Market
City of Pleasant Hill
Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP)
September 7, 2022
FINAL REPORT
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page i Table of Contents
I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2 What Is An LRSP? ........................................................................................................................... 2 Safe System Approach ................................................................................................................... 3 II. Community Engagement ......................................................................................................... 4 III. Safety Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 6 Collision Data Source ..................................................................................................................... 6 Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Pedestrian Collisions .................................................................................................................... 14 Bicycle Collisions .......................................................................................................................... 15 Collisions In Dark .......................................................................................................................... 17 DUI Involved Collisions ................................................................................................................. 18 Collisions - Unsafe Speed ............................................................................................................. 19 IV. Emphasis Areas And Strategies ........................................................................................... 20 V. Collision Profiles And Countermeasure Toolbox ................................................................. 21 VI. Funding, Implementation & Evaluation Strategies ........................................................... 27 Funding Opportunities ................................................................................................................. 27 Implementation Strategies .......................................................................................................... 27 Evaluation Strategies ................................................................................................................... 28
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Annual Collisions by Severity ....................................................................................................... 6 Figure 2: Collision Hot Spots ........................................................................................................................ 7 Figure 3: Top 10 Intersections and Corridors ............................................................................................... 9 Figure 4: Collision mode share by Severity ................................................................................................ 10 Figure 5: Collisions by Type ........................................................................................................................ 11 Figure 6: Collisions by Primary Collision Factor – Street Corridors ........................................................... 12 Figure 7: Collisions by Primary Collision Factor - At Intersections ............................................................ 13 Figure 8: Pedestrian Related Collisions ...................................................................................................... 14 Figure 9: Bicycle Related Collisions............................................................................................................ 15 Figure 10: Pedestrian and Bicycle Collisions near Schools ........................................................................ 16 Figure 11: Collisions in Dark ........................................................................................................................ 17 Figure 12: DUI Related Collisions ............................................................................................................... 18 Figure 13: Unsafe Speed Collisions ............................................................................................................. 19
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 2 I. Introduction
The City of Pleasant Hill is committed to improving transportation safety of all its roadway network users. This Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) provides a framework for identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing roadway safety improvements on local roads to create a prioritized list of issues, risks, actions, and improvements that can be used to reduce fatalities and serious injuries on Pleasant Hills’s local road network. The LRSP has been prepared in compliance with the State and Federal guidelines for eligibility to apply for Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding. The LRSP has been developed in collaboration with engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency service strategies.
What Is An LRSP?
Adoption of a Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) is seen as being consistent with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) Vision Zero framework. The process of preparing a LRSP creates a framework to identify and analyze safety problems and recommend safety improvements.
Specifically, AMG understands the LRSP shall address a Safe Systems Approach and Equity in the entirety of its approach. The LRSP shall be consistent with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s (CCTA) Vision Zero framework/method and the Countywide Vision Zero Policy and Implementation Guide for Local Agencies and will follow a process that is tailored to the community’s needs and issues.
The State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) requires all local agencies including the City of Pleasant Hill to have an adopted LRSP to be eligible to pursue certain current and future Federal, State, and Regional grant funding opportunities.
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 3 Safe System Approach
The Safe System Framework strategy requires the following:
I. Anticipating Human Error
Separating Users in Space – separate pedestrians, bicyclists, etc. Increasing Attentiveness and Awareness
Increasing Visibility
o “Daylighting” intersections
Increasing Attentiveness
o warn drivers of the presence of pedestrians and bicyclists II. Accommodating Human Injury Tolerance
Reduce Speeds – Changes to roadway designs, traffic calming treatments that reduce speeds
Reduce Impact Forces – Increase crash survivability by reducing the impact forces to include intersection design
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 4 II. Community Engagement
Pleasant Hill City staff engaged stakeholders to participate in a Safe System Approach to address concerns about safety for all modes of transportation. Listed below are stakeholders. Traffic Safety Commission
City Police Department
Contra Costa County Fire District
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
County Connection
511 Contra Costa
Chamber of Commerce
Tourism Improvement District
Downtown Property Owners
City staff hosted a stakeholder meeting on
August 9, 2022. Attendees included
representatives of Traffic Safety Commission,
City Police Department, County Connection,
Chamber of Commerce, and Tourism
Improvement District members. A
presentation was made which explained the
purpose and objectives of the LRSP, reviewed
initial data and preliminary findings. Feedback
from the stakeholder meeting are as follows.
1. Observed pedestrian collisions are
alarming. How often pedestrians were at
fault? Permissive left turns on Contra Costa
Boulevard could be a reason. Leading
Pedestrian Interval (LPI) could be a
potential countermeasure.
2. Diablo Valley College is an area of concern
for collisions involving pedestrians.
3. Need to identify time-of-day of collisions
involving pedestrian to better understand
the extent school access safety issues.
4. Contra Costa Boulevard and Monument
Boulevard are high collision incident
corridors.
5. Speed is the main reason for collisions on
high collision corridors. Cars often run the
red lights. Redlight cameras could be a
possible solution but it comes with many
legal and administrative challenges.
6. Transit stops on Golf Club Road and on
Viking Drive have very high ridership.
Transit stops are at mid-block and
pedestrians often do not cross at the
nearest controlled safe crossings to reach
their destinations. This creates unsafe
crossing conditions.
7. The LRSP does not meet the requirements
of an Action Plan as defined by the U.S.
Department of Transportation.
City staff received additional stakeholder
feedback by email as follows.
1. Are protected pedestrian lead times long
enough on Contra Costa Boulevard,
Monument Blvd, etc.?
2. The intersection of Contra Costa Boulevard
and Doris Drive needs a traffic signal light,
even though it is in close proximity to two
adjacent signals. Doris Drive serves the
Grocery Outlet shopping center and the
densely populated Gregory Gardens
neighborhood. It is too busy of an
intersection to leave unsignalized. The
crosswalk flashing beacons are obscured by
cars in the turn lane. The left turn out of
Doris Drive is a safety hazard.
Without no signal, the median should
include a pedestrian refuge area. All left
turn movements should be blocked by a
raised median on Contra Costa Boulevard.
3. Installation of flashing crosswalk beacons
should be prioritized by danger level, rather
than by a desire to “complete the pattern”
of uniformly installing beacons at all Canal
Trail crossings. Case in point. The 4-lane
crosswalk on Morello Avenue at Viking
Drive should be given a higher priority than
other locations with shorter, 2-lane
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 5 crossings. The Morello Avenue crossing
serves students attending Valhalla
Elementary School, Valley View Middle
School, College Park High School, and
Diablo Valley College.
4. The City seems to design new roadway
infrastructure without regards for bikes. On
Pleasant Hill Road south of Boyd Road, the
new raised median caused motorists to
swerve away (and into the bike lane) to
avoid a collision. It was a missed
opportunity to create protected bike lanes
on Santa Barbara leading into Pleasant Hill
Middle School, library, new homes, and
park. At the Canal Trail connection on
Taylor Boulevard (south side), bikes and
pedestrians were intentionally prohibited
from using the utility pathway (much lower
stress route) to reach the Mercury Way
intersection to the west. As it is,
pedestrians have to walk along Taylor
Boulevard (south side) or choose to disobey
signs and risk injury climbing the rock
barrier to access the natural attractor of the
pathway that’s set above/apart from Taylor
Boulevard. (I see this a lot.) Bicyclists who
stay on Taylor Boulevard (south side)
sidewalk are forced to ride the wrong way,
and to pick up the Canal Trail on the other
side of the Mercury Way intersection.
Developers should have been made to
provide a public trail connection as part of
permitting or mitigation for the project.
All new projects should be examined from
the bike/ped safety and comfort
perspective before design gets underway.
5. Pleasant Hill school zone speed limits
should be lowered to 20 MPH, like City of
Walnut Creek has done.
6. Lowering speed limits leading up to the
city’s most dangerous intersections should
be examined. The city should actively join
the speed camera lobby for statewide
approval.
A second stakeholder meeting was held on
August 24, 2022. Attendees included
representatives of Traffic Safety Commission,
City Police Department, Contra Costa County
Fire District, Mt. Diablo Unified School District,
511 Contra Costa, and Tourism Improvement
District members. Feedback from the
stakeholder meeting are as follows.
1. What are times when school aged children
are involved in collisions? Would like to
conduct school safety outreach. Will reach
out and coordinate with the school district.
School outreach and training is on going.
2. DUI related collisions are quite high on
Pleasant Hill Road. Should look into
conducting periodic DUI station
checkpoints.
3. With new state law, the City should evaluate
feasibility of implementing 20 mph school
zone speed limit.
4. In addition to spot treatment of high crash
intersections, LRSP should also look into
systemwide treatments.
5. Consider using of flashing No Right-Turn
signs at signals where there is heavy
pedestrian activity. It is used at several
locations in Walnut Creek and is effective.
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 6 III. Safety Analysis
This chapter summarizes the results of a citywide collision analysis for the City of Pleasant Hill which will inform project prioritization and countermeasures.
Collision Data Source
Collision data for the five-year period from
January 1, 2017, through December 30, 2021,
was collected from SWITRS. The SWITRS data is
collected and maintained by the California
Highway Patrol (CHP) and contains all the
crashes that were reported to CHP from local
government agencies. SWITRS data was
geocoded using Google Maps to identify
geographic coordinates. The geocoded data was
spatially referenced and mapped in QGIS.
Summary
Collision Trends
This section summarizes the five-year collision
history from 2017 through 2021. Approximately
1,044 collisions were reported between January
1, 2017 through December 30, 2021. Of these, a
total of 39 collisions resulted in a fatality or
severe injury. Annual collisions by severity are
shown in All = Number of All Collisions
F = Number of
Collisions with a Fatality.
SI = Number of
Collisions with a Severe Injury
Figure 1.
All = Number of All Collisions
F = Number of Collisions with a Fatality.
SI = Number of Collisions with a Severe Injury
Figure 1: Annual Collisions by Severity
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
All 264 278 195 132 175
F+SI 9 11 4 7 8
0 50
100
150
200
250
300
Collisions
Annual Collisions (2017-2021)
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 7 Hot Spot Analysis
The density of collision
occurrences is mapped
in
Figure 2 to represent
locations with high
collision occurrences.
Figure 2: Collision Hot
Spots
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 8 Top Collision Locations and Corridors
The key collision locations and corridors (top 10) identified though the hotspot analysis are shown in Figure 3.
Contra Costa Blvd and Chilpancingo Pkwy
Contra Costa Blvd & Golf Club Rd
Contra Costa Blvd & Woodworth Ln
Contra Costa Blvd & Gregory Ln
Contra Costa Blvd & Taylor Blvd
Monument Blvd & Buskirk Ave-Ramona Dr
Monument Blvd & Contra Costa Blvd
Taylor Blvd & Peasant Hill Rd
Top 10 Intersections
Contra Costa Boulevard
Monument Boulevard
Taylor Boulevard
Gregory Lane
Pleasant Hill Road
Buskirk Avenue
Chilpancingo Parkway
Golf Club Road
Top 10 Corridors
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 9 O= Top 10 Intersections
= Top 10 Corridors
Figure 3: Top 10 Intersections and Corridors
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 10 Collisions by Mode
Fatality and Severe injury collisions by mode of transportation are shown in All = Number of All Collisions F = Number of Collisions with a Fatality.
SI = Number of Collisions with a Severe Injury
Figure 4. Crash data are broken down by mode of transportation. For collisions involving a bicyclist or a pedestrian, the percent of collisions resulting in either a fatality or severe injury is 11% and 13% of all collisions in their respective categories. In contrast, for collisions involving vehicles only, the percent of collisions resulting in either a fatality of severe injury is only 3% of all collision in its own category. This underscores how much more vulnerable bicyclists and pedestrians are compared to motorists who are afforded protection by being inside a vehicle.
All = Number of All Collisions
F = Number of Collisions with a Fatality.
SI = Number of Collisions with a Severe Injury
Figure 4: Collision mode share by Severity
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 11 Collisions by Type
Figure 5 shows the common types of collisions during the five-year analysis period. Rearend (27%), broadside (21%) and sideswipe (20%) are the most common type of collisions in Pleasant Hill.
Figure 5: Collisions by Type
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 12 Collisions by Primary Collision Factor
Figure 6 and Figure 7 illustrates collisions by Primary Collision Factor (PCF) on key collision corridors and intersections. The PCFs are the driving action which best describes the primary or main cause of the collision. As shown below, the most common PCFs are unsafe speed, improper turning, unsafe lane change, and traffic signal and sign violations.
Figure 6: Collisions by Primary Collision Factor – Street Corridors Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 13 Figure 7: Collisions by Primary Collision Factor - At Intersections
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 14 Pedestrian and Bicycle Collisions
Pedestrian and bicycle collisions are shown in Figures 8 and 9. Bicyclists and pedestrians are most vulnerable in collisions, and whose safety require special attention and considerations.
Pedestrian Collisions
Figure 8: Pedestrian Related Collisions
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 15 Bicycle Collisions
Figure 9: Bicycle Related Collisions
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 16 Figure 10: Pedestrian and Bicycle Collisions near Schools Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 17 Collisions In Dark
At night, sight visibility may be limited and motorists may not be able to react in time to a potential roadway hazard to avoid a collision. Collisions that occur in the dark are shown in Figure 11. Street lighting and illumination should be improved for some of these deficient locations.
Figure 11: Collisions in Dark
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 18 DUI Involved Collisions
Collisions involving driving under the influence (DUI) remain a concern citywide as shown in Figure 12.
Non-engineering interventions will be needed as the primary means to address challenges associated with this collision profile, but they may be supplemented with appropriate engineering countermeasures which can make roadway designs more forgiving in general.
Figure 12: DUI Related Collisions
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 19 Collisions - Unsafe Speed
Unsafe speeds are most common on major arterials such as Contra Costa Boulevard, Taylor Boulevard and Monument Boulevard especially during the evening commute periods when these arterials serve both local traffic as well as cut-through traffic. These collisions are shown in Figure 13.
Figure 13: Unsafe Speed Collisions
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 20 IV. Emphasis Areas and Strategies
The emphasis areas describe priority issues where there are opportunities to improve based on crash data from the past five (5) years (2017 to 2021). The development of the emphasis areas are based on the crash data, stakeholder input, and citizen complaints.
Citywide safety emphasis areas are as follows:
Emphasis area 1: Pedestrian improvements
Emphasis area 2: Bicycle improvements
Emphasis Area 3: Traffic Signal Improvements
Emphasis area 4: Safety lighting improvements
Emphasis Area 5: Intersection Geometric Design
Emphasis Area 6: Signs and Markings
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 21 V. Collision Profiles and Countermeasure
Toolbox
To address the safety concerns identified above, this Plan leveraged data-driven collision analyses with proven countermeasures. Countermeasures can be engineering-based physical improvements, many of which have low-cost or quick-build versions, but they can also be non-engineering strategies in areas such as education, enforcement, and outreach.
Countermeasures identified in this Plan are based primarily on Local Roadway Safety Manual (LRSM)1 as well as other proven effective countermeasures. The engineering countermeasures contained in LRSM include a Crash Reduction Factor (CRF), if applicable, to indicate their relative effectiveness. In contrast to the infrastructure-focused engineering countermeasures, non-engineering countermeasures do not have an associated CRF. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published the 9th edition of Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices in 2017, and this document serves as a guide for practitioners in selecting effective evidence-based countermeasures for traffic safety problems such as DUI and drug impaired driving, speeding and speed management, and pedestrian and bicycle safety.
It is important to note that the effectiveness of any countermeasure varies immensely depending on its implementation, level of community support, and adequate funding.
1 Local Roadway Safety, April 2020
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 22 Top 5 Collision Street Corridors
Countermeasures from the LRSM identified for top five street corridors as shown below.
Contra Costa Boulevard
Speeding is the main Primary Collision Factor.
DUI involved collisions is high at 14%.
Potential Countermeasures
(R22) Install/Upgrade signs with new fluorescent
sheeting
(R26) Install dynamic/variable speed warning signs
(R32PB) Complete bike lane gaps as feasible
(NS23PB) Install Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (HAWK)
Traffic signal improvements including Dilemma Zone
Add Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) phase as
appropriate
DUI awareness and enforcement programs
Monument Boulevard
Speeding is the main Primary Collision Factor.
Right-of-way violation is high at 9%.
DUI is high at 8%.
Potential Countermeasures
(R01) Add segment lighting
(R22) Install/Upgrade signs with new fluorescent
sheeting
(R26) Install dynamic/variable speed warning
signs
(R32PB) Complete bike lane gaps as feasible
Traffic signal improvements including Dilemma
Zone
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 23 Taylor Boulevard
Speeding is the main Primary Collision Factor.
Right-of-way violation is high at 14%.
DUI is high at 12%.
Potential Countermeasures
(R22) Install/Upgrade signs with new fluorescent
sheeting
(R26) Install dynamic/variable speed warning
signs
(R33PB) Install separated bike lanes
Traffic signal improvements including Dilemma
Zone
Pleasant Hill Road
Unsafe lane change is the main Primary Collision
Factor. Unsafe speed is high at 18%.
DUI is high at 19%.
Potential Countermeasures
(R22) Install/Upgrade signs with new fluorescent
sheeting
(R26) Install dynamic/variable speed warning
signs
(R34PB) Install sidewalk/pathway
(NS08) Install RRFB
Traffic signal improvements including Dilemma
Zone
Gregory Lane
Right-of-way violations at 28% is the main Primary
Collision Factor.
Speeding is high at 24%
Potential Countermeasures
(R22) Install/Upgrade signs with new fluorescent
sheeting
(R26) Install dynamic/variable speed warning
signs
(R32PB) Install bike lanes
(NS08) Install RRFB
Traffic signal improvements including Dilemma
Zone
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 24 Top 5 Collision Intersections
Countermeasures from the LRSM identified for top five intersections as shown below.
Contra Costa Blvd & Chilpancingo Pkwy-Concord Avenue
Speeding is the main Primary Collision Factor (24%).
DUI is at 11%.
Potential Countermeasures
(S01) Add intersection lighting
(S02) Improve signal hardware
(S03) Improve signal timing
(S08) Convert signal to mast arm
(S09) Install Raised Pavement Markers and
Striping
(S17PB) Install Pedestrian Countdown
Signal Heads
(S21PB) Modify signal phasing to
implement an LPI
Monument Blvd & Buskirk Ave-Ramona Dr
Speeding is the main Primary Collision Factor (34%).
Improper turning and Auto Right of Way violation is at 9%.
Potential Countermeasures
(S02) Improve signal hardware
(S03) Improve signal timing
(S10) Install Flashing Beacons as Advanced Warning
(S21PB) Modify signal phasing to implement an LPI
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 25 Contra Costa Blvd & Golf Club Rd
Speeding is the main Primary Collision Factor (54%).
DUI is at 9%. Highest collision time seemed to occur
around noon and again from 4 PM to 6 PM.
Potential Countermeasures
(S02) Improve signal hardware
(S03) Improve signal timing
(S21PB) Modify signal phasing to implement an
LPI
Contra Costa Blvd & Gregory Lane
Speeding is the main Primary Collision Factor (32%).
Right of Way violation is at 21%.
Potential Countermeasures
• (S01) Add intersection lighting
• (S02) Improve signal hardware
• (S03) Improve signal timing
• (S09) Install Raised Pavement Markers and Striping
• (S17PB) Install Pedestrian Countdown Signal Heads
• (S21PB) Modify signal phasing to implement an LPI
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 26 Contra Costa Blvd & Woodsworth Lane
Speeding is the main Primary Collision Factor (40%).
DUI is at 16%.
Highest collision time is from 3 PM to 6 PM.
Potential Countermeasures
• (S01) Add intersection lighting
• (S02) Improve signal hardware
• (S03) Improve signal timing
• (S09) Install Raised Pavement Markers and Striping
• (S10) Install Flashing Beacons as Advanced Warning
• (S17PB) Install Pedestrian Countdown Signal Heads
• (S21PB) Modify signal phasing to implement an LPI
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 27 VI. Funding, Implementation &
Evaluation Strategies
This chapter identifies funding and implementation considerations that will be important to City staff as they pursue funding opportunities to implement the recommended safety projects.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
There are variety of regional, state, and federal
sources to fund safety improvements.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
Implementation of the LRSP is a vital step in
the process where identified strategies and
projects are executed. Successful
implementation requires sustained and
coordinated support from project stakeholders,
elected officials, safety partners and City staff.
Establish a committee to oversee
the implementation of the LRSP
Coordination and partnership with
stakeholders throughout the life of
LRSP
Pursue funding opportunities and
submit competitive projects
Continued communication with
stakeholders and community
members
Prioritized list of countermeasures
and projects with near-term, midterm, and long-term
implementation goals
Implementation Strategies
Congestion Mitigation And Air
Quality (CMAQ) Improvement
Program
Highway Safety Improvement
Program (HSIP)
Active Transportation Program
(ATP)
SB-1 Transportation Funding
MTC One Bay Area Grant (OBAG)
Program
Caltrans Sustainable Transportation
Planning Grant Program
California Office of Traffic Safety
(OTS)
Affordable Housing and Sustainable
Communities (AHSC)
Community Development Block
Grant (CDBG) Program
Funding Opportunities
Pleasant Hill Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) Final Report | Page 28 Evaluation Strategies
This LRSP Final Report is a living document
that is recommended to be updated every
three to five years to utilize the latest data and
safety trends. Collision data can be used to
evaluate the success of the plan. It is
recommended that City staff update this LRSP
Final Report in consultation with the project
stakeholders and safety partners, and monitor
the implementation of the plan and strategies
in each emphasis area.
.
Update the Plan periodically (every
three or five years)
Identify Target Metrics and Measure
Goal Performance in Priority Areas
Continue Engagement with
Stakeholders and Safety Partners
Evaluation Strategies