April 21, 2025
Mayor Kate Colin and City Council members
City of San Rafael
1400 Fifth Ave.
San Rafael, CA 94901
via email: [email protected]
Comments for CITY COUNCIL Meeting for Monday, April 21, 2025 - Agenda Item 6.b. - Second and Fourth Street Intersection Improvement Project Comments Second and Fourth Street Intersection Improvements
(An earlier version of this document was also sent to Grey Melgard Associate Civil Engineer, San Rafael Department of Public Works on February 26th, 2025. It has subsequently been updated with new information as it has become available, and noted as such.) Removing the left-hand turn lane at Marquard does not improve pedestrian or cyclist safety.
The turn lane is not being eliminated—it is simply being shifted 50 yards east to West Street, where left turns will still cross the same bike lane and pedestrian crossing. However, unlike at Marquard, this new location will lack a traffic signal, making the situation less safe, not more.
Cars will continue to turn left across the bike lane and pedestrian path, but now without the controlled protection of a signal. This change does not solve the underlying safety concerns; it merely relocates them while introducing new risks.
1 - A traffic analysis for the Second and Fourth Street Intersection was conducted (per 2nd and 4th Street: Signals Alternative Memorandum, section 5.0). ● This section says: “Traffic models were developed for the traffic analysis of the existing and proposed intersection operating conditions. These traffic models were used to evaluate intersection conditions during “peak” periods”. ○ 3/28/25: Traffic study was prepared by Kimley Horn and dated February 21, 2025. Peak Hours were indicated as 8-9 AM and 4-5 PM. ○ 3/28/25: Analysis does not account for the 3:00–4:00 PM time frame when school pickups cause significant congestion across San Rafael, but particularly on 2nd St.
○ 3/28/25: Mariposa Bilingual School for Children is a business at the corner of this intersection and accounts for a large amount of traffic during the 3-4PM time frame.
● Has data been collected on the number of pedestrians and bicyclists that use this intersection? If so, what are those results?
● Is it possible to see all the traffic analysis field data that was collected, rather than just the peak morning, midday and evening summary tables? 2 - In the 2nd and 4th Street: Signals Alternative Memorandum, section 4.0 after Figure 2, the document discusses access for Marquard Ave:
“It is expected that the majority of the vehicles that need to access Marquard Avenue that are driving along 2nd Street will make a left turn earlier at the intersection of 2nd Street and West Street.”
There are several issues with this.
● It is not just vehicles that need to access Marquard Ave, but also vehicles that need to access streets above Marquard, which includes 35+ households. ● There is no traffic light at 2nd and West Street. Removing the left turn lane at Marquard forces more traffic to turn onto West Street, eliminating the safety of a signal-controlled left turn. This change will result in vehicles turning left across two lanes of traffic while pedestrians and bicyclists are also crossing here w/o a signal, creating a dangerous situation and a ch.
● This closure will cause tremendous congestion in the tiny neighborhood around West St, where the streets are so narrow that two vehicles can not pass side by side - one vehicle has to back up until they can move over in order to let another vehicle pass. The memorandum states:
“The changes to travel time due to these reroutes are minimal. It is expected that the accessing facilities on Marquard Avenue from the West Street intersection or the Greenfield Avenue intersection will take an additional one to two minutes.” ○ What this analysis does not take into account however, is the impact on the travel time once the vehicles turn onto West St. At this point they will often be subject to having to stop and reverse in order to let another vehicle pass or vice versa. Depending on the skill of the drivers, this can add many more additional minutes than just one or two. Marquard Ave is large enough, and structured differently enough, that this does not pose the same issue as on West St.
3 - The route below (turning from 2nd St onto West St.) is the default Google Maps route if you are trying to access any properties on Fremont Rd, Trost Rd, and Upper Fremont Drive.
However, this is not the best route. As you can see there is a very sharp turn at Marquard Ave and Fremont Rd:
Most vehicles need to make a three point turn in order to turn at Marquard and Fremont, and larger vehicles can not make this turn at all. Some try however, and then the road will often be blocked, sometimes for hours. When this happens, no one can pass, including emergency vehicles.
Below is the preferred route to access any properties on Fremont Rd, Trost Rd, and Upper Fremont Drive - especially for larger vehicles such as as delivery trucks:
4 - Some residents are concerned about no longer being able to receive packages because of this change. They do not think delivery drivers will know to go all the way down to Greenfield to make a u-turn to then come down West End Ave., especially when Google maps defaults them to West St, which they may be unable to navigate.
5 - Residents are concerned that the proposed mountable curb barrier will not effectively prevent drivers from crossing the median. Given frequent violations of the existing mountable curb, we believe this measure will be ineffective, especially since the intersection is a key access point for the West End Ave and Greenfield neighborhoods as well, and those drivers are used to this route.
6 - 3/28/25: Another option for accessing the hillside routes diverts traffic farther west to the Greenfield/Second St. intersection, requiring vehicles to make a U-turn from Greenfield onto West End Ave before backtracking to Marquard.
This detour adds approximately half a mile to the trip and directs traffic onto a street without a dedicated bike lane. Some residents are concerned that if larger vehicles, such as delivery trucks and construction equipment, take this route, safety issues will increase as they share the road with cyclists.
Additionally, this change could worsen congestion at the Greenfield/Second St./West End intersection, where vehicles waiting for the light may block access to West End Ave for those making the U-turn.
Thank you for your consideration of these comments.
Sincerely,
Maren DeGraff
From: Justin Phillips
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 12:49 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]>; Maika Llorens Gulati <[email protected]>; Eli Hill <[email protected]>; Mayor Kate <[email protected]>; Rachel Kertz <[email protected]>; Maribeth Bushey <[email protected]>; Joanna Kwok <[email protected]>; April Miller <[email protected]>
Subject: Item 6B: Please support a safer 2nd/4th Street Intersection Dear Councilmembers and City Staff,
I strongly support the effort to redesign 2nd/4th Streets intersection in the West End to be safer for all road users, especially those walking or biking. There have been many design iterations over the past four years - it's vitally important that the new design include a safer and more direct crosswalk across 2nd street and a mechanism to slow westbound 4th Street vehicles. The current design is the best solution to many conflicting priorities. Please approve the funding to complete the design and prepare for construction.
On a personal note, I’ve almost been hit by cars running reds while walking with my 5 year old. -Justin
From: Jana Zanetto
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 12:51 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]>; Maika Llorens Gulati <[email protected]>; Eli Hill <[email protected]>; Mayor Kate <[email protected]>; Rachel Kertz <[email protected]>; Maribeth Bushey <[email protected]>; Joanna Kwok <[email protected]>; April Miller <[email protected]>
Subject: Intersection redesign for 4th/2nd Streets
Dear Council members and City Staff,
I am writing to strongly support redesigning the 2nd/4th Streets intersection in the West End to be safer for all road users, especially those walking or biking. There have been many design iterations over the past four years - it's vitally important that the new design include a safer, more direct crosswalk across 2nd street and a mechanism to slow westbound 4th Street vehicles. The current design is the best solution to many conflicting priorities. I urge you to approve the funding to complete the design and prepare for construction.
Thank you for considering my opinion.
Jana Zanetto
Lincoln Hill, San Rafael
From: Marley Brezzo
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 12:36 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 2nd and 4th intersection improvements - against closure of the left turn onto Marquard Hello,
My name is Marley Brezzo, I live on Upper Fremont Dr above the intersection being redesigned. If the left turn lane from Second onto Marquard avenue is closed, myself and my neighbors all lose critical access for the care and maintenance of our properties.
Large vehicles, especially those with trailers, are unable to navigate to our property by way of West St as suggested as an alternative route. Driving to Greenfield to then drive back along West End Ave is also a problematic path as the narrowness of Marquard does not allow for adequate space for making a right turn onto it when a car is occupying the road in the opposite direction.
In the time I have lived here we have had to resurface our driveway and parking areas, rebuild failing retaining walls needing long peers to make their way up the road, require the delivery of debris bins for brush clearing and have regular needs for arborists to make their way up the road with their larger trucks with trailers.
Many of these maintenance needs are annual and particularly our hillside, which in adherence to the Hillside Property Guidlines requiring a large percentage of our property to be wild, needs heavy brush clearing and tree trimming in order to follow the recommendations set by the Marin Fire Departments in mitigating wildland fires.
All of these services will be greatly impacted, not just by the added obstacle of losing the left turn lane, but by contractors being unwilling to take our work due to managing the added effort to access our property.
I also would like to know that the community feedback that was collected earlier this year by the city engineers is accessible and being reviewed by this council as many members of my community participated in that. It would be a failure for that feedback not to be reviewed at each body who reviews this project. Whether that be this council, BPAC, the mayor's office or in aiding the city engineers themselves. I find myself having to repeat my feedback over and over again, concerned that the previous feedback may have only been available to the party initially gathering it.
Further review and adjustments are required before finalizing the design of this intersection as its current state will fundamentally impede the ability of my community to maintain and manage our properties.
Thank you,
Marley Brezzo
From: susan montana
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 2:00 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: Agenda item #6b Second and Fourth Street intersection improvement project I am a 15-year resident of (3 houses from the intersection of Marquard & West End). I am strongly opposed to the proposed closure of the left turn lane from Second to Marquard/West End Ave.
The proposed closure of the left turn lane will significantly compromise pedestrian safety, and impair access to the neighborhood. The proposed alternate access will absolutely result in increased congestion, and hardship for residents. Safe access to Fremont & Upper Fremont will be seriously compromised if this occurs.
The close proximity of my house to the intersection has allowed me the "opportunity" to witness numerous (daily) situations in which bicyclists ignore the stop signs and have near misses with automobiles. Maintaining the left turn lane onto Marquard is necessary for the above stated reasons, however more effective time/energy needs to be spent on re-routing the pedestrian crosswalks in order to better assure pedestrian safety.
Susan Montana
From: Tim Bowen <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 11:32 AM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: Agenda Item #6b Second and Fourth Street Intersection Improvement Project I have lived on Fremont Road in San Rafael for 32 years and am an avid bicyclist and reluctant driver. I am opposed to the closing of the left turn lane from westbound Third Street to Marquard Avenue. The current configuration of the intersection appears to work well.
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Tim Bowen
President
415.299.3009
[email protected]