City Council
May 17, 2022
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Edward D. Reiskin FROM: Ryan Russo
City Administrator Director, Oakland
Department of
Transportation
SUBJECT: SUPPLEMENTAL – Informational
Report on Traffic Calming
DATE: April 29, 2022
City Administrator Approval Date: May 11, 2022
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive A Report With Recommendations, For Improving And Expediting Traffic Calming Installations Throughout Needed Locations In Oakland, Including Completion Of Installation Of Approved Speed Bumps, And Recommended Budget Adjustments To Provide For Ongoing Capacity To Ensure Traffic Safety And Pedestrian Safety Improvements Are Completed Timely Throughout Oakland, Including Status Of Implementing Traffic Calming Funding From The Current Budget.
REASON FOR SUPPLEMENTAL
City Council continued this item to the May 17, 2022 City Council meeting with a request for a supplemental report that includes the following:
1) The power point presented at the meeting;
2) The steps and process (interviewing), approvals needed, hiring, retention, timelines between each steps and data on how the process has been working across OakDOT and Oakland Public Works having high vacancy rates;
3) Next steps on the 7th & Filbert and Foothill & 35th traffic calming measures; 4) What it will take to expedite all the pending speed bumps; and 5) A possible jobs pipeline or cadet program that trains and hires people to be prepared to work in these departments.
Item numbers 1, 3 and 4 in the above are addressed in this report.
Item 2 above will continue to be addressed via an item that is scheduled in the Finance and Management Committee.
There are no specific plans or programs outside of the City’s existing workforce development programs to address item 5 above at this time. Staff can explore possibilities.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – Informational Report on Traffic Calming Date: May 17, 2022 Page 2
City Council
May 17, 2022
Item 1. Adding the power point presented at the meeting
See Attachment A for the PowerPoint presented at the April 19, 2022 City Council meeting.
Item 3. The next steps on the 7th & Filbert and Foothill & 35th traffic calming measures
7th & Filbert : As detailed in the April 19, 2022 report, Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT) staff are working diligently to address resident safety concerns, prioritizing underserved communities, schools, and locations with higher concentrations of severe and fatal crashes. Improvements at the 7th Street and Filbert Street intersections, are planned in phases.
In 2018, OakDOT installed high visibility crosswalks and yellow crossing warning signs, a median refuge extension in posts and markings, yield lines, and yield signs.
Between 2019 and 2021, OakDOT applied for and was awarded two state grants to implement more robust improvements, as follows:
• OakDOT will install the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grant -funded crossing beacon and concrete curb extensions. The crossing beacons will flash when a person crossing the street pushes the button. The concrete curb extensions will reduce the width of the crossing and help to make pedestrians more visible. Construction is slated for the end of 2023.
• OakDOT is also currently leading a corridor -long design effort, which is funded by a second state grant, the Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant. This project, the 7th Street Connection Project will reduce the number of travel lanes along 7th Street, making it easier to cross 7th Street at Filbert Street. During design, OakDOT will evaluate whether the intersection meets criteria set forth by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for a full traffic signal. ATP-funded improvements often take a several years to design and construct. Construction is slated to begin in Spring 2025.
Note also that the proposed new development of the Waterfront Ballpark at Howard Terminal may warrant a full traffic signal at 7 th Street & Filbert Street. If approved through this project, a new signal at 7th Street & Filbert Street is anticipated in several years (~2028).
Finally, for potential near -term installation in 2022, OakDOT is exploring an interim Essential Places treatment – an approach that was developed from the Slow Streets -Essential Places program, which would implement a “lane drop” to reduce the number of through- traffic lanes approaching the existing crosswalk from three to two in each direction. This would improve crossing safety before improvements called out in the above two grant projects can be delivered.
If an interim improvement such as the lane-drop is found to be practical and effective, it could be installed by the end of the year (2022).
Foothill & 35
th: In response to multiple incidents involving motorists losing control and crossing over lanes or running onto the sidewalk on Foothill just northwest of 35th Avenue, Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – Informational Report on Traffic Calming Date: May 17, 2022 Page 3
City Council
May 17, 2022
OakDOT installed multiple, high-visibility curve warning signs in 2020. Upon further examination of the delineated curvature of the two westbound approach lanes after additional crashes were reported after the installation, OakDOT is planning to reduce the number of westbound through lanes from two to one to calm approach traffic in advance of the intersection, and to provide a longer turning radius, that is, to make the turn less sharp and more forgiving and negotiable for drivers. This will be done by converting one of the through lanes to a dedicated left turn pocket in the westbound direction. Design is underway with plans to install when the road is repaved.
Construction is being coordinated with on-going paving efforts, given the magnitude of changes needed to the roadway design. The improvements are anticipated to take place between Summer/Fall 2023, contingent on the paving schedule. Additional warning signage was installed at the location in April 2022 in the interim.
Item 4. What it will take to expedite all the pending speed bumps:
As detailed in the Informational Report dated April 19, 2022, 20 residential speed bumps, 3 intersection mini- bumps, and one elongated, cul -de-sac median bump were installed by OakDOT’s Great Streets Maintenance Division in 2021. In the same year, Safe Streets Traffic Engineering received 63 applications and completed designs for over 70 blocks scheduled for 2022 delivery. An additional 31 applications have been since received and are under review for 2023 installation. The webpage ( https://www.oaklandca.gov/services/apply-for-a-speed-bump) includes information on how to apply for speed bumps, and a link to a table of speed bumps scheduled for installation in 2022 as well as applications under review for installation in 2023 (Attachment B).
Historically, speed bumps have been delivered by OakDOT’s Great Streets Maintenance Division, which also delivers in-house paving projects. Due to the current high staff vacancy rate in Great Streets Maintenance Division (18 of 67 positions are currently vacant), Safe Streets is working on an expedited approach to deliver the next batch of speed bumps with contractors instead. This is now targeted to start in Fall 2022, focused on the 70 or more locations. The challenge for speed bump delivery is not budgetary, but current staff vacancies.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – Informational Report on Traffic Calming Date: May 17, 2022 Page 4
City Council
May 17, 2022
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Receive A Report With Recommendations, For Improving And Expediting Traffic Calming Installations Throughout Needed Locations In Oakland, Including Completion Of Installation Of Approved Speed Bumps, And Recommended Budget Adjustments To Provide For Ongoing Capacity To Ensure Traffic Safety And Pedestrian Safety Improvements Are Completed Timely Throughout Oakland, Including Status Of Implementing Traffic Calming Funding From The Current Budget.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Megan Wier, Safe Streets Division Manager, at [email protected].
Respectfully submitted,
RYAN RUSSO
Director, Department of Transportation
Reviewed by:
Fred Kelley, Assistant Director
Prepared by:
Megan Wier, Division Manager
Joe Wang, Supervising Transportation
Engineer
Safe Streets Division
Attachments (2):
Attachment A. PowerPoint provided at the April 19, 2022 Council Meeting Attachment B. Table: OakDOT Speed Bump Application Status List: March 21, 2022