October 6, 2026
City Council
DATE: October 6, 2026
TO: Mayor Martinez and Members of the City Council
FROM: Councilmember Jamelia Brown
Subject: Evaluate and Advance Immediate Safety Measures Along the 23rd Street Corridor
FINANCIAL IMPACT: The fiscal impact is unknown at this time and will depend on the improvements identified through staff and
engineering review. If an appropriation is needed, a
corresponding offset or decrease to the budget will be
required. Any additional appropriation or budget
adjustment requiring Council approval will return to the City Council for consideration.
PREVIOUS COUNCIL
ACTION:
July 19, 2022: City Council adopted the Local
Roadway Safety Plan, identifying 23rd Street as a
priority corridor for traffic and pedestrian-safety
improvements.
February 7, 2023: City Council adopted the Bicycle
and Pedestrian Action Plan, identifying
improvements along 23rd Street including
enhanced crossings, RRFBs, refuge islands, curbramp upgrades, and signal improvements. The City has also conducted 23rd Street
Streetscape and Complete Streets planning for
longer-term corridor improvements.
AGENDA
REPORT
October 6, 2026
STATEMENT OF THE
ISSUE:
Traffic safety along the 23rd Street corridor continues to be a concern for residents, pedestrians, motorists, and families traveling through the area.
The City has previously identified safety improvements
along 23rd Street; however, comprehensive corridor
improvements require significant planning, engineering, funding, and construction.
There is an opportunity to advance practical and visible near-term safety measures while continuing to pursue
and implement the larger, long-term improvements
needed along the corridor.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: DIRECT the city manager to evaluate and advance immediate safety measures along the 23rd Street
corridor, including:
Enhanced pedestrian crossings with high-visibility
crosswalks, Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons
(RRFBs), signage, and pavement markings, where
appropriate; and
Portable and/or permanent speed-feedback signs at
strategic locations.
Through prioritizing locations based on existing safety plans, collision and speed data, pedestrian activity, and engineering review; identify available funding AND return to City Council within 30 days with priority locations, costs, funding sources, and implementation timelines -
Councilmember Jamelia Brown (510-412-
2050)/Councilmember Cesar Zepeda (510-620-6593).
DISCUSSION:
The City of Richmond has identified 23rd Street as a corridor requiring pedestrian and roadway safety improvements. The Local Roadway Safety Plan includes corridor-level recommendations for 23rd Street, while the Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan identifies multiple crossing improvements along the corridor.
This item proposes a coordinated near-term and long-term approach.
Near-term improvements would focus on measures that may be implemented more quickly and provide visible safety benefits while larger capital improvements move through planning, design, funding, and construction.
October 6, 2026
One priority is the development of enhanced pedestrian crossings. At locations determined appropriate through engineering review, high-visibility crosswalks could be combined with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs), warning signage, pavement markings, and other pedestrian-safety treatments. Richmond’s adopted Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Plan already recommends enhanced crossings and RRFB treatments at several locations along 23rd Street.
A second priority is the deployment of speed-feedback signs at strategic locations to provide motorists with an immediate visual indication of their travel speed and reinforce safer driving behavior. These near-term measures are not intended to replace comprehensive improvements to 23rd Street.
The City should simultaneously continue advancing longer-term corridor improvements through its adopted safety plans, capital improvement process, and available transportation funding opportunities. Richmond’s Local Roadway Safety Plan identifies larger 23rd Street corridor improvements, including pedestrian crossing enhancements and broader roadway changes.
The City’s FY 2026–27 budget planning also includes a Neighborhood Safety and Access Program addressing crashes, high-injury corridors, speed, safer crossings, and quick-build improvements. Staff should determine whether any existing or legally eligible resources within this or other transportation programs can support near-term improvements along 23rd Street.This two-track approach allows the City to take practical action now while continuing to develop comprehensive, long-term safety improvements for the 23rd Street corridor.
DOCUMENTS ATTACHED:
None.