At the Council’s May 20th meeting, staff recommended planning to convert Adams and Kains back to one-way for motorists in the prior direction but with the addition of contraflow cycling lanes the other direction so these streets continue to be cycling routes along the San Pablo Avenue corridor. In addition staff recommended planning improvements at intersections along each street to increase at these for sidewalk users and people biking and features to reduce motorist traffic on the 800 block of Kains and 900 block of Adams. This planning and subsequent implementation of the design to be funded by a grant application whose preparation and submittal staff asked Council to authorize. The Council approved of each of these recommendations.
In response to a question, the City Manager stated the current pilot configuration will remain until the new configuration is implemented. If the grant is received, this would likely not occur for more than a year at the minimum. If the grant is not received, many years.
Meanwhile, counts of people cycling on the streets show the pilot reconfiguration to allow people to bike both directions is working. At least with regard to Kains. The number of trips along the street by bike increased from before the reconfiguration to the first count during the pilot and then again to the second count. For an increase of 60%, which may have continued to rise.
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City staff has reported that renewed discussion regarding the Kains/Adams improvements is anticipated to go to the Transportation Commission in April, and ideally to the Council in May.
At its October 26, 2023 meeting, the Albany Transportation Commission considered the ongoing Kains and Adams Pilot Project. After considering alternatives, Commissioners voted 6-1 in favor of recommending to the City Council that the Pilot be continued through May of next year and that the commission consider changes with staff to evaluate and modify the program. There was a consensus among six of the 7 commissioners for keeping the routes on Kains and Adams Streets with additional signage, additional pavement markings, and the possibility of full two-way traffic with diverters, to be determined. The matter has now passed to the City Council.
Albany Strollers & Rollers members met online via Zoom on Tuesday, February 6th to discuss the options and formulate a strategy in preparation for a future City of Albany meeting on the subject. This AS&R meeting explored and discussed changes to the Kains and Adams Pilot Bikeways.
A fruitful discussion emerged resulting in the following strategy going forward:
- Lobby Council Members to direct Police to de-prioritize enforcement of contra-flow parking on Kains/Adams
- If APD indicates it will commence enforcing State law against motorists parking on the left side of a two-way street, intervene to have the City return the streets to one way for motorists with a contraflow lane for people cycling. This configuration was designed and approved by the transportation engineering firm in its study of how to make Kains and Adams cycling routes. The contraflow cycling lane width approved by the firm was quick-marked with chalk, as shown in the photo, and found to be comfortable.
- Pursue median barriers in the cross streets other than Marin and Solano in the future to limit the number of motorists driving along these bike routes.
- Pursue stops on the cross streets other than Marin and Solano in the future to provide safer crossing of them by people biking.
Note that Alameda CTC will be installing a HAWK signal on Marin at Kains and a rectangular rapid flashing beacon on Solano at Kains in ~2025 to improve those crossings for active transportation
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