September 5, 2023
City of San Rafael
Attn: City Council
1400 Fifth Ave
San Rafael, CA 94901
Via email
Dear Mayor Kate and Members of the City Council,
The City’s annual investment in the Pavement Management Program (PMP) represents a low-cost improvement to prolong the effective life of our roadways. The necessary restriping of the roadway after this repaving presents a low-cost opportunity to improve the safety and accessibility for bikes and furtherance of the City’s Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan. When contractors complete the repaving of a road, they must also restripe it to complete the job. All too often this restriping is performed without consideration for potential roadway improvements. This represents a missed opportunity to make our city safer and more cyclist-friendly. Simple measures such as reducing lane widths and creating painted buffers can effectively reduce speeding and provide a greater sense of safety for bicyclists. Importantly, these improvements can be implemented at a relatively low additional cost, as they involve the mere act of repainting the road surface. We are not proposing costly infrastructure changes, alterations to curb lines, or drainage adjustments – simply a new paint configuration. Below, you will find an illustrative example:
This year's PMP schedule includes the repaving of Las Gallinas, a Class 2 bike route within our city's bike network. Currently, this street features a bike lane along its entire length, but the lane is only approximately 5' wide – the minimum width for a Class 2 path. Adjacent to this bike lane is a generously wide travel lane for motor vehicles, spanning around 16'. By reducing this vehicle travel lane by a few feet, we can effectively lower motor vehicle speeds and create a 2-3' painted buffer that would provide a safe distance for bicyclists, protecting them from passing cars and the risk of opening car doors. This improvement can be achieved solely through the restriping process. In light of this, we respectfully request two actions regarding the repaving program going forward: Mandatory Inclusion of Bike Plan Elements: We urge the city to require that any bike plan elements which can be implemented within the existing curb lines, with low or no additional cost, be integrated during the repaving process. Public Input through BPAC: We also propose presenting the yearly repaving projects before the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). This step will provide the public with an avenue to voice their opinions on roadway improvements and identify potential enhancements that can be incorporated without extra expenses during restriping.
By implementing these measures, we can transform our repaving efforts into a holistic approach that not only maintains our roadways but also creates safer and more accessible streets for all residents. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to seeing our city continue to grow and adapt to the changing needs of its residents.
Sincerely,
Dave Rhoads
Walk/Bike San Rafael
Stephen Locke
Walk/Bike San Rafael
CC: City Manager Cristine Alilovich
City Attorney Robert Epstein
City Clerk Lindsay Lara
Director of Public Works April Miller
Deputy Director of Public Works Rafat Raie
Dave Rhoads
Co-Chair, Walk/Bike San Rafael, A Marin County Bicycle Coalition Local Team P: 702-630-2423, E: [email protected], W: www.walkbikesanrafael.org Stephen Locke
Co-Chair, Walk/Bike San Rafael, A Marin County Bicycle Coalition Local Team P: 408-390-0874, E: [email protected], W: www.walkbikesanrafael.org