'We made a mistake' 'We made a mistake' (October 21, 2005)

Planners, others call Vineyard 'unsafe'
by Jeb Bing

Rebuffing claims from the public and some of its own members that Vineyard Avenue may be unsafe for motorists and bicyclists, the Pleasanton City Council voted Tuesday to keep the controversial traffic roundabouts it installed when the $6 million realigned roadway opened in June 2004.

At the same time, the council vote to install a traffic signal at Patronave Lane, a narrow street just east of Montevino Drive, that will allow hikers, pedestrians and equestrians to stop traffic to cross the street on their way to Shadow Cliffs Regional Park and trails along the Arroyo del Valle.

Councilman Steve Brozosky said the intersection is at the end of a steep downhill grade and cannot be seen from where Vineyard crests just east of Montevino.

"Maybe there's nothing more we can do, but my concern is that cars could come across that crest and hit cars that have stopped in the roadway for a red light," Brozosky said. "I know there are going to be accidents there."

Public Works Director Rob Wilson was on the defensive during much of the two-hour discussion. He said the roundabouts were designed to federal standards as a means of moving traffic more smoothly than traffic signals at heavily traveled intersections. At the time they were designed and authorized by the council, and before Wilson was hired, they were intended to allow traffic entering and leaving the new Neal Elementary School access roads to move off and back onto Vineyard quickly and without stopping.

Today, with Neal not built and possibly a project the school district has abandoned or delayed for years, the roundabouts are not needed, Wilson said. "Knowing what I know now, I would not have recommended them."

Planning Commissioner Brian Arkin was more blunt. "I was on the Planning Commission when we and the City Council voted to approve those traffic circles," Arkin said. "I think we made a mistake."

Responding to Wilson's estimate that it would cost $600,000 to remove them and install a single traffic light, Arkin added:

"I know $600,000 is a lot of money. But we have a situation that needs to be changed. There is something wrong here. I don't think it's right to force people in Ruby Hill to drive on a street that is unsafe."

Traffic Engineer Jeff Knowles, who first recommended the roundabouts, said his support at the time was based on the opening of a 600-student elementary school, with a majority of the parents driving west on Vineyard to the school grounds.

"If that had happened and we only had a traffic light there, cars waiting to make a left turn at Neal would back up to the fire station," Knowles said. "It would have been chaos. Instead, these vehicles would circle around the roundabout without stopping to reach the drop-off and pick-up zones."

Mayor Jennifer Hosterman, in urging the council to stay the course, said all of the conditions that warranted the roundabouts are still true today. The school district still plans to build Neal and also paid its share in building the realigned Vineyard Avenue and the roundabouts.

"Rather than take them out, we should see if these roundabouts can be improved, can be made safer and allow traffic to go around them at a more livable speed," she said.

Dan Carl, a Ruby Hill homeowner, told the council that he drives around the roundabouts four to six times a day. He has quit riding his bike on Vineyard because of the dangers at the roundabouts, preferring instead to ride on Isabel Road and other east side streets.

"I am concerned about the safety and efficacy of these circles," Carl said. "My studies show that 50 percent of the accidents on Vineyard have occurred at these roundabouts. That means that for anyone driving around those roundabouts, they face double the risk of having an accident on Vineyard. We should remove these as soon as possible."

Laura Wu, president of the Ruby Hill Homeowners Association, said her group warned city officials that it would be a huge mistake to build these on Vineyard.

Another speaker, Jim Holt, noted that Vineyard Avenue is the "main drag" for those living east of Montevino.

"This area of Pleasanton is designed so that everyone comes together onto Vineyard," he explained. "There's no other route. I haven't met a single person who likes these traffic circles.

But he was followed by Mike Madden, also a Ruby Hill homeowner, who urged the council to leave the roundabouts there.

"I coach football at Foothill High and I can talk about a number of kids I know who have lost their lives on Foothill Road, where motorists drive "just too darned fast."

"I drive these roundabouts and it doesn't bother me one bit to have to go through them at 15 miles per hour," he said. "I think that anything that slows us down is good."

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