San Rafael City Council
City Hall
1400 Fifth Avenue
San Rafael, CA 94901
Via Email to: [email protected]
Dear City Council,
We are writing in support of the B Street conversion to a two way street, but we also want to bring attention to the importance of prioritizing pedestrian and bike safety for the project.
While the change from a one-way street to a two-way street has the potential to greatly improve traffic flow for all modes and increase access to local businesses, it is crucial that adequate measures are taken to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.
We believe this is an opportunity to do just that, especially as the street has been designated a "Pedestrian Priority Route" in the Downtown Precise Plan. The street is already a dynamic pedestrian corridor - with numerous restaurants, a new hotel, bars, residences, and social services - lining the street. On top of this, there’s an excess of public parking along the corridor, with the two underutilized City owned garages having nearly 800 spots in total (per 2017 City report).
We strongly encourage the City Council and Department of Public Works to pursue and include at minimum basic pedestrian improvements such as bulbouts, car parking reductions, increased bike parking, seating areas, etc. This corridor is a major opportunity to create a key multi-use connection north-south right through the middle of downtown that will not only improve safety but also benefit the numerous businesses along the street. Let’s not waste it! Thank you for your time and consideration,
Dave Rhoads
Co-Chair
Walk/Bike San Rafael
Warren Wells
Policy and Planning Director
Marin County Bicycle Coalition