City of Gonzales
PUBLIC WORKS / CITY ENGINEER DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: May 1, 2023
FROM: Patrick Dobbins, Public Works Director/City Engineer THROUGH: Trevin W. Barber, City Manager
SUBJECT: Bike Lane Pilot Project on Fifth Street Progress Report
RECOMMENDATION
Receive a progress report on the Separated Bike Lane Pilot Project on Fifth Street between Rincon Road and Elko Street and provide feedback and direction to staff.
BACKGROUND
The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) and their consultant, Ecology Action, are working with staff from the cities of Gonzales, Soledad, Greenfield, and King City on a Salinas Valley Safe Routes to School Plan. The Safe Routes to School Plan will include recommendations to improve walkability to/from La Gloria Elementary, Fairview Middle School and Gonzales High School. This program is funded through a Caltrans Sustainable Communities Transportation Planning Grant.
School audits occurred on October 26, 2022, when city staff, Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Ecology Action and the members of the Gonzales Youth Council observed students arrive and leave La Gloria Elementary, Fairview Middle School and Gonzales High School.
The program includes implementing a Pilot Project for the community to experience a recommended improvement and provide feedback should the city decide to make the improvement permanent. These pilot projects are being used in all four Salinas Valley cities to provide data on how the recommendations work in practice, collect community input, and support future grant applications for Safe Routes to Schools infrastructure improvements.
AGENDA
ITEM
8 REVIEW AND ANALYSIS
A Separated Bike Lane on Fifth Street between Rincon Road and Elko Street was selected by the project team as the Pilot Project and presented at the March 20, 2023 City Council Meeting. With the Council’s authorization, in early April the project team striped the bike lanes, and installed the associated delineators, and high-visibility crosswalks on Fifth Street.
Ecology Action is collecting survey data from the community on the pilot project. The survey link has been shared through mailers to all City residents, fliers that have been sent out to families through the schools, banners and hard copy surveys placed along 5th Street, and in-person outreach to parents and students before and after school. As of April 25th, 50 survey responses had been received.
The majority of respondents reported a positive experience with the high-visibility crosswalks. Half of respondents reported a positive experience with the separated bike lanes, while 32% reported a negative experience. One-third of respondents reported that they walked or biked more because of the pilot project.
Half of respondents said that they would like to see the temporary changes made permanent, while 36% would not like to see the changes made permanent and 14% were undecided.
The survey also included space for open-ended responses about the pilot project. The primary comments were:
Positive comments:
1. Easier to bicycle along Fifth Street as it feels safer
2. Motorists are driving slower
3. Liked the high visibility crosswalks
4. Liked the student art, increases vibrancy of 5th Street Concerns:
1. The narrow lanes can slow down the response time of emergency vehicles
2. Parking spaces were eliminated along Fifth Street. This affects evening and weekend events at the High School and the American Legion Hall
Staff have been in communication with the Fire Chief and Police Chief about impacts to their service since the pilot was installed. The Police Chief has not seen impacts to service or response times. The Fire Chief tested the pilot after it was installed and was able to get a fire truck through 5th Street with vehicles parked on both sides, but clearance was very limited. To ensure that Fire Department response times are not impacted by the pilot during high-traffic periods, staff recommends removing half of the delineators in an alternating pattern to increase the ability for vehicles to pull over when an emergency vehicle is traveling down the street.
The design of the pilot was adjusted to provide more parking on Fifth Street in front of the American Legion, and alternative event parking locations such as the parking lot on Gabilan Court and the angled parking on Elko St. across from Fairview Middle School have been identified.
The pilot is scheduled to be in place until late July and staff will return to the July 17 Council meeting with a report on community survey data and bicycle and pedestrian count data for Council input on whether to make the project permanent or modify the design. This three-month period was selected because it takes several months for the public to adjust to a new roadway layout.
Staff and Ecology Action will make a presentation at the Council meeting as part of this report.
The Council can direct city staff to:
1. Remove half of “wave” delineators along the pilot project to provide space for vehicles to pull over farther than they are currently able to.
2. Remove all “wave” delineators.
3. Stop the pilot project and restore the striping to the pre-pilot project condition.
How Recommendation Supports the Vision
Gonzales will continue to be a safe, clean, family-friendly community, diverse in its heritage, and committed to working collaboratively to preserve and retain its small-town charm.
Explain: Installing a Separated Bike Lane Pilot Project along a portion of Fifth Street will enhance the quality of life of Gonzales residents through increasing the opportunities for biking and walking.
Explain how the Recommendation Directly Implements the Mission The City Council and Staff of the City of Gonzales will realize our Vision by providing the leadership, commitment and resources necessary to provide excellent services that enhance the quality of life of our diverse community. X Yes ____ No____ N/A
Explain: Please see explanation above for the Mission.
City services will be delivered in a cost-effective, respectful and friendly manner to ensure the safety and well-being of the residents and the promotion of business, recreational, housing and employment opportunities in an environmentally sustainable manner. X Yes ____No ____ N/A Explain: See Vision explanation above.
Strong fiscal policies allow us to provide appropriate infrastructure for:
• Public Safety X Yes No N/A
• Housing Yes X No N/A
• Recreation X Yes No N/A
• Environment X Yes No N/A
• Education X Yes No N/A
ALTERNATIVES
As stated in the staff report, the Council could direct city staff to:
1. Remove half of “wave” delineators along the pilot project to provide space for vehicles to pull over farther than they are currently able to.
2. Remove all “wave” delineators.
3. Stop the pilot project, restore the striping to the pre-pilot project condition.
BUDGET IMPACT
There is no budget impact to this evening’s presentation as the costs for the pilot project are covered by the TAMC grant funding.
CONCLUSION
Receive a progress report on the Separated Bike Lane Pilot Project on Fifth Street between Rincon Road and Elko Street and provide feedback and direction to staff.
Attachments:
1. Project Photos
2. Ecology Action survey data (to date)