Introduction
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Introduction Introduction Chapter 1 Introduction Bicycling and walking are healthy, sustainable, and lower cost forms of transportation that can be ideal for many trips. in 1997, the City of San Leandro adopted a Bicycle Master Plan to set forth a blueprint for completing a system of bikeways, support facilities (such as bicycle parking) and education programs. This document was previously updated in 2004 and 2010 to reflect changes in the bicycling environment since the previous document and, also, to add a pedestrian component. This document comprises the 2018 update to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (Plan) is the official policy document guiding the development of policies and facilities to enhance bicycling and walking as practical, efficient, and safe transportation choices for San Leandro residents, workers, and visitors. it is divided into six chapters that address existing bicycling and walking conditions, goals and policies, the recommended bicycle network and pedestrian improvement areas, safety, A Downtown San Leandro crosswalk near the San Leandro BART Station. education, enforcement, and a plan to guide implementation. Relationship to Other Plans East 14th Street South Area Development Strategy (2004) San Leandro Complete Streets Policy (2013) A number of current documents were reviewed and summarized to identify policies related to bicycling and walking in San Leandro. These documents San Leandro Downtown Design Guideline (2007) included a mix of local, state, regional and federal sources as listed below. Bicycle and Pedestrian Design Guideline (2007) Appendix A contains additional details on each of these sources. Downtown San Leandro Transit-Oriented Development Strategy (2007) Plans, laws and policies that were reviewed as a part of the update of this MacArthur Boulevard Streetscape Master Plan (2001) Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan are listed below: City of San Leandro Municipal Code Local Regional San Leandro 2035 General Plan (2016) San Francisco Bay Trail Plan Summary (2015) San Leandro Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (2010) San Francisco Bay Trail Design Guide (2016) San Leandro Next Generation Workplace Districts (2013) San Leandro Creek Master Plan (2017) San Leandro BART Station Access Plan (BART, 2002) Alameda County Bicycle Plan (Alameda County, 2012) CiTY OF SAN LEANDRO BiCYCLE & PEDESTRiAN MASTER PLAN ~ 9 Alameda County Pedestrian Plan (Alameda County, 2012) in summary, these documents support bicycling and walking in the City of San Regional Bicycle Plan for San Francisco Bay Area (MTC, 2009) Leandro, neighboring communities, and the region. Bicycling and walking are recognized as ways to reduce congestion, oil consumption, air pollution, noise 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment (Kaiser Foundation Hospital, pollution, and impacts on climate change as well as improving mobility options 2016) and providing opportunities for healthy exercise. The goals of these planning Alameda County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan for Unincorporated documents are consistent with the goals, policies and recommendations Areas (Alameda County, 2012) outlined in the 2018 update of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan focused Union Pacific Railroad Oakland Subdivision Corridor improvement Study on providing a balanced transportation system for the City that meets the (Alameda County, 2009) needs of all road users: people walking, biking, rolling, and driving. Central County Complete Streets implementation Design Guideline (ACTC, 2016) Conformance with Funding Requirements Alameda County Multimodal Arterial Plan (ACTC, 2016) The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan conforms with the California Active Alameda Countywide Transit Plan (ACTC, 2016) Transportation Program. in 2013, California Senate Bill 99 and Assembly Alameda County Goods Movement Plan (ACTC, 2016) Bill 101 were signed by Governor Brown creating the Active Transportation Program (ATP). Administered by the California Transportation Commission, State ATP consolidates existing federal and state transportation programs, including California Highway Design Manual (2016) the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), and State Safe Routes to California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, Revision 2 (2014) School (SR2S), into a single program. Funding is distributed competitively at the statewide and MPO level. Project Development Procedures Manual (2016) The most recent ATP guidelines do not require applicants to have a Bicycle Towards an Active California: State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (2017) and Pedestrian Master Plan that meet certain standards per the former Bicycle California vehicle Code Transportation Account (BTA) program, however a plan that adheres to the Federal grant program guidelines will help the City prioritize the most competitive FAST Act (2015) projects for funding requests (an ATP compliance checklist is provided in Appendix C). Meeting these guidelines may also help the City advance project NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide implementation through Transportation Development Act (TDA), Measure B, Americans With Disabilities Act (1990) and other funding sources. 10 ~ CiTY OF SAN LEANDRO BiCYCLE & PEDESTRiAN MASTER PLAN Community Involvement in Development of the Plan Additionally, an online survey was conducted to gather additional public feedback from a broader audience. The survey was distributed through a The City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) advised City variety of means, including Next Door, The San Leandro Times, Facebook staff and the consultant team in development of the Plan. The BPAC includes advertisements, and City’s email lists from the BPAC and Recreation and 11 members: one City Council-appointed member from each of the six Council Human Services. Almost 1,100 responses were recorded, or 1 in 80 San Districts and five at-large members. The 2018 Plan Update was discussed at Leandro residents. Additional Plan feedback was collected through the City’s four BPAC meetings. Two of these meetings were combined with Public Open virtual City Hall (Peak Democracy) and through comments on Next Door. Houses where the public and BPAC members could directly interact with project consultants and provide comments and feedback. San Leandro residents share their comments, concerns, and ideas at the first Public Open House/BPAC meeting in February 2017 at City Hall. CiTY OF SAN LEANDRO BiCYCLE & PEDESTRiAN MASTER PLAN ~ 11 Existing Conditions Outreach comments/suggestions about specific corridors and intersections. Winter Community Open House/BPAC Meeting Comments from the first Open House and the survey provided insights that played a pivotal role in crafting the proposed bicycle and pedestrian The first Community Open House/BPAC meeting was held in February 2017 recommendations (discussed in Chapters 3 & 4). Figure 2 provides a spatial in the Sister Cities Room at San Leandro City Hall. This meeting was centered view of areas throughout the City that the public has voiced concerns about. around gaining public input on existing walking and bicycling conditions. A summary of the survey highlights results can be found in Figure 3. City and consultant staff collected input on the existing pedestrian and bikeway networks; examining gaps in the systems, problematic intersections, places where increased separation/protection was desired, how the public accessed transit, and where they had safety concerns. Attendees also had the opportunity to share their feedback on the goals and policies that the City should include in the plan update. Over 30 residents attended this meeting. As is shown on the following page, attendees were also given the opportunity to share their "BiG iDEA". These "BiG iDEAS" included a wide range of ideas and concepts including: building the East Bay Greenway, closing network gaps, more Class IV bike facilities, bike share, improved street lighting, and many others. Online Survey in the time between the two Community Open House meetings, an online survey was opened to gather additional input from the public. The survey, hosted on SurveyMonkey, was advertised on a variety of platforms including Next Door, the San Leandro Times, and the City’s Recreation and Human Services email list. Ads were also purchased on Facebook and instagram to further grow the reach of the advertising. Over 1,100 survey responses were recorded; a participation rate roughly the equivalent of 1 in 80 San Leandro residents! The survey provided valuable insights into the direction the public wanted their bicycle and pedestrian networks to go: towards a more connected and "all One of the Facebook ads that was used to advertise the survey and the social media-only ages and abilities" network. The survey also allowed respondents to provide incentive. 12 ~ CiTY OF SAN LEANDRO BiCYCLE & PEDESTRiAN MASTER PLAN Community Open House & BPAC Meeting, February 2017 Participants log comments and suggestions on plotted maps. A San Leandro resident discusses some ideas with City Senior Transportation Engineer Reh-Lin Chen (left). A family shows off their BIG IDEA at the first Public Open House in February 2017: “Open the BART Director Rebecca Saltzman makes her BIG IDEA known about improving transit access: ‘East 14th Boulevard’ from Downtown northwards.” “Get rid of pedestrian beg [actuation] buttons around BART stations.” CiTY OF SAN LEANDRO BiCYCLE & PEDESTRiAN MASTER PLAN ~ 13 Figure 2: San Leandro Barriers to Walking and Bicycling SAN LEANDRO A r r S o a w n 880 Pedestrian