W h i t e P a p e r S a f e t y C r o s s i n g S R 1 1 6 P g 1 Ref: Cotati City SR 116/ W Cotati Ave Design Services. Sent: Sept 19, 2024 Subject: White Paper on pedestrian & low speed wheeling safety crossing review, SR116 at W Cotati Ave Summary
The project specifies engineering firm Fehrs&Peers that has a long history working with Caltrans on Pedestrian and bicycle safety designs (see references at end), however there has been little presentation of the designs. There has been continuing comment in Council meetings about the process of working with Caltrans, but little focus on when input can be made to the planning process. In any significant project, the timelines are key to knowing when to input to the process. I would think Cotati Staff could identify timeframes for when the Council can make input. For the target date of complete construction plans by March 2026 there are number of intermediate dates. “Mark Thomas Scope of Work and Gantt Chart time line” (Item12B PdfPg203) identifies PSE (Plans Specification and Estimates) of 35%, 65%, and 95%.
1) To keep project end date, the opportunity for input to the prelim 35% timeline is probably past since it’s been available since March 2024, and the Safety Improvements Memo since June. The task identified is registering the project with Caltrans. In the authorizing resolution, Council could add WHEREAS: xxx, with specific policy highlights to the designers of this junction, and to Caltrans. 2) The 65% PSE is shown starting January 22, 2025 - so input would require a presentation of status and opportunity for comment by that date.
3) The 95% PSE is shown starting with an Apr 30, 2025 date For the authorizing resolution, reflecting a policy objective for future walkable Cotati, the intent of the Council could be added
WHEREAS, the Project implements the Active Transportation Plan, June 2024 and the design supports pedestrian and bicycle connectivity for continuing the Bike Boulevard on W Cotati across SR116. For safely encouraging active transportation across SR116, it should help to decrease residents use of vehicles and reduce future Vehicle Miles Traveled.
Background
I’ve been advocating for a safer intersection crossing here since 2019, when the changing conditions of more housing became very visible – and the need for a safe N-S pedestrian crossing over SR116, connecting the existing Cotati pedestrian and bicycle network, to the potential network in newly urbanizing NW Cotati and the existing Sonoma County network of paths.
Pedestrian and low speed bicycle safety in California has historically had a low priority due to the complexity of road designs for vehicles, and the lack of understanding the value of what is now called “Active Transportation.”
In 2019, there was an update to the Cotati land use to allow for Senior Housing in the NW quadrant of Cotati, driven by a project from a developer. Subsequent analysis showed the 2014 Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan Update was out-of-sync with 2015 General Plan in specifying pedestrian connections to a safe pedestrian crossing from W Cotati Ave. This area was bisected by Caltrans SR116 and in Cotati City meetings there was discussion that “Caltrans” is not easy to work with.
Public Comment
W h i t e P a p e r S a f e t y C r o s s i n g S R 1 1 6 P g 2 I took it upon myself to have a short discussion with a Caltrans Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety officer – and the message was simple: Cotati City written policies need to convey the intention of the City, for when there are any requested changes to Caltrans roads. This is primarily the Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan, and of course any Resolutions passed by the Council.
In 2020, 2021, 2022 there was limited activity for a Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan update, mostly Community Development staff collecting feedback from residents. Starting in 2023 then Mayor Harvey and the Council supported the Community Development staff in applying for a grant from SCTA to be the first in the County to update the Active Transportation Plan (ATP). This year with the active support of Mayor Sparks the ATP was completed in June, 2024 by the engineering company Fehr and Peers. This document includes identifying the pedestrian and bicycle boulevard on W Cotati Ave, and connections to an emerging pedestrian and bicycle network on the NW side of Cotati. The NW side of Cotati has had plans for 470+ new units, and this drove the need to update the SR116/W Cotati Ave junction for safe vehicular access. Council supported the new paradigm of short pedestrian and bicycle connections in the urbanizing area.
W h i t e P a p e r S a f e t y C r o s s i n g S R 1 1 6 P g 3 Caltrans has its own Bay Area Active Tansportation Plan 2021 report, including the costs of un-safe roads – and Caltrans identifies: 407 people died, and 880 were severely injured, in the more than 5,000 crashes that involved pedestrians on Bay Area roadways of all kinds between 2015 and 2019. Of course, Cotati also had the traffic pedestrian death Nov 16, 2020 at junction Myrtle/Macklin Dr.
The Cotati SR116/W Cotati Ave preliminary “35% Plan” documents were completed earlier this year, and I made a comment during a General Plan progress item, March 25, 2024 with the observation that I hoped there would be adequate time for a public process to comment on the design. The preliminary “35% Plan” was published on ClearGov Aug 15,2024
In the last Council Packet Sept 10, Item 12.B was the Staff plans for this junction, and a proposed timeline, identifying the complex expertise needed to implement this major Cotati project.
In highlighting pedestrian safety, there is continuity from the Active Transportation Plan with a Memo June 4, 2024 from Fehrs&Peers ”State Route 116 Safety Improvements Project” (PdfPg 340).
Fehrs&Peers has written Caltrans reference documents “Pedestrian Safety Countermeasures Toolbox June 2019” and “Complete Intersections: A Guide to Reconstructing Intersections and Interchanges for Bicyclists and Pedestrians (2010)”
Neil Hancock, Resident Cotati