTERNAL] July 5 City Council Meeting, Agenda Item 7B -- SUPPORT (PLEASE
FORWARD TO CITY COUNCIL)
Honorable Mayor and City Council Members:
As an Alameda resident, outdoor restaurant patron, and everyday bicyclist, I wholeheartedly support the staff recommendation for the Park Street and Webster Street striping improvements and parklet program extension.
The parklet program benefits a great number of diners -- Alameda residents, employees, and visitors -- who prefer to dine outdoors. My family and I have dined outdoors at Alameda restaurants at least weekly -- and only outdoors -- for the past 3 years and will continue to do so wherever the option is available.
The green thermoplastic proposed for selected segments of the proposed bike lanes is a great idea but should be extended for the full lengths of the bike lanes. This will emphasize the presence and continuity of the bike lanes, which will be especially important for drivers who must cross the bike lanes to park (and open their doors) and for wannabe double parkers.
Finally, I hope more bike racks can be installed to make dining, food takeout, and shopping by bicycle even more convenient and secure.
Thank you for your good work.
Sincerely,
Betsy Mathieson
Alameda
From: Pat Cronin
To: CityCouncil-List
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Parklets and concrete posts
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2023 8:21:12 PM
Sorry, but personally, I think the parklets are dirty, and using taxpayers’ property and open space. Why should citizens be subsidizing private businesses by letting them expand their space at our expense. We lose parking spaces and open space, and a traffic lane. These did not exist before COVID, and since the COVID crisis is over, so should free business space be over.
When you can see evidence of cars bumping into and scraping the white poles around the parklets and blocked parking spaces, imagine how many cars will be getting scraped and scratched by concrete ones! This does not make sense! Why should citizens have to pay the price for a few businesses to expand their service areas to benefit themselves?
Sent from my iPhone