FREMONT — A controversial proposal to take away two lanes of site visitors from a closely used four-lane street in Fremont can be thought-about by the Metropolis Council on Tuesday, just a little greater than six months after the council rejected an identical plan.
Some residents say lowering the lanes to at least one in every path on the roughly one-mile part of Paseo Padre Parkway between Driscoll Highway and Washington Boulevard will result in extra site visitors congestion on the street, which is utilized by many to get to an Interstate 680 onramp at Washington Boulevard.
Others say the street’s present design is harmful as a result of it permits drivers to hurry nicely above the 35 mph restrict, and weave via the curvy and sloped thoroughfare.
“It’s an absolute race space right here. Automobiles are zooming by actually quick, and carelessly,” mentioned Joann Miller, who has lived on Paseo Padre for 5 many years.
“I do know there are some individuals in opposition to it, however I'm completely for the one lane. That's the answer,” she mentioned.
Metropolis officers have beforehand mentioned the change would slot in with Fremont’s “Imaginative and prescient Zero” program, which goals to cut back critical accidents and deaths from crashes on its roads by reconfiguring them to be safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Workers beneficial in September that the council approve eradicating a site visitors lane in every path and including a large bike lane on all sides with painted “buffers” between them and the site visitors lane. Paseo Padre had no bike lanes in that part on the time.
The council majority, which has supported many different street redesigns beforehand, balked on the thought, and as an alternative voted to have the site visitors lanes on that portion of Paseo barely narrowed to make room for what metropolis workers referred to as a “fundamental” 4-foot-wide bike lane.
Some council members additionally cited considerations about how lane removals might result in potential congestion on the street, and mentioned the town shouldn’t make main modifications whereas the pandemic might nonetheless be impacting the quantity of site visitors there. The council requested the workers to return again with a report in about six months to re-evaluate the choices.
Keith Parker, a resident of Niles who mentioned he commutes by automotive on Paseo Padre steadily, is against the lane elimination as a result of he thinks it should solely worsen congestion.
“I’m all in favor of constructing bike lanes as protected as affordable,” Parker mentioned in an interview.
“But when they’re concurrently doing issues that make site visitors worse, issues that enhance congestion? Visitors is already unhealthy sufficient. I don’t suppose doing issues that make site visitors worse correlates to creating site visitors safer,” he mentioned.
Parker mentioned the town ought to depart issues the best way they're now till officers have an extended time to judge the impact of the present setup on security.
Metropolis public works workers, in an April 7 neighborhood assembly, proposed eradicating the site visitors lanes and including buffered bike lanes, together with flashing pedestrian beacons at among the intersections alongside the stretch.
The town already has added pace suggestions indicators on Paseo Padre that warn drivers when they're over the pace restrict.
The general public works proposal additionally beneficial including a brand new site visitors sign at Paseo’s intersection with Covington Drive, alongside a sloping curve the place Miller mentioned she’s seen a number of automobiles crash into individuals’s yards.
“There’s no site visitors gentle to allow them to simply maintain going,” Miller mentioned. “Quick drivers and those who're all the time attempting to get across the different drivers who're going the pace restrict, however that isn’t passable for them.”
The town workers suggestion to the council for Tuesday’s assembly basically matches the one proposed by public works workers on the neighborhood assembly.
Nonetheless, because of the “important neighborhood enter expressed in opposition” to eradicating automotive site visitors lanes, the workers report notes the council might select to maintain different components of the proposal, and skip the lane elimination.
The April 19 Fremont Metropolis Council assembly can be held just about at 7 p.m. by way of Zoom. Those that wish to take part within the assembly can be a part of the assembly at this hyperlink or can electronic mail public feedback by 4 p.m. on the day of the assembly to citycouncil@fremont.gov. The assembly could be seen stay on the town’s web site, at www.fremont.gov/Channel27. Fremont residents can even watch the assembly on Comcast TV channel 27.