MAC Meeting: Bike, Pedestrian Safety Take Top Concerns

Unincorporated area bicycle and pedestrian safety remain a top priority for the county, the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) heard at their virtual meeting Monday evening.

Alameda County Public Works Director Daniel Woldesenbet and Traffic Engineer Rick Yeung gave the MAC an update on the county’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan for Unincorporated Areas, which was initially adopted in 2019.

There have been a handful of traffic tragedies in Castro Valley – notably the 2020 death of Lana Carlos, 12, who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while walking home from Creekside Middle School.

“Our kids are mostly the pedestrians,” said MAC member Tojo Thomas. “What can we do better?”

Woldesenbet said that the plan itself, education at the school level, flashing beacons, and enforcement are “extremely essential” to make the street a safer place for all.

The plan is an update to a 2012 master plan and is required by the county’s Transportation Commission periodically to continue receiving transpiration funding. Not all proposed projects described in the Plan have been funded at this time.

During the development of the Plan, over 30 community outreach meetings were held in the unincorporated area, according to Yeung.

The Plan includes county-wide bicycle networks and sidewalk prioritization. For example, areas near schools, parks, senior centers, and those with higher rates of collisions are targets for new sidewalks.

“All of our streets were built for automobiles, so it’s a challenge to convert to bicycle and pedestrian use,” added MAC member Chuck Moore. “We need to be really careful where we spend the money.”

The various projects associated with the Plan will come back to the MAC as action items as they get closer to fruition. The Plan can be viewed atwww.acpaw.org.