Attach 2 - Draft Local Roadway Safety Plan — Hercules City Council, April 23, 2024

Local Roadway
Safety Plan
DRAFT
April 2024

Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 4 A Commitment to Safety......................................................................................................................................... 4 What is an LRSP? ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Plan Overview .......................................................................................................................................................... 7 Vision and Goals .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Plan Development Process ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Existing Safety Conditions.......................................................................................................................................... 11 Existing Safety Practice and Culture .................................................................................................................... 11 Equity Analysis ......................................................................................................................................................... 12 Engagement and Outreach ................................................................................................................................. 15 Summary of Citywide Safety Performance ......................................................................................................... 17 Safety Performance Network Screening ............................................................................................................. 30 Emphasis Areas .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Strategies and Recommendations .......................................................................................................................... 34 Countermeasures vs. Strategies ............................................................................................................................ 34 Available Countermeasures ................................................................................................................................. 34 Available Strategies ............................................................................................................................................... 38 Recommendations and Implementation ............................................................................................................... 42 Systemic Treatments .............................................................................................................................................. 42 Site Specific Treatments ......................................................................................................................................... 50 Action Items and Performance Measures .............................................................................................................. 52 Funding ....................................................................................................................................................................... 54 Appendix A – Safety Performance Network Screening Methodology ................................................................ 56 Methodology .......................................................................................................................................................... 57 Appendix B – Project Concepts ............................................................................................................................... 59

2510 J Street, Suite 200
Sacramento, California
P 916.266.2190
April 2024 Page 2
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

List of Figures
Figure 1: FHWA’s Safe System Elements ..................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 2: FHWA LRSP Planning Process ....................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 3: SWITRS Party Gender Compared Against Citywide Population Shares ................................................ 13 Figure 4: SWITRS Party Age Compared Against Citywide Population Shares ...................................................... 13 Figure 5: SWITRS Party Race Compared Against Citywide Population Shares .................................................... 14 Figure 6: City of Hercules Collisions by Severity (2018-2022) .................................................................................. 19 Figure 7: Collision Tree with Injury Collisions (2018 – 2022) ...................................................................................... 20 Figure 8: Collision Severity by Collision Type (2018-2022) ....................................................................................... 21 Figure 9: Share of Collisions by Collision Type and Severity (2018-2022) .............................................................. 21 Figure 10: Collision Severity by Primary Collision Factors (2018-2022) ................................................................... 22 Figure 11: Share of Collisions by Primary Collision Factor and Severity (2018-2022) ............................................ 23 Figure 12: Collision Severity by Year (2018-2022) .................................................................................................... 24 Figure 13: Total Reported Collision Shares by Hour of Day .................................................................................... 24 Figure 14: Pedestrian-Involved Collisions by Severity (2018-2022) ......................................................................... 25 Figure 15: Bicyclist-Involved Collisions by Severity .................................................................................................. 26 Figure 16: Unsafe Speed Collisions by Severity ....................................................................................................... 27 Figure 17: Citywide Fatal/Severe Injury Collision Shares by SHSP Challenge Area Compared to Statewide Statistics ....................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Figure 18: Priority Intersections - City of Hercules .................................................................................................... 31 Figure 19: Priority Roadway Segments - City of Hercules ....................................................................................... 32 Figure 20: Example of Roadway with Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs ............................................................. 43 Figure 21: Unsafe Speed Collision Priority Intersections .......................................................................................... 44 Figure 22: Example Pedestrian-Scale Lighting (Source: NACTO) .......................................................................... 46 Figure 23: Nighttime Collision Priority Intersections ................................................................................................. 47 Figure 24: Retroreflective Backplates (Source: FHWA) .......................................................................................... 48 Figure 25: Potential Signal Hardware Improvement Locations in the City ........................................................... 49 Figure 26: Centerline Hardening Example in Oakland, California (Source: Kittelson & Associates, Inc.) ......... 50

April 2024 Page 3
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

List of Tables
Table 1: Collision Severity by Road User Involved (2018 - 2022) ............................................................................ 19 Table 2: Priority Intersections ..................................................................................................................................... 30 Table 3: Priority Roadway Segments ........................................................................................................................ 30 Table 4: Site-Specific Projects (and Countermeasures) ......................................................................................... 51

April 2024 Page 4
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

INTRODUCTION
A Commitment to Safety
The City of Hercules (City) is committed to reducing fatalities and severe injuries on its roadways. To advance this mission, the City initiated a citywide Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP). The LRSP outlines a plan to ensure Hercules residents, visitors, and those who travel through the community get home safely.

The City of Hercules’ LRSP should be considered a living document that evolves as the City works toward achieving a safer roadway system. The LRSP focuses on addressing the diverse needs of the City based on roadway characteristics and collision history available at the time of development and is intended to evolve as the City changes over time.

What is an LRSP?
An LRSP provides an assessment of roadway safety for the City, identifying locations for improvements and a range of strategies to implement that address safety from engineering countermeasures to educational safety campaigns. An LRSP is a multi-disciplinary approach to traffic safety that creates the opportunity for the City to partner with stakeholders and other agencies who may have a role in implementing recommendations. These stakeholders include representatives from law enforcement, fire department, neighboring jurisdictions, public health services, emergency response providers, community organizations, and the broader community.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) considers LRSPs a proven safety countermeasure that provide crosscutting efforts to prioritize investments. The Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) are Federal funding programs that support implementation of engineering strategies and countermeasures that address road safety challenges on public roads. To pursue HSIP grant funds in California, a local agency must have an LRSP or equivalent planning document. To be eligible for federal SS4A funding, a local agency must have a safety action plan equivalent to an LRSP, provided that it incorporates a comprehensive implementation framework that aligns actions with specified timing, funding allocations, and designated responsible parties. Access to these funds assists the City in funding engineering-related solutions that make its roads safer for all road users.

April 2024 Page 5
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Aligning with the California’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan LRSPs across the state complement California’s 2020-2024 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), by intentionally and continually assessing and improving roadway safety. The SHSP identifies key safety needs and guides investment decisions toward strategies and countermeasures with the most potential to save lives and prevent injuries.

The SHSP identified California’s 16 challenge areas, or areas that should be the focus for roadway safety in California. As discussed in greater detail in the California Office of Traffic Safety Ranking and SHSP Challenge Areas Comparison discussion in the Summary of Citywide Safety Performance section, the items bolded on this list were identified as high priority challenge areas for Hercules, meaning improvements in these areas has the greatest opportunity to reduce death and severe injury. ◼ Pedestrians
◼ Bicyclists
◼ Aging Drivers
◼ Commercial Vehicles
◼ Distracted Driving
◼ Driver Licensing
◼ Emergency Response
◼ Emerging Technologies
◼ Impaired Driving
◼ Intersections
◼ Lane Departures
◼ Motorcyclists
◼ Occupant Protection
◼ Speed Management / Aggressive Driving
◼ Work Zones
◼ Young Drivers
Historically, the SHSP has used the five E’s (education, enforcement, engineering, emergency response, and emerging technologies) to organize strategies. In 2021, state transportation officials shifted focus and adopted guiding principles that integrate social equity, create a Safe System Approach, and encourage the use of proven countermeasures and emerging technologies.

Incorporating the Safe System Approach
In January 2022, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) released its National Roadway Safety Strategy1 that adopted the Safe System Approach as its core strategy. In February 2022, Caltrans released Director’s Policy 362 which commits to adopting the Safe System Approach to achieve its vision to eliminate fatalities and severe injuries on California’s roadways by 2050 and provide safer outcomes for all communities. These efforts build from the Federal Highway Administration’s education of the Safe System Approach as a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities.

The Safe System Approach aims to eliminate fatal and severe injuries for all roadway users. It works towards eliminating roadway deaths using six principles, as stated by Caltrans DP-36:
 Deaths and severe injuries are unacceptable.
 Humans make mistakes.
 Humans are vulnerable.
 Responsibility is shared.
 Safety is proactive and reactive.
 Redundancy is critical.

1 National Roadway Safety Strategy, United States Department of Transportation, January 2022 https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-02/USDOT-National-Roadway-Safety-Strategy.pdf 2 California Department of Transportation Director’s Policy 36, February 15, 2022 https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/safety-programs/documents/policy/dp_36-a11y.pdf April 2024 Page 6
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

There are five elements (or layers) to a Safe System (see Figure 1 on the following page):
 Safe Roadway Users – All roadway users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders, should be able to travel safely.
 Safe Vehicles – Vehicles should be designed and regulated to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions.
 Safe Speeds – The faster a vehicle is traveling, the greater its risk to human life. Safe speeds are speeds that reduce impact forces, improve stopping time, and improve visibility.  Safe Roadways – Roadway design can accommodate human mistakes and improve injury tolerances through strategies, such as physically separating those traveling at different speeds or using signage to alert drivers to hazards.
 Post-Collision Care – If a collision does occur, first responders must assess, stabilize, and transport those who were injured. Forensic investigation or incident management teams are also important parts of post-collision care.

Figure 1: FHWA’s Safe System Elements

This LRSP uses a Safe System Approach to identify ways that Hercules and its safety partners can create layers to help protect all roadway users – even when they make mistakes. The City is the driving force behind implementing engineering-related safety measures such as speed management or roadway design combined with education and enforcement activities to reduce unwanted road user behaviors.

Commitment from City staff and road safety partners to prioritize safety in their efforts and to implement both proven and innovative ideas are key to advancing road safety. However, state and federal policy – like legislation to allow automated speed enforcement and continued regulation of vehicle safety standards will be essential to complete the Safe System.

Source: FHWA, 2022
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/zerodeaths/zero_deaths_vision.cfm April 2024 Page 7
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Plan Overview
This LRSP uses historical collision data and an understanding of local context to assess existing roadway safety conditions in Hercules, identify areas for improvement, and provide recommended actions and an implementation plan. Ultimately, this LRSP creates a data-driven decision-making framework to reduce the number of fatal and severe injury collisions on local roadways.

The plan is organized into five main sections:

1. Vision and Goals – Establishes a larger vision for transportation safety in Hercules and sets goals for how to get there.

2. Plan Development – Details the collaborative and data-driven planning process.

3. Existing Conditions – Provides an analysis of collisions in Hercules.

4. Emphasis Areas and Countermeasures – Details the emphasis areas and lists proven countermeasures that can improve roadway safety.

5. Recommendations and Implementation – Prioritizes short- and long-term projects and sets a strategy for assessing progress toward established goals.

April 2024 Page 8
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

VISION AND GOALS
Vision
The City of Hercules will prioritize safety in all projects to support the reduction of fatal and severe injury collisions for all road users as the City continues to grow.

Goals
The following goals will guide collaborative planning efforts with the City Council, the Traffic Safety Sub- Committee, City staff, and other safety related partners:

1. Analyze data to identify and prioritize opportunities to improve roadway safety using proven safety countermeasures and strategies.

2. Implement proven and innovative safety countermeasures to reduce the risk of future collisions.

3. Educate and promote safe travel practices in the City of Hercules.

Commitments
The City is committed to using data and Safe System principles recommended by FHWA and SHSP to promote safety in all actions. The City is committed to reaching its goal of eliminating all preventable roadway fatalities and severe injuries by 2050.

April 2024 Page 9
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
The LRSP was developed in collaboration with City staff, the Traffic Safety Sub-Committee, and the City Council using collision data and best practices resources. The FHWA LRSP development process is captured in Figure 2, with four primary steps:

1. Identify Stakeholders

2. Use Safety Data (Analyze Safety Data and Identify Collision Types and High-Crash Risk Locations)

3. Choose Proven Solutions

4. Implement Solutions
Figure 2: FHWA LRSP Planning Process

Source: FHWA, 2022, https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/LRSPDIY/downloads/LRSP_FinalBuild_Infographic_508.pdf

Working Together
The following three bodies have been valued partners that represent a unique set of experiences, needs, and views on roadway safety in the City of Hercules.

Police Services
Hercules Police Services forms enforcement location priorities based on its review of collision history and information. Continued dialogue between the stakeholders will help keep them informed of emphasis areas and high-risk locations for roadway users.

April 2024 Page 10
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Engineering Services of Public Works Department
Engineering Services oversees the City's Capital Improvement Program, conducts evaluations and inspections of public improvements on private developments, and assesses traffic engineering. Capital improvement projects include new road construction and traffic improvements. The Engineering Services will help identify public concern and development projects, enhancing all public improvements and facilities.

City Council/Traffic Safety Subcommittee
The City Council consists of five members who are responsible for establishing City policies, approving ordinances and resolutions, making land use decisions, approving agreements and contracts, and hearing appeals on decisions made by City staff or advisory committees. The City Council also appoints residents to serve as the City’s representative to numerous regional committees and boards. The Traffic Safety Subcommittee includes representatives from the City Council. Each committee member represents a unique set of experiences, needs, and views of the transportation system and roadway safety in the City of Hercules.

Meeting Dates and Topics
The Traffic Safety Subcommittee met in October 2023 and February 2024, twice over the course of the LRSP’s development, to discuss and inform the LRSP, as summarized below.

Meeting 1|October 2023
 Define LRSP purpose and scope.
 Present and gather feedback on preliminary data analysis.  Present network screening results.
 Discuss potential emphasis areas based on data findings.

Meeting 2|March 2024
 Discuss vision of LRSP outcomes and related actions and performance measures.  Review Draft LRSP recommendations.
 Discuss implementation and responsibilities.

The Traffic Safety Subcommittee meetings were also attended by the community members. At this meeting, City staff and project team members received input on street lighting, crosswalk visibility, overgrown trees obstructing sight distances for large vehicles such as firetrucks, and the City’s policy regarding the use of e-bikes on City streets.

April 2024 Page 11
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

EXISTING SAFETY CONDITIONS
The LRSP builds on existing plans, policies, and programs that support safe, accessible, equitable, and multimodal transportation. The most relevant documents pertaining to local roadway safety in Hercules are included below, along with an explanation of how their policies, programs, and recommendations inform the LRSP.

Existing Safety Practice and Culture
Hercules General Plan (2018)
The Circulation Element of Hercules General Plan serves as a guiding framework for the City’s transportation system, encompassing vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle, and transit modes of travel with a planning horizon of at least 20 years.

The goals of the circulation element of Hercules General Plan that are relevant to the LRSP include:
◼ Goal 1: Maintain and enhance the city’s multimodal circulation system. o Policy 2: Implementation of needed circulation improvements o Policy 3: Comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle system o Policy 5: Accommodate emergency response providers
o Policy 6: Accessibility
◼ Goal 2: Reduce reliance on automobiles.
o Policy 3: Bus service
o Policy 4: Pedestrian/bicycle
◼ Goal 3: Reduce vehicular traffic generation and greenhouse gas emissions in Hercules. o Policy 1: Transportation demand management (TDM)
o Policy 2: Flexible parking requirements
The Plan for Central Hercules (2000)
The Plan for Central Hercules seeks to achieve pedestrian orientation and walkability through mixed retail, residential, and office uses, encourage safer places through “eyes on the street”, reduce car dependency by supporting walking commute trips, reduce parking demand, provide amenities for pedestrians and facilities for bicyclists, promote carpooling and transit usage, and create a park-and-ride lot. Pursuant to the plan, the Hercules Transit Center was relocated to its current site, which is owned by the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) District, in 2009 to facilitate the development of the Safeway center. The Central Hercules urban design concept is planned to be implemented gradually through phased development.

This plan helps inform the LRSP through its focus creating an interconnected street and pedestrian network.

It is noted crosswalks should be provided at all intersections and should be clearly delineated, as well as that streets should be well lit for safety at night.

April 2024 Page 12
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Equity Analysis
This section presents the results of a roadway safety equity analysis for the City of Hercules, which is a required component of a Local Road Safety Plan, in order for the plan to meet the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant funding requirements. Equity is a fundamental consideration of the Safe System Approach, particularly given that pedestrian and bicyclist fatality rates on a per-capita basis vary largely by race,3 as well as by income, age, and gender to varying degrees in varying places4. These outcomes underscore the need to explicitly examine correlations between sociodemographic and risk factors related to roadway infrastructure and operations. Furthermore, equity analysis ideally encompasses more than just safety analysis, given known limitations of crash data (e.g., underreporting, near misses) and the lack of systemic exposure estimates to contextualize risk.

For the development of this LRSP, the following data sources were looked at for information on priority equity areas in the City of Hercules:
◼ SS4A Underserved Communities Census Tracts (Historically Disadvantaged Communities and Areas of Persistent Poverty) and
◼ Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Equity Priority Communities (EPC).

None of the above-identified disadvantaged populations or historically underrepresented communities are present in the City at the census tract level.

Demographic Analysis
This section presents a demographic analysis, showing a comparison of demographics from American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year (2017-2021) estimates and crash-involved party data from Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) (2018-2022) to understand the relationship between the demographic characteristics and crash history in the City of Hercules. Analyzing reported demographic characteristics of involved party members can help the city better understand which groups of individuals may bear disproportionate burdens from crashes and how to address these needs most effectively through safety strategies. The following demographics were analyzed for this LRSP based on available crash and census data:

1. Gender

2. Age

3. Race/Ethnicity

3 Federal Highway Administration. “Integrating Equity into the Safe System Approach” Presentation. Accessed Apr. 17, 2023: https://highways.dot.gov/safety/zero-deaths/integrating-equity-safe-system-approach-presentation. 4 Vision Zero Network. N.d. Equity Strategies for Practitioners. Accessed April 17, 2023: https://visionzeronetwork.org/wp- content/uploads/2017/05/VisionZero_Equity.pdf
April 2024 Page 13
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Gender
Figure 3 compares demographics from ACS 2021 5-Year estimates against SWITRS crash-involved party gender for the city.

Figure 3: SWITRS Party Gender Compared Against Citywide Population Shares

Source: ACS 2021 5-Year Census Data, SWITRS, Kittelson & Associates, Inc., 2023 Findings
◼ Almost one-fourth of crashes identified the party gender as “Not Stated” which does not allow for a definitive correlation to be made on crash risk for this comparison.

Age
Figure 4 compares the demographics of the city from ACS 2021 5-Year estimates against SWITRS crash- involved party age for the city.

Figure 4: SWITRS Party Age Compared Against Citywide Population Shares

Source: ACS 2021 5-Year Census Data, SWITRS, Kittelson & Associates, Inc., 2023

48%
52%
0%
43%
32%
25%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Male Female Not Stated
ACS 2021 5 Year Estimates SWITRS Crash-Involved Party Characteristics (2018-2022) 17%
10%
18%
37%
18%
0%1%
18%
21% 22%
12%
27%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
0-14 15-24 25-39 40-64 65+ Not Stated
ACS 2021 5 Year Estimates SWITRS Crash-Involved Party Characteristics (2018-2022) April 2024 Page 14
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Findings
◼ Crash-involved parties below 14 years of age primarily included bicyclists and pedestrians. ◼ 9% of crash-involved parties in the 65 years and above age group were pedestrians/bicyclists. ◼ More than one-fourth of crashes identified the age as “Not Stated” which does not allow for a definitive correlation to be made on crash risk for this comparison.

Race/Ethnicity
Figure 5 compares the demographics of the city from ACS 2021 5-Year (2017-2021) estimates against SWITRS crash-involved party race for the city.

Figure 5: SWITRS Party Race Compared Against Citywide Population Shares

Findings
◼ Almost one-fourth of crashes identified the party race as “Not Stated” which does not allow for a definitive correlation to be made on crash risk for this comparison.

27%
18%
43%
16%
13%15%
19%
13%
16%
11%
27%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
White Black Asian Hispanic (of any race)
Other Not Stated
ACS 2021 5 Year Estimates SWITRS Crash-Involved Party Characteristics April 2024 Page 15
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Engagement and Outreach
This LRSP was developed concurrently with the ongoing Contra Costa County Transportation Authority’s (CCTA) Comprehensive Transportation Safety Action Plan (CTSAP). Because safety is central to both plans’ recommendations, the public activities and feedback inform locations, priorities, and input for both safety plans. The CCTA CTSAP team developed a project website, interactive map, and survey that has been leveraged to support the Hercules LRSP. The LRSP project team conducted a community outreach/pop-up event during the City’s Trunk or Treat event in October 2023. Based on the interactive map, survey responses and public comments during the pop-up event, the project team identified general themes in community safety concerns, summarized below:

Pedestrian Concerns
◼ Multiple requests to widen sidewalks near business centers such as San Pablo Avenue/Sycamore Avenue.
◼ Pedestrian visibility concerns observed during early morning hours. ◼ Calls to enhance crosswalk visibility at multiple locations including Sycamore Avenue, Pheasant Drive/Swallow Way, and Refugio Valley Road/Coronado Street. ◼ Request to improve pedestrian access to Pinole and Rodeo via San Pablo Avenue by adding wider sidewalks on both sides of the roadways and enforcing speed limits.

Biking Concerns
◼ Requests for a more connected bike network in the city, especially connecting key destinations such as Hercules Transit Center and schools.
◼ Calls to improve existing bike infrastructure such as widening bike lanes and adding intersection crossing markings to safely navigate bikes through intersections. ◼ Desire to add new bike infrastructure such as protected bike lanes and bike lockers at business parks. ◼ Desire to improve biking facilities on Sycamore Avenue, especially under Interstate 80.

Roadway Infrastructure Concerns
◼ Request to add an extra right turn lane for Park Lake Plaza to accommodate vehicles turning right from Sycamore Avenue to Refugio Valley Road.
◼ Requests to convert intersections to roundabouts, specifically on Palm Avenue. ◼ General roadway maintenance issues. Promenade Street/Main Street intersection was highlighted as cracking and crumbling and requiring general maintenance.

Traffic Enforcement Concerns
◼ Concerns regarding drivers frequently violating traffic rules, including speeding, improper turning, running stop sign, double parking, and parking in no parking zones. ◼ Noted locations include Refugio Valley Road, Coronado Street, Promenade Street, Lupine Road/Redwood Road, Pepperwood Street/Redwood Road, Railroad Avenue/Main Street and San Pablo Avenue/Sycamore Avenue.

April 2024 Page 16
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

School Zone Concerns
◼ Congestion during school pick up and drop off hours.
◼ Speeding and traffic volumes near school zones make walking/biking to school unsafe. ◼ Noted locations include Lupine Road, Refugio Valley Road, and Falcon Way.

Emergency Vehicle Access Concerns
◼ Overgrown trees in the city block sight lines for emergency vehicles such as fire trucks. ◼ Cars parked along the roads block emergency vehicle access and fire hydrants. Noted locations include Refugio Valley Road.

By incorporating the data analysis findings and listening directly to community needs, this LRSP reflects data-driven and community-informed desires to improve safety and encourages multimodal transportation choices on the City of Hercules’s local roadway system.

April 2024 Page 17
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Summary of Citywide Safety Performance
Descriptive Trends Analysis
To assess citywide safety performance, Kittelson developed a database of the most recent five years of reported collisions, representing January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2022. At the time of the analysis, 2022 was the most recent year for which the complete collision data was available. Kittelson utilized the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) and UC Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS). The final dataset for this analysis includes 262 collisions from SWITRS/TIMS.

Collisions that occurred on grade-separated freeways in the City, (i.e., Interstate 80 and State Route 4) have been excluded from the collision data. However, collisions reported at the ramp terminal intersections that are associated with grade-separated freeways and highways in the City are included in the analysis database. The following section describes regional roadway safety performance in two ways:
◼ Citywide Collision Patterns and Trends, which identifies relevant collision factors such as collision types, primary collision factors, and users involved.

◼ Network Screening, which spatially locates collisions and identifies intersections and segments with the highest collision frequency and severity to determine locations where improvements may have the highest impact.

Understanding Collision Severity
Collision severity is coded according to the highest degree of injury experienced. Defined below is the injury classification scale and definitions in California5.

Fatal: Death because of injured sustained in a crash or an injury resulting in death within 30 days of the crash.

Severe Injury: An injury other than a fatal injury which results in broken bones, dislocated or distorted limbs, severe lacerations, or unconsciousness at or when taken from the collision scene. It does not include minor laceration.

Other Visible Injury: This includes bruises (discolored or swollen); places where the body has received a blow (black eyes and bloody noses); and abrasions (areas of the skin where the surface is roughened or blotchy by scratching or rubbing which includes skinned shins, knuckles, knees, and elbows).

Complaint of Pain: This classification could contain authentic internal or other non-visible injuries and fraudulent claims of injury. This includes: 1. Persons who seem dazed, confused, or incoherent (unless such behavior can be attributed to intoxication, extreme age, illness, or mental infirmities). 2. Persons who are limping but do not have visible injuries; 3. Any person who is known to have been unconscious because of the crash, although it appears he/she has recovered; 4. People who say they want to be listed as injured do not appear to be so.

Property Damage Only (PDO): A noninjury motor vehicle traffic crash which results in property damage.

5 https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/hsip/spm/conversion_tbl/pdfs/kabco_ctable_by_state.pdf April 2024 Page 18
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

City wide Collision Patterns and Trends Summary
The following is a summary of key findings from the reported collisions in the City of Hercules from 2018 to 2022:
-- Overall, there were 262 reported collisions on City roadways. Collisions resulting in a fatality or se vere injury represented about 5 percent of these, with 2 being fatal and 11 being severe injury.
-- Pedestrians and bicyclists are overrepresented in fatal and serious injury collisions. Pedestrians and bicyclists are each involved in 5 percent and 2 percent of reported collisions but are involved in 23 percent and 8 percent of fatal and severe injury collisions, respectively.
-- The top three most cited collision types for fatal and severe injury collisions are rear end (23 percent) , head -on (23 percent ), and vehicle/pedestrian (23 percent). -- The two most cited primary collision factors for fatal and severe injury collisions are unsafe speed (31 percent) and pedestrian violation (23 percent). Improper turning, driving or bicycling under the influence, traveling on wrong side of road, following too closely, and other improper driver or hazardous violations ar e all attributed to one fatal and severe injury collision (8 percent each).

There are a total of 13 (5%) reported fatal and severe injury collisions, which account for 2.6 collisions per year on average. In this analysis, fatal and severe injury collisions are generally grouped together because the difference between a fatality and a severe injury can depend on factors such as emergency response time or the victim’s health rather than the collision severity itself. Additional collision statistics are summarized on the following pages.

Figure 6 and Table 1 summarize the reported collisions by severity in the City of Hercules. Table 1 also shows a breakdown of City collisions by road users involved.

April 2024 Page 19
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Figure 6: City of Hercules Collisions by Severity (2018-2022)

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

Table 1: Collision Severity by Road User Involved (2018 - 2022) Road Users Involved Fatal (% of
column)
Severe
Injury (% of
column)
Other
Visible
Injury (% of
column)
Complaint
of Pain (%
of column)
Property
Damage
Only (% of
column)
Total (% of
column)
Pedestrian-Involved 1 (50%) 2 (18%) 5 (22%) 5 (9%) 2 (1%) 15 (6%) Bicycle-Involved 0 (0%) 1 (9%) 1 (4%) 4 (7%) 0 (0%) 6 (2%) Vehicle Only or
Vehicle-Fixed Object 1 (50%) 8 (73%) 17 (74%) 45 (84%) 170 (99%) 241 (92%) Reported Collisions 2 (100%) 11 (100%) 23 (100%) 54 (100%) 172 (100%) 262 (100%) Severity Share of
Reported Collisions <1% 4% 9% 21% 66% 100%
Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

Figure 7 shows the collision tree with injury collisions broken down by collision location (intersection/roadway segment) and road user involved (pedestrian/bicycle/motorcycle/motor vehicle).

Fatal
1%
Severe Injury
4% Other Visible
Injury
9%
Complaint of Pain
21%
Property Damage
Only
66%
262
Reported
Collisions
90 13

INTERSECTION SEGMENT
78 87% 12 13%
12 92% 1 8%

PEDESTRIAN PEDESTRIAN
13 14% 0 0%
3 23% 0 0%
5 6% 1 1%
1 8% 0 0%

MOTOR-CYCLE MOTOR-CYCLE
4 4% 0 0%
3 23% 0 0%

MOTOR VEHICLE MOTOR VEHICLE
56 62% 11 12%
5 38% 1 8%

TOTAL INJURY COLLISIONS TOTAL INJURY COLLISIONS

BICYCLE BICYCLE

FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS

TOTAL INJURY COLLISIONS

FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS

TOTAL INJURY COLLISIONS

FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS

TOTAL INJURY COLLISIONS TOTAL INJURY COLLISIONS

FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS

TOTAL INJURY COLLISIONS

TOTAL INJURY COLLISIONSTOTAL INJURY COLLISIONS

FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS FATAL/SEVERE INJURY COLLISIONS

April 2024 Page 21
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Collision Types and Factors
Figure 8 and Figure 9 show the most frequency collision types that were reported in the City. Of all the reported collisions, the three most common collision types include sideswipe, rear end, or hit object collisions. The most common collision types that resulted in fatal and severe injury collisions include rear- end, head-on, and vehicle/pedestrian collisions.

Figure 8: Collision Severity by Collision Type (2018-2022)

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

Figure 9: Share of Collisions by Collision Type and Severity (2018-2022)

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Not Stated
Overturned
Other
Vehicle/Bicyclist
Vehicle/Pedestrian
Head-On
Broadside
Hit Object
Rear End
Sideswipe
Collision Frequency
Collision Type
Property Damage Only Complaint of Pain Other Visible Injury Severe Injury Fatal 0%
0%
8%
8%
23%
23%
8%
8%
23%
0%
1%
1%
2%
2%
5%
10%
15%
17%
23%
25%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
Not Stated
Overturned
Other
Vehicle/Bicyclist
Vehicle/Pedestrian
Head-On
Broadside
Hit Object
Rear End
Sideswipe
Collision Share
Reported Collisions Fatal/Severe Injury Collisions
April 2024 Page 22
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Reported primary collision factors (PCFs) convey the violation or the underlying causal factor for a collision.

Reporting officers identify a primary collision factor (PCF) for every collision. There are several different PCFs from which they can select. It is up to the officer’s judgement and information available at the scene for them to select the factor that is most relevant to the collision. Officers select one from among a list of PCFs based on violations6 and road user behavior. There may be multiple PCFs that are appropriate for a given collision, but the PCF is the factor identified by the officer as the primary contributing violation/action for the collision.

Figure 10 shows that improper turning7 and unsafe speed8 are the factors determined by the investigating officer that have been reported most frequently as the primary cause of a collision. Together these account for more than 47% of all reported collisions. Figure 11 shows the share of all reported collisions and fatal and severe injury collisions by primary collision factor. The most frequent primary collision factors associated with fatal and severe injury collisions are unsafe speed and pedestrian violation9.

Figure 10: Collision Severity by Primary Collision Factors (2018-2022)

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

6 California Vehicle Code (CVC)
7 Improper Turning: Turning at a distance unnecessarily far from the curb, turning without using turn signals, or making a type of turn prohibited by signage.
8 Unsafe Speed: Driving at a speed unsafe for the conditions. 9 Pedestrian Violation: Making a maneuver as a pedestrian without respecting the right-of-way of a motor vehicle. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Pedestrian Right of Way
Pedestrian Violation
Wrong Side of Road
DUI
Following Too Closely
Automobile Right of Way
Traffic Signals and Signs
Unsafe Speed
Improper Turning
Collision Frequency
Property Damage Only Complaint of Pain Other Visible Injury Severe Injury Fatal April 2024 Page 23
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Figure 11: Share of Collisions by Primary Collision Factor and Severity (2018-2022)

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

8%
8%
0%
23%
8%
8%
8%
0%
0%
31%
8%
1%
2%
2%
3%
3%
5%
5%
8%
8%
23%
24%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
Other Hazardous Violation
Other Improper Driving
Pedestrian Right of Way
Pedestrian Violation
Wrong Side of Road
DUI
Following Too Closely
Automobile Right of Way
Traffic Signals and Signs
Unsafe Speed
Improper Turning
Collision Share
Reported Collisions Fatal/Severe Injury Collisions
April 2024 Page 24
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Temporal Collision Factors
Figure 12 shows the collision severity patterns across the five study years (2018-2022). The year 2019 had the highest number of total reported collisions followed by 2020. Overall, we see a decrease in the total crashes in 2020 and 2021. The share of fatal and severe injury collisions is highest in 2020 (7.5%), followed by 2021 (5.3%). The results show a change in travel patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pandemic and work from home generally led to fewer vehicles on the roadway. Overall, the number of collisions in 2020 and 2021 were lower compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. However, more severe crashes occurred in 2020 and 2021 as a percentage of total reported crashes during the study period.

Figure 12: Collision Severity by Year (2018-2022)

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

Figure 13 shows the reported collisions distribution through a 24-hour period. The greatest share of collisions occur at 8:00AM, typically during the morning commute period. Collisions, however, overall occur more frequently in the evening than in the mornings.

Figure 13: Total Reported Collision Shares by Hour of Day

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Collisio n Frequency
Year
Property Damage Only Complaint of Pain Other Visible Injury Severe Injury Fatal 0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
7%
8%
9%
10%
0:00
1:00
2:00
3:00
4:00
5:00
6:00
7:00
8:00
9:00
10:00
11:00
12:00
13:00
14:00
15:00
16:00
17:00
18:00
19:00
20:00
21:00
22:00
23:00
Unknown
Collision Share
Time of Day
April 2024 Page 25
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Pedestrian-Involved Collisions
Across the five study years (2018-2022) there were a total of 15 pedestrian-involved collisions as shown in Figure 14. Of these collisions, three were fatal and severe injury collisions Pedestrian-involved collisions comprised 5% of all reported collisions but accounted for 23% of fatal and severe injury collisions.

Pedestrian-involved collisions are over-represented in fatal and severe injury collisions. 50% of all reported pedestrian-involved collisions and 67% of fatal and severe injury collisions occurred when the pedestrian was crossing not in a crosswalk.

Figure 14: Pedestrian-Involved Collisions by Severity (2018-2022)

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

Property Damage
Only, 13%
Complaint of Pain,
33%
Other Visible Injury,
33%
Severe Injury, 13%
Fatal, 7%
15 Reported
Collisions
April 2024 Page 26
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Bicyclist-Involved Collisions
Across the five study years (2018-2022) there was a total of 6 bicyclist-involved collisions. Of these, one resulted in a severe injury. Figure 15 summarizes the reported bicyclist-involved collisions by severity in the City of Hercules. Most bicyclist-involved collisions result in complaints of pain. Bicyclist-involved collisions comprised 2% of all reported collisions but accounted for 8% of severe injury collisions.

The most common collision type for bicyclist-involved collisions is Broadside, accounting for 50 percent of all reported bicyclist-involved collisions.

Figure 15: Bicyclist-Involved Collisions by Severity

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

Severe Injury
17%
Other Visible Injury 17%
Complaint of Pain
67%
6 Reported
Collisions
April 2024 Page 27
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Unsafe Speed Collisions
Across the five study years (2018-2022) there was a total of 60 unsafe speed collisions. Of these collisions, 4 resulted in a severe injury and 15 resulted in other visible injury or complaint of pain. Figure 16 summarizes the reported unsafe speed collisions by severity in the City of Hercules.

Unsafe speed collisions represent 31 percent of the total reported fatal and severe injury collisions.

Figure 16: Unsafe Speed Collisions by Severity

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, compiled by Kittelson, 2023.

Pedestrian Violation Collisions
Across the five study years (2018-2022) there was a total of 8 pedestrian violation collisions. Of these collisions, 3 resulted in a fatal or severe injury. Pedestrian violation collisions comprise 3% of all reported collisions but accounted for 23% of fatal and severe injury collisions.

Fatal
0%
Severe Injury
7%
Other Injury
25%
Property Damage Only 68%
60 Unsafe Speed
Collisions
April 2024 Page 28
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

California Office of Traffic Safety Rankings and SHSP Challenge Areas Comparison
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) provides comparative crash rankings for cities statewide. For 2021, the most recent year comparisons are available, Hercules ranked 33 out of 93 for cities with population between 25,001-50,000 in California. Number one in the rankings is considered the worst.10 The OTS Rankings were developed so that individual cities could compare their city’s traffic safety statistics to those of other cities with similar-sized populations. Cities could use these comparisons to see what areas they may have problems in and which they were doing well in. It should be noted that OTS rankings are only indicators of potential problems; there are many factors that may either understate or overstate a city/county ranking that must be evaluated based on local circumstances.

The California 2020-2024 Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP)11 is a statewide roadway safety plan that provides guidance to influence development of statewide goals, strategies, and performance measures for local agencies and stakeholders statewide.

The SHSP focuses on 16 challenge areas. 13 of the challenge areas are compared below to City of Hercules collision history. The remaining three are not compared because the data available for this project is not readily and reliably provided for these challenge areas. Figure 17 shows a collision share comparison between City’s collision statistics between 2018-2022 and the statewide data between 2008- 2017 for each challenge area posed in the SHSP12. The City of Hercules has higher fatal/severe injury shares than Statewide for the following SHSP challenge areas:
◼ Commercial Vehicles (8% vs 7%)
◼ Distracted Driving (25% vs 5%)
◼ Occupant Protection (25% vs 13%)
◼ Motorcyclists (25% vs 18%)
◼ Bicyclists (8% vs 7%)
◼ Aggressive Driving (50% vs 34%)
◼ Pedestrians (25% vs 17%)
◼ Intersections (33% vs 23%)

Aligning with the findings already presented in the sections above, these challenge areas were considered while developing the emphasis areas and used in the goal development for the City of Hercules.

10 Number 1 in the rankings is the highest, or “worst.” So, for Group D, a ranking of 1/93 is the highest or worst, 47/93 is average, and 93/93 is the lowest or best.
11 https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/safety-programs/documents/shsp/2023-shsp-full-report-2020-2024- a11y.pdf
12 Driver Licensing, Emergency Response, and Emerging Technologies cannot be compared using the collision data since they are not readily and reliably available at this time.

April 2024 Page 29
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Figure 17: Citywide Fatal/Severe Injury Collision Shares by SHSP Challenge Area Compared to Statewide Statistics

7%
1%
5%
13%
18%
12%
15%
28%
7%
46%
34%
17%
23%
8%
0%
25%
25%
25%
0%
8%
25%
8%
33%
50%
25%
33%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Commercial Vehicles
Work Zones
Distracted Driving
Occupant Protection
Motorcyclists
Aging Drivers
Young Drivers
Impaired Driving
Bicyclists
Lane Departures
Aggressive Driving
Pedestrians
Intersections
Fatal/Severe Injury Collision Share
SHSP Challenge Area
Hercules
Statewide
April 2024 Page 30
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Safety Performance Network Screening
Collision Severity Score Results
The project team performed an intersection and roadway segment network screening analysis based on the collision severity score methodology (discussed in Appendix AError! Reference source not found.).

Collision severity scores help the City identify priority intersections and priority roadway segments for safety improvement projects. Table 2 and Table 3 show the list of priority intersections and priority roadway segments in the City of Hercules.

Table 2: Priority Intersections
# Location Control Type Collision Severity Score
1 Sycamore Avenue & Willow Avenue Signalized 52.55
2 Sycamore Avenue & Railroad Avenue Unsignalized 42.51
3 Lupine Road & Sequoia Road Unsignalized 41.30
4 Canterbury Road & Gloucester & Dartford Street Unsignalized 39.15 5 Sycamore Avenue & Civic Drive* Unsignalized 39.15
6 Tsushima Street & Riverview Terrace Unsignalized 39.15 7 Pheasant Drive & Eagle Court Unsignalized 39.15
8 Marigold Place & Sunflower Court Unsignalized 39.15
9 Opal Court & Turquoise Drive Unsignalized 39.15
10 San Pablo Avenue & Hercules Avenue Signalized 31.00 11 San Pablo Avenue & Sycamore Avenue Signalized 28.86
*: The City recently enhanced the intersection with crosswalks on the west side of the intersection. The City should monitor and evaluate this location for safety performance.

Table 3: Priority Roadway Segments
# Location Limits Collision Severity
Score
1 San Pablo Avenue State Route 4 to South City Limits 48.44

28.858

28.859 - 31.002

31.003 - 39.152

39.153 - 42.514

42.515 - 52.552
Hercules City Boundary
Park/Open Space
San Pablo Ave &
Sycamore Ave
Sycamore Ave &
Willow Ave
San Pablo Ave &
Hercules Ave
San Pablo Ave &
Railroad Ave
Tsushima St &
Riverview Tr
Lupine Rd &
Sequoia Rd
Marigold Pl &
Sunflower Ct
Pheasant Dr &
Eagle Ct
Canterbury Rd &
Gloucester &
Dartford St
Opal Ct &
Turquoise Dr
LupineRd
RailroadAve
AppianWay
AppianWay
Parker Ave
Hercules Ave
John Muir Pkwy
TennentAve
Willow Ave
Pheasant Dr
Redwood Rd
TurquoiseDr
Sycamore Ave
CummingsSkwy
Refugio Valley Rd
Violet Rd
Palm Ave
Willow Ave
Pinole Valley Rd
San Pablo Ave
80 80
4 H:\29\29137 - Hercules LRSP\Task 2 - Safety Analysis\GIS\Hercules_SafetyAnalysis\Hercules_SafetyAnalysis.aprx Date: 3/7/2024 Priority Corridors
City of Hercules Local Roadway Safety Plan
Hercules, CA
Figure 19
0 0.5 1Mile
Priority Corridor
Hercules City Boundary
Park/Open Space
San Pablo Avenue
April 2024 Page 33
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

EMPHASIS AREAS
According to Hercules’s collision patterns identified in the descriptive trends analysis, the greatest opportunity to improve roadway safety is to target the following emphasis areas:
◼ Pedestrians and Bicyclists: Pedestrian-involved collisions comprised 5% of all reported collisions but accounted for 23% of fatal and severe injury collisions. Pedestrian-involved collisions are over- represented in fatal and severe injury collisions. Bicyclist-involved collisions comprised 2% of all reported collisions but accounted for 8% of severe injury collisions. Bicyclist-involved collisions are over-represented in fatal and severe injury collisions. ◼ Intersections: 86% of all fatal and injury collisions occurred at intersections. ◼ Unsafe Speed: 23% of all reported collisions and 31% of fatal and severe injury collisions are unsafe speed collisions.
◼ Drivers in the 15-24 Years Age Group: People in the 15-24 years age group comprised 10% of the citywide population (ACS 5-Year 2017-2021 estimates) but accounted for 18% of SWITRS collision involved party characteristics. 97% of the collision-involved parties in the 15-24 years age group were drivers.

These four emphasis areas guide the recommended actions and implementation strategies identified in this LRSP.

April 2024 Page 34
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

STRATEGIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Improving safety and addressing emphasis areas will take a coordinated effort and a combination of the available strategies presented in this section. This section presents multidisciplinary recommendations for the City to consider as they make investments and advancements in improving roadway safety across the City.

Countermeasures vs. Strategies
Countermeasures: A term used for engineering infrastructure improvements that can be implemented to reduce the risk of collisions.

Strategies: A term used for non-engineering practices that address traffic safety – often related to behavior or components of a Safe System that build a culture of safety.

Available Countermeasures
These engineering countermeasures are proven effective treatments to reduce collision risk. This set of countermeasure treatments have been grouped into the following three subcategories to align recommendations that most directly address specific collision patterns and trends or location types:
 Signalized intersections;
 Unsignalized intersections; and,
 Roadway segments.

For each of these groupings, priority countermeasures were identified and summarized based on the collision types addressed, quantitative effectiveness of the treatment document as crash reduction factors (CRFs) and implementation considerations. Combining these countermeasures with non-engineering strategies can also target road user characteristics and behavior.

April 2024 Page 35
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Signalized Intersections
Countermeasure
Name Description CM ID*
Collision
Reduction
Factor**
Cost
Estimate***
Add intersection
lighting
Boosts nighttime safety by increasing
driver awareness, reducing reaction
times, and improving visibility for all
road users.

S01 40% $
Improve signal
hardware: back-
plates with
retroreflective
borders
Enables drivers to see traffic signals
sufficiently in advance to safety
negotiate the intersection being
approached.

S02 15% $
Install flashing
beacons as
advance warning
Enhances driver awareness at
intersections, reducing the risk of late
reactions and potential crashes.

S10 30% $
Install pedestrian
crossing
Improves safety at signalized
intersections with no marked crossing
and pedestrian signal heads by
addressing issues with turning
vehicles, pedestrians crossing
unexpectedly, and driver violations.

S18PB 25% $
Install advance
stop bar before
crosswalk (Bike
Boxes)
Enhances pedestrian and bicycle
safety by creating a buffer for
pedestrians and a dedicated space
for bicyclists, improving visibility to
drivers.

S20PB 15% $
Modify signal
phasing to
implement a
Leading
Pedestrian Interval
(LPI)
Improves pedestrian visibility, reduces
conflicts with vehicles, increases the
likelihood of motorists yielding, and
enhances safety for slower-starting
pedestrians. LPIs are recognized by
Caltrans and FHWA as Proven
Countermeasures, linked to a 13%
decrease in vehicle-pedestrian
crashes.

S21PB 60% $
Install high visibility
crosswalks
Improves visibility and safety for
pedestrians and drivers with use of
enhanced features such as bright
paint and additional markings.

N/A N/A $

April 2024 Page 36
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Unsignalized Intersections
Countermeasure
Name Description CM ID*
Collision
Reduction
Factor**
Cost
Estimate
Add intersection
lighting
Boosts nighttime safety by increasing
driver awareness, reducing reaction
times, and improving visibility for all
road users.

NS01 40% $
Install/upgrade
larger or additional
stop signs or other
intersection
warning/regulatory
signs
Enhances intersection visibility. NS06 15% $ - $$$
Improve sight
distance to
intersection (clear
sight triangles)
Removing obstructions from sight
triangles, such as vegetation or
parked vehicles, enables drivers to
make better decisions when entering
the intersection.

NS11 20% $
Traffic calming:
speed humps
Slows down vehicle traffic by causing
drivers to reduce speed as they pass
over the elevated surface.

N/A N/A $
Install rectangular
rapid flashing
beacon (RRFB)
Enhances safety by increasing driver
awareness at unsignalized
intersections and crossings, reducing
crashes, and improving other
treatments' effectiveness.

NS22PB 35% $
Crosswalk Visibility
Enhancements:
high visibility
crosswalks,
lighting, and
signing and
pavement
markings
Increases awareness and reduces
conflicts between pedestrians and
vehicles.

N/A N/A $

April 2024 Page 37
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Roadway Segments
Countermeasure
Name Description CM ID*
Collision
Reduction
Factor**
Cost
Estimate
Install/Upgrade
signs with new
fluorescent
sheeting
(regulatory or
warning)
Uses fluorescent yellow sheeting to
visually warn drivers and address
crashes caused by inattention or
non-compliance with roadway signs.

R22 15% $
Install
dynamic/variable
speed warning
signs
Targets crashes from speeding
around sharp curves by visually
warning drivers of their speed.

R26 30% $ - $$
Install delineators,
reflectors and/or
object markers
Provides cost-effective warnings for
approaching curves or fixed objects,
guiding drivers without the need for
additional roadside posts that could
pose collision risks.

R27 15% $ - $$
Traffic calming Slows down vehicle traffic by causing
drivers to reduce speed. N/A N/A $
Install/upgrade
pedestrian
crossing (with
enhanced safety
features)
Enhances crosswalk visibility with
high-visibility markings, improved
sightlines, and warning elements,
including but not limited to flashing
beacons, curb extensions, and
advance “yield” lines by
complementing signing and striping
at a crosswalk.

R35PB 35% $ - $$
*CM ID refers to the Countermeasure ID from the Caltrans Local Roadway Safety Manual (April 2020, LRSM). If a CM ID is not listed, the countermeasure is not listed in the LRSM. Local Roadway Safety - A Manual for California's Local Road Owners
**Documented crash reduction factors are derived either from the LRSM or the FHWA’s Proven Safety Countermeasures resource, unless otherwise noted. An “N/A” indicates that a documented, research-backed crash reduction factor does not exist.
*** Planning-level cost estimates vary depending on various factors, such as the length of countermeasure (where applicable), system installation, labor, materials, and maintenance costs. $ - $50,000 or less; $$ - $50,000 to $100,000; $$$ - $100,000 or more.

April 2024 Page 38
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Available Strategies
This section discusses the non-engineering countermeasures to improve safety and reduce crashes on roadways in the City. Non-engineering countermeasures/strategies for the City are grouped into the following:

1. Education Strategies

2. Enforcement Strategies

3. Emergency Services

4. Emerging Technology Strategies
Education Strategies
Education strategies are focused on teaching road users the principles of traffic safety. These strategies can be developed to include interactive activities, comprehensive teaching notes and information on road safety messages and concepts that can be taught at school or in other community spaces. Public education and collaboration help bridge gaps in knowledge that influence roadway user behavior.

The following six education-related strategies were identified for the City of Hercules:

 Road Safety Education to Children
 Speed Monitoring Awareness Radar Trailer
 Conspicuity Enhancements and Education
 Vulnerable Road User Education
 High-Visibility Cell Phone and Text Messaging Media Campaign Road Safety Education to Children
Road safety education to children includes strategies such as safe routes to school, walking school bus, and bicycle trains that promote road safety for all users, particularly for pedestrians and bicyclists. A ‘safe routes to school’ program would encourage and enable children to walk and bike to school. This can improve their health, well-being, and safety. This also results in less traffic congestion and emissions caused by school-related travel. Walking school buses and bicycle trains encourage groups of children walking or biking to school, with one or more adults.

Speed Monitoring Awareness Radar Trailer
The speed trailer is an educational device that helps drivers become more aware of their speed in relation to the posted speed. This awareness tool can also help residents survey the traffic speeds in their own neighborhood. This trailer is usually deployed in a street or neighborhood for a few days so the residents can monitor the speeds on their own streets and become aware of their own driving behaviors.

Conspicuity Enhancements and Education
The purpose of enhancing conspicuity for pedestrians is to increase the opportunity for drivers to see and avoid pedestrians, particularly when it is dark. Educating pedestrians to wear light colored or reflective clothing and walk in well-lit areas can be implemented as targeted campaigns. The use of high visibility April 2024 Page 39
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
clothing and protective gear enhances safety. There is some limited evidence to suggest that a program aimed at increasing conspicuous and protective clothing could be successful.

Vulnerable Road User Education
The road safety education for vulnerable road users like pedestrians and bicyclists includes strategies involving education from police officers. If the driver encroaches into the bike lane or fails to yield to the pedestrian at the crossing, the police officer pulls the driver over and hands them a flyer that has the information for drivers to adapt their behavior towards all road users; this can be in addition to a citation.

High-Visibility Cell Phone and Text Messaging Media Campaign The High Visibility Enforcement model combines dedicated law enforcement with paid and earned media supporting the enforcement activity. Paid media includes advertisements on TV, radio, online, and via billboards, while earned media includes things like press events and news releases covering the efforts. Both types of media support enforcement activities are needed to ensure the public is aware of the enforcement activity, and to create the impression that violators will be held accountable.

Equity in Enforcement
Even with engineering countermeasures in place, roadway users can fail to obey traffic laws and cause collisions of varying severity. Police enforcement has been traditionally used as a strategy to increase driver awareness, educate drivers on roadway violations, and reduce traffic collisions. However, if enforcement strategies are to improve overall safety in a community, there must be an awareness that traffic laws must be applied equitably. Directed enforcement strategies should be undertaken with due caution to avoid inequitable enforcement activities.

When rigorously evaluated for intent and impact, the following enforcement strategies can help provide equitable and successful outcomes:
 Progressive Ticketing
 Speed Enforcement in School Zones
Progressive Ticketing
Progressive ticketing is a method for introducing ticketing through a three-staged process. Issuing tickets is the strongest strategy of an enforcement program and it is usually reserved for changing unsafe behaviors that other strategies failed to change or that pose a real threat to the safety of road users. There are three main steps of an effective progressive ticketing program:

• Educating - Establish community awareness of the problem. The public needs to understand that drivers are speeding and the consequences of this speeding for road safety. Raising awareness about the problem will change some behaviors and create public support for the enforcement efforts to follow.
• Warning - Announce what action will be taken and why. Give the public time to change behaviors before ticketing starts. Fliers, signs, newspaper stories and official warnings from officers can all serve as reminders.

April 2024 Page 40
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
• Ticketing – After the “warning” period, hold a press conference announcing when and where the police operations will occur. If offenders continue their unsafe behaviors, officers issue tickets.

Speed Enforcement in School Zones
Strict enforcement of speed laws in school zones is one law enforcement tool that can improve the safety for children walking and bicycling to school as well as drivers. A ‘zero tolerance’ policy for speeders in school zones and even an increase in fines for drivers who violate the posted school zone speed limit are potential approaches.

Emergency Services
Emergency response is critical to reducing the severity of injuries sustained from collisions. The effectiveness of emergency response is tied closely to the time it takes for a person injured in a collision to receive medical care. Research indicates there is a “golden hour”—if pre-hospital time is under 60 minutes, the patient is more likely to live. The following considerations can help lead to more successful outcomes for these strategies.
 Implementing New Technology
 Partner with Local Hospitals or Outreach Groups
 Work with the Local 911 Team
Implementing New Technology
Technological developments are being applied to improve emergency response. Drones and roadway video are being explored to better understand the details of collisions in real-time to provide proper care as soon as possible. This can also maximize resources utilized for care at the collision.

Work with the Local 911 Team
The City can also improve emergency response time by working with the emergency medical services (EMS) and the local 911 team. Priorities in doing so include:
• Involving them in appropriate project planning and design review to identify opportunities to improve EMS access and location identification.
• Involving them in enforcement and EMS grant opportunities. • Developing and purchasing a system that allows local 911 dispatchers to quickly input reported road issues and send the information to the appropriate agency.

April 2024 Page 41
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Emerging Technologies
This section notes innovative approaches to improve roadway safety by accelerating road safety understanding using technology, thereby helping transition to safer transportation systems. Focus areas include but are not limited to:

 Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning
 Big Data
The Road Safety Innovation List (2021) identified the following new technologies and approaches for safety management.

Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning
This technology applies artificial intelligence and deep learning on traffic video feed (such as CCTV traffic cameras) to perform automated video analysis of traffic flow for effective and immediate road safety diagnosis and evaluation of conflicts. The combination of artificial intelligence and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology is designed to predict vehicles and pedestrians’ intent and prevent conflicts that may result in crashes. This technology is being tested in autonomous vehicles and applications are being developed for use by jurisdictions to apply at intersections or networks.13 Big Data
New “Big Data” information measures all kinds of activity in streets including volumes, paths, speeds, and behaviors of pedestrians, bicycles, different types of vehicles, wheelchairs, and scooters on the roadway.

These data platforms provide data on curb-level activity and help engineers and planners design safer and more efficient streets by helping to detect conflicts and address potential road user behaviors and patterns before crashes occur.

Mobile phone data and machine learning algorithms are being designed to identify high-risk driver behavior before a crash occurs. Using the smart phone sensors, the behavioral data provides actionable insights that improve safety for all road users.

13 Video-Based Automatic Incident Detection on San-Mateo Bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area (https://trid.trb.org/view/772920)
April 2024 Page 42
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION
These treatments represent improvements with the greatest potential to help reduce fatal and severe injury collisions and build a culture of safety in Hercules.

Systemic Treatments
The systemic safety approach to roadway safety involves selecting locations for countermeasures based on roadway characteristics that may be correlated with severe collision types rather than identify locations based on collision history. Identified sites may or may not have a history of frequent or severe collisions but will have roadway characteristics associated with collision risk factors. By selecting locations based on roadway characteristics instead of collision history, systemic treatments may help to proactively reduce the risk of fatal and serious injury collisions. Kittelson identified the following systemic treatments to address the risk factors that were identified through the data-driven and community-informed analysis documented in the Summary of Citywide Safety Performance, Emphasis Areas, and Equity Analysis sections of the LRSP. The list is not exhaustive and other opportunities may arise to implement low-cost countermeasures that may address other emphasis areas not described below (i.e., low-cost improvements from Road Safety Audits (RSAs)).

Speed Management
Speed management seeks to lower the vehicular speeds on the roadway, thereby reducing speeding related crashes. Speed management should be addressed comprehensively to encompass all the factors that may influence travel speeds, including road user/driver behavior, roadway design, surrounding land use context, traffic, roadway conditions, posted speed limits, and enforcement. The following two countermeasures were identified for the City:

1. Install Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs/Dynamic Speed Warning Signs (R2614)

2. Traffic Calming
Install Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs
This treatment consists of installing dynamic or variable speed feedback signs on the roadway. Figure 20 shows an example of this treatment. Speed feedback signs provide drivers with feedback about their speed in relationship to the posted speed limit. These treatments provide a message to drivers exceeding a certain speed threshold (or posted speed limit). The intent of these treatments is to get drivers’ attention and provide them with a visual warning that they may be traveling over the recommended speed on the roadway.

14 Refers to the Countermeasure ID from the Caltrans Local Roadway Safety Manual (April 2020, LRSM).

April 2024 Page 43
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Figure 20: Example of Roadway with Dynamic Speed Feedback Signs

Source: Kittelson and Associates, Inc.

Traffic Calming
Traffic calming is the use of mainly physical roadway design measures to slow motor vehicles as they move through urban, commercial, and residential neighborhoods. These treatments also help to reduce cut- through traffic and improve the safety of non-motorized users by reducing the potential for higher speed and higher severity conflicts. This section describes additional engineering measures that can be used for traffic calming. Many pedestrian and bicycle related treatments also provide traffic calming benefits.

Enforcement strategies such as speed feedback signs and high visibility saturation patrols can also be effective for traffic calming.

This group of treatments include Speed Hump, Chicane, Bulb-out, Raised intersections, Mid-block Pedestrian Crossing, and Choker/Pinch Point. The detailed explanation for each of the treatments is below:
◼ Speed Hump: Rounded (vertically along travel path) raised areas of pavement typically 12 to 14 feet in length and often placed in a series (typically spaced 260 to 500 feet apart). ◼ Chicane: Roadway treatment that creates shifting deviations in the street by the implementation of curb extensions or islands.
◼ Bulb-out: A bulb-out or curb extension visually or physically narrows the roadway to reduce vehicle speeds and create shorter crossings for pedestrians.
◼ Raised Intersection: Raised area for an entire intersection used to reduce vehicle speeds and create additional awareness of pedestrians at the intersection. ◼ Mid-block Pedestrian Crossing: Designated space for pedestrians to cross the street at locations where the nearest signalized intersection is too far to walk to and includes striping and physical features that reduce vehicle speeds.
◼ Choker/Pinch Point: Mid-block narrowing of roadway that requires drivers to slow down or yield to each other to maneuver through the area.

Figure 21 shows intersections where unsafe speed collisions are occurring in the city.

LupineRd
RailroadAve
Appian
W
ay
AppianWay
Parker Ave
Hercules Ave
John Muir Pkwy
TennentAve
Willow Ave
Pheasant Dr
Redwood Rd
Turquoise Dr
Sycamore Ave
CummingsSkwy
Refugio Valley Rd
Violet Rd
Palm Ave
Willow Ave
Pinole Valley Rd
San Pablo Ave
80 80
4 H:\29\29137 - Hercules LRSP\Task 2 - Safety Analysis\GIS\Hercules_SafetyAnalysis\Hercules_SafetyAnalysis.aprx Date: 3/20/2024 Intersections and Roadway Segments with Unsafe Speed Collisions City of Hercules Local Roadway Safety Plan
Hercules, CA
Figure 21
0 0.5 1Mile
Intersections with Other Injury Collisions
Intersections with Fatal/Severe Injury Collisions
Priority Corridor
Hercules City Boundary
Park/Open Space
Sycamore Ave
& Taraya Terr
Sycamore Ave
& Willet St
San Pablo Ave
& Hercules Ave
Sycamore Ave
& Willow Ave
Canterbury St &
Gloucester &
Dartford St
Palm Ave &
Willow Ave
Sycamore Ave
& Creekside Ctr
Sycamore Ave &
Silver Maple Dr
Lupine Rd &
Poppy DrPepperwood St
& Catalpa Ct
Marigold Pl &
Sunflower CtObsidian Way &
Spinel Ct
Pheasant Dr &
Starling Way
Refugio Valley Rd
& Coronado St
April 2024 Page 45
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Nighttime Visibility
Two key engineering countermeasures can help improve nighttime safety in Hercules: (1) roadway and pedestrian-scale lighting, and (2) signal visibility improvements.

Adding or supplementing lighting, specifically pedestrian-scale lighting at intersections may be required to adequately light the sidewalk, crossing locations and increase nighttime visibility (example shown in Figure 22).

The 2022 FHWA Pedestrian Lighting Primer offers design criteria for pedestrian lighting and outlines a process for creating local pedestrian lighting standards based on pedestrian facility type and pedestrian activity.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Roadway Lighting Design Guide, 7th Edition also offers roadway lighting guidelines and criteria. These processes and criteria are simply provided as examples.

Reviewing this guidance, considering potential amendments, adopting pedestrian lighting standards, or conducting a lighting review at locations identified in the LRSP will help promote pedestrian safety throughout the city. Figure 23 shows intersections where collisions are occurring at night.

Signal Visibility Improvements
At signalized intersections, simple hardware improvements can improve signal visibility and address patterns of broadside, rear-end, nighttime, and red-light-running collisions (shown in Figure 24). These hardware upgrades improve signal visibility and have been shown to reduce related collisions by as much as 15 percent:
 Lenses with LED lighting increase traffic signal visibility.  Back-plates with retroreflective borders improve signal head visibility during daytime and nighttime conditions.
 Mounting assemblies include mast arms, span wires, and side-mounted vehicular signals.

Upgrading the mounting assembly may improve signal hardware longevity.  Larger lenses may improve signal visibility.

Figure 2515 shows the signalized locations in the city where these treatments can be proactively applied.

15 Note that citywide data on signal visibility improvements at intersections was not available in a format to conduct this citywide analysis. As such, when implementing this countermeasure, the city will need to determine if signal visibility improvements have already been implemented.

April 2024 Page 46
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Figure 22: Example Pedestrian-Scale Lighting (Source: NACTO)

LupineRd
RailroadAve
Appian
W
ay
AppianWay
Parker Ave
Hercules Ave
John Muir Pkwy
TennentAve
Willow Ave
Pheasant Dr
Redwood Rd
Turquoise Dr
Sycamore Ave
Refugio Valley Rd
Violet Rd
Palm Ave
Willow Ave
Pinole Valley Rd
San Pablo Ave
80 80
4 H:\29\29137 - Hercules LRSP\Task 2 - Safety Analysis\GIS\Hercules_SafetyAnalysis\Hercules_SafetyAnalysis.aprx Date: 3/20/2024 Intersections with Nighttime Collisions
City of Hercules Local Roadway Safety Plan
Hercules, CA
Figure 23
0 0.5 1Mile
Intersections with Other Injury Collisions
Intersections with Fatal/Severe Injury Collisions
Hercules City Boundary
Park/Open Space
San Pablo Ave & Victoria Cr
Willow Ave &
Cambridge
Santa Fe Ave &
Pinole St
San Pablo Ave
& Hercules Ave
San Pablo Ave &
Sycamore Ave
Sycamore Ave &
Willow Ave
Tsushima St &
Riverview Tr
Sycamore Ave &
Creekside Center
Pheasant Dr &
Refugio Valley Rd
Pheasant Dr &
Eagle Ct
Opal Ct &
Turquoise Dr
Obsidian Way &
Spinel Ct
Refugio Valley Rd &
Midship Dr
Marigold Pl &
Sunflower Ct
Redwood Rd &
Oak Ct
Lupine Rd &
Poppy Dr
Willow Ave &
Palm Ave
Refugio Valley Rd
@ Hercules Middle
School
April 2024 Page 48
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Figure 24: Retroreflective Backplates (Source: FHWA)

LupineRd
RailroadAve
AppianWay
AppianWay
Parker Ave
Hercules Ave
John Muir Pkwy
TennentAve
Willow Ave
Pheasant Dr
Redwood Rd
TurquoiseDr
Sycamore Ave
CummingsSkwy
Refugio Valley Rd
Violet Rd
Palm Ave
Willow Ave
Pinole Valley Rd
San Pablo Ave
80 80
4 H:\29\29137 - Hercules LRSP\Task 2 - Safety Analysis\GIS\Hercules_SafetyAnalysis\Hercules_SafetyAnalysis.aprx Date: 3/7/2024 Potential Signal Hardware Improvement Locations
City of Hercules Local Roadway Safety Plan
Hercules, CA
Figure 25
0 0.5 1Mile
Signalized Intersection
Hercules City Boundary
Park/Open Space
San Pablo Ave &
Hercules Ave
San Pablo Ave &
Sycamore Ave
Sycamore Ave &
Willow Ave
San Pablo Ave &
John Muir Pkwy
Refugio Valley Rd
@ Hercules Middle
School
Refugio Valley Rd
& Community
Center
Refugio Valley Rd &
Pheasant Dr
Sycamore Ave &
Refugio Valley Rd
Sycamore Ave &
Sycamore Center
Sycamore Ave &
Turquoise Dr
April 2024 Page 50
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Centerline Hardening
Centerline hardening is an intersection treatment that reduces the speed of turning vehicles and improves pedestrian visibility, an example is shown in Figure 26. The basic hardened centerline treatment consists of five pieces of rubber curb and bollards and/or rubber speed bumps installed on the centerline and extending at a maximum of six feet into the intersection. The treatment can be implemented in a low-cost fashion with quick build materials.

Because centerline hardening can calm left turns, this treatment can be proactively implemented at intersections with left-turn geometry that otherwise allow for high-speed left turns.

Figure 26: Centerline Hardening Example in Oakland, California (Source: Kittelson & Associates, Inc.)

Site Specific Treatments
These projects are identified based on collision history and road or traffic data at individual sites to identify and prioritize countermeasures for sites that have a high frequency of fatal and/or serious injury collisions.

The priority location list identified in the Safety Performance Network Screening section provides the LRSP’s initial location-specific project locations. This list will be updated at an interval determined appropriate by the City based on implementation (e.g., annually, every three to five years) using the collision severity score (equivalent property damage only), critical collision rates, or similar safety performance measure consistent with the AASHTO Highway Safety Manual. The City improved the Sycamore Avenue/Civic Drive intersection with new crosswalks on the west side, and ongoing monitoring is recommended. Table 4 lists the site- specific projects in Hercules.

The matrix is organized by short-term, medium-term, and long-term opportunities. This list is not exhaustive, as many of these treatments can be applied elsewhere in Hercules. Concept drawings of site-specific recommendations are provided in the Appendix B.

April 2024 Page 51
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Table 4: Site-Specific Projects (and Countermeasures16) # Location Control Type Low-Cost, Short-Term Countermeasures Medium/High-Cost, Medium/Long-Term Countermeasures 1 Sycamore Avenue & Willow Avenue Signalized  S10: Install flashing beacons as advance warning.  S20PB: Install advance stop bar before crosswalk (shark teeth).  S21PB: Modify signal phasing to implement a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI).  Restripe as high visibility crosswalk.
 S02: Improve signal hardware: back-plates with retroflective borders.  Evaluate or consider installing curb extensions.
 Consider installing protected intersection elements.
 Consider realigning curb ramps so all marked crosswalks are perpendicular to travel lanes.
2 Sycamore Avenue & Railroad Avenue Unsignalized  Centerline hardening.  Enforcement.
 Consider installing crosswalks.

 Consider change of traffic control (evaluate warrants and consider a mini- traffic circle).
 Evaluate and consider restricting parking 100 feet from the center of the intersection on all approaches to increase visibility.
3 Lupine Road & Sequoia Road Unsignalized  NS22PB: Install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB), midblock  NS19PB: Install pedestrian refuge island.  Consider installing “School-Ahead” signs.
4 Canterbury Road & Gloucester &
Dartford Street
Unsignalized  NS06: Upgrade larger stop signs or other intersection warning/regulatory signs.  Install dynamic/variable speed warning signs.  Consider speed management – traffic calming measures. 5 Tsushima Street & Riverview Terrace Unsignalized  Enforcement.  NS07: Consider installing/upgrading pavement markings.

6 Pheasant Drive & Eagle Court Unsignalized  NS11: Improve sight distance to intersection (clear sight triangles)  Evaluate and consider restricting parking 100 feet from the center of the intersection on all approaches to increase visibility.
7 Marigold Place & Sunflower Court Unsignalized  NS01: Add intersection lighting.  NS06: Upgrade larger stop signs or other intersection warning/regulatory signs.  Install dynamic/variable speed warning signs.
 Consider speed management – traffic calming measures. 8 Opal Court & Turquoise Drive Unsignalized  NS01: Add intersection lighting (NS.I.) NS06: Install/upgrade larger or additional stop signs or other intersection warning/regulatory signs
 Consider speed management – traffic calming measures.

9 San Pablo Avenue & Hercules Avenue Signalized  S03, Improve signal timing (coordination, phases, or operation).  S17PB Install pedestrian countdown signal heads.
 S21PB: Modify signal phasing to implement a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI).  Evaluate or consider implementing no right-turn-on-red (RTOR) where right- turn conflicts with pedestrian crossing.
 Restripe as high visibility crosswalk.
 S02: Improve signal hardware: back-plates with retroflective borders.  Consider installing protected intersection elements.

10 San Pablo Avenue & Sycamore Avenue Signalized  S03: Improve signal timing (coordination, phases, or operation).  S21PB: Modify signal phasing to implement a Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI).

 S02: Improve signal hardware: back-plates with retroflective borders.  Consider installing protected intersection elements.
 Consider speed management – traffic calming measures.  Consider installing a pedestrian refuge island.
11 San Pablo Avenue (South of State
Route 4 to Hercules City Limits)
Corridor  R26: Install speed feedback signs.
 Evaluate or consider implementing no right-turn-on-red (RTOR) where right- turn conflicts with pedestrian crossing.

 Combine right turn with through lanes and remove channelization at San Pablo Avenue/SR 4.
 Restripe as high visibility crosswalks and consider realigning curb ramps so all marked crosswalks are perpendicular to travel lanes at San Pablo Ave/SR 4.  Corridor access management.
 Consider speed management – traffic calming measures.

16 Countermeasure numbers refer to the Countermeasure ID from the Caltrans Local Roadway Safety Manual (April 2020, LRSM). If a CM ID is not listed, the countermeasure is not listed in the LRSM.

April 2024 Page 52
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

ACTION ITEMS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES
Aligning action items with goals and identifying metrics for measuring success helps track progress towards a safer Hercules for everyone. The listed performance measures can be used in subsequent plan updates to assess progress.

Goal Action Items Performance Measures
Analyze data to identify and prioritize opportunities to improve roadway safety using proven safety
countermeasures and strategies.

Near-Term
 Review collision data in subsequent plan updates to evaluate progress on emphasis areas and for fatal and severe injury collision frequency.  Compare the city’s internal collision database with publicly available collision data in subsequent plan updates to identify potential missing collisions in either database.

Medium-Term
 Continuously engage with the community to identify and document locations of concern, in recognition that the collision data does not tell the whole story.

Long-Term
 Update the LRSP goals and emphasis areas with subsequent updates.  Evaluate the need for traffic control change or additional crossing improvements at locations with anticipated growth.

 Number of fatal and severe injury collisions by emphasis areas.  Summary of safety-related feedback received (quantity, type, location).  Number of safety improvements implemented at priority locations.  Number of safety evaluations conducted at priority or potential systemic safety locations.

Implement safety countermeasures to reduce the risk
of future collisions.

Near-Term
 Identify opportunities to implement short-term countermeasures at prioritized locations (see Site Specific Treatments).
 Pursue HSIP and Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant funding.  Develop an internal process to regularly collect data and information around the performance measures that can be used to assess changes citywide and at priority locations.

Medium-Term
 Implement systemic and site-specific countermeasures and strategies using available funding.
 Begin implementation of equitable enforcement strategies and monitoring.

Long-Term
 Explore funding opportunities to implement low-cost, high priority systemic strategies identified as part of this plan.
 Evaluate effectiveness of equitable enforcement strategies.  Monitor and evaluate effectiveness of priority safety projects to determine local safety benefits.
 Revisit medium- and long-term countermeasures (see Site Specific Treatments) for inclusion in City’s Capital Improvement Program or for future grant funding opportunities (see Funding section).

 Number of fatal and severe injury collisions by emphasis areas.  Number of fatal and severe injury collisions citywide.  Grant money received for safety projects.
 Annual expenditure on safety improvements.

April 2024 Page 53
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Educate and promote safe travel practices in the City
of Hercules.

Near-Term
 Make the LRSP publicly available to share collision trends and recommended best practices.
 Partner with Hercules schools to promote and expand educational campaigns for roadway safety including walking and biking specific campaigns.  Identify partners to develop safety messaging campaigns to reduce impaired driving.  Partner with local law enforcement and partners to implement education campaigns to address safe speeds and impaired driving.

Medium-Term
 Conduct educational training at schools on driving under the influence and distracted driving.
 Partner with enforcement or other organizations to work with alcohol and marijuana retailers/servers to deter selling to underage customers.

Long-Term
 Develop multilingual comprehensive roadway safety education programs to develop a safety culture in the City.
 Revisit and revise educational campaign opportunities based on collision trends and patterns.
 Number of events hosted, and summary of educational activities led by the city.
 Frequency of communication with identified partners on safety initiatives.  Summary of safety-related feedback received (quantity, type, location).

April 2024 Page 54
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

FUNDING
Funding for regional and local transportation projects, policies, and programs is available from various federal and state sources. The City may also choose to identify or develop regional programs that could be used by local agencies to enhance roadway safety. As funding changes over time, the information provided in this LRSP should be updated.

Funding Program Managing
Agency Link
Federal Programs
Congestion Management & Air
Quality Management (CMAQ)
FHWA https://www.transportation.gov/sustainability/climate/federal- programs-directory-congestion-mitigation-and-air-quality- cmaq
Surface Transportation Block
Grant (STBG) Program
FHWA https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/specialfunding/stp/
Land and Water Conservation
Fund (LWCF)
National Park
Service
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/lwcf/index.htm

Rivers, Trails, and Conservation
Assistance (RTCA) Program
National Park
Service
https://www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/index.htm

Rebuilding American
Infrastructure with Sustainability
and Equity (RAISE) Grant
USDOT https://www.transportation.gov/RAISEgrants

Safe Streets and Roads for All
(SS4A)
USDOT https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A
State Programs
Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) Caltrans http://rebuildingca.ca.gov/ Highway Safety Improvement
Program (HSIP)
Caltrans https://dot.ca.gov/programs/local-assistance/fed-and-state- programs/highway-safety-improvement-program

Office of Traffic Safety (OTS)
Grants
California
Office of
Traffic Safety
https://www.ots.ca.gov/grants/

Active Transportation Program
(ATP) Grants
California
Transportation
Commission
(CTC)
https://catc.ca.gov/programs/active-transportation-program

State-Local Partnership Program
(LPP)
California
Transportation
Commission
(CTC)
https://catc.ca.gov/programs/sb1/local-partnership-program

Sustainable Transportation
Grant Program

Caltrans

https://dot.ca.gov/programs/transportation-
planning/regional-planning/sustainable-transportation-
planning-grants

State Highway Operation and
Protection Program (SHOPP)
Caltrans https://dot.ca.gov/programs/financial-programming/state- highway-operation-protection-program-shopp-minor-
program-shopp
State Transportation
Improvement Program (STIP)
California
Transportation
https://catc.ca.gov/programs/state-transportation-
improvement-program
April 2024 Page 55
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Funding Program Managing
Agency Link
Commission
(CTC)
Recreational Trails Program
(RTP)
California
Department
of Parks and
Recreation
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24324

Affordable Housing and
Sustainable Communities
(AHSC) Program
California
Strategic
Growth
Council
https://sgc.ca.gov/programs/ahsc/

Transformative Climate
Communities (TCC) Program
California
Strategic
Growth
Council
https://sgc.ca.gov/programs/tcc/
Urban Greening Grant Program California
Natural
Resources
Agency
https://files.resources.ca.gov/grants/urban-greening/

Environmental Justice (EJ) Small
Grants Program
California
Environmental
Protection
Agency
https://calepa.ca.gov/envjustice/funding/

Regional Programs
One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) Metropolitan
Transportation
Commission
(MTC)
https://mtc.ca.gov/tags/one-bay-area-grant-obag

April 2024 Page 56
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

APPENDIX A – SAFETY PERFORMANCE

NETWORK SCREENING METHODOLOGY

April 2024 Page 57
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

Methodology
Kittelson used the equivalent property damage-only score (EPDO score; hereafter referred to as collision severity score) performance measure from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or AASHTO, Highway Safety Manual (HSM), which assigns weighting factors to collisions by severity relative to PDO collisions. The collision severity score calculation was performed for all public intersections and roadway segments, not including state highway facilities. This performance measure is described below.

The collision severity score is calculated by multiplying each collision severity total by its associated weight and summing the results, using the following formula:

𝐴𝑛𝑛𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑧𝑒𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑆𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑆𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒 =
∑ 𝑊𝑖 ∗ 𝑁𝑖∀ 𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠
𝑇
Where, W i = Weight of specified collision severity
N i = Total number of collisions throughout the time -period of analysis T = Time -period of analysis (years)
The collision severity score is annualized by dividing the score by the number of years of collision data used in the analysis. The associated collision severity weights are based on the cost of PDO collisions, provided by the 2022 Caltrans’ Local Roadway Safety Manual. These weights are shown in Table A1.

Table A1: Collision Weights by Severity and Location Type Location Type
Collisions Weighting by Severity
Fatal Severe Injury Moderate
Injury Minor Injury Property
Damage Only
Signalized
Intersection
119.93 119.93 10.73 6.10 1
Unsignalized
Intersection
190.81 190.81 10.73 6.10 1
Roadway 165.17 165.17 10.73 6.10 1
Source: 2022 Caltrans’ Local Roadway Safety Manual
As shown in Table A1, the collision weights prioritize fatal and severe injury collisions equally to recognize that a death versus a severe injury is often a function of the individual involved (i.e., age or physical fitness) or of emergency response time. Therefore, both outcomes represent locations where the region may equally value improvements. Moreover, collision weights vary by location due to the relative costs associated with the collision severity at the location types. Specifically, unsignalized intersections have a higher cost for fatal and severe collisions because fatal and severe collisions at these locations tend to result in more severely injured persons on average.

Intersection Analysis
Kittelson first identified signalized and unsignalized intersections in the City’s roadway network and then defined collisions as intersection or segment collisions. An intersection collision is defined as a collision that occurs within 250 feet of the intersection. These collisions were spatially joined and summarized in ArcGIS to show the total number of collisions by severity and the respective annualized collision severity scores at April 2024 Page 58
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
each intersection. Where intersections were less than 500 feet from each other, collisions were assigned to the nearest of the two intersections. Collisions occurring more than 250 feet from any intersection were separated to be used in the roadway segment analysis discussed below.

Roadway Segment Analysis
After completing the intersection analysis, Kittelson used the collisions reported more than 250 feet from the nearest intersection to conduct a separate segment analysis. A Python script in ArcGIS allowed for splitting the San Mateo roadway network into overlapping half-mile (0.5) segments, incrementing the segments by one quarter (0.25) of a mile. This methodology helps to identify portions of the roadway with the greatest potential for safety improvements.

Once the roadway segments were created, the Python script spatially joined collisions to the corridor segment (excluding those identified with intersections as described above). Like the intersection methodology above, collisions were summarized by severity, and the totals were multiplied by the collision severity weights for roadway segments. The weighted collision severity scores of the collisions were totaled and annualized by the number of years of collision data (five) to generate an annualized collision severity score.

Results
To meet the goals of the City of Hercules, Kittelson performed an intersection and roadway segment analysis based on collision severity score metrics. The results of the intersection and segment analysis helped create an initial list of intersections and corridors with high collision rates. This method highlights the sites that have high frequencies of fatal and/or severe injury collisions which typically warrant further investigation and countermeasure application. These locations are often the most competitive for HSIP, SS4A, and similar safety-related grant applications, discussed in Section – Recommendations and Implementation.

April 2024 Page 59
City of Hercules – Local Roadway Safety Plan
Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

APPENDIX B – PROJECT CONCEPTS

Sycamore Avenue & Willow Avenue
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Legend
Location 1
Install curb extensions
Install curb extensions
Realign curb ramps so all
marked crosswalks are
perpendicular to travel lanes
Install protected intersection
elements
Install advance stop bar before
crosswalk
S20PB: Install advance stop
bar before crosswalk on
major road approaches
S02: Improve signal hardware –
install retroreflective backplates
and additional signal heads on
major road approaches
S21PB: Modify signal phasing to
implement LPI
Improve signal hardware – install
retroreflective backplates and
additional signal heads
Install Leading Pedestrian Interval
Install flashing beacons in
advance warning
S10: Install flashing beacons as
warning of upcoming signal
Install high visibility crosswalks
Willow Ave
Install high visibility crosswalks
Sycamore Avenue & Railroad Avenue
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Legend
Restrict parking from site
triangles
Location 2
Railroad Ave
Install high visibility crosswalks
Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements
Install centerline hardening
Install centerline hardening
Restrict parking from sight triangles
Consider mini traffic circle
Evaluate warrants and
consider a mini-traffic circle
Lupine Road & Sequoia Road
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Legend
Install RRFB at midblock locations
Location 3
NS22PB: Install RRFB
NS19PB: Install pedestrian refuge island
Install “School-Ahead” signs
Pedestrian refuge island
Install “School Ahead” signs

Canterbury Road & Dartford Street
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Legend
Location 4
Install dynamic regulatory speed
warning signs
Install dynamic regulatory speed
warning signs
Upgrade to larger stop signs
NS06: Upgrade to larger stop
signs
Traffic Calming: speed hump
Install speed humps
Canterbury Rd
Tsushima Street & Riverview Terrace
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Legend
Location 5
Install/upgrade pavement
markings
NS07: Consider installing/upgrading
pavement markings
Riverview Tr
Tsushima St
Pheasant Drive and Eagle Court
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Legend
Location 6
Restrict parking and ensure sight
triangle/clearance
Restrict parking from sight
triangles
Clear sight triangles
NS11: Improve sight distance
to intersections
Marigold Pl & Sunflower Ct
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Location 7
Legend
Add intersection lighting
NS01: Add intersection
lighting
NS06: Upgrade to larger stop signs or
other intersection
warning/regulatory signs
Upgrade to larger stop signs
Install dynamic regulatory speed
warning signs
Install speed humps
Install dynamic regulatory speed
warning signs
Traffic Calming: speed hump

Turquoise Dr & Opal Ct
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Location 8
Legend
Add intersection lighting
NS01: Add intersection lights
NS06: Upgrade to larger stop signs or
other intersection
warning/regulatory signs
Upgrade to larger stop signs
Traffic Calming: speed hump
Install speed humps
San Pablo Ave & Hercules Ave
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Location 9
Legend
Install high visibility crosswalks
Improve signal hardware, install pedestrian countdown signal heads, modify signal timing, and implement LPI
S02: Improve signal hardware: lenses,
back-plates with retroreflective
borders, mounting, size, and number
S03: Improve signal timing
S17PB: Install pedestrian countdown
signal heads
S21PB: Modify signal phasing to
implement LPI*
Consider implementing no right-turn-
on-red
Install high visibility crosswalks
Consider installing protected
intersection elements
* Leading Pedestrian Interval: Improves pedestrian visibility, reduces conflicts with vehicles, increases the likelihood of motorists yielding, and enhances safety for slower-starting pedestrians.

San Pablo Ave & Sycamore Ave
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Location 10
Legend
S02: Improve signal
hardware: lenses, back-
plates with retroreflective
borders, mounting, size,
and number
S03: Improve signal timing
(coordination, phases, or
operation)
S21PB: Modify signal
phasing to implement LPI**
Improve signal hardware, modify signal
timing, and implement LPI
Install protected
intersection elements* –
Corner island,
intersection crossing
markings, etc.

Speed management
Pedestrian refuge island
Install pedestrian refuge island
* Source: NACTO, https://nacto.org/publication/dont-give-up-at-the-intersection/protected-intersections/ ** Leading Pedestrian Interval: Improves pedestrian visibility, reduces conflicts with vehicles, increases the likelihood of motorists yielding, and enhances safety for slower-starting pedestrians.

San Pablo Ave
Project Layout, Existing Conditions, and Influence Area N
Location 11
Legend
Install dynamic regulatory speed warning
signs/radar speed feedback signs
R26: Install dynamic regulatory
speed warning signs/radar
speed feedback signs
Speed management
Combine right turn with through
lanes and remove
channelization
Restripe as high visibility
crosswalks and realign curb
ramps so all marked crosswalks
are perpendicular to travel lanes

Hercules City CouncilApril 23, 2024

Hercules City Council
April 23, 2024