1 From Slow Streets to Neighborhood Greenways
Community Survey (July 31-August 20, 2024)
Summary (09/03/24)
Total Responses = 1878
Questions 1-4
Should the following treatments be considered for Alameda’s neighborhood greenways?
65% 62% 66%
26% 28% 28%
8% 9% 7%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Speed Cushions Reduced speed limit Neighborhood traffic circles Slow Vehicles
Yes No Not Sure
48% 40% 47%
42%
44% 40%
10% 16% 13%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Partial traffic diverters Turn restrictions Median diverters Reduce the number of vehicles
Yes No Not Sure
2 Question 5
Do you have any other ideas for treatments or elements that should be considered for Neighborhood Greenways? Please describe. [open-ended]
Total responses: 640
Additional commonly suggested responses (i.e. suggested by more than 10 people) included:
• More enforcement of speed limits (but also of parking in bike lanes, double parking, vehicles driving in the wrong lane). Suggestions included both automated (camera) enforcement and police enforcement.
• More trees, especially shade trees with more canopy coverage • More stop signs (such as for all cross-streets that intersect with greenway) 55% 66%
85%
67%
36% 25%
11%
24%
9% 9% 4% 9%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Curb
Extensions
Raised
Crosswalks
Bicyclist/pedestrian
activated signals
at major crossings
Median refuge
island (on wider
street crossings)
Improve crossing safety and comfort
Yes No Not Sure
61% 47%
72% 74%
25%
36%
19% 18%
15% 16% 9% 8%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Wayfinding signs Asphalt art Landscaping Pavement
markings
Enhance user experience
Yes No Not Sure
3 Some elaborated on the treatments suggested in Questions 1-4, such as requests for neighborhood traffic circles to not include stop signs (especially on the greenway itself), or for landscaping to include pollinator pathways, linear gardens, community gardens, rain gardens, and/or pocket parks.
Question 6
Do you prefer that Neighborhood Greenway changes are implemented more quickly with cost- effective, somewhat temporary materials, with the possibility of transitioning to permanent materials in the long term? Or would you rather skip quick-build implementation and wait to implement over the longer term with costlier, permanent materials?
4 Question 7
When you walk, bike, or roll, what safety issues do you expect to experience for each of these street segments once the barricades are removed?
Feeling unsafe
crossing intersections
710
No safety concerns
411
Not sure
245
Speeding cars
792
Too many cars
411
Pacific Avenue
Feeling unsafe
crossing intersections
537
No safety concerns
446
Not sure
352
Speeding cars
649
Too many cars
334
Versailles Avenue
5 Question 8
Pacific Avenue will be the first Slow Street to be converted to a Neighborhood Greenway. Do you have any specific feedback regarding biking and walking safety concerns or Neighborhood Greenway outcomes for Pacific Avenue (from Ninth to Oak)? [open-ended] Total responses: 643
Overwhelmingly, the most common concern was about:
• Intersection safety at various streets that intersect with Pacific Avenue, especially Grand Avenue, Sherman Street, Willow Street and Wilma Chan Way Other frequently cited concerns included:
• Cars speeding down Pacific Avenue and running traffic lights and stop signs • An increase in traffic on streets near Pacific Avenue
• That it will take too long to implement
Feeling unsafe crossing
intersections
514
No safety concerns
429
Not sure
360
Speeding cars
324
Too many cars
361
Morton Street/San Jose Avenue
6 Questions 9-12
When should the barricades be removed [by street]?
Question 9 [open ended]
Why Pacific Avenue barricades should be removed soon [388 responses]:
Common responses included:
• Barricades cause confusion/create hazards, especially at intersections. • Barricades contribute to dangerous vehicle maneuvers, like driving on the wrong side of the road.
• Drivers still exceed speed limit.
• Barricades only benefit residents on the street where they are placed while moving traffic to another street.
• They are unsightly.
33% 34% 31% 33%
50% 43% 42% 43%
17% 23% 26% 24%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
120%
Pacific Ave Versailles Ave Morton St/San
Jose Ave
Santa Clara Ave
Remove soon Keep in place No opinion
per Council Direction
7 • They are an inconvenience/cause traffic congestion. • They are no longer useful/slow streets no longer being used as originally intended during pandemic.
• They don’t prevent drivers from using street as a thoroughfare.
Why Pacific Avenue barricades should not be removed soon [645 responses]:
Common responses included:
• They slow vehicles; if removed, cars will speed.
• They reduce the number of vehicles on the street.
• They will provide a safer transition from slow streets to neighborhood greenways (otherwise the time between the transition will be unsafe for people walking/rolling/biking). • Barricades will encourage habit continuity until greenways are installed (by reminding drivers to operate safely around bicyclists and pedestrians).
Question 10 [open ended]
Why Versailles Avenue barricades should be removed soon [368 responses]:
Common responses included:
• They are a safety hazard, especially for people turning onto Versailles Avenue and because they force two-way traffic into one lane.
• They are a nuisance to drivers.
• They force traffic onto another street.
• They are unsightly.
• Street is not used as a slow street is intended.
Why Versailles Avenue barricades should not be removed soon [454 responses]:
Common responses included:
• They slow vehicles –fewer people speed on Versailles Avenue. • Barricades encourage habit continuity until greenways are installed (by reminding drivers to operate safely around bicyclists and pedestrians).
• They reduce the number of vehicles on the street.
• They have made traveling to Edison Elementary as a bicyclist/pedestrian safer.
Question 11 [open ended]
Why Morton St/San Jose Avenue barricades should be removed soon [302 responses]:
Common responses were very similar to the previous question about Versailles and included:
• People are no longer using slow streets as intended during the pandemic. • They are a safety hazard: cause right-of-way confusion between multiple vehicles as well as between vehicles and bikes and create sight issues for turning vehicles. • They are a nuisance to drivers.
• They force traffic onto another street.
8 • They are unsightly.
Why Morton St/San Jose Avenue barricades should not be removed soon [423 responses]:
Common responses were very similar to the previous question about Versailles and included:
• They slow vehicles.
• Barricades encourage habit continuity until greenways are installed and ensure a safer transition by reminding drivers to operate safely around bicyclists and pedestrians. • They reduce the number of vehicles on the street.
• They have made biking to school along San Jose safer.
Question 12 [open ended]
Why Santa Clara Avenue barricades should be removed soon [310 responses]:
Common responses were very similar to the previous questions about barricades and included:
• They are not effectively slowing vehicles nor reducing through traffic. • People are no longer using slow streets as intended during the pandemic. • They are a safety hazard for all modes because they reduce the road to one lane in places.
• They are a nuisance to drivers.
• They force traffic onto another street.
• They are unsightly.
Why Santa Clara Avenue barricades should not be removed soon [407 responses]:
Common responses included:
• They slow vehicles on a high-volume street with multiple schools. • They provide a safe route for people biking in the West End until the Central Avenue project is complete.
• They have made it safer to bike to schools along/near Santa Clara Avenue.
Question 13
Are there specific locations where existing barricades are useful, and they, or something like them, should remain until the Neighborhood Greenway is implemented (by end of 2025 or sooner)? Please list and briefly explain why.
Total responses: 518 [open-ended]
• Pacific Avenue (73 responses), no specific location, primarily because they help slow down vehicles
• San Jose Avenue (44 responses), primarily because they help calm traffic o Oak Street was most cited cross street (6 responses)
• Versailles Avenue (43 responses), no specific location, primarily because they help students get to school safely
9 • Santa Clara Avenue (31 responses), no specific location, because they help calm school drop-off traffic
Question 14
Are there specific locations where barricades are not useful, and they should be removed as soon as possible? Please list and briefly explain why.
Total responses: 424 [open-ended]
• Versailles Avenue (56 responses) primarily because they are a safety hazard o Versailles and Central Avenues was the most-cited intersection (8 responses) • Santa Clara Avenue (36 responses)
o No specific location nor reason was overwhelmingly cited. • San Jose Avenue (33 responses) primarily because they cause traffic congestion o San Jose Avenue at Oak was the most-cited intersection on San Jose (8 responses) • Pacific Avenue (26 responses) because they are hazardous (no specific location was more frequently cited)
Question 15
Do you have any additional comments about Neighborhood Greenway implementation or the barricades?
Total responses: 573 [open-ended]
A considerable number of respondents expressed their support for implementing the Greenways.
Some respondents highlighted the importance of having traffic calming elements to accompany the project and/or asked for the barricades to stay in place until the project is completed.
On the other hand, some respondents opposed the Greenways and/or keeping the barricades.
Others also suggested that there are more important issues in Alameda that should be addressed instead of the implementation of the Greenways.
Other common themes included:
• Suggestions of other streets that would benefit from a Greenway or traffic calming solutions • Requests for making the project and traffic calming solutions permanent and visually attractive
o Some respondents asked for projects to have regular and proper maintenance • Concerns about the traffic that the barricades and the project may cause • Concerns that not all road users and their needs are being considered, and/or the needs of the residents
o Some respondents requested more engagement, transparency of the project process and the ability to vote for its implementation
• Concerns about emergency vehicles being able to operate as needed on the Greenways
10 Optional Demographics Questions
Q16: How do you usually travel on Pacific Avenue, Versailles Avenue, or San Jose Avenue? [Note: Respondents could select as many modes as they wanted. Percentages are of 2764 total responses.]
Q17: Do you live on Pacific Avenue, Versailles Avenue, or San Jose Avenue?
31%
33%
36%
Bike/scooter/roll Walk/roll Drive
22%
78%
Yes No
11 Q18. Where do you live, work or attend school? Please check all that apply.
Q19. Do you have children attending school in Alameda?
114
79 485
574
263
Other
Bay Farm Island
East end (east of Park St)
Central island (Webster St to Park St)
West end of Alameda (west of Webster St)
44%
56%
Yes No
12 Q20. Are you 65 years old or older?
Q21. Do you rent or own your home?
19%
81%
Yes No
23%
77%
Rent Own
13 Q22. Which race or ethnicity do you identify as?
[Note that many respondents who selected “Multi-ethnic/multi-racial” also selected each individual race/ethnicity that they identify with.]
18 197
42 95
23 67
28 1038
229
102
207
American Indian
Asian, Asian American
Black, African American
Hispanic, Latino/a/x
Middle Eastern
Multi-ethnic/multi-racial
Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian
White, Caucasian
Prefer not to answer
Other/Prefer to self-describe:
Blank/ No answer