Somerset to Get Sidewalks but Parking, Bike Lanes Under Debate
A plan to install concrete sidewalks on Somerset Avenue between Stanton Avenue and Redwood Road will move forward. However, a decision on how to accommodate street parking while making it safe for bicycle traffic will depend on the results of a pilot study.
Supervisors Nate Miley (District 4) and David Haubert (District 1) voted on Monday to allow Alameda County Public Works Agency (PWA) to install 5-foot sidewalks along both sides of the one-mile stretch of Somerset Avenue. The east-west thoroughfare is among the busiest in town, with approximately 10,000 cars, buses, bikes, and pedestrians traveling throughout the day.
The project is intended to improve pedestrian and bicycle access to Castro Valley High School, Castro Valley Elementary School, Our Lady of Grace School, and the Castro Valley Downtown area.
PWA Director Daniel Woldesenbet outlined different options including one that would eliminate parking spaces on either the north or south sides of the street. The plan is to allow bicycle traffic to either share the roads directly with pavement markings and signage—also called a sharrow—or as a dedicated 5-foot lane. An option to eliminate all street parking was dismissed by the Supervisors.
Option 1 includes shared bike and car lanes and on-street parking on both sides of the street. A similar configuration was used to update Stanton Avenue behind Eden Hospital. Of those polled at a community meeting in April 2022, 48 percent preferred this option.
Option 2 would eliminate parking on either the north or the south side of Somerset. The extra space would be used to create a dedicated bike lane but would displace parking for about half of the residents.
The solution negotiated by Supervisors Miley and Haubert during the Board of Supervisors' Transportation and Planning Committee is to have PWA work on the sidewalk and associated street upgrades. In the meantime, Public Works will collaborate with community leaders and the advocacy group Bike East Bay, to conduct an experiment where each side of the street would take turns having its parking blocked. Residents, commuters, and pedestrians would be polled to get their feedback.
In this way, the Supervisors, the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Committee (MAC), and the Unincorporated Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (UCBPAC) could gather data to determine which of the remaining options would best serve the entire community.
"This requires more deliberation, and we have to do a demonstration project. As a result of those findings, we would be able to poll the community and make the determination," Supervisors Miley said.
Bike East Bay director Dave Campbell noted that his coalition has done similar pilot studies with other cities in Alameda County including San Leandro and found varying results.
"Sometimes, we find that not having a dedicated bike lane is a better option for that community," Campbell said.
Bicycle Advocates vs Residents
More than 30 people expressed concerns during the public comment section of the meeting. Bicycling advocates lobbied for a dedicated lane, with some showing video footage of a road rage incident involving a car and bicyclist in a sharrow route. Residents claim that there is way more foot traffic coming from the high school and surrounding retirement communities and that bicyclists often blatantly ignore stop signs.
The PWA counted cyclists on Somerset for a 24-hour period on May 3 and found 40 riding eastbound and 49 riding westbound, with roughly half of those traveling during what seems to be school commuting hours between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 and 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Some attendees at Monday's meeting balked at the data and said they would entertain using their bikes more if conditions on Somerset were safer.
PWA's Woldesenbet said the sidewalk budget has already secured $330,000 in funding for the sidewalks but additional money to specify biking lanes would require state and federal funding. Construction is not expected to begin before the middle of 2023. PWA is expected to begin collaborating with the various utilities that run up and down Somerset to discuss how to accommodate relocating power poles, pipes, and wires where necessary.
To see the possible design options, check out the Somerset Project page on the Public Works website