What are the top three pedestrian or bicycle concerns that you have observed along Richmond Street?
Respondents indicated the following top concerns.
Traffic speed is too high
Poor visibility at intersections
Drivers don’t stop at stop signs and signals, drive unsafely around people walking or biking.
The Design Team proposed several traffic calming improvements to reduce traffic speed and improve visibility at intersections. Visit the Preliminary Design page for the proposed design features.
What are the safety and access issues you have observed at intersections?
Respondents identified safety and access concerns at each of the intersections along Richmond Street. Strong themes included poor visibility, high vehicle speeds, and driver non-compliance with traffic control.
Richmond Street intersections with the highest number of safety concerns identified were: Elm/Hill, Gladys, Donal, Portola, Waldo, Stockton, and Eureka.
Richmond Street intersections with the lowest number of safety concerns identified were: Potrero, Moeser, and Central.
The Design team incorporated safety improvements at all intersections along Richmond with enhanced focus at Gladys, Donal, Portola, and Waldo.
Should these safety strategies be considered for use on Richmond Street?
All proposed safety strategies received over 50% support. The highest levels of support (over 70%) were indicated for Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, raised crosswalks, high visibility crosswalks with signs and lighting, and street trees. Other safety strategies identified for consideration by respondents were: bike lanes, four-way stops, enforcement, narrowed street or lanes, street trees, traffic circles, and bulb-outs.
The Design Team incorporated most of these safety strategies as part of the proposed project. Please see the Preliminary Design page and the FAQ regarding Stop Signs. The Design Team considered but did not include traffic circles as a safety strategy for this project due to the limited right of way.
Do you support upgrading to dedicated space for bicyclists on Richmond Street (north of Moeser)? This upgrade has the potential to reduce crashes for all users up to 30%. This upgrade would also likely reduce on-street parking by about 50%.
During the in-person workshop, 46 attendees responded to this question. Of these, 34% responded yes, while 56% responded no. The remaining 10% of respondents were unsure.
Through the online survey, 162 participants responded. Of these, 61% responded yes, while 24% responded no. The remaining 15% of respondents were unsure.
The Design Team explored the incorporation of bike lanes north of Moeser into the development of the preliminary design. See Workshop #2 materials for design options proposed in response to this feedback.
Along these blocks, Richmond Street is the only continuous north-south street that’s relatively flat. As a result, this section of Richmond Street is a designated bikeway in the City’s Active Transportation Plan. The Ohlone Greenway, while a great asset, is too far from destinations like Korematsu Middle School and the El Cerrito Swim and Community Center to serve local residents.
Current engineering guidance generally advises separating bicycles and vehicles on roads with more than 6,000 vehicles per day. During a typical weekday, approximately 8,400 drivers use Richmond Street north of Moeser Lane, indicating that bicycle lanes are the appropriate type of facility to address bicyclist safety and comfort. Bicycle lanes have also been shown to improve safety of all modes by up to 30%. Please see the FAQ for more information.
What improvements to Richmond Street are most important to you?
The top five concerns were:
1. Safer crossings for people walking or rolling (84%)
2. Slower traffic speeds (60%)
3. More street trees and plantings (58%)
4. Safer crossings for people biking (56%)
5. Bikeway improvements (50%)
The Design Team proposed features to will improve the top concerns. See Workshop #2 materials for design options proposed in response to this feedback.
