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After its staff worked with the neighborhood, the Pleasanton City Council will have the opportunity to use traffic calming methods to divert cut-through traffic back onto main thoroughfares on the south side of town.
Last month, the city’s traffic team met with people living in the Junipero and Independence neighborhoods to share the plan to make it painful for motorists to get off Bernal Avenue or Sunol Boulevard and cut through on the residential streets.
The plan, developed by city traffic engineer Mike Tassano, calls for four sets of speed bumps on the two streets, plus two new crosswalks with the lighted features serving the neighborhood park. If the City Council approves at its first September meeting, then Tassano hopes the first round of measures can be added on to existing street projects so installation should be relatively quick.
The plan required two-thirds of the neighborhood to support the installation of the bumps.
Unlike some streets where the traffic calming has been installed (think Crellin Road at the top of Vintage Hills where it’s neighbors driving too fast by neighbors), the Junipero-Independence is true cut-through traffic — likely commuters — although I will confess taking Independence to Junipero to avoid the First Street/Bernal intersection.
It’s not quite as bad as the situation was on Riddell further south. There, southbound commuters were taking a left turn off jammed Sunol Boulevard to Riddell Street, then turning right onto Happy Valley Road, right back onto Sunol to have a left turn onto the I-680 south ramp during the jammed morning commute. The city, with overwhelming support from the neighborhood, established new signage that eliminated that option.
For the Junipero-Independence solution to work well, Tassano is proposing a major capital improvement that the city has in its two-year plan. One of the current issues is that left-turn lane coming down the hill on Bernal backs up into the through-lane. It also doesn’t clear in one light cycle, which invites the left onto Independence back up the hill. There is more traffic than the intersection has the capacity to move through.
The project will add a second left-turn lane by moving the entire intersection south. That will require cutting into the hill on the south side of Bernal and building a retaining wall. The plan also calls for cleaning up the asphalt sidewalk and improving bicycle lanes.
Incidentally, the entire downtown area, including this intersection, is exempted from the city’s standard of service levels that apply everywhere else. Tassano expects those standards for downtown to be refined when the specific plan is updated. He points out that you would never want to “improve” St. Mary and Main Street with a stop light when the stop signs work just fine.
For the intersection of thoroughfares Sunol/Bernal/First, it’s an entirely different matter.
The big fix would not occur until 2018, assuming council approval. The design work would be done over the fall and winter with the bid process set for late spring and then a summer start when the funds become available in July 2018.
Remember the flap about Owens Drive and the reduction to one lane last winter where the new apartment complex is nearing completion? When the City Council accepted the recommendation for a two-stage crossing by Tassano, the problem went away.
There were about 200 crossings to the Iron Horse Trail and by offsetting the crosswalks and requiring pedestrians to cross in two stages, the traffic backups have been eliminated.
The council requested a follow-up report in the fall and Tassano has commissioned an engineering firm to provide that report. In the meantime, the lack of complaints to the council speaks for the improvements. In addition to Owens being narrowed in the eastbound direction (it already had been narrowed with the taxi lane in the westbound direction at the BART station), a new apartment complex on Gibraltar also took one travel lane.
I have not heard any complaints about that one. The reality is that street capacity in Hacienda Business Park was over-designed so there are rarely issues about traffic within the business park. The traffic engineers working with Joe Callahan wanted to ensure an efficient environment for workers and companies.
* Editor’s note: Journalist Tim Hunt has written columns on the Tri-Valley community for more than 40 years. He grew up in the valley and lives in Pleasanton. His “Tim Talk” blog appears twice a week at PleasantonWeekly.com.
Do you happen to know anything about the intersection near the new construction at Stanley and Bernal/Valley? I noticed the other day that the right turn lane from Bernal on to Stanley has been removed, or at least it looks like it has been. Traffic in that area is already heavy at times and backed up due to the new stoplight in front of the Starbucks. I can’t imagine what it’s going to look like on Friday evenings as people cut through town to get to Livermore or back on 580.
I’d love to hear an explanation as to why they would eliminate a turn only lane. There was plenty of space for it at one time
I am wondering if the elimination of the right only was partially to discourage cut through traffic on our residential streets. I also noticed bike lanes now clearly marked where the old right turn lane was. Probably not a bad thing all in all.
My pet peeve is speed bumps that cannot be traversed at the legal speed limit speed. Either lower speed limit or make the bumps less bumpy.
@ Alexey if only setting speed limits worked. We have cars flying down Junipero doing 35 to 40 on a narrow residential street. The speed limit is 25. We are hoping that the lumps bring the speed down to at least 25.
Obviously M.Tassano has never been downtown during the evening commute if he can say that ” the stops signs work just fine” at St Mary’s and Main St, by working fine I guess that means it’s alright to block that intersection plus the next 2 intersections heading North on main from St Mary’s trying to get through those badly timed lights, what a cluster!!
Then the speed bumps should be rated at 25mph, not 10.
Ellen, if there was a free-flowing Eastbound, Stanley Blvd. turn lane, it would have merged directly into the deceleration lane associated with entering the entire Vintage Hills Apartment and retail complex. The mass of the entire project could have been thought out better…pertaining to the infrastructure, other deceleration lanes off Bernal, foliage concerns pertaining to light obstruction and excessive speed limit through area. The lack of Community involvement was the result. Actually, Karla Brown was the only council member that raised concerns publicly about the safety concerns of project….she was only one person.
@Ellen, they’re removing the turn lane to make an experimental bicycle-friendly intersection. I don’t know if they’ll restore a right turn lane without the slip. They should, but their slide shows they won’t.
I suppose you could complain to the city traffic engineer. I’m not entirely sure why this change wasn’t socialized among the neighborhoods affected by it, but it wasn’t in any meaningful way.
http://www.cityofpleasantonca.gov/civicax/filebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobID=28839
Slide 30
Tim, there is a serious cut-through traffic problem on Foothill Rd, between the Preserve and all the way down to Castlewood, during the morning rush hours. Traffic is diverted from south bound 680 from San Ramon Rd and continued on Foothill for miles. When both the Lydiksen Elementary and Foothill High are out during the summer months, you just know most of these traffic are not parents dropping off kids to school. Let’s ask our city officials to find solutions to reduce the cut-through traffic in Pleasanton. We don’t want all these traffic from Livermore, Dublin and San Ramon looking for short cut through our city streets and making our residents travel miserable, and not to mention the increase of our city road maintenance cost. The 580 and 680 freeways are always bad during morning hours and let the State handle that mess but keep those traffic off our city roads.
Better timed lights working in conjunction with red light cameras at our major intersections and more PPD traffic enforcement would definitely put a dent in cut thru commuters terrorizing our neighborhoods, right now it’s a free for all and a roll of the dice to enter our intersections on a green light!
Stanley /Bernal could use a roundabout. Several places where I’ve seen this done (USA) works great after the initial hesitance and reservation (drivers learning to merge and public decrying european invention). It eliminates the timing problem with lights which is a never-ending game–although timing lights seems tantalizingly solvable.
Oh, I’m not sure about a roundabout there. Bikes are already in enough danger.
As for signal timing, I don’t know why we can’t have it timed well. Part of the problem may be that some of the signals in the area are set to turn red when someone goes over the posted speed limit. That’s in conflict with trying to have traffic flow efficiently.
I only hope the city is aware that frustrated drivers make for dangerous drivers. SF traffic engineers seem blindingly unaware of that.
Those high-speed right turn “slip lanes, like those that were installed at Stanley and Bernal since I moved here, are extremely dangerous to bicyclists. I ride my bike through this intersection regularly, and feel grateful that our engineering team is balancing things out by removing some of them at high-risk intersections. Most bike fatalities happen in intersections, and we just had one at Stanley/Bernal in 2016 (RIP 74 year old Gale turner) I obey all the traffic rules, but if I get run down by a 3,500 car or truck going through a ‘slip lane’, it’s pretty much over for me. Same goes for the young kids who want to ride their bikes to the BMX park or Shadow Cliffs located just east of this intersection. I drive a car and ride a bike in Pleasanton, and I’m willing to give up a few seconds of time for those that don’t have 3,500 pounds of protection surrounding them. Perhaps we can all be a bit patient with new improvements that are designed with one goal in mind which is safety. It doesn’t come without cost, but is it really too much to ask?
Please convey our thanks to the City of Pleasanton for correcting a dangerous intersection on Stanley at Valley/Bernal. There has already been one cyclist death at this intersection, and it is the most likely way that children on their way to the BMX park are likely to pass.
I think our children’s safety is worth the extra two seconds that some drivers may experience.
You cyclists miss the point…perhaps, this is the only corrective action possible. Where has the communication been from the biking community and/or City to educate local residents,cyclists to properly make a right hand turn across bike lane. It is not unusual for a cyclist to dictate to motorist that they do not belong in their lane…and that’s not true! Maybe by providing you, your own signals, will you be happy. Agreeing that sharing the road is important…you read that right…? Agreed…providing the best alternatives for safety is ultimately the best policy. Becoming involved does not change direction of Staff or cyclist group…you have own agenda. Oh…and BTW…the comment about not being socialized with concerns about affected neighborhoods, there basically were no neighborhoods within shouting distance of affected area. This was an inter-related intersection affecting commerce,children,cyclists within the entire city…and much more. Perhaps, providing flashing signal, beyond Starbucks will assist the barriers ahead…for rainy,foggy and misc. circumstances.
@Peter, there are a few neighborhoods affected directly, including Vintage Hills.
As for the bikers, slip lanes are quite dangerous. I like the idea of pulling bikes off the main roadway and onto dedicated bike lanes, and the reconfiguration will include bike turns being made by staying on the bike lanes at the edges of the intersection. I do hope they leave the dedicated Bernal to East Stanley right turn lane, now further from curb than the bike lane.
The one thing I would fault the city for is for having the developers there partially paint the right turn slip lane immediately before the City came and took the lane out. Seems like someone could have coordinated better. But it’s only paint.
There is a bike and trails planning group that the City appoints from volunteers. The members represent the city population as a whole. I would hope and like to think that their voice is our voice. If you tried to get everyone’s opinion, nothing would ever get done. Anyone can put their name in the hat for this.
Grapevines, I agreed on most issues. The City, unless… the Council requests a change order, is not required to notify anyone outside of 1000 feet…of course…maybe in this case, it was 300 ft. Who knows…doesn’t matter now. Does it? Thanks.
Focus needs to be on effective and efficient traffic flow, not detering it. I still don’t understand why we haven’t employed a golden gate bridge solution to our traffic flow……dynamic lanes that match directional flow. We have the technology, we have the space, we lack competent leadership. And before anyone complains about cost, Elon is building s business out of this opportunity. The justification is there
while we are all talking about traffic-come on Mike Tassaro lets gets a 4 way stop sign at the intersection of Peters and w. angela. just last month we had 5 accidents and several more near misses. nothing like hearing pedestrains yell constantly at cars thinking its a 4 way stop and etc.
and then we have the ACE train people that think W. Angela is a 55 mph zone. Speed bumps would be perfect for this street.
@Peter W. Angela– Good call on that really bad intersection, betting it won’t get noticed till somebody gets killed and the little cross and flowers get put on the side of the road in memory of !! I guess on street bicycle parking and on street patio dining is more important than driver and pedestrian safety, who will be next to pay the price of poor traffic engineering?
As a concerned member the Pleasanton community who is concerned not only about the safety of all road users I’m very happy to see the changes to the Stanley/Bernal internsection. The best way to keep bikes/pedestrians safe is to separate them at crucial junctions. Kudos to Pleasanton’s traffic engineering team for implementing an innovative approach to keep all users safe at this important intersection.
So glad to see the improvements going in at the Stanley and Bernal intersection. Terrific community engagement in helping the city prioritisze the areas that needed attention most. Whether motorist, cyclist or pedestrian it is everyone’s benefit to have safer roads and intersections, especially those close to schools or parks, in this case the bmx park and Stanley bike lane attract many youngsters across this busy junction. We still have too many accidents and fatalities that could be prevented with improved infrastructure and consideration of the needs of all who use ( and pay for) out roads. Kudos to Mike Tassano and the City.
Kudos to City of Pleasanton for the improvements being made to the corner of Valley and Stanley! I travel through that intersection every weekend and have been amazed more cyclists and pedestrians have not been hurt because of tight shoulders. Love the fact that they are now shielded from our cars at the busy corners. I hope there are plans to place more of these around at other busy intersections in the city.
My thanks to the entitled driver in the new, white baby Benz who ran the stop sign going eastbound at peters and west Angela today at 3:11 p.m. And gave me the entitled hand gesture while I blew my horn and came within inches of t-boning that shiny new car on the drivers side, you don’t know or probably don’t care that at least I was paying attention!!!!!!
I regularly drive north on Bernal and turn right to go East on Stanley to Livermore. In my opinion, the elimination of the “slip” lane and right turn lane now makes that part of the intersection more dangerous for bicyclists.
Drivers must now make their right turn at the intersection, crossing the bike lane as they do so. With many cars behind you, it is very difficult to even see the bicyclist speeding, unimpeded, down the bike lane with the intention of either going straight through the intersection, or making a wide right turn. In both cases the driver, blinded by cars behind him, and watching out for everything else going on in that busy intersection, is at risk of striking the unseen bicyclist.
The best that I have come up with is to position my vehicle at the red light so that it blocks the bicycle lane, thereby avoiding the risk of hitting a hidden bicyclist as he sails by while I am turning.
While the slip lane also may have had some risk to bicyclists, it was a safer solution, since the motorist can readily monitor the presence of bicyclists and thereby avoid the risk of hitting one as he slips into the right turn lane. Perhaps some impatient motorists did not so, but that was due to their unsafe driving, not to bicyclists being hidden from view.
@Highland oaks Eric, do you think that the non-stop traffic on First St is any better than yours on Foothill? It never ends and it is nearly all coming from points east, traveling to points beyond out town. Massive traffic enforcement is the only way to mitigate it. Stop lights, no matter how they are timed, will not do it. Speed bumps on all cut through roads would be a good start followed by enforcement of speed limits, red light violations, blocking intersections and using left turn lanes as passing lanes.
As for making the roads safer for cyclists, no help for that until the cyclists start following the laws. Can a vehicle drive right through a red light just because there is no oncoming traffic? No, against the law. Will any cyclist EVER stop for a red light if they can blow right on through it? No, apparently against their principles. PPD can help here too by citing the cyclists who consistently make the roads unsafe for everyone. Pretty hard to sympathize with cyclists when they are hurt if they are not willing to obey the laws at all times. Before you condemn me for not wanting to share the road, I’ll say that I ride a great deal and make every effort to ride in safe places and would not consider failing to comply with traffic laws. “Sharing the road” apparently means to most cyclists that we should give them the entire road. They will never will the battle between a bike and a car.
It seems to me any responsible biker, as a matter of habit, would stop
at Stanley/Bernal, or any busy intersection with approaching cars. Riders can put a foot down in 2 seconds. Even the best, most careful driver, putting their foot on the break takes 2 seconds….then add in the time to stop a 2,500 pound, motorized projectile, in motion ! Which is out of the hands of the driver. Openly exposed bicyclers should, as a logical plan for staying alive, habitually, stop at all intersections! And any concerned parents would automatically teach children they profess to love, safe, defensive, survival riding.
Many today are quick to teach ‘rights’, but forget to mention personal responsibility in everything we do, including intelligent survival.
I was walking by Stanley/Bernal intersection, looks like the corner where McDonalds is has a concrete island that sticks out rather far into the intersection and the angle facing traffic is a right angle. All the people in cars turning right onto Bernal from Eastbound Stanley are going to be clipping that curb for a while.
@ Map:
Think I saw your white Benz that almost hit you the other day. saw one yesterday a I was walking my dog and he (young driver) came barreling down Ptown Ave going well over the posted speed limit turning onto W. angela almost rolling over. continued to haul a** down Angela.
If that car had dealer tags and a young blonde was driving then that’s the maniac I almost “met”. If not then we have 2 crazies driving in that area that need to be stopped!