Sidewalks Coming to Somerset This Fall
Starting this fall, Alameda County Public Works Agency (PWA) will install 5-foot sidewalks up and down a one-mile stretch of Somerset Avenue, officials said last month.
Parking will still be available on both sides of the street between Stanton Avenue and Redwood Road. However, bicycles will continue to share the roads with the approximately 10,000 cars, buses, and trucks that use the east-west thoroughfare. A similar configuration can be found along Stanton Avenue behind Eden Hospital.
At the March 28 Unincorporated Area Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting, PWA project manager Bond Ng said the Somerset project design is 95 percent complete following a yearlong process of public input. Public Works is waiting on access permits and feedback on the design from PG&E before relocating telephone poles and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) pipes before reworking storm drains.
Somerset Avenue is among the busiest in town, with bikes and pedestrians traveling throughout the day. Much of the road has asphalt curbs and gutters, with varying gravel, dirt, or blacktops as sidewalks. Parked cars often encroach on the walkways to avoid getting sideswiped.
The project is moving forward after a year of discussing designs with the community, Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), the Alameda County Board of Supervisors Transportation and Planning Committee, and BPAC.
Of the residents polled, 48 percent said they were unwilling to lose their on-street parking, leading to the current design of a 5-foot-wide sidewalk, bulb-outs at intersections, a Class III bike lane, and parking on both sides.
“Typically, sidewalk projects originate from various sources, such as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, Safer Route 2 School studies, and other safety and corridor studies,” PWC spokesperson Leslie Robertson told the Forum. “These projects are then presented to the affected communities through meetings and seeking input from the relevant MAC.”
While pedestrians will find steady ground, bicycle traffic will share the roads directly with pavement markings and signage—also called a sharrow.
Castro Valley resident Roy Taylor says he’s concerned that vehicle drivers will become impatient with slower bike traffic despite their right to ride in the middle of the road.
“So only one or two things can happen: the vehicle will sit on my tail, or it will try to pass me,” Taylor told the Times. “California law says when you pass a cyclist, you must give 3 feet of space between you and the cyclist. If a vehicle tries to pass, it will either have to go over the yellow line into the oncoming traffic or come within 6 to 12 inches of me, and that's a very dangerous situation.”
Last May, The PWA counted cyclists on Somerset for a 24-hour period and found 40 people riding eastbound and 49 riding westbound, with roughly half of those traveling during commute hours (7:00 a.m. to 9:00 and 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.) Bicycle advocates like Taylor said they would entertain using their bikes more if conditions on Somerset were safer, something only a dedicated bike lane would provide.
Next up for the BPAC is to discuss how to allocate $464,710 in Transportation Development Act (TDA) funding for the fiscal year 2024-2025. Items currently on the table include updating the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, matching funds for a Safety Action Plan, installing pedestrian ramps, and restriping bike lanes at various locations.
The BPAC meets four times yearly on the fourth Thursday of March, June, September, and December. All meetings are virtual except for June, which is in person. The June meeting will be held at the Castro Valley Library or the San Lorenzo Library.
Plans, agendas, and recordings of past meetings are available on the Public Works website (https://www.acpwa.org/programs-services/transportation/bike.page?).