Attachment 1 - Union City Local Road Safety Plan — Union City City Council, July 28, 2026

UNION CITY

LOCAL ROAD

SAFETY PLAN
Final Report
August 10, 2023

THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 i

CONTENTS

1.0 ENGINEERS SEAL ..............................................................................................................1

2.0 INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................2 Introduction.................................................................................................................................2 Summary......................................................................................................................................3

3.0 VISION AND GOALS ........................................................................................................6

4.0 SAFETY PARTNERS.............................................................................................................7

5.0 PROCESS...........................................................................................................................8 Analysis Techniques....................................................................................................................9

6.0 EXISTING EFFORTS ..........................................................................................................10

7.0 DATA SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS..................................................................................11

7.1 Crash Data ....................................................................................................................11

7.2 All Crashes .....................................................................................................................11

8.0 CRASH SAFETY TRENDS ..................................................................................................12

8.1 Types Of Collisions.........................................................................................................12

8.2 Fatalities And Serious Injuries........................................................................................12

8.3 Primary Cause Of Collisions .........................................................................................12

8.4 Vulnerable Users............................................................................................................12

8.4.1 Pedestrians.............................................................................................................12

8.4.2 Bicyclists..................................................................................................................13

8.5 INITIAL FINDINGS ............................................................................................................14

9.0 EMPHASIS AREAS ...........................................................................................................15

9.1 Emphasis Area #1: Vulnerable Road Users (Pedestrians & Bicyclists) .....................15

9.2 Emphasis Area #2: Speeding ......................................................................................16

9.3 Emphasis Area #3: Aggressive Drivers ........................................................................16

9.4 Emphasis Area #4: Lighting Conditions......................................................................16

10.0 COUNTERMEASURES IDENTIFIED TO ADDRESS SAFETY ISSUES.....................................17

10.1 Countermeasures For Emphasis Area #1: Vulnerable Road Users (Pedestrians & Bicyclists) ..............................................................................................17

10.2 Countermeasures For Emphasis Area #2: Speeding ................................................18

10.3 Countermeasures For Emphasis Area #3: Aggressive Drivers..................................19

10.4 Countermeasures For Emphasis Area #4: Improve Lighting ....................................20

11.0 RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICES FOR FUTURE STREETS ..............................................21

12.0 FUNDING, IMPLEMENTATION & EVALUATION STRATEGIES ..........................................22

11.1 Funding Opportunities..................................................................................................22

11.2 Implementation Strategies...........................................................................................23

11.3 Evaluation Strategies....................................................................................................23 REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................24 City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 ii

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Existing Union City Projects and Plans......................................................................10 Table 2: Top 10 High Frequency Collision Corridors (2017-2022)..........................................14 Table 3: Potential Pedestrians & Bicycle Countermeasures ................................................18 Table 4: Potential Speed Reduction Countermeasures.......................................................19 Table 5: Potential Countermeasures on Aggressive Drivers.................................................20 Table 6: Potential Countermeasures to Improve Lighting....................................................21 Table 7: Future Union City Projects & Studies.........................................................................22

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: LRSP Process.................................................................................................................8 Figure 2: Total Annual Collisions by Year (2017 - March 2022).............................................11 Figure 3: Types of Collisions......................................................................................................12 Figure 4: Primary Collision Factors...........................................................................................12 Figure 5: Pedestrian Collisions (2017 to 2022).........................................................................13 Figure 6: Bicyclist Collisions.......................................................................................................13 Figure 7: Top 10 High Frequency Corridors and Intersections..............................................15

LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX A 25
COLLISION TRENDS OF KEY CORRIDORS.................................................................... 25 APPENDIX B 26
COLLISION DIAGRAMS................................................................................................ 26 City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 1 1.0 ENGINEERS SEAL
(Per section 148 of Title 23, United States Code [23 U.S.C. §148(h) (4)]: REPORTS DISCOVERY

AND ADMISSION INTO EVIDENCE OF CERTAIN REPORTS, SURVEYS, AND INFORMATION — Notwithstanding any other provision of law, reports, surveys, schedules, lists, or data compiled or collected for any purpose relating to this section, shall not be subject to discovery or admitted into evidence in a Federal or State court proceeding or considered for other purposes in any action for damages arising from any occurrence at a location identified or
addressed in the reports, surveys, schedules, lists, or other data.)

Signature Line
By signing and stamping this Local Road Safety Plan, the engineer is attesting to this report's technical information and engineering data upon which local agency's recommendations, conclusions, and decisions are made.

City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 2 2.0 INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION
The City of Union City is a vital community to the “East Bay” of the San Francisco Bay Area due to its transportation links, housing-rich neighborhoods, and recreational amenities. Union City has a population of nearly 70,000 residents with many different cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds. Union City is a commuting community with over 90% of its residents working outside the city, and most of its traffic is pass through, people who don’t live nor work in Union City. Both of these conditions have contributed to many issues within the City’s transportation network, which will be addressed in this report.

This Local Road Safety Plan (LSRP) will identify emphasis areas throughout Union City and evaluate safety countermeasures that can be implemented to address issues in the city’s transportation network. These emphasis areas will include collision data on the location of the crash, type of crash, and the notable relationships between crash history and current efforts to reduce collisions. The LRSP analyzes crash data on an aggregate basis as well as at specific locations to identify high-crash locations, high-risk locations, and city-wide trends and patterns.

The analysis of crash history (2017-2022) throughout the City’s transportation network allows for opportunities to:

1. Identify factors in the transportation network that inhibit safety for all roadway users,

2. Improve safety at specific high-crash locations, and

3. Develop safety measures using the five E’s of safety:
• Engineering
• Enforcement
• Education
• Emergency Services
• Emerging Technologies to encourage safer driver behavior and better severity outcomes
The process and analysis performed for the City’s LRSP including initial vision and goals for the LRSP development, crash history analysis, and emphasis areas is included in this Plan. The information compiled will provide a foundation for decision making and prioritization for safety countermeasures and projects that enhance safety for all modes.

The intent of the LRSP is to:
• Enhance the safety of the City’s roadway system
• Improve transportation safety by reducing the number of incidents and their severity • Identify high need areas and stakeholder priorities and establish LRSP vision and goals • Review potential solutions and countermeasures
• Prioritize implementation of traffic safety
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 3 SUMMARY
Based on the results of the evaluation, the following is a summary of our findings:

Collision Trends
Review of five-years of SWITRS collision data indicated the following trends or patterns. • Annual collision totals average 200 to 300.
• The most common occurring crash types were Rear-ends (28%), Broadsides (21%), and Sideswipes (20%).
• The highest cause of crashes in Union City is Improper turning at 35%, and the second highest cause is unsafe speed (29%).
• 72 crashes occurred involving pedestrians. 33% of the crashes recorded that the pedestrian was either crossing not in a crosswalk or they were in the road. 66% occurred where the pedestrian was utilizing a crosswalk.
• Forty-nine (49) bicycle-involved crashes were recorded during the study period. Six of the forty-nine crashes resulted in fatalities and severe injuries.

Initial Findings
The top 10 roadway corridors and intersections with most significant crashes are:

Top 10 Corridors Top 10 Intersections

1. Alvarado-Niles Road 1. Alvarado-Niles Road/Decoto Road

2. Whipple Road 2. Whipple Road/Dyer Street

3. Decoto Road 3. Whipple Road/Central Avenue

4. Mission Blvd/RT 238 4. Dyer Street/Alvarado Boulevard

5. Dyer St 5. Mission Boulevard-Route 238/Tamarack Drive

6. Union City Blvd 6. Decoto Road/Perry Rd

7. Alvarado Blvd 7. Alvarado-Niles Road/Almaden Boulevard

8. H Street 8. Alvarado-Niles Road/Route 880 Overpass

9. Central Ave 9. Dyer Street/Courthouse Drive

10. Western Ave 10. Mission Boulevard-Route 238/Whipple Road Emphasis Areas
Emphasis Areas are types of safety trends where Union City can strategically focus efforts in order to have a larger impact on transportation safety. There are:
• Emphasis Area #1: Vulnerable Road Users (Pedestrians & Bicyclists) • Emphasis Area #2: speeding
• Emphasis Area #3: Aggressive Drivers
• Emphasis Area #4: lighting conditions
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 4 Countermeasures Identified
Several high benefits to cost countermeasures for improving safety performance at locations with high collisions along the corridor were identified for the following Emphasis Area.

Emphasis Area #1: Vulnerable Road Users (Pedestrians & Bicyclists)  Add Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI)
 Install advance stop bar before crosswalk (Bicycle Box)  No right-turn dynamic sign
 Protected Intersections
 Install pedestrian crossing at uncontrolled locations  Install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB)
 Install Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (HAWK)
 Install advance stop bar before crosswalk (Bicycle Box)  Bike Activation
 Add Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI)
 Protected Intersections
 Buffer Bike Lanes
 Class 4 Cycle Track
Emphasis Area #2: Speeding
 Increase Yellow Change Interval (YCI) & All Rd Time
 Add Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI)
 Install dynamic/variable speed warning signs
 "Provide advanced dilemma zone detection for
 high speed approaches"
 Improve pavement friction (High Friction Surface Treatments)  Install Separated Bike Lanes
 Reduce lane width to 11-foot
 Coordinate signals at lower speed
 Apply Assembly Bill (AB) 43 methodology to lower speed limits Emphasis Area #3: Aggressive Drivers
 High Visibility Enforcement
 Driver education and media campaign
 Coordinate signals at lower speed
 Provide advanced dilemma zone detection for high speed approaches Emphasis Area #4: Improve Lighting Condition
 Check and Add intersection lighting
 Improve signal hardware: lenses, back-plates
 Install flashing beacons as advance warning
 Install raised pavement markers & striping (Through Intersection)  Add signal head for each lane
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 5 Recommended Best Practices for Future Streets
The following are recommended roadway safety best practices which could become safety policies or guidelines for implementing roadway designs and improvement in the future.

Intersection Level
• Add leading pedestrian interval (LPI).
• Yellow backplates for traffic signals.
• High visibility crosswalks.
• Provide advanced dilemma zone detection for high-speed approaches. • High visibility crosswalks.

Pedestrian and Bicycle
• Install advance stop bar before crosswalk (Bicycle Box). • Check feasibility for Protected Intersections.
• Include Class 4 Cycle Track or Buffer Bike Lanes.
• Raised medians and pedestrian islands.

Roadway Level
• When appropriate use 11-foot lanes.
• Limit uncontrolled full access on arterial roadways. Target a minimum of 660 ft spacing between two consecutive unsignalized accesses along a minor arterial.

City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 6 3.0 VISION AND GOALS
The Vision of this LRSP plan is to strive towards reducing traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all, especially the more vulnerable pedestrian and bicycle users.

Following discussions with Union City staff and a review of existing plans and policies for the area, the following Goals and Objectives were established for this project.

Goal #1: Identify High Need Areas and Stakeholder Priorities Objectives:
• Identify areas of emphasis
• Identify intersections and segments that are a safety concern for all travelers • Listen to stakeholder concerns and identify emphasis areas that would benefit from countermeasures
Goal #2: Enhance Safety of Roadways for All Users
Objectives:
• Identify locations with high pedestrian and bicycle collisions • Identify solutions for all roadway users, especially vulnerable users (Pedestrians and Bicyclists)
• Consult policies and plans in Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan Goal #3: Identify Potential Countermeasures
Objectives:
• Review and recommend effective countermeasures
• Include countermeasures which will enable city to be successful in grant applications City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 7 4.0 SAFETY PARTNERS
As part of the LRSP, local stakeholders were included in the process to ensure the local perspective was kept at the forefront of this study effort. The stakeholder group was composed of representatives from Union City Police, Union City Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), as well as City Staff. The group met during community outreach meetings to discuss and provide feedback for this LRSP.

In addition, an online survey was conducted, and comments received were reviewed and discussed with the staff. All stakeholder feedback regarding the plan and recommendations were reviewed and incorporated into the study process for the development of the LRSP.

Using a systemic approach, our Team analyzed the data sets for crash trends and crash concentrations, crash types, overall numbers and rates, then identified top causes of fatalities and severe injuries for the selected corridors.

City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 8 5.0 PROCESS
Guidance on the LRSP process is provided at both the national (FHWA) and state (Caltrans) level.

Both of these agencies have developed a general framework of data and recommendations to be included in an LRSP. These processes evolve and change due to incorporate changing priorities.

FHWA encourages:
• The establishment of a working group (Stakeholders) to participate in developing an LRSP. • Review crash, traffic, and roadway data to identify areas of concern. • Establish goals, priorities, and countermeasures to recommend improvements at spot locations, systemically, and comprehensively.

Caltrans guidance follows a similar outline with the
following steps:
• Establish leadership
• Analyze the safety data
• Determine emphasis areas
• Identify strategies
• Prioritize and incorporate strategies
• Evaluate and update the LRSP
This LRSP documents the results of data and
information obtained, including the preliminary
vision and goals for the LRSP, existing safety efforts, initial crash analysis, and developed emphasis
areas. The development of the LRSP
recommendations considers the five E's of traffic
safety defined by the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP): Engineering, Enforcement, Education, Emergency Response, and Emerging Technologies throughout its process.

Reference Materials
The following section describes the analysis process undertaken to evaluate safety within Union City at a systemic level. Using a network screening process, locations within the City that will most likely benefit from safety enhancements will be identified. Using historic crash data, crash risk factors for the entire network are derived. The outcomes will inform the identification and prioritization of engineering and non-infrastructure safety measures that address certain roadway characteristics and related behaviors that contribute to motor vehicle crashes with active transportation users.

Local Road Safety Manual
The Local Roadway Safety Manual: A Manual for California’s Local Road Owners (Version 1.5, April 2020) purpose is to encourage local agencies to pursue a proactive approach to identifying and analyzing safety issues, while preparing to compete for project funding opportunities. A Figure 1: LRSP Process
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 9 proactive approach is defined as analyzing the safety of the entire roadway network through either a one-time, network wide analysis, or by routine analyses of the roadway network.1 According to the Local Roadway Safety Manual (LRSM), “The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) – Division of Local Assistance is responsible for administering California’s federal safety funding intended for local safety improvements.” To provide the most benefit and to be competitive for funding, the analysis leading to countermeasure selection should focus on both intersections and roadway segments and be considerate of roadway characteristics and traffic volumes. The result should be a list of locations that are most likely to benefit from cost-effective countermeasures, preferably prioritized by benefit/cost ratio. The manual suggests using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative measures to identify and rank locations that considers both crash frequency and crash rates. These findings should then be screened for patterns such as crash types and severity to aid in the determination of issues causing higher numbers of crashes and the potential countermeasures that could be most effective. Qualitative analysis should include field visits and a review of existing roadway characteristics and devices. The specific roadway context can then be used to assess what conditions may increase safety risk at the site and systematic level.

Countermeasure selection should be supported using Crash Modification Factors (CMFs). These factors are the peer reviewed product of before and after research that quantifies the expected rate of crash reduction that can be expected from a given countermeasure. If more than one countermeasure is under consideration, the LRSM provides guidance on how to apply CMFs appropriately.

Union City Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan
The City adopted on the Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan in November 23, 2021. The primary goal is to continue its effort in moving the city toward a people-centric community design and transportation system. The Plan includes both visionary, yet implementable projects, programs, and policies to work towards making this goal a reality.

AMG reviewed the master plan and will incorporate some of the issues identified to make Union City streets safer for the more vulnerable bicycle and pedestrian modes of travel.

ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES
The initial steps of the crash analysis established sub-populations of roadway segments and intersections that have similar characteristics. For this study, The network screening process ranks intersections and roadway segments by the number of crashes that occurred at each one over the analysis period, and then identifies areas that had more of a given type of crash than would be expected for that type of location. These crash type factors were:

1. crash injury (fatal, serious injury, other visible injury, complaint of pain, property damage only),
1 Local Roadway Safety Manual (Version 1.5) 2020. Page 5.

City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 10 2. crash type (broadside, rear-end, sideswipe, head-on, hit object, overturned, bicycle, pedestrian, other),

3. environmental factors (lighting, wet roads),

4. driver behavior (impaired, aggressive, and distracted driving).

With these additional factors, the locations were further analyzed, and top 10 corridor and intersections were identified.

From the results of the network screening analyses, a short-list of locations was chosen based on crash activity, crash severity, crash patterns, location type, and area of the City of Union City to provide the greatest variety of locations covering the widest range of safety opportunities for toolbox development. The intent is to populate the safety toolbox with mitigation measures that will be applicable to most of the crash activity in the city. As a part of the area of emphasis process, top 10 corridor and intersections were also identified for countermeasure analysis.

6.0 EXISTING EFFORTS
In consultations with City staff, key existing plans and projects that were recently completed, planned, or are on-going within Union City were collected and compiled during the LRSP process.

Table 1 shows the existing efforts and their status. Key points regarding transportation improvements and safety-related measures were identified to aid in the decision making for this LRSP.

Table 1: Existing Union City Projects and Plans
Project/Document Name Location Type/Description
2021 Bicycle and
Pedestrian Master Plan Citywide Works as a roadmap for bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs.

Decoto Road Pavement
Rehabilitation Project
Decoto Rd; from Alameda
Creek to Mission Blvd
Pavement Rehab and Bike Lane
addition; Expects construction to start
Summer 2023
Union City Blvd Bike Lanes
Project
Union City Blvd; From
Southern City Limits to
Smith St
Pavement Rehab, add bike lanes,
signal and lighting upgrade; Expects
construction to start Summer 2023
Quarry Lakes Parkway
Project
Near Union City BART
Station; parallel to
Decoto Rd
New four-lane local roadway with
Class II Bike facilities and a
Separated Class I multi-use trail;
Phase 1 & 2 expected to start
construction Summer 2024
Dyer Street Pavement
Rehabilitation Phase 1
Dyer Street; From
Alvarado Blvd to
Deborah Drive
Pavement Rehab and Bike Lane
addition; Completed
Dyer Street Pavement
Rehabilitation Phase 2
Dyer Street; From
Deborah Drive to Union
City Blvd
Pavement Rehab and Bike Lane
addition; Expects construction to start
Summer 2023
I Street Union Pacific
Railroad Closure I Street at 12th St Closing I Street Thru Traffic; Planning Phase Traffic Signals
Improvement Project
Various Locations (Union
City Blvd, Decoto Rd,
Alvarado Blvd, Alvarado
Niles Rd)
Adaptive Traffic Signal System to
support traffic flow and address
safety concerns; In construction
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 11 7.0 DATA SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
As a data driven process, utilizing the most recent and accurate data is crucial. The following section describes the data inputs used for the analysis process of this LRSP.

7.1 CRASH DATA
Crash data was collected from SWITRS for the period from January 1, 2017, through March 31, 2022, in order to have a complete set of crash data for analysis. We utilize five-years of data instead of the standard three to provide more history to evaluate trends or patterns. Analysis of the raw crash data is the first step in understanding the specific and systemic challenges faced throughout the city. Analyzing the five years of data provided insight on the following crash trends and patterns.

Using a systemic approach, our Team analyzed the data sets for crash trends and crash concentrations, crash types and overall numbers, then identified top locations of fatalities and severe injuries for the selected corridors.

7.2 All Crashes
From January 2017 through May 2022, 1,344 crashes occurred within Union City, in which 52 crashes involved fatalities or serious injuries. Figure 2 shows the total number of collisions by year.

Although there was a decline in crashes in 2020, the total number of crashes was trending upwards again in 2021.

Figure 2: Total Annual Collisions by Year (2017 - March 2022) City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 12 8.0 CRASH SAFETY TRENDS
The following section breaks down the crash data for the period from January 1, 2017, through March 2022. This information will be used to highlight areas of concern for the city.

8.1 TYPES OF COLLISIONS
Figure 3 shows the types of collisions within Union City. During the study period, the most common occurring crash types were Rear-ends (28%), Broadsides (21%), and Sideswipes
(20%). The rest of the types of collisions are broken down Figure 3.

8.2 FATALITIES AND SERIOUS INJURIES
The total number of fatal and severe injury collisions is approximately 52 within the study period. Of these, 10 are fatalities, with one involving bicycle and four pedestrians.

8.3 PRIMARY CAUSE OF COLLISIONS
The highest cause of crashes in Union City is Improper
turning at 35%, and the second highest cause is unsafe
speed (29%). The third and fourth highest proportion of crashes are driving under the influence (13%) and
ignoring traffic signals and signs (12%), respectively. A breakdown of crashes by cause is shown in Figure 4.

8.4 VULNERABLE USERS
Understanding the safety concerns of vulnerable users is important to plan for transportation improvements at all levels.

8.4.1 PEDESTRIANS
Over the study period, 72 crashes occurred involving pedestrians. 33% of the crashes recorded that the pedestrian was either crossing not in a crosswalk or they were in the road. 66% occurred where the pedestrian was utilizing a crosswalk. The remaining crashes were recorded as “not in road”. Seventeen (17) of the pedestrian crashes resulted in fatalities or sever injuries. Pedestrian crashes are concentrated along major corridors (Alvarado Boulevard, Alvarado-Niles Road, Whipple Road, and Decoto Road). Figure 5 shows all the pedestrian collisions.

Figure 3: Types of Collisions
Figure 4: Primary Collision Factors
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 13 Figure 5: Pedestrian Collisions (2017 to 2022)

8.4.2 BICYCLISTS
Forty-nine (49) bicycle-involved crashes were recorded during the study period. Six of the fortynine crashes resulted in fatalities and severe injuries. Almost all of the crashes occurred at or Figure 6: Bicyclist Collisions
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 14 adjacent to an intersection. Bicyclist crashes were concentrated at existing bike facilities along major corridors (Alvarado-Niles Road, Decoto Road, Dyer Street). Figure 6 shows all the bicyclist collisions.

8.5 INITIAL FINDINGS
Through the initial crash and network screening analysis an initial rank of locations of interests was developed. The top 10 roadway corridors with most significant crashes are shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Top 10 High Frequency Collision Corridors (2017-2022) Corridor Name Total Crashes Fatal + Severe
Injury Other Injury
Alvarado-Niles Road 260 7 253
Whipple Road 129 5 124
Decoto Road 124 5 119
Mission Blvd/RT 238 117 7 110
Dyer St 111 4 107
Union City Blvd 106 7 99
Alvarado Blvd 46 3 43
H Street 29 2 27
Central Ave 27 0 27
Western Ave 22 0 22
Based on these corridors and crash and network screening analysis, the top 10 intersection locations are shown in the following:

1. Alvarado-Niles Road/Decoto Road

2. Whipple Road/Dyer Street

3. Whipple Road/Central Avenue

4. Dyer Street/Alvarado Boulevard

5. Mission Boulevard-Route 238/Tamarack Drive

6. Decoto Road/Perry Rd

7. Alvarado-Niles Road/Almaden Boulevard

8. Alvarado-Niles Road/Route 880 Overpass

9. Dyer Street/Courthouse Drive

10. Mission Boulevard-Route 238/Whipple Road
The list of top 10 high frequency corridors and intersections are shown in Figure 7.

City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 15 Figure 7: Top 10 High Frequency Corridors and Intersections

9.0 EMPHASIS AREAS
Emphasis Areas are types of safety trends where Union City can strategically focus efforts in order to have a larger impact on transportation safety. Emphasis areas were developed by revisiting the Vision and Goals developed at the onset of this planning process and comparing them with the trends and patterns identified in the crash analysis. Where these areas aligned, or major challenges were observed, Emphasis Areas and strategies were developed.

9.1 EMPHASIS AREA #1: VULNERABLE ROAD USERS (PEDESTRIANS &

BICYCLISTS)
Pedestrians and bicyclists are classified by Caltrans as vulnerable users, meaning they have the highest potential for severe harm during a crash. These groups need appropriate infrastructure to travel to key destinations such as schools, workplaces, and core commercial areas. The City’s Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan for non - motorized transportation provided recommendation for future networks. Future roadway facilities are planned on key City roads to accommodate active transportation infrastructures such as buffer or separated bike lanes, intersection control, and speed controls that help provide a safe and comfortable environment for active transportation users. Of the 52 total fatal and sever injury crashes in Union City throughout the City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 16 study period, 23 were vulnerable road users (44%). Therefore, the city should focus on countermeasures which will provide protection for these users.

9.2 EMPHASIS AREA #2: SPEEDING
Many collisions due to excessive speeds occur along major arterials in the city. Vehicular speeds are particularly high during the evening commute periods, when the city’s arterials serve both local traffic as well as cut-through commute traffic. Nearly 25% of the collisions are due to speeding.

9.3 EMPHASIS AREA #3: AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS
60% of survey respondents to the online survey conducted by the city indicated aggressive drivers being a major safety concern. Aggressive driving behavior could involve driving at excessive speeds, tailgating, not yielding to pedestrians, driving too close to bicyclists or running the red light. The three major arterials in the city (Alvaro-Niles Road, Decoto Road and Whipple Road) traverse the length of city limits and lead to either I-880 or Mission Boulevard (SR 238).

Some of these aggressive driving behaviors could pose a serious challenge to roadway safety especially to the more vulnerable pedestrians and bicycle modes.

9.4 EMPHASIS AREA #4: LIGHTING CONDITIONS
While most nighttime collisions occurred where streetlights were present, the quality of the lighting can vary widely. Streetlights can be insufficiently bright or placed too widely apart. Nearly 500 collisions or 35% of the collisions are due to lighting conditions.

City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 17 10.0 COUNTERMEASURES IDENTIFIED TO ADDRESS SAFETY ISSUES Based on extensive analysis of collision trends, types of high collisions at intersections and corridors, the following are several high benefits to cost countermeasures for
improving safety performance at locations with high
collisions along the corridor.

We have also conducted field visits as well as
review of detailed collision diagrams to determine
any deficiencies of existing roadway infrastructure,
traffic control devices, signing and striping or traffic operations.

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.

The safety strategies of a few elements of a Safe System Approach are used:
 Safe Roads,
 Safe Speeds and
 Safe Road Users
In ensure eligibility for potential future grant funding application, many of the countermeasures recommended were based on information contained in the “Local Roadway Safety, A Manual for California's Local Road Owners (LRSM).” 2

10.1 COUNTERMEASURES FOR EMPHASIS AREA #1: VULNERABLE ROAD

USERS (PEDESTRIANS & BICYCLISTS)
There are clusters of pedestrian collisions along Decoto Road near BART and shopping centers.

And along Alvaro-Niles Road near Logan High. Countermeasures should heighten the presence of pedestrians and make improvements that will help serve pedestrian desire lines. It is also important to improve street lighting and add traffic calming to reduce the speeds of cars.

There are currently Class 2 bike lanes on several key arterials in the city. Adding buffer or separated bike lanes to facilitate east-west and north-south travel in the city would be a significant improvement for bike travel and the related benefit is that it will also calm the speed of traffic along these major commute arterials (e.g., Alvaro-Niles Road or Decoto Road). 2 “Local Roadway Safety, A Manual for California's Local Road Owners”, April 2020 City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 18 Several potential pedestrian and bicycle countermeasures are shown in Table 3. The column under “LRSM #” shows the specific countermeasures in the Local Roadway Safety Manual. These are measures which could be funded under state grants such as HSIP.

These strategies will be implemented by the city, while partnering with Caltrans and other community partners. Funding sources for these strategies may include HSIP, ATP, OTS, and SS4A grant programs.

10.2 COUNTERMEASURES FOR EMPHASIS AREA #2: SPEEDING
Nearly 25% of the collisions are due to speeding. To slow traffic in areas with pervasive speeding, several actions could be taken including traffic calming measures as well as evaluating where speed limits could be lowered in conjunction with new AB 43 allowances.

It is a common experience that typically vehicles travel at higher speeds along long wide or multilane streets, especially during non-commute hours such as during early morning or late evening hours. Research data indicated that as the width of a lane increases, the speed of the road increases – when lane widths are 3.3 feet greater, streets are predicted to be 9.4 mph faster. 3 3 NACTO Urban Street Design Guide Street Design Elements based on Identify Design Factors That Affect Driver Speed and Behavior by Kay Fitzpatrick, P.E., Paul J. Carlson, P.E, Texas TI Potential Countermeasures LRSM #
Pedestrian Safety
1 Add Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) S21PB
2 Install advance stop bar before crosswalk (Bicycle Box) S20PB 3 No right-turn dynamic sign NA
4 Protected Intersections NA
5 Install pedestrian crossing at uncontrolled locations S20PB 6 Install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) NS22PB 7 Install Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (HAWK) NS23PB
Bike Safety
1 Install advance stop bar before crosswalk (Bicycle Box) S20PB 2 Bike Activation NA
3 Add Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI) S21PB
4 Protected Intersections NA
5 Buffer Bike Lanes R32PB
6 Class 4 Cycle Track R33PB
Notes:

LRSM - Local. Roadway Safety Manual, April 2020
Table 3: Potential Pedestrians & Bicycle
Countermeasures
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 19 There are several engineering based as well as non-engineering potential countermeasures to slowing traffic. Coordinating traffic signals at a lower speed has been shown to be effective.

Speeds during nighttime are usually higher so signals could be coordinated at a lower speed.

Several potential speed reduction countermeasures are shown in Table 4.

10.3 COUNTERMEASURES FOR EMPHASIS AREA #3: AGGRESSIVE DRIVERS Aggressive drivers could pose a serious challenge to roadway safety and the efficacy of safety features. Non-engineering interventions, such as targeted enforcement and automated enforcement, could be deployed to address these challenges, but they may be supplemented with other countermeasures listed in Table 5 which are general ways to enhance safety.

Vehicular speeds are particularly high during the evening commute periods, when the city’s arterials serve both local traffic as well as cut-through commute traffic.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)4 research, high-visibility enforcement is one of the most effective enforcement strategies for safety outcomes. It is designed to be a highly visible approach that generates publicity on traffic safety laws through highly visible patrols, such as checkpoints, saturation patrols, or message boards. The goal of high-visibility enforcement is to promote voluntary compliance with traffic laws and it is one of the most effective enforcement strategies for safety outcomes. 4 Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, 9th Edition.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Table 4: Potential Speed Reduction Countermeasures
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 20 Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) provides three grant funding sources to supplement CHP in their high-visibility enforcement goals:
• Get Education and Ride Safe III (GEARS III) is to reduce the number of motorcycle-involved fatalities and serious collisions.
• The Safer Highways Statewide grant is to reduce the number of alcohol-involved fatalities and serious collisions.
• The Regulate Aggressive Driving and Reduce Speed V (RADARS V) grant is to reduce the number of victims killed or injured due to speed, or reckless driving-related collisions.

Other potential countermeasures are shown in Table 5.

10.4 COUNTERMEASURES FOR EMPHASIS AREA #4: IMPROVE LIGHTING

CONDITION
Nearly 30 to 50% of collisions occurred during nighttime at the top-10 high frequency collision intersections. It is noted that collisions tend to be more severe at night due to a variety of factors, including reduced visibility or higher speeds.

Also, typically collisions that occur during nighttime also could affect more seriously those people walking or biking due to higher speeds. While most nighttime collisions occurred where streetlights were present, the quality of the lighting can vary widely. Streetlights can be insufficiently bright, or placed too widely apart, and the quality of lighting may be especially poor for people walking or on the sidewalk, as streetlights are often designed primarily with vehicles in travel lanes in mind.

There is much innovation and upgrade in street and intersection lighting technology. Many cities use the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA, or IES) as guidelines or threshold. IES provides recommended exterior lighting for various roadway classifications.

Some of the potential countermeasures are shown in Table 5.

Table 5: Potential Countermeasures on Aggressive Drivers City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 21 11.0 RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICES FOR FUTURE STREETS
Traffic safety best practices are constantly being improved as more research and newer technologies evolve to help make streets safer for all modes of travel. As a part of incorporating the Safe System Approach, future planning and design of roadways in Union City should include best practice in the designs which will advance the concept of safe roads and safe speeds for all road users.

The following are recommended roadway safety best practices which could become safety policies or guidelines that Union City adopt for implementing roadway designs and improvement in the future.

Table 6: Potential Countermeasures to Improve Lighting
Potential Countermeasures LRSM #
1 Check and Add intersection lighting S01
2 Improve signal hardware: lenses, back-plates S02
3 Install flashing beacons as advance warning S10
4 Install raised pavement markers & striping (Through Intersection) S09 5 Add signal head for each lane NA
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 22 Several key projects are currently being planned and designed and many safety features would be included which would minimize the risk of traffic collisions for all modes of travel. The list is shown in Table 7.

Table 7: Future Union City Projects & Studies
Projects Location Description
Decoto Road Pavement
Rehabilitation Project Phase 2

Decoto Rd. from
Mission Blvd. to
Station Wy.

Pavement rehab, add buffered lane,
ADA access ramps, and LED lighting
infrastructure; expected construction
2025-26
Alvarado-Niles Rd.

Multimodal Corridor Study

Alvarado-Niles Rd.
from Dyer St. to
Decoto Rd.

Study on feasibility of roadway
conversion to accommodate priority
bus lanes and upgrade transit stops,
implement improved bicycle
facilities, increase pedestrian safety,
and overall multimodal operations.

Traffic Signal System and
Communications Master Plan

Citywide Identify existing traffic signal &
communications infrastructure and
update hardware/software as
needed to improve transportation
services and safety throughout City.

Adoption scheduled for Winter
2023.

Citywide LED Conversion
Project
Citywide – Priority on
high injury network,
then City quadrants
Improvement of lighting conditions
throughout City, with emphasis on
high injury network streets
Quarry Lakes Parkway Parallel to Decoto
Road Corridor
As a complete street, the Parkway is
designed to carry local bus,
deliveries, car, bicycle and
pedestrian trips in and out of the
new community of homes and offices
at the BART Station.

12.0 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.

12.1 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
There are a variety of regional, state, and federal sources to fund safety improvements.

City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 23  Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)
 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

12.2 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, mid-term, and long-term implementation goals

12.3 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 City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 24 REFERENCES

1. Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plan, City of Union City

2. Local Roadway Safety Manual (Version 1.5) 2020

3. City of Union City Strategic Plan, October 2021

4. Dyer St. Rehabilitation Project City Project 18-20

5. Caltrans, Traffic Volumes Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) on California State Highways.

Advanced Mobility Group
Christopher Thnay, PE, AICP
Joy Bhattacharya, PE, PTOE
Vasavi Pannala, PE
Andrea Flores, EIT
Robert Furger
Persons Consulted
Marilou Ayupan, PE Director of Public Works, City of Union City Trieu Tran, PE Civil Engineer II, City of Union City
Tommy Cho, PE Civil Engineer, City of Union City
City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 25 Appendix A
Collision Trends of Key Corridors
CollisionAnalysis – Pedestrians
Total Collisions ‐ 72
(2017 to 2022)
Fatal & Severe Injury ‐ 17
CollisionAnalysis ‐ Bicycles
Total Collisions ‐ 49
(2017 to 2022)
Fatal & Severe Injury ‐
6 City of Union City - Local Road Safety Plan August 9, 2023 26 Appendix B
Collision Diagrams

WHIPPLE RD & DYER ST
1/3/2017 - 4/30/2022
34 Crashes Clear [8317955]
[8356515]
[8371680]
[8420242]
[8436149]
[8436414]
[8450361]
[8462106]
[8515787]
[8516143]
[8518500]
[8533722]
[8533864]
[8551643]
[8568337]
[8619622]
[8648716][8744909]
[8770381]
[8776404]
[8817113]
[8902488]
[8979062]
[9015246]
[9015747]
[9028645]
[9041739]
[9057491]
[9254195]
[9261463]
[9261557]
[9262998]
[9373495]
[9449860]
Straight
Stopped
Unknown
Backing
Overtaking
Sideswipe
Parked
Erratic
Out of control
Right turn
Left turn
U-turn
Pedestrian
Bicycle
Injury
Fatality
Nighttime
DUI
Fixed objects: