Subject: dnr letter
_______________________________________
Daniel N. Roberts
Trusts, Estate Planning & Tax Counsel
Youngman Roberts Suen LLP
[email protected]
O. (925) 430-5885
C. (310) 430-0932
SCHEDULING: CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT VIA CALENDLY SECURE FILE SHARING: CLICK HERE TO SEND SECURE FILES USING
SHAREFILE
NOTICE: This communication may contain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications and/or attorney work product for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any review, use, reproduction, distribution or disclosure by others is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender and delete this email and any attachments from your computer and any other devices where it may be stored.
Attorneys at Law
1470 Maria Lane
Suite 340
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Tel. (925) 430-5885
Fax (925) 430-5807
EIN: 86-3977817
www.Youngman.com
May 5, 2025
VIA EMAIL
Piedmont City Council
Piedmont Public Works
To: City Council of the City of Piedmont
Cc: Daniel Gonzales, Director of Public Works
Contact: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR COMPREHENSIVE TRAFFIC AND SAFETY REVIEW
AND PUBLIC COMMENT BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION OF DROP-OFF
REROUTING AND PARKING MODIFICATIONS IN PIEDMONT CIVIC CENTER Dear City Council and Mr. Gonzales,
I live on the 300 block of Bonita Avenue, Piedmont.
1. As a parent and concerned member of the community, I am particularly concerned that your proposed plan will close the Bonita Gate at Havens Elementary for drop-off and pickups. I anticipate that closing the Bonita Gate will reroute all traffic to Oakland Avenue and Highland, creating an additional bottleneck on Highland and further ensnarling local traffic during school rush hours.
2. I do not want our lovely and mostly safe block turned into a parking lot.
Diagonal parking on such a narrow street will be particularly untenable if there are oversized construction vehicles interfering with our ability to exit our driveways. I am worried about my, and my family’s vehicular safety getting in and out of our driveway from increased traffic and direct conflict with vehicles exiting diagonal parking spots backwards.
3. In addition, I urge the Council to consider the following arguments against immediate implementation of the proposed plan:
A. THERE HAS BEEN NO TRAFFIC OR SAFETY STUDY IN
SUPPORT OF THIS PLAN
To date, despite repeated requests from my neighbors, there has been no publicly disclosed traffic or safety study evaluating the impact of this plan on:
- Traffic congestion during peak school hours;
- Sight-line visibility at intersections and crosswalks; - The safety of children, including those walking or biking to school; - The increased volume and flow of vehicle traffic on Highland Avenue and adjacent streets;
- Emergency vehicle access or evacuation logistics;
- Consistency with:
o California's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD LINK HERE) and
o Caltrans' Local Roadway Safety Manual LINK HERE
B. NON COMPLIANCE WITH PIEDMONT SAFER STREETS
The City’s proposed plan does not appear to comport with the principles and objectives outlined in the City's Safer Streets Plan (PSS), which calls for datainformed planning and robust community engagement in traffic decisions, including sign off from the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee. - Piedmont Safer Streets Plan: LINK HERE
- Piedmont Bicycle Master Plan: LINK HERE
C. NON COMPLIANCE WITH CEQA
The City’s proposed plan does not appear to have done any inquiry into the environmental impact of the proposed plan, including whether the plan is subject to or otherwise exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines.
In the absence of a clear exemption to CEQA, the City must prepare an Initial Study to asses:
- Traffic and transportation impacts, especially near schools - Possible impacts on local air quality, noise, pedestrian safety, and environmental justice issues.