Where the red grows in Fernside?
About two weeks ago, my neighbors asked me about what’s happening on Fernside Blvd. right now. Then poster ET brought it up as an example of municpal financial waste. As I posted here, the financing of public projects is screwy at best, especially when you look at capital projects for bikes and pedestrians which are funded typically through competitive grants which means that large projects tend to get broken into small phases so that as funding becomes available, certain parts of the project can be funded. But the notion that the work on Fernside is duplicating or trashing the previous work is incorrect. First a breakdown of the two projects:
The Fernside Project in 2006 covered Fernside from Encinal to Adams St and involved the following:
- In-pavement flashing lights at the school crosswalk across Fernside Boulevard at San Jose Avenue;
- Curb and sidewalk extensions (with landscaping, trees and irrigation) to replace the existing flexible orange traffic delineators;
- Extension of bike lanes south of Encinal Avenue and associated restriping of lanes;
- Elimination of the existing free right turn and the concrete median at the southwest corner of the Fernside Avenue/Encinal Avenue intersection; and
- Wheelchair ramps.
The Fernside Project in 2008 which is currently under construction from San Jose to the Aeolian Yacht Club involves:
- Retains the existing curb, gutter, sidewalk, landscaping and trees along the east side of Fernside Boulevard from Lincoln Middle School to the Aeolian Yacht Club
- Removes the existing northbound right turn lane from Fernside Boulevard to Washington Court
- Maintains the existing provision of on-street parking along both the east and west sides of Fernside, between Washington Street and Lincoln Middle School
- Construction of landscape strip islands to separate the new bikeway and existing northbound vehicle travel lane
- Relocation of the existing center median westerly between San Jose Avenue and Washington Street
- Retains existing on-street bike lanes
The confusion about the projects appears to come from two places. 1) the 2006 project restriped Fernside from Otis to Adams and 2) there is a small overlap between San Jose and Adams where the neighborhood had approached the city and requested some plantings in the median which the city found outside funds for.
When a city retripes a street, there are a number of choices, the two most popular tend to be grinding the striping off the pavement (The striping is applied hot and adheres to the street and can’t just be sandblasted a noisy and expensive but a long term solution) or slurry coating, which is a short term solution.
Slurry coating is just covering the road with a thin layer smooths out the road and allows for new lane markings to be put in. It also has the benefit of extending the life of the roadway and making it look “new.” This is what the city did on Fernside in 2006, knowing that they were applying for funding for a second phase of the Fernside Bikeway project. It allowed them to get the retriping that they needed done, which maximize the Safe Routes to School Grant that paid for the rest of phase one and would allow for less disruption in phase two which is paid for by the State Bicycle Transportation Account (as well as Measure B).
So yes, the city is now digging up the recently restriped section of Fernside, but this area was not repaved, just restriped. There was no major work in this area that is being redone, it was engineered and restriped in preparation of the current phase, once funding could be found to execute it.
On August 6th, the city will be holding its third meeting on the Fernside Traffic Calming project which deals with Fernside from Encinal to High Street at Edison School at 6:30. More later.
Popularity: 10% [?]
AD
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:52 am
I just looked at the project yesterday. The cars that turn left on to Fernside from Otis on a green arrow will be mightily surprised to find they have to get into the same lane as the cars that turn left onto Fernside form the bridge without stopping. That would be one thrill os a merge!
I also think separating car lanes from bile lanes with “islands” is exceedingly silly. It certainly does not prevent accidents, it just puts more obstacles on the road for both bikers and drivers to worry about. Scrap that idea—we are people, not hamsters.
Lastly, grant money is not free money, it’s all our money. It should be used for things that are truly necessary, not gratuitous (flashing crosswalks).
AD
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:53 am
BIKE lanes, that is.
Jack B.
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:54 am
John, could you please post the costs associated w/ these improvements… and where the funds come from? thankyou.
John Knox White
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:33 am
Jack, you’d have to dig through the council minutes for the approvals on the costs, I don’t have them.
As to where the funds come from, it’s mentioned above in the post where the majority of them come from and I believe the links I provided spell out all the funders.
AD
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:49 am
John, what do you think about that merge situation? Is this going to get tested before changes are set in concrete, so to speak?
Lauren Do
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 am
Speaking of flashing crosswalks, isn’t the Transportation Commission going to be discussing the efficacy of the in-pavement lights? I only skimmed the staff report but in all it seemed positive, with the notable exception of Santa Rosa which intends to remove theirs.
Jan Greene
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:44 am
Pardon my ignorance, but what is wrong with flashing lights to help pedestrians get across a street? We need all the help we can get, and I’ve seen them make a real difference on Park Street, especially at Webb.
AD
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Drivers need all the help they can get to see YOU, the pedestrian. When they have a gazillion other distractions (light, stripes, paddles, beeps, bumps and whatnot) competing for their attention, they are less likely to notice the actual pedestrian. Eye contact is still the best guarantee they’ve seen you, and you can’t have a good one when you’re busy watching other things. Basic physiology. Look up “naked streets” online for other concepts based on common sense.
JKW himself said a study shows no noticeably improved safety because of flashing crosswalks. The only reason they were installed in Alameda is because staff has found “free” money to do it. Poor souls, they never heard that money doesn’t grow on trees.
John, what about that merging situation on Fernside? Can the merge be moved further north? Whenever you get a chance…
John Knox White
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
To the merge lane, I don’t think there’s any movement that can happen, their constructing as we type.
As to the length of the merge, I know that city engineers designed the project to meet all standards, so while I don’t have a personal opinion on the engineering, I trust that it’s safe. Looking at the maps, it looks to me like there’s a lot of room before the merge, but like I said, I’m not an engineer, so I trust the trained ones.
AD
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Ah, the trained experts! As long as we can get free money to undo it should it not work out…
AD
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
How about the little island of sanity? What will they look like? Can we see a picture?
John Knox White
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:10 pm
So engineering is just so much hooey? Interesting.
BTW: You can keep saying “free money” all you want, but be clear it’s not a quote from me unless I was being sarcastic about the fact that past responses to my questioning about the cost-effectiveness of flashing light have been met with “don’t worry we got a grant.”
Also, the study that you report I mentioned didn’t say there were no benefits but that they were small and that city’s should weigh the benefits with the costs.
AD
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Yes, that’s what I’m referring to—staff basically saying “we should do everything we can get a grant for”. As I’ve written to you before, considered need, not just any available grant, should be driving our improvement projects. Or we end up with lots of haphazard busywork that solves little if anything.
I am skeptical of “experts” because I’ve seen them do things that are staggeringly “unwise”, to keep from using a different word. A constant example is the trimming of trees. I see those tree “experts” cut main, healthy branches that so weaken and disfigure the tree there’s nothing left but to remove it on the next pass. I have pictures! Experts came up with a stop sign “solution” in my neighborhood that is practically a hazard. Half the teeth in my mouth have been ruined by dental experts. There’s nothing I dread more than an “expert,” especially a busy one with access to a pot of money. A real expert can discern between “I can do this” and I “should do this” Do you know anyone?
I still would like to see a picture of the little islands proposed for Fernside, if you have one. Thanks.
John Knox White
July 23rd, 2008 at 3:13 pm
I have no photos of the project. you’d have to look at the city’s website for info like that, I doubt you’ll find it. Public Works would be the place to check.
Jill
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:08 pm
I frequently walk through the construction area and unless I am hallucinating, they are indeed digging up some of the landscaping near San Jose Ave. that they just put in with the last upgrade.
That said, I am looking forward to having the upgrade complete. Bikes going both directions (including some pretty fast cyclists due to the downslope) have to use the same sidewalk as pedestrians going in both directions. If you have ever been caught there within half an hour of school letting out, or on a weekend when an organized bike group goes by, you’ll know what I’m taking about. It’s insane, even though the cyclists and pedestrians are generally pretty considerate (aside from one jerk on a recumbent bike, but I won’t go there…)
Regarding the flashing lights in crosswalks, I think they do help pedestrians somewhat, but they are hard to see when it’s very sunny out. I just hope that pedestrians continue to make eye contact with drivers to make sure they’re stopping, even when the lights are flashing.
Stop, Drop and Roll » A tree grows on Fernside
July 24th, 2008 at 10:56 am
[...] Yesterday, I did my best to pass along information i gathered from Public Works on the current and past projects that have/are taking place on Fernside Blvd. Poster Jill wrote in to say [...]