Fernside Boulevard
Traffic Calming & Bikeways
Project
Presentation to City Council
March 18, 2025
Presentation
1. About the Project
2. Near-Term Design Concept Recommendation
3. Long-Term Design Concept Recommendation
4. Fernside Blvd/High St/Gibbons Dr Intersection
5. Next Steps
About the Project
1.3 Mile Corridor Project Project subsets:
Design concept for full corridor
Near-term upgrade with resurfacing
west of High St
Project Phases
1. Public outreach for existing conditions & initial input:
November 2023-January 2024
2. Public outreach for draft concept alternatives: May-June 2024
3. Public hearings for final design concept: November 2024-March 2025
4. Resurfacing and restriping on Fernside Blvd west of High St:
2026
5. Construct full corridor project: 2030 goal – timing depends on finding funding
Why the Fernside Project?
Project goal: reduce traffic speeds and improve safety and mobility for all
▪ Coordinate with pavement resurfacing
▪ Implement plans and policies:
▪ Vision Zero Action Plan
▪ Active Transportation Plan
▪ City Council Strategic Plan
▪ San Francisco Bay Trail (regional)
Fernside is a Tier 3 High Injury Corridor, All Modes
Existing Speed Limit is 25 mph, but Actual
Vehicle Speeds are Higher
Speed survey conducted on 10/24/2023
High Crash Rate throughout the Corridor
1.4 4.7
1.9 0
0.5 1
1.5 2
2.5 3
3.5 4
4.5 5
State Average Fernside Blvd
Tilden to High
Fernside Blvd
High to San Jose
Crash Rate per Million Vehicle Miles
Fernside Boulevard 2017-2021 Crash Rate
64 crashes from
2017-2021
(including non-injury crashes)
Active Transportation Plan: Low-Stress Bikeway + Ped Improvements • Adopted plan shows Fernside with a separated bike lane • Key to the 2030 Low-Stress Backbone Network for all ages and abilities • Part of regional San Francisco Bay Trail
2030 Low-Stress Backbone Bikeway Network
San Francisco Bay Trail
Bay Trail Route in Alameda
Fernside is a Key School Access Route
Map of AUSD middle school
enrollment areas
Before and after school, bicycles comprise
10-15% of all traffic on Fernside near
Lincoln Middle School
Lincoln
Middle
School
St. Philip
Neri School
Edison
Elementary
School
Approximately 30-40 pedestrians cross
Fernside near Edison Elementary before
and after school
Fernside Project Public Outreach Numbers
Multiple phases of public outreach with a wide reach:
• 200 total attendance at 5 Fernside Project public workshops • 5 public hearings at City commissions
• 1,115 total responses to 3 online surveys
• 1,950 total flyers sent in 3 postal mail notices
• 21 email bulletin mailings
• 4 news articles
• Information boosted to homeowners’ associations, schools, and other community groups
Winter 2023/2024 Public Outreach: Existing Conditions
Crossing
the street
High motor
vehicle
speeds
Safety of
people
biking
Safety of
people
walking
“What do you find most
challenging when using
Fernside Blvd?”
Spring 2024 Public Outreach: Draft Concept Alternatives ▪ Long-term: Majority support for all alternatives
▪ Near-term: Discomfort with parking-protected bikeways Near-Term Concept
Recommendation
Recommended Near-Term Concept:
Quick-Build Median Islands with Buffered Bike Lanes
Existing
Recommended (plus pedestrian medians)
Tilden Way
to
High Street
Near-Term Concept: Traffic Calming
Pedestrian Median
IslandsNarrower Travel Lanes
Curb Extensions
Center Left Turn Lane
Removed
Buffered Bike Lane
Hardening where Possible
Near-Term Concept: Pedestrian Safety
Existing Conditions
60’ pedestrian
exposure to vehicles
and bicycles
(unmarked crossing)
Pedestrian Median Islands with Two-Way
Protected Bikeway
Bikes and vehicles, 48 ft
With pedestrian median
Near-Term Concept: Bikeways
▪ Incorporate vertical hardening in the buffer at some intersections. Opportunities to harden the bike lane are limited due to the number of driveways.
Buffered Bike Lane
Hardening where Possible
Near-Term Concept: On-Street Parking
▪ Curbside parking on both sides of the street
▪ ~35% of on-street parking removed per AB 413 and for pedestrian median islands ▪ Peak parking occupancy < 50%
Parking restricted within 20 feet
of intersections (AB 413)
Parking against
existing curbs
Integration with Tilden/Clement Roundabout
Why Not Parking-Separated Bikeways for Near-Term?
▪ Twice the cost = $1 million less for pavement/safety upgrades elsewhere ▪ Higher maintenance cost
▪ High number of driveways =
▪ One-way separated bikeways: up to 85% less on-street parking ▪ Two-way separated bikeway: up to 65%
▪ Two-way separated bikeway: difficult connection to one-way bike lanes east of High St ▪ Public feedback re visual clutter, parking loss, floating parking
Long-Term Concept
Recommendation
Recommended Long-Term Concept:
Pedestrian Median Islands with Two-Way Protected Bikeway Existing
Recommended (plus pedestrian medians)
Long-Term Concept: Traffic Calming
Pedestrian Median IslandsNarrower Travel Lanes Curb Extensions Center Left Turn Lane
Removed
Separated Two-Way
BikewayBuffer Strip
Long-Term Concept: Pedestrian Safety
Existing Conditions
60’ pedestrian
exposure to vehicles
and bicycles
(unmarked crossing)
Pedestrian Median Islands with Two-Way
Protected Bikeway
Bikes, 14 ft
Vehicles, 28 ft
with pedestrian median
Long-Term Concept: Bikeways
▪ Separated two-way bikeway
▪ Preferred bikeway design: raised to sidewalk level
▪ Option for median-protected
Raised bikeway
Long-Term Concept: Vehicle Movements & Driveway Access
▪ Two motor vehicle lanes (one in each direction)
▪ Two-way bikeway makes pulling out of driveways easier 1 2
1 2
Waiting space to
enter roadway
c
Long-Term Concept: On-Street Parking
▪ Curbside parking on both sides of the street
▪ Raised bikeway: ~23% of on-street parking removed to comply with CA daylighting standards and accommodate pedestrian median islands
Similar to existing, parking restricted
within 20 feet of intersections (AB 413)
Parking shifted into
roadway against new curb
Long-Term Concept: Visitor Loading/Unloading
Existing Conditions
Marina
Garden
Nursing
Center
Recommended Concept
Similar to existing
New bikeway crossing
New accessible
loading zone
Median-Protected Bikeways
Median-protected bikeway
More parking loss
(~35% vs. ~25%)
Visitor loading access
at driveways
Bikeway at roadway grade
Trash can staging next
to medians
▪ Pending funding availability and/or engineering
▪ Approximately 25% less expensive
Less ability to integrate
concrete bulb-outs and
shorten crossing distance
Fernside/High/Gibbons
Intersection
Fernside/High/Gibbons Intersection
Existing Conditions
Long-Term Concept: Fernside/High/Gibbons
▪ Tentative concept
▪ Requires further traffic analysis
Removal of right-turn
slip lane to manage
conflicts with bikeway
users
Improvements:
▪ Shorter pedestrian crossings
▪ Simpler geometry
▪ Shorter traffic signal wait times
▪ Reduced speeds entering Gibbons
▪ Less cut-through traffic on Gibbons
▪ More study needed to determine
spillover onto nearby streets
Restrict Gibbons Drive
to right-turn only
Updated Near-Term Concept: Fernside/High/Gibbons
▪ Identified opportunity to install in
combination with near-term project
▪ November 2024 public outreach: pop-up
and survey
▪ Updated recommendation, pending traffic
study
Revised staff
recommendation to
include Gibbons/High
safety improvements as
part of Near-Term
Fernside Project 2026
Next Steps
Proposed Next Steps
2025:
▪ Fernside/Gibbons/High traffic study and City Council review ▪ Fernside/Gibbons/High final design
▪ Begin seeking long-term project funding
2026:
▪ Begin resurfacing and restriping on Fernside Blvd west of High St, including south leg of Fernside/Gibbons/High
2030+:
▪ Construct full corridor project, pending funding availability Staff Recommendation
Endorse Design Concepts for the Fernside Traffic Calming and Bikeways Project