Opportunities & Challenges

4.1 transportation system

Emeryville is centrally located within the Bay Area and is traversed by a number of key regional transportation routes, notably the I-80 and I-580 freeways, San Pablo Avenue corridor, AC Transit bus lines, Amtrak Capitol Corridor rail lines and the Bay Trail. These facilities connect Emeryville with the surrounding region. In addition, the San Francisco (BART) has several stations a short distance from Emeryville, with shuttle bus service provided to the MacArthur Station by the Emery-Go-Round. Oakland International Airport is located just ten miles to the south, and San Francisco International Airport is 22 miles to the southwest.

This existing transportation infrastructure creates substantial opportunities for Emeryville to capitalize on its central location and regional accessibility in attracting jobs, residents Transportation and investments. Key constraints include congested freeway conditions and internal barriers to east-west circulation caused 4- by the I-80 and the rail line. Emeryville residents demonstrate a relatively high use of transit and other non-automobile Transportation modes of travel, including a surprisingly high rate of residents 4 that walk to work. Given the city’s large day-time population of workers and shoppers, much of the traffic in Emeryville is This chapter provides an overview of existing transportation generated by non-residents such as employees and shoppers. It conditions in Emeryville, placed within the context of the goals, is not surprising that reducing traffic impacts on quality-of-life policies and objectives outlined in the existing General Plan for residents and developing strategies to allow greater reliance originally adopted in 1987 and updated in 1993. The description on transit, walking and bicycling as modes of travel, have been of existing transportation conditions includes an analysis of raised as key goals during the General Plan update process. traffic operations at 48 study intersections and an overview of HISTORICAL GROWTH public transit, bicycle and pedestrian circulation. As with most cities, Emeryville’s development as a city was closely tied to the local transportation network. In 1871, city founder Joseph S. Emery financed the construction of the San Pablo Avenue Horse Cart Railroad, which connected Oakland to Emeryville. Emery was also one of the primary builders of the -Nevada Railroad, which began in Oakland, crossed Emeryville General Plan Update

Emeryville and terminated in Orinda. Ultimately, Emeryville F. Increase the capacity and efficiency of street intersections was incorporated as a city focused on its industrial and rail where needed. terminals. Even today, rail and freeway lines continue to define the city. G. Provide financing systems under which new development will share in the costs of needed street projects. existing gENERAL pLAN H. Cooperate with Oakland and Berkeley to improve At the time the previous General Plan was developed, much of intersections in and around Emeryville that have an Emeryville’s land area was occupied by low-density industries. important effect on local traffic conditions. At that time, it was noted that the city’s central location at the junction of the major freeway routes near the I. Balance the advantages of curbside parking with the east end of the Bay Bridge made Emeryville one of the most need to maximize the traffic capacity of arterial streets. accessible locations in the Bay Area. The General Plan proposed achieving the potential for freeway access by improving the J. Provide off-street parking to encourage desired limited ramps and inadequate street system. A key development and utilize off-street parking to encourage goal outlined in the General Plan was to establish a circulation a pedestrian oriented environment. system allowing for the free movement of persons and goods Transportation while “avoiding an over accommodation of vehicles at the K. Expand transit services and increase the use of public expense of land use and pedestrian movement.” The General transit in Emeryville. 4- Plan contained the following transportation objectives: L. Establish a citywide network of interconnected A. Provide for the safe, efficient and convenient circulation pedestrian and bicycle routes to provide access to the of people and goods to, from and within the city. major features, attractions and activities of the city, thus providing recreational benefits and reducing dependence B. Cooperate with responsible agencies in developing a on automobiles. regional transportation plan. M. Promote a variety of techniques to utilize the existing C. Provide a circulation system capable of accommodating transportation network more efficiently and to reduce the land uses and densities proposed in the plan and single-occupant automobiles during peak hours. portrayed in the Land Use Plan. Key deficiencies identified in the previous General Plan include D. Seek reconfiguration of the freeway system (I-80 the limited number of through streets, as only Powell Street Eastshore and I-580 MacArthur Freeways) to increase in the east-west direction and Hollis Street in the north-south their service to Emeryville users while minimizing any direction offer direct routes across the city, and safety concerns, concurrent impacts. particularly in the area where San Pablo Avenue, MacArthur Boulevard and Adeline Street merge. Emeryville’s network of E. Undertake and complete the street development and short, discontinuous street segments was noted to result in local improvement projects portrayed on the Circulation streets being inappropriately used as truck routes. Plan. Opportunities & Challenges rECENT TRENDS The tremendous surge in commercial development in the past ten years is testament to Emeryville’s success in achieving key General Plan goals to take advantage of the city’s central location in the Bay Area and proximity to regional transportation facilities. The City, however, has not been successful in avoiding an over accommodation of vehicles at the expense of pedestrian movement. While transit use among residents of Emeryville increased during the 1990s, Emeryville’s transportation network is still not conducive to pedestrian and bicycle travel in many places.

Travel Modes 2000 U.S. Census provides Journey to Work data that indicates the travel mode to and from work for Emeryville residents and nonresident employees. As shown by Table 4-1, in 2000 about 54 Transportation percent of Emeryville’s residents drove alone to work (Bay Area average 68 percent), while 75 percent of commuters employed 4- in Emeryville drove alone to work.

The city’s rate of transit use and walking to work was substantially higher than the Bay Area average. This is influenced by the substantial proportion of Emeryville residents that are employed in San Francisco, Berkeley or Oakland. Nonresidents employed in Emeryville tend to live in more dispersed locations and are less likely to use transit. Table 4-2 shows the place of employment for residents and place of residence for nonresident employees, based on 2000 U.S. Census data for home-based work trips.

Approximately 28 percent of Emeryville residents work within the city. Of the 72 percent that worked elsewhere, Oakland, San Francisco, and Berkeley were top destinations. While this data portrays a relatively balanced transportation system for residents, heavier automobile usage and less transit use is noted in the travel patterns of the population of workers that swell the city’s daytime population. Key factors limiting a greater shift in Alternatives to automobile transportation are available and used in Emeryville. Emeryville General Plan Update

travel to transit and other modes include: Table 4-1: Journey to Work by Mode of Travel for Residents Working Outside Emeryville and Nonresident Employees in • Non-resident employees live in dispersed locations that Emeryville are not always efficiently served by transit, Mode of Travel Emeryville Residents Emeryville Bay Area • Trip linkage needs (such as home to day-care to work to Working in Working Nonresident Average shop, etc.) make shifts to other modes more difficult, Emeryville Outside Employees Emeryville Working in • Free parking provided by employers in many Emeryville Emeryville locations, as well as free all day parking along many streets, Drive alone 37% 60% 79% 68% • Quality of pedestrian experience, Carpool 5% 10% 12% 13% • Perceived need for flexibility, and Transit 10% 27% 7% 10% • Perceived convenience and quality of transit service. Walk 20% 0% 0% 3% Worked at home 25% 0% 0% 4% Recent Planning Efforts Bicycle 1% 1 % 1 % 1% Transportation In 1995, the Park Avenue District Plan was prepared to include Motorcycle 1% 1 % 1 % 0% design guidelines and policies to revitalize Emeryville’s historic Other 1% 1 % 0 % 1% 4- center. While growth in Emeryville has led to substantial Note: due to rounding, values may not total 100 percent and values less than 0.5 percent are investment in the district, street improvements envisioned by shown as zero. plan have yet to be implemented. Currently, the plan is being Source: U.S. Census. updated to reflect recent conditions, improve multi-modal circulation and address streetscape issues. The following policies Table 4-2: Home Based Work Trips for the district are described in the current draft of the updated To or From: Emeryville Residents Emeryville plan: Nonresident 1. Provide sidewalks on all district streets. Employees 2. Place utilities, transformers and other boxes under- Berkeley 21% 8% ground wherever possible. Where this is not possible, Oakland 29 % 22 % boxes should be sighted out of pedestrian paths and be Alameda 1 % 4 % compatible with building designs. San Francisco 27 % 9 % 3. Design lighting for pedestrian comfort and safety. S. Leandro/Hayward 7% 6% Contra Costa 5% 13% 4. Plant trees to improve the pedestrian environment. Central Valley 5% 10% 5. Provide a unified family of street furniture. Other 5% 28% 6. Provide amenities, such as bike parking, benches and Source: U.S. Census. bus stops with shelters. 7. Ensure that any encroachments help make the street at- Opportunities & Challenges

tractive, functional and social while leaving ample space 4.2 pedestrians for walking. Everyone becomes a pedestrian at some point in his or her 8. Design drainage in the district to clean storm water on journey, and the walking environment is one of the most basic its way to the Bay as much as feasible, in compliance public spaces where people interact in the urban landscape. with the City’s storm water treatment measures. The relative pleasure of walking in a city is a good yardstick for 9. Create gateway features such as arches and/or directo- determining everything from design guidelines to land uses. ries welcoming people to the district at the special in- Sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian signals comprise the tersections. pedestrian safety facilities within Emeryville. In California, it 10. Include art in design of district infrastructure (such as is legal for pedestrians to cross any street, except at unmarked sidewalks, building walls, benches, bus shelters). locations between immediately adjacent signalized crossings or where crossing is expressly prohibited. Marked crossings 11. Include design features and amenities on Hubbard reinforce the location and legitimacy of a crossing. In pedestrian- Street (between Park and Sherwin Avenues) so that it friendly cities, crossing locations are treated as essential links can be closed off to vehicular traffic and host occasional in the pedestrian network. By contrast, in Emeryville, a few special events. intersections expressly prohibit pedestrian crossings on select Transportation legs. The San Pablo Avenue Urban Design Guidelines design 4- guidelines and policies are intended to revitalize San Pablo Some streets, such as portions of Sherwin Avenue and Halleck Avenue. Improvements to the public space are proposed to Street do not have sidewalks. Of the streets that do have generate a public environment that is both pleasant and safe. sidewalks, sidewalks are sometimes provided on just one side of The plan calls for retaining on-street curb parking as a buffer the street, such as portions of Horton Street. Similar conditions between vehicle traffic and pedestrians. Medians are proposed exist in northern areas of Emeryville. In many instances the to enhance the environment, facilitate more efficient vehicle City has constructed pedestrian improvements to facilitate the flows, and improve pedestrian safety by eliminating some left safe and orderly flow of pedestrians. turn movements. Many of the guidelines and policies either have been or are currently being implemented. Current Policies The City adopted the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in 1998 that The North Hollis Specific Plan was prepared to address the designates several “pedestrian ways” in the city. Figure 4-1 changing land use environment in the area. As a result of the shows those pedestrian ways (both existing and proposed) and Plan, the City of Emeryville recently constructed the Doyle also includes several additional pathways to reflect projects Street Greenway. Other plan elements include improving the developed or proposed since 1998. I-80 interchange with Ashby Avenue to facilitate movements directly into the North Hollis area. Continuous sidewalks are The City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan focuses primarily on de- identified as a means to enhance the pedestrian experience and velopment of a citywide bikeway network and designated “pe- promote walking as a viable travel mode. The Plan identifies destrian ways”, including shared bicycle and pedestrian paths, the need for improved bicycle circulation by constructing the but does not address pedestrian circulation on the greater net- Doyle Street Greenway and providing bicycle linkages between work of sidewalks and crosswalks that serve pedestrian move- the greenway and the Amtrak station. Emeryville General Plan Update

ment throughout the city. Barriers to pedestrian movement limit the viability of walking as a form of transportation in many parts of Emeryville, particularly for east-west circulation across the rail line and freeway and along or across the busier arterials. In addition, large block sizes in many parts of the city hampers pedestrian circulation. General pedestrian concerns include restricted or limited pedestrian crosswalks, gaps in the sidewalk network, narrow or impeded sidewalks and/or issues related to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the applicable sections of Title 24. The City may wish to consider adopting specific goals and policies related to crosswalk installation and pedestrian amenities on paths and sidewalks. Example of a Sidewalk Design Element. A greater attention to pedestrian circulation throughout the City and the development of “best practices” or design guide- Transportation lines is recommend for inclusion in the next update to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, previously scheduled for 2007. 4- This should include guidelines for essential design elements for sidewalks, such as landscape strips and other buffers, as well as marked crosswalk design and placement guidelines.

Powell & Christie study The City recently conducted an extensive study of intersection operations for pedestrians and bicyclists at the Powell Street intersections with the I-80 Frontage Road, I-80 Ramps and Recent street Christie Avenue, as well as the intersection of Christie and improvements may not Shellmound Streets (Source: Traffic Safety Center, University be consistent with the of California, Berkeley). Field observations, surveys, data General Plan objective collection and community meetings were held to analyze to accommodate current pedestrian and bicycle conditions and seek public input the movement of people and goods into proposed improvements. Key issues impacting pedestrian while “avoiding an and bicycle circulation at these intersections include: overaccommodation of vehicles at the expense • Right-turns of land use and pedestrian movement.” • Dual turn • Poor visibility Figure 4-1 Existing and Planned Pedestrian Ways Emeryville General Plan Update

• Long crossings areas of risk, and enable pedestrians and bicyclists to travel more • High speeds easily. Improvement options considered included: signing and striping; signal timing changes and countdown pedestrian signal • Limited connectivity indications; signalization and in-pavement flashers; pavement • Lack of way-finding signage stencils; reduced corner radii; and radar speed displays.

Key goals of the project are to develop design treatments Other areas with potential pedestrian conflicts include the San th for these intersections that increase drivers’ awareness of Pablo/40 intersection area (near the timed AC Transit bus pedestrians and bicyclists, alert pedestrians and bicyclists to transfer area) and additional areas near the Pixar and Chiron campuses that have extremely large blocks that limit pedestrian circulation. In addition, potential improvements to the Ashby/ I-80 interchange should include pedestrian improvements to provide additional pedestrian bridges across the I-80 corridor, connecting to the shoreline and the Bay Trail west of the freeway.

Transportation 4.3 Bicycles

4- The size, topography, and climate of Emeryville make it an ideal city for bicycling. Bicycles are a convenient means of transportation for short trips within cities, especially those less than three miles in length. According to the U.S. Department Narrow Sidewalks and Curb Cuts Can Make Walking in of Transportation, one-quarter of all trips in this country are Emeryville Uncomfortable. under one mile; about 40 percent of all trips are two miles or shorter. The use of bicycles for short trips in Emeryville would reduce the amount of similar trips by automobiles, which are high-polluting journeys because car engines produce more pollutants when they are cold. A study for the State of California estimated that 90 percent of emissions in a seven-mile auto trip are generated in the first mile. Studies estimate that for every one percent of auto trips replaced by cycling, air pollution from cars drops by two to four percent.

Key constraints to bicycling in Emeryville are similar to constraints for motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic, in that east-west circulation is limited to just a few continuous streets. Large-scale commercial development in some cases has resulted in restricted access to existing street segments, further limiting through movement on the City’s discontinuous local street network. Figure 4-2 General Bikeway Classification

CLASS I BIKEWAY (Bike Path) Provides a completely separated right-of-way for the exclusive use of bicycles and pedestrians with crossflow minimized.

6” SOLID WHITE STRIPE

BIKE

CLASS II BIKEWAY (Bike Lane) Provides a striped lane for one-way bike travel on a street or highway.

BIKE ROUTE SIGN

BIKE ROUTE

CLASS III BIKEWAY (Bike Route) Provides for shared use with pedestrian or motor vehicle traffic.

Emeryville General Plan

GENERAL BIKEWAY CLASSIFICATIONS September 2005 WC05-2173\graphics\2173-6-10_bikeclass FIGURE 6-10 Emeryville General Plan Update

Types of Bikeway Facilities Other examples of modified Class III routes include the use of Bikeway planning and design in California typically relies on the pavement stencils (commonly used in San Francisco, Oakland, guidelines and design standards established by the California and Berkeley) that are placed on the pavement of shared lanes Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Caltrans standards to remind motorists of the presence of cyclists. provide for three distinct type of bikeway facilities as generally current Policies to Promote Cycling described below and shown in Figure 4-2: The current General Plan and the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian • Class I bicycle paths. Class I bikeways are completely Master Plan 1998-2010 include an overall goal of establishing a separated from motor vehicle traffic, as in the case of network of continuous north-south and east-west bikeways to an off-street path along a river or railroad corridor. A provide access to the major features and attractions of the city as sidewalk bicycle path would not be considered a Class well as to provide recreational benefits and reduce dependence I facility unless properly designed and separated from on automobiles. Policies that support bicycling include the the roadway by an appropriate buffer. Pedestrians are following: allowed on Class I paths. • General Plan Policy L-1 called for new routes to be • Class II bicycle lanes. Class II bikeways are located on developed in the City. Existing and proposed bikeways Transportation streets and allow bicyclists to utilize a separate lane of described in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan include the travel, usually 5 or 6 feet wide, separated from motor San Francisco Bay Trail and routes on the following vehicle traffic by a 6-inch white stripe. 4-10 streets or corridors: • Class III bicycle routes. Class III bikeways are designated − Shellmound by signs only. Cyclists share the travel lane with motor vehicle traffic on these routes. Some Class III routes have − Overland-Landregan-Horton a wide outer curb lane while others carry low volumes − th of motor vehicle traffic, making a separate bicycle lane 9 Street Drill Track – Emeryville Greenway or wide curb lane unnecessary. − Adeline Street An additional type of bikeway that is appropriate for urban − 67th Street environments is the bicycle boulevard, generally a modified Class − 65th Street III route in which cars are allowed but bicycles have priority, and where bicycles have a relatively stop-free, low conflict route − 59th Street to their destinations. The first Bicycle Boulevard was built on − Peninsula Bryant Street in Palo Alto in 1982 along a two-mile stretch of residential street. All-way stops or signalized intersections were − Stanford Avenue installed at intersections with collector or arterial streets and − Bay Street - 53rd stop signs along the main route were removed so that minor- street stops on the cross streets could be installed instead. Traffic − 47th-Doyle diversions were placed at strategic locations along the street so − 45th Street that bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles could use the route, but motor vehicles could not. Motor vehicle traffic stayed − 40th Street relatively constant, indicating that traffic was not diverted to other streets. Opportunities & Challenges

• General Plan Policy L-2 calls for routes that minimize auto hazards and avoid heavily trafficked streets. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan seeks to improve cycling conditions on streets such as Shellmound and 40th in order to avoid arterials such as Hollis and Powell. • General Plan Policy L-3 calls for integrating the City’s network into regional networks. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan bikeway map includes bikeways intended to provide direct connections with bikeways in neighboring cities, including the Bay Trail and Doyle Street Greenway. The Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville Bike Route Signing Study was a collaborative effort of those three cities in 1998 to develop a bike signing system that designates common route numbering system for routes through the three cities, similar to the Interstate Transportation highway numbering system. The system has not been implemented and bike advocacy groups have not been 4-11 working to implement the program, but parts of it are reflected in the Ciunty wide Bicycle Plan. existing and proposed bikeways Figure 4-3 shows the existing and proposed bikeways in Emeryville based upon the bikeways map contained in the Bicyclists Face Both Challenging (top) and Friendly Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and updated to reflect recent Routes (below) in the City. planning efforts. Class II bicycle lanes are provided on Mandela Parkway, 40th Street, and Shellmound Street and portions of Horton Street and 65th streets. Regional bike facilities include the San Francisco Bay Trail, designated as Route 1 by the Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville Regional Bike Route Signing Study. Travel along the Bay Trail terminates at Powell Street and cyclists must travel inland through busy intersections to reach Shellmound Street before traveling south to Mandela Parkway in Oakland. Access to the Bay Trail is constrained due to heavy traffic on Powell Street and at the Ashby interchange.

Several additional regional routes also serve the city. Route 5 connects North Oakland to Albany through Emeryville, while An abandoned rail corridor creates an opportunity to implement a north-south Class I Bicycle Path. Emeryville General Plan Update

Route 60 is an east-west route on 65th Street, Route 70 is an Cove Marina along the freeway could, if feasible, east/west route on 45th Street to 47th Street in Emeryville, and provide a more convenient connection for shoreline users to Route 90 is an east/west route that connects with 40th Street in the planned Bay Bridge path, although bicycle commuters Oakland and Berkeley. In addition, a portion of a Class I path between Emeryville and San Francisco may be better served via has been built on Doyle Street along the abandoned north-south the planned Shellmound Street connection. rail corridor. The path will be part of the Greenway pedestrian path proposed to connect with similar paths envisioned up and Bicycle Parking down the East Bay. Although bicycle parking exists at newer commercial establishments in the city, a lack of bicycle racks discourages Installing bicycle lanes on City streets often requires tradeoffs cycling in many areas. Many cities have adopted bicycle parking with competing interests. For example, Class II bicycle lanes are ordinances to require the provision of bicycle parking as new proposed for installation on 45th Street between Horton Street development or redevelopment occurs. As part of the General and Emery Street. However, this will require the removal of all Plan update, the City may wish to consider strengthening 45th Street on-street parking (approximately 100 spaces east of policies aimed at requiring the provision of bicycle parking. Hollis Street and 40 spaces west of Hollis Street). As part of the General Plan update process, the City may wish to prioritize 4.4 pUBLic transit Transportation these competing interests. Public transportation serving Emeryville consists of bus, rapid The San Francisco Bay Trail follows the shoreline south from 4-12 transit and commuter rail service. AC Transit and Emery-Go- the Berkeley border to the Emery Cove Marina on a separated Round buses operate within the city and provide connections Class I bicycle and pedestrian path. Near Powell Street, the to rapid transit service at the MacArthur BART Station. AC path ends and the Bay Trail joins City streets and sidewalks Transit also provides service to the West Oakland BART station. and travels inland to reach Oakland, crossing Interstate 80 via Passenger rail service is provided at the Emeryville Amtrak Powell Street and reaching the Mandela Parkway in Oakland via station. Figure 4-4 illustrates the AC Transit bus routes that the Shellmound/40th Street corridor. This portion of the Bay serve Emeryville, while Figure 4-5 illustrates routes served by Trail represents a challenge to many bicyclists and pedestrians, the Emery Go Round shuttle service. Both figures also identify given heavy traffic volumes on Powell and Shellmound Streets rail transit options. Transit coverage area is shown on each and lengthy crossing distances for pedestrians at the freeway figure to illustrate the extent of the city within a one-quarter ramps and Powell Street/Christie Avenue intersection. In mile walking distance of a bus line or rail station. As shown on Oakland, the Bay Trail follows Mandela Parkway to 3rd Street these two figures, all of Emeryville is within walking distance of before rejoining the shoreline at , effectively existing public transit service. bypassing the . According to the 2000 Census, approximately 20 percent Eventually, the new east span of the San Francisco-Oakland of Emeryville’s residents use public transportation on their Bay Bridge will include a bicycle and pedestrian path that will journey to work. This is up from approximately 13 percent in connect with the Bay Trail at Shellmound Street opposite IKEA. the 1990 Census, even while, statewide transit usage declined by An extension of the shoreline pathway south from the Emery 5 percent during this same period. Figure 4-3 Existing and Planned Bicycle Routes Emeryville General Plan Update

bus service station runs with 30- to 60-minute headways. Route Emeryville is geographically well served by transit, with nearly 72R is a Rapid Bus route connecting the Oakland Ferry all of the city’s area located within a quarter mile of a bus Terminal, at 2nd Street and Clay Street, to Contra Costa route (see Figures 4-4 and 4-5). However, service frequencies College. The 72 routes travel on San Pablo Avenue. on some routes are relatively low (with headways of greater Weekday and weekend service is provided around-the- than 15 minutes during many periods), so access to major clock for Routes 72 and 72M. Route 72R operates be- destinations by bus can be a challenge. Key hubs for bus service tween 6:00 AM and 7:00 PM, on 12-minute headways. in the vicinity include the MacArthur BART Station, Emeryville • Route C provides Transbay service between San Amtrak station, and a timed bus transfer center on 40th Street Francisco and Piedmont via 40th and Shellmound and San Pablo Avenue. streets. Bus stops are provided on 40th Street at San AC Transit Pablo Avenue and Emery, Harlan, and Hollis streets. Route C operates westbound during the AM peak hour Nine AC Transit routes (14, 19, 57, 72, 72M, 72R, C, F and Z) and eastbound during the PM peak hour, with 30-min- provide bus service to Emeryville with the following key routes ute headways. (does not include AC Transit school routes): Transportation • Route F provides Transbay service between UC • Route 14 provides bus service along 40th Street at Hollis Berkeley and San Francisco, running along Shattuck, 4-14 Street with service to the MacArthur BART Station. Adeline, Market and 40th Streets through Berkeley and Weekday headways are 15 to 30 minutes and weekend Emeryville. Route F operates with 30- to 60-minute headways are 40 minutes. headways throughout the day. • Route 19 provides service between the North Berkeley • Route Z provides Transbay service between Albany and San Francisco, running along Christie Avenue and 65th, and Fruitvale BART stations. Route 19 operates along th Hollis Street. Weekday and weekend service is provided Hollis, and 7 streets through Emeryville, Berkeley, and Albany. Route Z operates only during the AM and from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM on 30-minute headways. PM peak period. It serves reverse commuters and runs • Route 57 provides service between the Emeryville to Albany from San Francisco in the AM and to San Amtrak station and the Eastman Transit Center via Francisco from Albany in the PM. 40th Street. Weekday service is provided from 4:00 AM to 1:00 AM with 10- to 30-minute headways. Weekend 40th Street between San Pablo Avenue and Adeline Street serves service is provided from 4:30 AM to 1:00 AM with 20- as an AC Transit timed-transfer center for bus routes that pass through this location, and as a layover area for routes that begin to 30-minute headways. and/or end at this location. Bus schedules are coordinated at • Routes 72, 72M, and 72R provide service between timed-transfer centers to minimize transfer delays. Four separate Richmond and . Route 72 connects transit bays are provided on each side of the street along this Hilltop Mall in Richmond to the Oakland Amtrak block, offering passengers a single location to transfer between Station with 30- to 60-minute headways. Route 72M bus routes. An AC Transit bus yard is located on 45th Street at connects MacDonald Avenue to the Oakland Amtrak San Pablo Avenue. However, it’s relocation is being considered in conjunction with plans for a Center for Community Life. FIGURE 4-4 AC Transit Routes FIGURE 4-5 Emery Go-Round Routes Opportunities & Challenges

Emery Go-Round Bay Area Rapid Transit

The Emery Go-Round, operated by the Emeryville Transit The Rapid Transit (BART) District Management Association, provides free wheelchair accessible provides regional rail commuter transit service. The MacArthur bus service connecting major employment, retail, and residential BART Station is located east of the city limits on 40th Street, centers in Emeryville to the MacArthur BART Station, Emeryville Amtrak Station, and other points in Emeryville throughout the within the City of Oakland. Three lines pass through the day. Two weekday and two weekend routes are operated: MacArthur Station: • The Pittsburgh/Baypoint to SFO/Millbrae provides di- • The Hollis Route operates on weekdays between rect connections to Bay Point, Walnut Creek, Oakland Macarthur BART Station and 67th Street via Hollis City Center, San Francisco, San Francisco International Street and provides service to the Amtrak station and Airport and the Millbrae station. This line op- major employers including Pixar and Chiron. Headways erates every 7.5 minutes during weekday morning and are approximately 10 to 15 minutes. afternoon peak periods and every 10 to 20 minutes dur- • The Powell Route operates on weekdays via 40th, ing off-peak periods. Shellmound and Powell streets and serves destinations • The Richmond to Fremont line provides direct service Transportation including the Bay Street retail area, Pacific Park Plaza, to Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland City Center, Oakland and Watergate Condominiums. Headways are approxi- Coliseum/Airport connector, Hayward and Fremont. 4-17 mately 10 to 18 minutes. Passengers traveling to Dublin/Pleasanton may use this • The City Loop operates on Saturdays and serves desti- line to transfer. This line operates every 10 minutes dur- nations on Hollis Street and Powell Street, including the ing morning and afternoon weekday peak periods and Amtrak Station, Pacific Park Plaza, and the Watergate every 10 to 20 minutes during off-peak periods. Condominiums. Headways are approximately 40 min- • The Richmond to Daly City line provides direct service utes. to Richmond, Berkeley, Oakland City Center, Oakland • The Shoppers Express operates on Saturdays and Coliseum/Airport connector, Hayward and Fremont. Sundays with service to the Bay Street retail area and This line operates every 10 minutes during morning other retail destinations on 40th and Shellmound and afternoon weekday peak periods and every 10 to 20 Streets. Headways are approximately 30 minutes. minutes during off-peak periods. There is no late night or Sunday service on this line. All lines travel across 40th Street to serve the MacArthur BART station. The Emery Go-Round system is funded through the Amtrak Property Based Business Improvement District (PBID), and is Amtrak provides national passenger rail service and serves designed to serve workers; not residents. During a community Emeryville with a station located at Horton Street. Four Amtrak workshop for the General Plan, several residents expressed routes serve this station, including the Capitol Corridor and a desire for bike carriers and to have Emery Go-Round serve San Joaquin commuter service routes. residents and have an expanded route system. Emery Go- Round Board of Directors are working with the City to establish as program to serve residential centers as well as employment centers. Emeryville General Plan Update

• The Capitol Corridor route connects San Jose to the • The California Zephyr route (which connects the Sacramento region with approximately 24 trains per Oakland/Emeryville area to Chicago) also serves the day and serves approximately 4,250 daily trips to or Emeryville Station, with one train per day in each from Emeryville (based on June 2005 data). direction. (Daily ridership data to or from Emeryville was not available for this report). • The San Joaquin route connects the Oakland/ Emeryville area to Bakersfield, with approximately 8 trains per day FUTURE TRANSIT proposals and serves approximately 1,250 daily trips to or from Emeryville (based on June 2005 data). Conventional transit proposals discussed during the General Plan update process to date include suggestions to expand the • The Coast Starlight route (which connects Seattle to frequency and coverage of Emery Go-Round shuttle bus service, ), with one train per day in each direction, including a proposal for direct service to the West Oakland BART serves approximately 65 daily trips to or from Emeryville Station and increased funding by requiring residential projects (based on June 2005 data). to contribute to the service. Additionally, future enhancements to AC Transit service including proposed additional “rapid bus” Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), shown to the left, or “bus rapid transit service” in the East Bay were identified that could benefit Emeryville. Less conventional transit proposals Transportation and Group Rapid Transit (GRT), below, are two have been suggested as well and are described below. possibilities for the future 4-18 of public transportation Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) in Emeryville. During the General Plan update process, advocates discussed a potential “utopian” vision for Emeryville that included the introduction of “personal rapid transit” (PRT) service with a two to four passenger system of elevated vehicles that would connect the BART station to many of the same destinations currently served by the Emery Go Round, but without being slowed by traffic congestion. A prototype of a PRT system has been developed at a test track in Cardiff, Wales. Although none have been constructed, the prototypes are intended to test automated capabilities, direct origin / destination service, and eventually fully coupled network with on demand service. Additional testing will be necessary to address safety issues related to crash worthiness, earthquakes, passenger protection, emergency evacuation, and power system redundancy.

Workshop participants also raised questions about the visual impact of a PRT system, given overhead tracking and limited public right-of-way. Several operational issues were raised that could require additional right-of-way including station design, Opportunities & Challenges station bypass traffic, merging traffic and diverging traffic. designed at at-grade intersections. Hong Kong has implemented a system that is about one-half mile long and carries about Other considerations that impact structural, vehicle and 50,000 people per day. Its original intent was to attract commute station design include handicap accessibility, passengers trips between downtown and residential neighborhoods; while using alternative modes i.e., bicycles, and passenger desire to it serves this purpose, it has also become a “moving people change destination during the trip. The Rosemont, Illinois PRT watching experience” as cafes were open along its route. Given proposal was closest to implementation but was abandoned lower densities in Emeryville the potential benefit of moving because equipment designers specified a level of redundancy sidewalks in Emeryville may primarily be limited to short- that added significant weight and cost to the PRT system. Other distance travel over key barriers such as the railroad tracks. PRT proposals for Chicago, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, and Seattle were discontinued once the concepts were subjected to 4.5 motor vehicles detailed evaluation and local deliberation. The following section describes the freeway and street network Group Rapid Transit (GRT) and Moving Sidewalks providing motor vehicle circulation in Emeryville, including a More conventional proposals, commonly seen in airport description of traffic operations at 48 study intersections. transport systems, include group rapid transit (GRT) and moving sidewalks. These are identified as alternatives to the freeways Transportation PRT systems. Interstate 80 (I-80), (I-580), (I-880 or Nimitz Freeway), (I‑980) and State Route 24 4-19 GRT is modeled after “people movers” frequently installed at (SR 24) provide regional access to Emeryville. major airports such as San Francisco International Airport. Based on previous studies for an at-grade Airport Rail Transit I-80 connects the San Francisco Bay Area with the Sacramento (ART) system the infrastructure capital cost is estimated to region and continues east across the . In Emeryville, range from $20 to $40 million per mile, while for an aerial I-80 has a north/south orientation and provides four mixed- system, the infrastructure capital cost is estimated to range flow lanes and a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each from $50 to $70 million per mile. Vehicles are estimated to cost direction at the Ashby Avenue/Shellmound Street interchange $1.5 to $2 million each. Assuming five-minute headways during (Emeryville/Berkeley border). Access from I-80 to Emeryville peak hours, operating and maintenance costs might be expected is provided via interchanges at Powell Street and Ashby Avenue. to be approximately $10 to $15 million annually. A three-mile This segment of I-80 through Emeryville is also known as I- system for Emeryville would be necessary to serve the majority 580. of the city and the MacArthur BART station. I-580 extends in an east/west direction, from San Rafael towards In some congested areas, moving sidewalks and escalators have Tracy and the San Joaquin Valley. In the vicinity of Emeryville, been utilized to benefit pedestrian circulation. These are also I-580 parallels the southern city boundary with five mixed-flow popular at major airports, given the need to carry luggage. lanes in each direction. Access to Emeryville from westbound Moving sidewalks generally travel at a top speed of six to eight I-580 is provided at West Street via ramps along 35th and 36th miles per hour, which may be unlikely to produce time savings Streets; access to Emeryville from eastbound I-580 is provided over other modes of travel, depending on how systems are via a left-hand exit to Emery and Adeline Streets. Emeryville General Plan Update

I-880 is a north/south freeway connecting Oakland with the • Collector: This type of street provides arterial access to cities of Fremont and San Jose to the south. I-880 terminates at residential neighborhoods and other development ar- the I-580/I-880/I-80 distribution structure (also known as the eas, but protects those areas from heavier through traf- MacArthur Maze) in the north. Access to Emeryville from I- fic. th 880 is provided at 7 Street and West Grand Avenue in Oakland • Local: Local streets are intended to provide access only and at the Ashby Avenue/Shellmound Street interchange from for the areas immediately adjacent to them and are I-80. planned to be free from use by through traffic. The I-980 connects I-880 with I-580 providing access to downtown local streets are integral with the development areas Oakland and west Oakland. East of I‑580, I-980 continues as they serve. Local streets generally connect to other local SR 24, which is an east/west freeway providing access to Contra streets or to collectors. Costa County via the . Access to Emeryville Figure 4-6 provides a map of the city’s arterial and collector from I-980 is provided via I-80 at Powell Street and Ashby street network. Figure 4-7 portrays the primary traffic routes for Avenue. vehicles entering or exiting the city. Key roadways are described SR 24 is an eight-lane freeway facility that links the I-80/I-580/ below: Transportation I-980 interchange in Alameda County to State Route 13 (SR Shellmound Street is a two- to four-lane north/south arterial 13) in the Oakland Hills and in Contra Costa with on-street parking at select locations. Shellmound Street 4-20 County via the Caldecott Tunnel. SR 24 provides the primary becomes 40th Street to the south of a railroad overcrossing. access from Contra Costa County to Emeryville via I-580. Local access to SR 24 is provided from Market Street via ramps along Hollis Street is a two-lane, north/south arterial, with on-street th th 35 and 36 Streets. parking that begins in Oakland at Peralta Street and ends in Berkeley at Folger Avenue. North of Folger Avenue, Hollis Street roadway network becomes 7th Street extending northwards through Berkeley. Emeryville has an extensive street network classified as arterials, collectors, and local streets. Emeryville’s street network San Pablo Avenue, designated as State Route 123 (SR 123), is a carries many thousands of vehicle and transit trips daily and four-lane, north/south arterial. San Pablo Avenue extends north is primarily based on a grid, with several major north-south from downtown Oakland to Crockett. In Emeryville, San Pablo and east-west roadways interlaced with a system of intersecting Avenue generally has four lanes with left-turn lanes, raised minor streets. medians, and on-street parking (in some locations).

th Street Classifications 40 Street is an east/west four-lane arterial with left-turn pockets and on-street parking in some locations. 40th Street turns into Streets in Emeryville are assigned a classification based on the Shellmound Street to the west of the railroad overcrossing. following descriptions: Eastward, 40th Street passes on the north side of the MacArthur BART Station and terminates at Piedmont Avenue in Oakland. • Arterial: City arterial streets are intended to provide most of the city’s required internal traffic capacity, Powell Street is an east/west arterial, generally with four lanes, carry the heaviest traffic volumes and provide the most with an interchange at I‑80. It extends westward from I-80 to direct routes between internal and external places. the Emeryville Marina, and east from I-80 to west of San Pablo Avenue, where it becomes Stanford Avenue and continues to Adeline Street in Berkeley. FIGURE 4-6 Street Classification FIGURE 4-7 Primary Regional Access Flows Opportunities & Challenges

Adeline Street is a two to four-lane north/south arterial with on- parking provided at select locations. Class II bike lanes are street parking that begins at the Port of Oakland and extends provided north of 53rd Street. northward to Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. It is the principal vehicular route to the Ashby BART Station from Emeryville. Emery Street is a two-lane north/south street extending southward from Park Avenue. On-street parking is available. 65th Street is a two-lane, east/west street that extends eastward Emery Street becomes Peralta Street south of MacArthur from Lacoste Street. Land uses along 65th Street include Boulevard. residential, commercial, and office and on-street parking is available. An at-grade railroad crossing is located just east of MacArthur Boulevard is an arterial stretching from Hollis Street Shellmound Street. in the west, through Oakland and continuing east. MacArthur Boulevard has one lane in each direction. It forms a one-way Frontage Road is a two-lane, north/south street that parallels couplet (each direction is separated by a wide median) between I-80 on the west. Left-turn pockets are provided at major Linden Street and Hollis Street although it is discontinuous at intersections, including I-80 access points. This roadway the San Pablo Avenue / Adeline Street intersection. MacArthur extends northward from Powell Street in Emeryville to Gilman Boulevard also goes under the San Pablo Avenue / Adeline Street in Berkeley. Street intersection and connects to eastbound I-580 via left- hand ramps. Transportation Shellmound Way is a short four-lane east/west roadway that th connects Christie Avenue and Shellmound Street. On-street 36 Street is the westbound portion of a one-way couplet 4-23 parking is prohibited on Shellmound Way. formed with 35th Street. This two-lane street is a major access point for vehicles inbound to Emeryville due to the I-580 and Christie Avenue is generally a two-lane, north/south Street SR 24 ramps. 36th Street terminates in the west where it meets extending from Shellmound Street, south of Powell Street, Peralta Street and West MacArthur Boulevard. north to 65th Street. On-street parking is permitted at select locations on Christie Avenue. 35th Street is the eastbound portion of a one-way couplet formed with 36th Street. This two-lane street provides access to the I- 45th Street is a two-lane, east/west street that extends eastward 580 and SR 24 freeway on-ramps. from Horton Street. On-street parking is permitted. An AC Transit yard is located near the intersection of 45th Street and Intersections Analysis San Pablo Avenue. Intersection analysis is generally a useful tool to develop an Park Avenue is a wide two-lane street running east/west between understanding of key traffic issues and conflicts. To assess the Halleck Street and San Pablo Avenue. Between San Pablo current traffic issues facing Emeryville, the operation of 48 study Avenue and Hollis Street, angled on-street parking is generally intersections is described. The intent is to gain a comprehensive provided on the north side of the street and parallel on-street understanding of the operations of traffic during the morning parking is on the south side. West of Hollis Street portions of and afternoon peak periods. Figure 4-8 shows the location of Park Avenue are unimproved and have a mix of perpendicular each study intersection, while Figure 4-9 presents the AM and and parallel parking. PM traffic volumes and Figure 4-10 shows the existing lane geometries and traffic control (signalized or stop-controlled) at Horton Street is a north/south two-lane street with on-street each study intersection. Emeryville General Plan Update

Level of Service For the operational analysis, Fehr & Peers incorporated Roadways and intersections are often analyzed on the basis of vehicle counts conducted at each study intersection during their Level of Service (LOS), or conditions of operation, for the morning and evening peak commute hours (7-9 AM and motor vehicles. The LOS grading system ranges from LOS A, 4-6 PM) during a typical weekday in March 2005. This data indicating free-flow conditions with little or no delay, to LOS F, was used to determine the peak AM and PM one-hour period where representing conditions where traffic flows exceed design during which the highest number of vehicles passed through capacity, resulting in long queues and delays. LOS E represents each intersection. Using the intersection software analysis the point where traffic volumes are at or near design capacity packages Traffix and Synchro, each unsignalized and signalized and where substantial delays begin to occur. intersection was assigned an LOS rating. The calculated LOS for each intersection is presented in Table 4-5. Signalized Intersections Level of Service Standards The operations of signalized intersections were evaluated using the method described in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual LOS D or better is considered acceptable according to the (2000 HCM) (Transportation Research Board, 2000). This standard methodology used by the City. Intersections with an method calculates the average control delay experienced at the unacceptable LOS of E or F are shown in Figure 4-11. Based upon Transportation intersection and that delay value is correlated to a level of service this analysis, the majority of Emeryville’s study intersections designation. Control delay includes initial deceleration delay, operate acceptably, with just three study intersections operating 4-24 queue move-up time, stopped delay, and final acceleration. The unacceptably during the AM and PM peak hours: control delay ranges for each service level are summarized in • The Shellmound Street/65th Street intersection operates Table 4-3. at LOS E during the PM peak hour. This intersection Unsignalized Intersections is currently stop-controlled. A traffic signal has been installed at this location, but had not been activated at For unsignalized (four-way stop-controlled and side- the time of analysis. street stop-controlled) intersections, LOS calculations were • The San Pablo Avenue/65th Street intersection operates conducted using a method in the 2000 HCM. The LOS rating at LOS F during the PM peak hour. This intersection is based on the average control delay expressed in seconds per is currently side-street stop-controlled and the LOS F vehicle. At two-way or side-street stop-controlled intersections, conditions are primarily experienced by vehicles from LOS is calculated for each controlled movement and for the the side street. A traffic signal will be installed at this intersection as a whole. For approaches comprised of a single location by the City of Oakland in 2006. lane, the control delay is computed as the weighted average • delay of all movements in that lane. At four-way stop-controlled The Powell Street/Eastbound I-80 Ramps operate at intersections, LOS is based on the average delay experienced on LOS E during the PM peak hour, primarily due to delay all approaches. Table 4-4 summarizes the relationship between for the northbound movements. This location operates delay and LOS for unsignalized intersections. poorly due to peak period freeway congestion. Vehicles frequently exit I-80 at the eastbound off-ramps only to proceed through the intersection and back onto the freeway via the eastbound on-ramp. FIGURE 4-8 Study Intersections

Emeryville General Plan

STUDY INTERSECTIONS September 2005 2173-6-4_studyint FIGURE 6-4 FIGURE 4-9 t.

1 2 3 4 5 t. 20 (52) 103 (142) 36 (106) 4 (20) 616 (745) 521 (608) 47 (85) 35 (78) 7th Street Hollis S 99 (117) 99 (767) 613 (181) 113 Existing Conditions Peak Hour (461) 186 (251) 177 (130) 59 30 (112) 30 (317) 385 (19) 23 102 (105) 39 (16) (66) 90 (129) 115 (16) 105 39 (119) 37 (36) San Pablo Ave. San Pablo Shellmound S Overland Ave. Overland Ashby Ave. Ashby Ave. 65th Street 65th Street 65th Street Traffic Volumes FUTURE

500 (263) 70 (96) 35 (94) INTERSECTION 33 (128) 775 (614) 670 (588) 46 (78) 51 (137) 35 (74) 35 11 (10) 11 303 (130) 121 (159) 5 (6) 132 (68) (39) 13 42 (116) 42 84 (167) 84 36 (163) 36 62 (354) 62 (201) 37 130 (172) 130 (883) 484 168 (399) 168 271 (604) 271

6 7 8 9 10 5 (18) 33 (21) 23 (27)

54 (62) 4 (3) age Rd. 11 (2) 18 (27) 79 (14) 0 (4) 0 (41) 28 (98) 31 33 (43) 33 (1,021) 676 (79) 17 13 (18) 42 (28) (41) 31 (449) 252 (21) 34 24 (54)

0 (6) (47) 71 (516) 218 (252) 60 Hollis Street Front Horton Street

Horton Street 523 (397)

San Pablo Ave. San Pablo 62nd Street 59th Street 65th Street 59th Street I-80 WB Ramps

3 (62) 30 (99) 5 (172) 1 (4) 15 (12) 15 (24) 4 (17) 4 18 (6) 18 21 (370) 58 (81) 58 (50) 47 37 (14) 37 (50) 80 88 (11) 88 72 (83) 72 10 (124) 13 (51) (97) 79 15 (43) 34 (639) 34 65 (160) 65 16 (60) 381 (479) 381 561 (1,058) 561 527 (1,299) 527

11 12 13 14 15 ve.

287 (456) A 597 (1,469) 30 (57) 64 (145) age Rd. 766 (1,334) 601 (521) 595 (989) 429 (660) 429 (163) 45 (163) 53 234 (405) 234 (24) 17 78 (175) 78 (186) 56 128 (330) 128 (685) 551

Christie Ave. Ave. Christie 223 (590)

Christie 45 (259) Front I-80 EB Ramps Shellmound St. Shellmound Powell Street Powell Street Shellmound Way Powell St. Shellmound Way

119 (140) 74 (127) 59 (100) 364 (354) 194 (394) 722 (846) 1,008 (703) 3 (16) 3 2 (226) 2 189 (572) 15 (34) 319 (627) (66) 38 42 (132) 42 589 (509) 589 (852) 982 223 (455) 223 (533) 149 102 (117) 102 268 (361) 268 t.

16 47 (25) 17 t. 18 19 20 60 (55) 22 (61) 20 (97) 141 (52) 636 (1,079) 383 (477) 361 (358) Hollis S

93 (156) 93 (198) 141 (58) 26 13 (6) 76 (220) 76

89 (100) (95) 55 (15) 16 51 (103) 51 (866) 595 (112) 49 69 (227) 69 6 (47)

34 (20) Horton Street Peladeau St. San Pablo Ave. San Pablo Shellmound S Powell St. Powell St. Stanford St. Christie Ave. Haruff Street

355 (169) 68 (128) 35 (74)

167 (559) 26 (110) (4) 9 887 (971) (15) 8 336 (669) 9 (25) 9 57 (116) 57 314 (59) 208 (112) (27) 26 89 (186) 200 (664) 67 (155) 67 103 (140) 103 447 (978) 447 334 (814) 334 206 (466) 206 (419) 173

21 22 18 (24) 23 24 25 16 (14) 9 (29) 12 (7) 0 (4) 45 (8) 37 (28) 23 (3) Hollis St. Horton St. 88 (19) 88 (14) 89 (7) 6 (18) 38 (434) 352 (6) 21 Horton Street 88 (22) (132) 103 (20) 12 4 (3) (0) 8 (78) 45 (18) 8 138 (43) 138 (33) 168 (7) 4 36 (4) 17 (24) Peladeau St. Peladeau St. 11 (11) Haruff Street Stanford St. Stanford St. Stanford St. 53rd Street

9 (14) 1 (14) 7 (114) 9 (143) 1 (4) 2 (44) 0 (3) 0 5 (1) (2) 3 7 (49) 0 (10) 0 1 (88) 1 20 (1) 20 13 (11) 13 28 (24) 28 3 (24) (36) 21 23 (64) 23 11 (4) 2 (19) (22) 14 42 (161) 42 81 (179) 81 261 (540) 261

26 27 28 29 LEGEND: 61 (63) 17 (16) 23 (14) 46 (68) 30 (6) 21 (13) 22 (15) Hollis St. 14 (11) 14 (437) 258 (44) 64 73 (148) 73 (25) 17 24 (1) 24 (418) 278 (48) 62 7 (18) (25) 25 (1,000) 831 (26) 16 13 (19) 16 (9) 23 (38) Horton Street Hollis Street San Pablo Ave. San Pablo XX (YY) = AM (PM) 53rd Street 53rd Street 45th Street 45th Street Peak Hour 21 (42) 21 (28) 8 (19) Traffic 12 (45) 6 (14) 9 (46) Volumes 5 (17) 5 40 (4) 40 25 (4) 25 12 (17) 12

4 (37) (26) 17 75 (151) 25 (17) 25

105 (53) 105 6 (6) 112 (166) 112 302 (591) 302 376 (518) 376 676 (1,185) 676

Emeryville General Plan EXISTING CONDITIONS - PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES August 2005 WC05-2173\2173-6-5A_xtv FIGURE 6-5A FIGURE 4-9 Existing Conditions Peak Hour Traffic Volumes (Cont’d) ve.

30 A 31 32 33 34 22 (9) 81 (142) 37 (41) 59 (56) 143 (212) 210 (127) Hollis Street 26 (17) 26 141 (375) 141 63 (84) 63 22 (21) 22 26 (131) 26 11 (33) 11 12 (30) 4 (10) 17 (60) Horton Street 6 (38) 25 (25) 25 872 (1,143) 872 Harlan Street San Pablo Park Ave. Park Ave. Park Ave. Park Ave. 45th Street 10 (42) 16 (53) 20 (38) 50 (72) 36 (95) 124 (214) 68 (254) 22 (8) 22 22 (6) 22 66 (36) 66 22 (33) 22 14 (13) 14 22 (21) 22 8 (13) 14 (38) (28) 19 13 (71) 29 (122) 29 83 (128) 83 5 (7)

77 (150) (93) 126 376 (415) 376 Emery Street 753 (1,242) 753

35 1 (12) 36 61 (27) 37 148 (143) 38 21 (12) 39 53 (57) 0 (3) 294 (587) 372 (498) 545 (775) 460 (696) 2 (8) 43 (80) 69 (124) 79 (78) 79 783 (1,013) 783 0 (10) 0 9 (19) 9 23 (106) 23 3 (42) 3 51 (141) 90 (96) 1 (9) 1 3 (8) 3 2 (0) 2 10 (51) 10 120 (300) 120 47 (147) 47 Horton Street 4 (19) 4 20 (130) 20 10 (27) 10 Harlan Street Emery Street San Pablo Ave. San Pablo Hollis Street

Dwy to Parking Lot 40th Street 40th Street 40th Street 40th Street Park Ave.

47 (144) 24 (24) 28 (46) 24 (22) 3 (30)

0 (4) (20) 7 164 (586) 152 (544) 196 (730) 242 (738) 26 (33) 26 13 (12) 13 74 (98) 74 182 (66) 182 39 (173) 39 53 (106) 53 30 (108) 30 55 (148) 30 (168) 36 (114) (115) 39 16 (44) 21 (101) 116 (179) 116 220 (271) 220 85 (182) 85 66 (120) 66 770 (1,083) 770 110 (235) 110

40 41 42 43 44 137 (146) 45 (89) 41 (91) 26 (46) 23 (41) 294 (381) 389 (443) 487 (495) 67 (78) 41 (80)

6 (9) 8 (86) Hollis Street 30 (96) 30 116 (332) 116 29 (46) 31 (35) (101) 55 62 (106) 62 (176) 66 171 (166) 171 (59) 4 60 (75) 60 (65) 16 21 (42) 21 176 (220) 176 73 (88) 73 54 (102) 54 677 (968) 677 135 (222) 135 Horton Street 22 (34) Adeline Street Market Street San Pablo Ave. San Pablo

40th Street 40th Street 40th Street Mandela Pkwy. Yerba Buena Ave.

92 (205) 48 (96) 13 (37) 91 (262) 16 (83) 200 (518) 271 (638) 319 (739) 50 (75) 39 (96) 9 (19) 9 (19) 2 1 (83) 1 2 (50) 2 8 (15) 8

29 (16) (23) 19 2 (11) 40 (69) 40 (54) 55 69 (74) 69 68 (280) 45 (55) (33) 30 18 (116) 105 (212) 105 139 (501) 139 294 (339) 294 228 (399) 228 714 (952) 714 ve. ve. ve. A A

45 46 47 A 48 7 (24) 20 (36) 663 (549) 14 (17) 117 (123) 296 (237) 484 (699) 484 221 (592) 221 90 (96) 90 688 (1,204) 688 77 (96) 15 (13) 15 128 (333) 128 10 (21) 10 11 (20) 11 12 (19) (1,191) 672 Emery Street 65 (64) San Pablo San Pablo San Pablo W. MacArthur Blvd. Adeline Street 36th Street 35th Street W. MacArthur Blvd.

110 (179) t. 16 (28) a S 15 (38) 160 (470) 62 (66) 62 6 (23) 6 54 (78) 54 Peralt

63 (57) (19) 12

15 (34) 15 47 (78) 51 (73) 417 (774) 417 423 (807) 423 867 (1,102) 867 241 (289) 241 103 (162)9 (14)

LEGEND:

XX (YY) = AM (PM) Peak Hour Traffic Volumes

Emeryville General Plan EXISTING CONDITIONS - PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES August 2005 WC05-2173\2173-6-5B_xtv FIGURE 6-5B FIGURE 4-10 1 2 3 t. 4 5 Existing Lane Configurations 7th Street Hollis Street San Pablo Ave. San Pablo Shellmound S and Traffic Control Ashby Ave. Ashby Ave. 65th Street 65th Street * 65th Street Overland Ave. Overland

6 7 8 9 10 age Rd. Hollis Street Front Horton Street San Pablo Ave. San Pablo 65th Street 62nd Street 59th Street 59th Street I-80 WB Ramps Horton Street

11 12 13 14 15 ve. A age Rd. Christie Ave. Ave. Christie Front Christie I-80 EB Ramps Shellmound St. Shellmound Powell Street Powell Street Shellmound Way Powell St. Shellmound Way

16 17 18 19 t. 20 Hollis Street Horton Street Shellmound S Peladeau St. San Pablo Ave. San Pablo Powell St. Powell St. Stanford St. Christie Ave. Haruff Street

21 22 23 24 25 Horton St. Horton Street Hollis Street Peladeau St. Peladeau St. Haruff Street Stanford St. Stanford St. Stanford St. 53rd Street

26 27 28 29 LEGEND: = Traffic Signal Hollis Street Horton Street Hollis Street San Pablo Ave. San Pablo = Stop Sign 53rd Street 53rd Street 45th Street 45th Street NOTE: Intersection * will be signalized when signal at 65th Street and Overland is activated.

Emeryville General Plan

EXISTING LANE CONFIGURATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROL August 2005 WC05-2173\2173-6-6A_xlc FIGURE 6-6A FIGURE 4-10 Existing Lane Configurations and Traffic Control (Cont’d) ve.

30 A 31 32 33 34 Hollis Street Horton Street San Pablo Park Ave. Park Ave. Park Ave. Park Ave. 45th Street Emery Street Harlan Street

35 36 37 38 39 Hollis Street Horton Street Harlan Street Emery Street San Pablo Ave. San Pablo

Dwy to Parking Lot 40th Street 40th Street 40th Street 40th Street Park Ave.

40 41 42 43 44 Hollis Street Horton Street Adeline Street Market Street San Pablo Ave. San Pablo

40th Street 40th Street 40th Street Mandela Pkwy. Yerba Buena Ave. ve. ve. ve. A A 45 46 A 47 48 Emery Street San Pablo San Pablo San Pablo

W. MacArthur Blvd. Adeline Street 36th Street 35th Street W. MacArthur Blvd. t. a S Peralt

LEGEND:

= Traffic Signal

= Stop Sign

Emeryville General Plan

EXISTING LANE CONFIGURATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROL August 2005 WC05-2173\2173-6-6B_xlc FIGURE 6-6B Figure 4-11 Congested Areas

Emeryville General Plan

CONGESTED AREAS September 2005 2173-6-6C_congestedareas FIGURE 6-6C Opportunities & Challenges

Table 4-3 Signalized Intersection Level of Service (LOS) Definitions LOS Description Average Control Delay Per Vehicle (Seconds)

1. Operations with very low delay occurring with favorable progression and/or short ≤ A cycle lengths. 10.0 B Operations with low delay occurring with good progression and/or short cycle lengths. 10.1 to 20.0 C Operations with average delays resulting from fair progression and/or longer cycle lengths. Individual cycle failures begin to appear. 20.1 to 35.0 D Operations with longer delays due to a combination of unfavorable progression, long cycle lengths, and high V/C ratios. Many vehicles stop and individual cycle failures 35.1 to 55.0 are noticeable. E Operations with high delay values indicating poor progression, long cycle lengths, and high V/C ratios. Individual cycle failures are frequent occurrences. 55.1 to 80.0 F Operations with delays unacceptable to most drivers occurring due to over-saturation, poor progression, or very long cycle lengths. > 80.0 Source: Highway Capacity Manual, Transportation Research Board, 2000. Transportation

4-31 Table 4-4 Unsignalized Intersection Level of Service (LOS) Definitions Average Control Delay Per Vehicle (Seconds) LOS Description A Little or no delays < 10.0 B Short traffic delays 10.1 to 15.0 C Average traffic delays 15.1 to 25.0 D Long traffic delays 25.1 to 35.0 E Very long traffic delays 35.1 to 50.0 F Extreme traffic delays with intersection capacity exceeded > 50.0 Source: Highway Capacity Manual, Transportation Research Board, 2000. Emeryville General Plan Update

Table 4-5: Intersection Level of Service Table 4-5: Intersection Level of Service Peak Existing Peak Existing Intersection Hour Delay1,2 LOS Intersection Hour Delay1,2 LOS AM 43 D AM 0 (14) A (B) Ashby Avenue/7th Street Powell Street/ Peladeau Street PM 43 D PM 2 (17) A (C) AM 32 C AM 30 C Ashby Avenue/San Pablo Avenue Powell Street/ Hollis Street PM 40 D PM 45 D AM 9 A AM 29 C 65th Street/ Shellmound Street Stanford Street/San Pablo Avenue PM 50 E PM 39 D AM N/A N/A AM 8 A 65th Street/ Overland Avenue Christie Avenue/ Shellmound Street PM N/A N/A PM 33 C AM 46 D AM 5 (10) A (A) 65th Street/Hollis Street Haruff Street/ Horton Street PM 23 C PM 2 (10) A (A) AM 1 (35) A (D) AM 1 (11) A (B) Transportation 65th Street/San Pablo Avenue Haruff Street/ Peladeau Street PM >50(>50) F (F) PM 3 (10) A (A) 4-32 AM 5 (9) A (A) AM 8 A 62nd Street/Horton Street Stanford Street/ Horton Street PM 5 (10) A (A) PM 9 A AM 8 A AM 8 (11) A (B) 59th Street/Horton Street Stanford Street/ Peladeau Street PM 9 A PM 5 (10) A (A) AM 9 A AM 4 A 59th Street/Hollis Street Stanford Street/ Hollis Street PM 10 A PM 6 A AM 14 B AM 8 A I-80 Hook Ramps/ Frontage Road 53rd Street/ Horton Street PM 39 D PM 8 A AM 24 C AM 4 A Powell Street/ Frontage Road 53rd Street/Hollis Street PM 27 C PM 5 A AM 30 C AM 13 B Powell Street/I-80 Eastbound Ramps 53rd Street/San Pablo Avenue PM 67 E PM 11 B AM 14 B AM 8 A Shellmound Way/ Christie Avenue 45th Street/ Horton Street PM 12 B PM 8 A AM 10 A AM 13 B Shellmound Way/ Shellmound Street 45th Street/Hollis Street PM 17 B PM 32 D AM 30 C AM 4 A Powell Street/ Christie Avenue 45th Street/San Pablo Avenue PM 39 D PM 5 A Opportunities & Challenges

Table 4-5: Intersection Level of Service Table 4-5: Intersection Level of Service Peak Existing Peak Existing Intersection Hour Delay1,2 LOS Intersection Hour Delay1,2 LOS AM 8 A AM 16 B Park Avenue/ Horton Street Adeline Street/ San Pablo Avenue PM 9 A PM 20 B AM 7 A AM 28 C Park Avenue/ Hollis Street 36th Street/San Pablo Avenue PM 14 B PM 24 C AM 1 (10) A (A) AM 13 B Park Avenue/ Harlan Street 35th Street/San Pablo Avenue PM 1 (11) A (B) PM 30 C AM 3 (11) A (B) 1. Unsignalized intersections operating at LOS F have reported delays of “>50 Park Avenue/ Emery Street seconds.” Signalized intersections operating at LOS F have reported delays of PM 4 (13) A (B) “>80 seconds.” Reporting calculated delay at intersections above capacity can AM 5 A be misleading due to the exponential nature of the calculations. Park Avenue/San Pablo Avenue PM 9 A 2. Two delay values are reported for each side-street stop-controlled unsignalized intersection: (1) the intersection average delay and (2) the highest controlled AM 18 B movement delay. 1. Unsignalized intersections operating at LOS F have reported 40th Street/ Horton Street Transportation PM 24 C delays of “>50 seconds.” Signalized intersections operating at LOS F have report- ed delays of “>80 seconds.” Reporting calculated delay at intersections above AM 16 B capacity can be misleading due to the exponential nature of the calculations. 4-33 40th Street/Hollis Street PM 32 C AM 3 (24) A (C) 40th Street/Harlan Street Based upon the intersection analysis, traffic congestion on city PM 5 (>50) A (F) streets appears to be less of a concern than on the regional AM 19 B 40th Street/Emery Street freeway network which may hamper access to, from and PM 36 D through Emeryville. These findings suggest that measures to AM 31 C improve pedestrian circulation at intersections (which may 40th Street/San Pablo Avenue PM 44 D impact vehicle delay) could be considered in some locations AM 20 B without leading to unacceptable operating conditions for 40th Street/ Adeline Street motor vehicles. PM 21 C AM 16 B Traffic conditions for a Saturday and Sunday are dependent 40th Street/ Market Street PM 17 B upon the level of retail activity in the area and the level of AM 8 A freeway congestion. Critical intersections include those in Mandela Parkway/ Horton Street PM 14 B the immediate vicinity of the Powell Street / Christie Avenue intersection and to a less extent at the 40th Street / San Pablo AM 10 A Yerba Buena Ave./ Hollis St. Avenue intersection. These areas represent the regional interface PM 15 C with the city’s retail activities and thus pedestrian and vehicle AM 24 C traffic is heavy. MacArthur Blvd./ Emery Street PM 11 B Emeryville General Plan Update

Many cities have dealt with increasing congestion by adopting • Circular travel lane(s) operating counter-clockwise for LOS standards that permit higher congestion levels in their collecting and distributing traffic; downtown areas. Some of these policies recognize that an • A raised center island; intersection operating at its maximum efficiency (LOS C or D) is oftentimes not attractive or pedestrian-scaled. The City • Flared and channelized approaches with splitter of San Jose has adopted standards that look at area-wide LOS islands; averages rather than specific intersections and assign trip • Yield control at all approaches; and “credits” for developments that are mixed-use or located near transit stations. Other cities in California, such as Oakland, • Tapered approaches to encourage entering vehicles Sacramento, Antioch, Napa, and Menlo Park, have also adopted to travel in the correct direction through the circular standards permitting greater congestion in their downtown travel lane. areas or within designated pedestrian zones. In general, roundabouts in the United States tend to be used System Operations on collector streets and on low-volume minor arterial streets. The use of roundabouts is primarily constrained by traffic Intersection operations do not convey the whole story when it volumes and by geometrics. The design of every roundabout comes to traffic flow characteristics in an urban environment Transportation should be customized using traffic and geometric information with closely spaced intersections and substantial traffic and procedures beyond what is presented in this report. The movements such as those experienced at the Powell Street/ following examples illustrate cases where a roundabout may be 4-34 Christie Avenue intersection. Vehicles often queue back appropriate: through adjacent intersections due to the close intersection spacing. These conditions may occur as a result of poor signal • History of Accidents: Roundabouts are often placed at coordination and lane utilization imbalances caused by drivers intersections with a history of accidents, especially head- unclear as to which lane to use to travel through the area. Way on collisions and right-angle collisions. A roundabout finding signing is needed to better direct drivers through the can help improve safety by substantially reducing area as many drivers are infrequent users patronizing one of the number of conflict points and by simplifying the many commercial/retail uses. Vehicle conflicts with both interactions between vehicles. bicycle and pedestrians occur at many of the right turn lanes • Minimizing Queues: Another possible application is a where one lane turns right and the second lane either turns collector/arterial intersection located near an arterial/ right or proceeds straight. Examples of this condition are on arterial intersection. A roundabout may be useful here Powell Street at the I-80 eastbound off-ramp and the Christie be-cause it can allocate right-of-way between both the Avenue intersection. arterial and the collector, while minimizing the queues on the approach stemming from the arterial/arterial ALTERNATIVE TYPES OF INTERSECTION CONTROL intersec-tion. Roundabouts are a unique traffic control device that may be • Handling Irregular Approach Geometry: An intersection useful in a variety of situations. They are often used in lieu of with greater than four ap-proaches or with approaches all-way stop control or traffic signals as a means of increasing that meet the intersection at irregular angles may be a the capacity of the intersection and improving its safety and candidate for a roundabout. operations. Roundabouts have complex design features that will vary from location to location, but generally have the following characteristics: Opportunities & Challenges

• Inexpensive Traffic Control – In some cases, traffic 4.6 parking volumes at an intersection may be too high to allow acceptable operations with all-way stop control and a Most parking within Emeryville is free to the user. Examples traffic signal might be considered inappropriate due to of free parking include on-street parking, which has some sight distance or other constraints. If ample right-of-way restrictions, and retail parking at the East Bay Bridge Center is already available, a roundabout may be considered. and IKEA. Many businesses also have free off-street parking for their employees. Employee parking is generally restricted • High Proportion of U-Turns – If an intersection is to employees only and is often secured. The Chiron and situated where U-turns are fre-quent, a roundabout can Pixar developments are examples of secure employee parking facilitate those U-turns without adversely affecting the with access control. Other employment centers such as the op-erations of the intersection as a whole. EmeryStation buildings maintain secure parking for their • Pedestrian Accommodation – Roundabouts represent a tenants but also provide parking permits to the general public. trade-off for pedestrians. They can be inconvenient for Major retail uses in the city provide free parking except the Bay pedestrians because the crosswalks are set back farther Street retail area which charges a nominal fee to park in the from the intersection. They may also present difficulties parking structures. for visually impaired pedes-trians. However, crossing distances are broken by pedestrian refuge islands, and North Hollis Area Transportation pe-destrians do not need to wait for a long traffic signal The EmeryStation building managers are able to sell monthly cycle. Pedestrian collision rates are lower in roundabouts parking permits because available on-street “free” parking is 4-35 than at signalized intersections. limited. Parking surveys conducted in 1999/2000 and more recently in 2005 showed that the on-street parking spaces were truck routes about 90 percent occupied, meaning that 9 of 10 parking spaces Truck routing in Emeryville is changing as the land uses shift in the area were occupied by a vehicle. The surveys also indicated from industrial and manufacturing uses to commercial and residential uses. Historically, Hollis Street has been the primary north/south truck route through Emeryville and this continues to be true today. The greatest concentration of truck activity occurs in portions of the Park Avenue District (e.g., Sherwin- Williams) and along 66th and 67th streets in the northern area of Emeryville. Other activity concentrations include AC Transit, the Post Office, and Federal Express. With the exception of Sherwin-Williams, these users have access to either Hollis Street or San Pablo Avenue. Many of the truck-intensive uses such as warehouse spaces do not have on-site loading facilities of sufficient size to accommodate trucks given the roadway and on-street parking constraints. Generally, these conditions occur on lower volume streets and so do not cause traffic congestion, although pedestrian and bicycle circulation is compromised. Street parking does not meet demand in some parts of Emeryville. Emeryville General Plan Update

that parking within the residential areas, east of Doyle Street, the south and Hollis Street to the west. The public parking at were generally less than 50 percent occupied similar to the paid the Glasshaus development will have little benefit in relieving parking garages at the EmeryStation buildings. parking congestion in these two areas.

On-street parking occupancies at 85 percent are considered Park Avenue Area to be the practical capacity for on-street parking in mixed- Parking surveys were also conducted by the City for the Park use areas. Parking supplies greater than demand are needed Avenue area as part of the development of the Park Avenue to ensure that drivers are able to locate an available parking District Plan. On-street parking occupancies in this area of the space without re-circulating through the area in search of an city are also congested during the weekday period. available space. Currently on-street parking is well utilized, with the highest Parking occupancies in 1999/2000 represent an era with the utilization on the blocks north of Park Avenue and west of dot-com boom when employment densities in buildings were Hollis Street. Parking spaces in this area are 85 percent to 90 high. The similar occupancies in 2005 represent less intensive percent occupied depending on the particular block in question. employment uses but also reflect the loss of parking spaces along Overall, on-street parking in the Park Avenue District is fully Doyle Street resulting from the Greenway project. This project utilized at about 85 percent during the midday. Transportation is transforming an underdeveloped transportation corridor into a Greenway to promote bicycle and pedestrian activities As street improvements are implemented within the District 4-36 while limiting vehicle circulation to local neighborhood traffic to create sidewalk space for pedestrians, on-street parking will only. The corridor, currently extending along Doyle Street be reduced. For example, existing angle parking spaces will be th from 59 Street in the south to Ocean Avenue in the north, lost along Park Avenue to allow for greater sidewalk widths. A was previously characterized by parallel on-street parking and substantial number of spaces will be lost along 45th Street as informal angle parking adjacent to buildings. As a result of the the corridor is converted from a Class III bike facility to a Class Greenway, the informal angle parking was converted to on- II bike facility with striped bike lanes. At the same time, renewal street parallel parking. To partially off-set the loss of on-street and intensification of District land uses will generate more th parking, the Glasshaus development, located on 65 Street, is demand for parking. proposing to construct public parking spaces in conjunction with private residential parking spaces. The plan recommends that small public parking garages be constructed at four locations to address the loss of existing Many existing parcels in the North Hollis area do not comply parking spaces as the District Plan is implemented and the likely with the current zoning ordinance for site-provided parking. renewal and intensification of District land uses occurs. These Development sites that are not in compliance generally occur garages would be constructed as part of redevelopment projects either as a result of zoning parking variances or as a result of and each contain up to 100 parking spaces. This is a similar development approvals prior to the current zoning ordinance. strategy as being employed in North Hollis at the GlassHaus Areas of particular concern in North Hollis include the block development site. bound by 59th Street to the north, Beaudry Street to the east, Powell Street to the south and Doyle Street to the west. A second area with insufficient parking is the block bound by 61st Street to the north, Doyle Street to the east, 59th Street to Opportunities & Challenges

Parking Strategies maintain and operate public parking areas whether on-street The City is undertaking some parking management measures to or off-street, residential or commercial. Pricing strategies might replace on-street parking supplies lost to street improvements also include centralized parking for ease of revenue collection through the construction of small parking garages. This and enforcement. This type of parking also increases pedestrian measure will not fully address the on-street parking congestion usage of the area street system as parkers walk to and from their noted in the North Hollis and Park Avenue District areas. As ultimate destination. The increased pedestrian activity can future development occurs and more residential projects promote a more pedestrian and transit friendly environment, are constructed, the competition between commercial and improving the attractiveness of alternative transportation residential uses for on-street parking supplies will increase; modes. thereby, increasing requests for on-street parking permit Another parking strategy might be to consider parking programs. These requests will likely come from the residents maximums rather than parking minimums in the zoning followed by the local employers as fewer and fewer on-street ordinance. This technique is used to limit the total number parking spaces are available for use. of parking spaces constructed on a development site or in a The goal behind a parking management program should be to development area. This strategy can promote alternative travel balance the demand for on-street and off-street parking. While modes to the passenger vehicle, limit the amount of land Transportation providing small parking areas to accommodate public parking, devoted to parking, and reduce the cost of development. additional measures are needed to provide a comprehensive program in an urban mixed-use environment. Pricing 4-37 imbalances can overburden either the off-street or on-street supplies. For example, the EmeryStation development sells monthly permits and their garages are only half full while the on-street “free” parking is fully utilized. Other areas of the city such as along the south side of Park Avenue and the east side of San Pablo Avenue, have limited parking supply and so rely on the on-street parking to accommodate commercial activities.

Parking enforcement programs, parking meters, and parking time restrictions can help to alleviate on-street parking congestion and respond to area needs. An enforcement program can be tailored to meet the needs of each particular area. Short and long-term parking restrictions are a useful tool in urban areas to accommodate visitors to employment centers while permits can be used to distinguish between residential and non-residential parkers.

Parking pricing can help to balance the on-street and off-street parking supplies so that each is equally attractive to distribute utilization. Pricing policies also provide a revenue stream to Emeryville General Plan Update

4.7 planning issues & implications Should EGR be expanded to encompass residents? If so, mechanisms will be needed to ensure adequate funding Regional land use and transportation plans in the Bay Area for capital and operating expenses, through measures place a strong emphasis on maximizing the efficiency of exist- similar to those in place for businesses. ing transportation facilities and promoting increased density of development within existing transportation corridors, which 3. How should regional freeway access be improved? could create opportunities to take advantage of the existing re- Traffic congestion is a key issue on the freeways and gional facilities serving Emeryville in promoting growth within the interchanges providing access to and through the city. Emeryville. This hampers motor vehicle and freight As part of the General Plan update, the City of Emeryville access to and from Emeryville and may discourage may wish to revisit the key goals, objectives and policies future business expansion. As part of the General Plan contained in the current General Plan. The following are some update, the City may wish to refine policies addressing of the key planning issues and implications with regard to the interface between the freeways and city streets. transportation: Improvements to the Ashby/I-80 interchange have been cited as a key project to benefit access to the 1. How should increased transit ridership be supported? Transportation city. At Powell Street, a significant share of eastbound A significant portion of Emeryville residents (20%) traffic is regional in nature, yet it adds significantly to use transit to work. However, transit use is significant- congestion at Powell/Christie. If regional traffic flows 4-38 ly lower (6%) for non-residents who work in the city. could be improved, this would help local traffic and As part of the General Plan update, the City may pur- movement as well. A key challenge will be improving sue policies to achieve greater balancing of the transit freeway interchange areas without negatively impacting “journey to work” mode split between residents and bicycle and pedestrian circulation at the Powell Street / non-residents, perhaps by adopting policies similar Christie Avenue intersection area. to that of San Francisco (such as reduced provision of 4. How should pedestrian circulation be enhanced? Barriers parking for employees and/or increased cost for em- to pedestrian movement limit the viability of walking ployee parking) combined with improvements to com- as a form of transportation in many parts of the city, muter-based transit that serves nonresidents traveling particularly for east-west circulation across the rail line inbound in the morning and outbound in the evening and freeway. Large block sizes and discontinuous grid – Transportation Demand Management (TDM). streets in many parts of the City hampers pedestrian 2. Should Emery Go-Round (EGR) be promoted for circulation. The City could consider adopting specific residents? The EGR system is designed to be funded goals and policies related to crosswalk installation and by businesses through a property-based Business pedestrian amenities. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Improvement District. A mail-in survey conducted could be updated to include an added emphasis on as part of the General Plan Update indicated that 27 pedestrian circulation on the overall sidewalk network, percent of Emeryville residents (many of whom may including pedestrian design standards and crosswalk work in the city) use EGR on a daily or weekly basis, guidelines. Also, the Plan update process could consider while another 13 percent use it on a monthly basis. whether an additional rail line and/or I-80 pedestrian crossing be provided. Opportunities & Challenges

5. How should bicycle circulation be promoted? The General the provision of bicycle parking and shower or locker Plan update creates an opportunity for the City to refine facilities. specific policies and objectives related to development 8. How should transportation performance be measured? of a network of east-west and north-south bikeways and As part of the General Plan update, the City of Emeryville to promote or require the provision of bicycle parking may wish to adopt specific performance measurement and support facilities as new development occurs. The standards that would be used to evaluate future plan update process could consider realigning the Bay development applications and determine appropriate Trail through Emeryville. improvements. Ideally, the performance standards 6. How should safety, particularly for bicyclists and would take into account other travel modes (pedestrian, pedestrians, be improved? The General Plan update bicycle, transit) where performance is measured as a creates opportunities to improve transportation facilities, function of overall accessibility and convenience for all particularly for non-motorized users, through provision modes. Performance standards could vary for specific of sidewalk standards, consistent application of signing street and location types. and striping, and enhanced pavement treatments as a 9. How should various travel modes be balanced on city form of way finding. Expanded maintenance programs streets? The majority of the City’s intersections and Transportation that address the whole street environment (i.e., roads, roadway segments operate at acceptable service levels, sidewalks, and building facades) improve safety by suggesting that excess roadway capacity may exist 4-39 providing a higher quality transportation corridor. that could be utilized for enhanced facilities to benefit 7. What role can parking play in facilitating mobility? pedestrians, bicyclists or transit users. Areas where Given Emeryville’s small size, there is a significant traffic capacity is limited include: Powell Street at opportunity for shared parking arrangements, where Christie Avenue, Powell Street at Hollis Street, and 40th through parking districts or other mechanisms, public Street at San Pablo Avenue. Segment priorities will need or otherwise shared parking structures are located in to consider not only on-street parking but off-street strategic locations. Users can park once and walk to one parking as well. or a series of destinations. These would be especially 10. How should land use/transit connections be fostered? helpful with dealing with parking demand resulting Land use policies adopted as part of the General Plan from retail, entertainment, and other similar uses. update could place an emphasis on incentives to focus Parking can also be shared between uses with different development on existing transit facilities, such as near requirements such as offices during weekdays, and retail the Amtrak Capitol Corridor station. Emeryville’s and entertainment uses on evenings and weekends. location on existing rail lines presents a key opportunity Development review standards could be revised to for the City to capitalize on regional investments to encourage travel by alternative modes, such as through improve access to and from Emeryville, particularly reduced parking requirements and the provision of on the Capitol Corridor commuter line that connects preferred parking for carpools and vanpools; parking with Sacramento and San Jose. Potential cuts to Amtrak pricing and enforcement; orientation of building service could impact this access. entrances to facilitate pedestrian and transit access; and Emeryville General Plan Update

11. Should traffic calming be considered? The City is undertaking traffic calming measures as part of street beautification projects, such as along Doyle Street and in the Triangle Neighborhood. Development of specific policies to guide the consideration and installation of traffic calming measures could be included in the General Plan update. The City may also wish to refine and expand upon key goals related to streetscape improvements, including an identification of priority corridors for street beautification projects, which could also benefit pedestrian circulation and promote transit friendly street environments. 12. How should truck movement be regulated? The transition of Emeryville from an industrial city may

Transportation result in greater concerns about truck travel impacting less intense land uses. As part of the General Plan update, the City may wish to consider policies guiding 4-40 truck movement throughout the city. Restricting north- south truck circulation on Horton Street may open opportunities to make Horton Street a pedestrian and transit-friendly corridor through the city.