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The city of Livermore — with the help of volunteers — installed pilot pedestrian safety improvements along East Avenue last week, which have garnered some mixed feedback from cyclists and motorists.
The effort is part of the ongoing East Avenue Corridor Study which aims to enhance mobility and safety along East Avenue between S. Livermore Avenue and S. Vasco Road.
From April 10-14, community volunteers painted crosswalks and curb extensions and installed signage, among other tasks from Maple Street to Hillcrest Avenue. On the last day, the city hosted a grand opening event to celebrate the new improvements at East Avenue Middle School. The event was attended by city officials, community members, volunteers and the project team.
The process the city is following is derived from Tactical Urbanism, a method of place-making that uses low-cost, temporary materials to offer the city and community members the opportunity to experience potential changes to the street before permanent improvements are made.
The measures will be evaluated for six months at the intersections of Maple Street, 7th Street, Dolores Street, Jensen Street, Estates Street and Hillcrest Avenue. During the evaluation period, the city will monitor the project, collect data and solicit public feedback to determine how the project is functioning, according to the project website.
In the days since the installation was completed, a number of residents have expressed concerns about the measures via social media.
One social media user, Ben Gordon, is a resident who frequently rides his bike to and from work. He shared his grievances on Facebook as well as in an interview with Livermore Vine.
Gordon said he commutes by bicycle from his home downtown to his job on Vasco Road and often travels down the entirety of East Avenue. "I agree completely with the foundation of the project," he said, noting that there is a need to improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists in the area as it can be a harrowing journey to navigate. However, he is concerned about the "piecemeal" way that the new measures have been implemented.
"It's a good first step for pedestrians but their website made it seem like the project was meant to take into account cyclist and pedestrian safety on the same level," Gordon said, adding that the current improvements only benefit pedestrians but actually make it less safe for cyclists.
Specifically, Gordon addressed "a string of bollards" that he says make the lanes more narrow and difficult to navigate by bike. He also said that while the new curb extensions "on their face are a great idea," they create another obstacle for bicycles that have to go around the extensions that they cannot ride through. "It's really unsafe for a cyclist to have to leave the shoulder and enter the flow of traffic to get around the extended curbs. So, I agree that something needs to be done but I think the piecemeal approach has made an unsafe environment for cyclists."
Several motorists on social media have also expressed frustration about the curb extensions, citing increased difficulty in making turns.
"This is definitely not safer for bikers and the bollards are a distraction…not to mention I cannot make a right turn onto a side street off East Ave without going into the oncoming traffic’s lane," one user commented on Gordon's post. "This design might work for small cars, but not for trucks and SUV’s, let alone when pulling a trailer or boat. What about delivery trucks etc.?"
Gordon noted that he's only lived in Livermore since last August, so he didn't participate in the first phase of the East Avenue Corridor Study that included public outreach prior to the new measures being installed but he said he had previously read through the Tactical East Avenue website and got the impression that pedestrian and cyclist safety would be prioritized equally. He said that while he thinks and hopes that improvements for cyclists will come down the line as part of the project, he's concerned about how the next six months are going to play out with the current measures in place.
Although he plans to continue riding his bike to work, Gordon said he may consider alternative routes to avoid the parts of East Avenue where the new measures are installed in consideration for his safety.
More information about Tactical East Avenue is available at https://www.eastavecorridorstudy.com/. The city is accepting feedback about the pilot project here.
