HomeMy WebLinkAbout0436.094.'
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City of Palo Alto
City Manager's Summary Report
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TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNC~ 1 0
FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: Trdn'portation
Dh'ision
AGENDA DATE: CMR: 436:94
SUBJECT: E.aluation of Six·M"nth Trial or Temporary Traffic Circl. on
the Bicycle Boulevan! al the Bryant/Addison Interse<:tion
REQUEST
I he tria,! period for tht! temporary Bryant/Addison traffic cirde has concluded ami the
circle ha:. flJnCiioned su(.'ces:sfui!.y. COllnell is no\1,t requested to 3pprove the pe.rOlanent
imtaUation of the tramc circle.
Rf,CO)'\'ifJ-:NDAT)ONS
Staff recommends thfl\:
I. the BryantiAddiso!l temporary traffic circte be apt)Toved for permanent
installation; and
2. slop s.igns ~ installed on Bryant Street at Homer and Ch.:tnning AverJlje~,
POLICY IMrIJCATIQNS
instaJJatiol1 of the Br),antiAddison traffic circle or. a penn anent basis would fmther
establish the U~ of traffic circles. for neighborhoc.'(i traffic management Installation of
s.top signs to correct safety problems is an e~isling City policy.
~WARI
This report presents tho lrial findings of the Bryanll Addison Iraffic cireie, installed as part
of the Bryant Street bicycle boulevard eXlcosioi', Other issues related to the bicycle
boUlevard are also dj5cu~Sed.
The circle has addn:ss.ed the spedfLC conc~ms expres.sed by Council and some residents
during approvaJ of the bicycle boulevard extension. These concerns include-d the
possibility of increased vehicle speeds and volumes on Bryant Street and the resulting
impacts on the safety of the residents. and users of Bryant. Th.e. 'Pattern of traffic
circulation in the area is now similar [0, and Iowa in volume, than before implementation
of the bicycle-boulevard exten:iion. Midblock traffic speeds on Bryant have nol changed
as a result of removing the s.top s~gns and ii1stalHng. first, a street closure, and now i1
Pap,e ] of 15
--_ .. _-_.
o
tn .. ffic circle. No accidents or other major problems have occurred at the Bryant/Addison
imenection • .as a re$ult of the traffic circle or the removal of stop signs. The majority
of neighborhood residents favor t},e drc1e over other possible, actions at the
BryantfA.ddison inler;ectlon. The design of the pennancnt circle can accomm..-:xjate, to
"'1.f;'ing degrees. the concerns e);presY.'d by the Historic Resources Board, the Palo Alto
Sa.nitlt\(m Company. 800 the Clty'S operating dep.al1ment5..
5u.ff recommends that Council approve the circle for permaneni installation. Due ~o
accident ?rOOle:ms at the Bryant/Homer interse...clion, staff also recommend.'!: that stop signs
N: installed 00 Bryam Street ill Home-r and Channing Avenues.
As i..llem!:tjl..·cs to Rrcommer.dation 1, p:-rmanenl Instal1atlon of the traffic circle, Council
l"llutd (tal remO\'1;:" the circle and rt'"place II with a pennanenl '5treet closure en Bryant
bel"'\~.en C.h3n'ling and Adjjwn: (tb) remon: the cird(" 3r.d replace it with !.tcp signs on
Rry,uH at Ad,jis .. ~n. (Il) remc:n' IliC' {.:ir,je Jnd rc-place il \'I.'ilh a road bump on Bryant on
e2..;h ~i0;,: 01 .. 1\,~,.j1~'-1!:, (H, \d:1 fC'ITh"',',e til',> (In::k and t-l~',t r~O othe.r action. As a\temali\.er;
(() Rc,-(>mnc;:r-niJ!JI)!l ~, 1~1SI.dl1.ltil)~l (If ~,\Op !.Igm. C01jn~'il could (2a) take no action; (2b)
lr.~iJIi ~i(''P .:;i~~fl" or,l, I'jl H .. "-ma .!I Bf):1nl: ur 1,2c) ins.(311 (.\IJP ~ig!1-" as. recommended on
r·k~l~l; :wJ ( n~lr,:l~n;; ,1.1 fjr y ~',ni. .!iir! [,'011)':,', :\I(~P "~ign, on Bryant ,rlt both loc;nlons.
fJ5C·\L l~fP.VJ
Coun-:il :-13,', ~Irtady dPpn,w~d <l CIP projt!cl in Ih-: amount (If 569,000 (Street
Impi'"o\'cme_nt fun..l-~Bryant Street Bi,yclc Boult!\'Grd ExtemtoJl, Nl'. 19212), to provide
for asptl.'!s of the blc~de bouk",'ard projt-ct Otl1~T than the Bryant/Embarcadero traffic
~igr1,1.1 {whidl ' .... as f,H:ded hy ck-ctric utility funds),
~"UE;"TAkASSESS'\!Ei\T
Tht: artached em'jammenlal a5sessmt"nt (9 J ·E1A.~28) was previously prepared for the.
b~cycle lx"'Uk\'anJ proje;';l with and ",·ithout the street closure, and Council approved a
NegtUl ..... e Declarrtio<1 for this project at its meetir}g of December 2, 1991. Thus,
ad.jjtion2l environmental ,us.essment for Lh~ traric circle is not requ:r-ed. The installation
of !top signs at Inc BryantiHomer and Bryant/Chanrung intersecl.ions is categorically
e~empt uNkr the Catifomia Environmental Quality A.ct.
PREPARED BY: Carl Sooff,1
DEPARTMENT HEAD REVIEW:
CITY MANAGER APPROVM,:
M~~c? .ddl1Uk~g
KENNETH R. SCHREIBER, Di eclor of
Planning and Community Environment
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City Manager's Report (In-Depth)
TITLE: Evaluation of Six-~fonlh Trial of Ttmporar)· Trame Circle on tbe Bicycle
Boulevard 8' tbe 8l')1InIIAddoon Intersection
RECOMME"''DATIQ..''!S
Staff recommend:,,; (hat:
I. the Bryant! Addison t(:mpcru), traffic (irck he appro ... -=.j fOi pcnnanenl
j nstaJ fation; and
," IE jul) J9 1'193 rT!:;,.;.'ring C.'I',if,;, .. ii ~I:~:;.i~:<~! tf:: f-..::.I,dl' I't' rr:" "i\'r~lnl!lh Iri.\J of lh-:
closure of Bryanl Strt"t"\ l--e[W('r..";; Ch:illnin§; ;;;nci ,~.J,-11'SG:l. ifllp1:n:"'r'l<:"d as r:~rt of the
bicycle boulevard extension rr'l.i~I.'l, MJ.:1~' ..:~tilens. .1:-IJ C.::lHl~'jl '\k;nll(:',,~ bt-iit''o,td that,
without some traffic mall<!gtmcnl dC\lL-( on Brpnl, Iht' fc'mo\'di c;f SIO? .!.igru on Bryani
at Kiogsley and Addison \\,:ollid C.!.'J~ irx'fC':isc-d '.e-r.lcle ~rc'l?ds. nnd y(!jumes, whi::-h woutd
be of partisu!3I <-onct"rn at Inc Bryant:'AJdi~l1n ir~~erst'(1i;':ln. ('o~lnL'iJ concluded that the
closure should be rcpia(ed '.I.'i!ll 3~H.'.lhr:r trafl!( m."ln:Jgem(n~ m~~~:'o.urt for J ~ix·J1lonlh trial
perioo, and ga\'1! staff thr: I1t::dbdity l.J cho.J:=;': anJ impkm.::-nl the-1110.'>l appropriate
me33ure.
Thereafter, staff revie ..... ·cd a n.umber of posiible traffic mao3gemcnt measures to take the
place of the ctosure, and concluded [hal the ",";0 best alil!rn.Hj ... r:~ would be (a) a traffic
circle at the Bryant/Addison inter~ction. or tb) tv.·o road bump_..; on Bryant on either side
of the BrylntJAddiwn in!ersection. Staff solicited comments on the two proposals from
neighborhood residents, tile-Historic Rcwurce:s. Board. arid the: Palo Alto Bicycle
Advisor, Committee. Sta.ff cood'Jded r.h:!.t a \emporar)' traffic ci.rcle. a.t the
Bryant/Addi30n inler&ction would he th~ o.c-'Sl mc!asur~ 10 te~1 fClr a six"l1'lont'f, },:,lC'rioo.
{Refer to informational !lrafi' rQX1rf CMR:5l4:9~, S(.'plembC'J .'0. 1"';-13), The temporary
circle W3..S installed in m)d,.!an>Jaf)' i994.
POLICY IMPLICATIONS
This temporary traffic circle, if approved pennanwlly. would be the: second circle
installed in Palo Alto for the purpose oj reducing speeds and volumes on residential
CMR,4}H4 ~t 3 of IS
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streets (the firsl is located at the Park Boulevn .... "'d/Park Aven.ue interse\~tion in Evergre:en
Park). Based on the successful experience with Ihese two circles and the ,uccessful
tra.ffic circle programs of cities such as Portland lind Seattle. staff belie'\'cs. that the traffic
circle is a worthwhile neighborhood traffic management device t.'1al could have f...rcure
applications in Palo Alto. lnstallation of this cirde would flmher cstabtish thil
application. Ins.tallation of stop signs to correct safety problems is. an I!xisling C~t)'
policy.
EV ALUATIQN ()}" TEMPORABY_'IRAffIC CIRCLE
Ira me Votumcs
Average daily traffic volumes (ADTs) were measure.d a! selected j(;("J.!ior.s. in M:l,\' 199~.
and compared to volumes in the same locn.tloil$ m~as.lJred tr.:forc lhe \":~r\.'le WJS losulk,..'
(Figure 1). The volume on Bryant has incrci1:;-;:d notlcC':3b!~' as. 3 re-slj~1 {If rt'r1l(l\ ing tr:~
street closure, as. t'xpected. NClwlth.'itanding. the Br-y:mt Sireel \'.:,I!Jrn;:o n:m:1im
comid~rably lower than it was. before the inlpltmcntation of {h~ DiL'Y~'lc b.Jul;."sarJ, due
to the restrictions pl:ict:d un turnin,g moveml'nt~ a! the. £mhucJdt'n.)'Bryar:: ir!ler~-e";::iil~'11
This volume is reasonable for lf1j~ rortion of the hiry(ic hO:Jil";.ard. Th(" \'d!urle" l~;1
R3mona h::lS dropped (0 the pre·bicyc!.:': bouk',ard h~\'d Vol<H\le~ en \\'J',c:.'rir:-:. .md
Addison h.:;ve droppc(\ to ki'S than rhr! pre-bicy..:1e boukv<:i.ru kHh.
The 85th percentile speeds of north-and $Ollthbollrid vehicks. wt:rc m::-asured on Br)';;l'li
midblcck Deween Addifmn and Lincoln and between Lincoln and Kingsky. Spt"eds at
both locatioo'S are equal to or less than speeds. measured a.t th~ sam~ locations ~fore 1he
bicyde. boulevard was implemented and a.fter its impl~meI1talion with lhe-street closure
(Table 1). rne 85th ""rcentile speeds of north-aod soulhbour.d Bry.n' vehick [",ffie
were also measured at the slowest point around lhe trafftc cirde, tndic.ating a 5.~ of
approximately 16 mph in each direclJon. This. is a reasorn'lble speed for lhis loc3tion, Md
is also reflected by the warning speed limit of 15 mph posted in advance of the circle.
(Further discussion of speeds is found later this report under 'he heading "Dip on Bryant
al Kingsley'.)
CMRA36:94 Par~ 4 cl15
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Waver1ey
Bryant
Ramona
Ernemon
f·
_'_::::::!.~~'_""i"1~--""-~
TEMPORARY TRAFFIC CIRCLE
BEFORE/AFTER TRAFFIC VOLUMES
before BB: 3880
w/e!osyre:
fO!'l'T!e( .uNI
_ . 88:645
wfclosure: 885 c
645 ~
'" '" «
before BB: 4455
474u
LEGEND:
b.dQIe...6E: 24-tlour coum takcr!
April -May 1992, befors bicycle boulevard
extension was Impl"mented.
wlcJos.wre: 24-hour count tak:en Jan ~
Feb 1993, fout months .fterthe ertenslon aM
tht!: street closure ware In$t~lIed. Counts were
multip!i,ed by 1.055 to seasonally adjust to M'-f
»' I conditIons,
..---... <.'''.~-Bll: 1950
~ --w/closure 880
wldrcle:
~
8
~
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~ ....... }. l -:'-'YJ ___
-~-.) ~,
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G; -
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TABLE I
MlDBLOCK 85TH PERCENTILE SPEEDS
liE'FORE
LOCIITION 8IC~CLE
5Q'JLtV,!\.RD
.Ha 1992
!!e 'ant ~tween. Lincoln a.nd Kinqsley 30.6 mph
OperatiQn&lChJrIl~t~ristjcs 4t Bnaot/Addison Inlersection
WITH STREET I
CLOSURE
,february
1993
WITH
TRAFFIC
eIRCLE:
Xa 1994
29.1 mph
Activities were observed at this intersection for 41).. peak flow nOUis between 7:45 a.m.
and 6:00 p.m. Gil Tue~iay. May 24. The primary .;:hanges in traffic movements,
c8mpar~d ttl when tnt'? Slreet was dosed north of Addison, are (i) a substantiilU) higher
I1,Jrtn-and S0ulhbound through volume on Bryant at Addj~on. <lnd (ii) substantially
d~nc;~se,J tuming movements from nortMmund Bryan! ~o eas\-ami wOi.hound Addison.
HClth of they. changes wac expecled Left turns a! the traffic circh: arc :,uppos.;~d to be
1J13Je "lh-:: Jong 'o""3.y", by going aroLind ihe Oll!s.ide of the circie, as. directed by lhe signs
in the circle. D:Jnllg th~ observation P";!rioo. i.':.ight dlivers olll of it tr~t<ll of 65 mfl.de left
tu[tJS 011 the im:de of the circle. Some bicyciists also turned left on the insid,· of the
drL"lc.
During tht: observation ~riod. sev(:n urlvcrs appro~ching the intersection on Addison
(about two pe.cent of tolal uriver.s. appmaching ( . .HI Addison during the period) did not
yield the right-uf·way 10 dri .... ers or bicyclis[s Y,Iho wt::re approaching on Bryant Street.
The Add'son driver.; e',her d.d not fully stop at the stop "gns, or after they di.d stap, they
proceede.d without yielding to oncoming traffic. These incidents were relatively minor
in that they were not -dose calls" _ It appeared that the drivers did not look carefully for
oncoming traffic, ratlJer than the[e being poor visibility. The presence of the traffic
circle did not appear 10 cause these incidents, nor increase their severity. There were no
obvious conflicts between pcdl!5trians, bicyclists, and c-.ars Ihat would be attributable
dire-elly to the presenc.e of Ine traffi.;:: circle. The two percent rate of failing to yield is
the same frequency observed at thls in\er~ectiQn during the evaluation of the. street
closure, when the intersection was controlled only by two-way stop signs. This type of
behavior, unfortunately, is nl)! (ltypical. of that which staff has observed 31 olher tW0·W~y
and four-way stop inlersertions. No reponed accidenls have occurred ilt this intersection
in the past three years.
in Jun~. staf(mailed a preliminary analysis of the impacts of the traffic circle to residents
and roffit! businesses on Bryant between Waverley and Emerson Streets, from Lytton
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.",venue 10 Churchill A.."enue. for a IOtal of atX:HH 9(X) addresses (busines5es on University.
Lytton, and Hami!tun wert' not inc1l.oed). Residents were asked to indicate their
preferer..ce5 for ,he traffic circle. the former street closure, and ether options.
Appro.im>lely 230 penon< rerum.,d 'he su"ey.
Sixty-fi .. 't'" pel"'C('n! o( SUfVe) respondents are in favor of making the circle permanent.
E.leYen pe1"ttnt at'(' in favor of removing the circle and returning to the previously-tested
closure or Bryant. The nc-,.t two m .. 1st popular alternatives to the circle art to leave it as
a two-Vt.'3Y Slop, and to re(Um to! four-..... ay 5to"~ (8 % each). Detailed survey results are
provided in Anac+unent I.
An Addison Schoo! ~tudenlli\"Lng in the neighborhood. Jana Luft. conducted an attitudinal
survey of roCsidents. k"'ing In [he si'i blc,c~s ciosesl to the Bryanl/Addison intersection
(distribu!d !o CC'tH1("d ;\h"mbers 1i1 the Jm,,:;' 9 pad:~!). Th.:: survey provided several
cross. tab:.li3tions of flrighr.(lrth ........ i rr",f·.?rer.~ .. ·s llf Ih.;: pr~\·ious -I.-way ~top, the pre .... iolJs
street \..·bs.'Jrt.", l:lfl.j ,r·;;, ... ·\.lrrcm 1', ~frl' ,'l.r\:!~ The ~ur.·(.'y fOllnd that all '-i>;sidents sUiVcyed
pitfel tll~ I_';rde IAn \h~ ~·\(t'i\.HC (',-cc;:'\ iii the ;1r\lJ.Jl hied: where the do:..ure had bee-.n
iOo.'_'ak.J, ..... ' ht" r .. ' lilt' r r c (u;: n.:C' s Uc C ~.FI,' ~ (nr til ell rli';: 3SU i"L'. R<.' .sid,.:nt:S ',1,--1lh ch i Id ren unde!'
,,_~L' i; rrdn !hc p'.'\ I' .. l'!-il;lir "'.,1:>" <':1.'1) ',i~~r',. \'1 hik· ;It~, [I.' rn.li nll'cr of rc:sp~)ndt:l1ts prefer
¢ithr;r \\,,;: clos",;: Ilf tT',,--, cH,Je
PotH DE-partme-nt. The Police Dcpartm,m repm1::i th~t the traffic circle, has not
negatJvely' impacted eml'fg.ency n:~ri)ml." in the area
Fin o.partment. The ftTL'lt prex:nt:!d nu advcr5>e impact to the Fire Department. The
[Xpartmenf de~irrj thai "no pl.rking" zor~s be de-signated on all comers of the
intersection. Currently, six of the-cighl corner curb faces arc so designated,
Public \\'orks Department. The Operations Division reports tha~. similar i.o other
propo:scd tr:afti.: Inarugemeni d~ .... ices. a pemlanent cir-:le would jncr~mentally add to the
regullrly-required mainterunce demand for signing and curbing. Other extra costs will
be incut"fCd whc.n ~ mad is resurfaced and utilities infrastructure is repaired.
Landscaping is rna..intair~J by (he Parks and Golf Dlvi.s.ion. There has not beer! a dear
direction nor ~ hudgel allc"..:.a~ion for mainl~nance of landsc~iping associated with trafftc
management de'l-'ices. The Public Works Depanment is. responsible for watering
ururrigated public landscaping bu! has not \.,.'3tered the unirrij!ated street closures.. The
drought-tolerAnt landscaping in th,~ ~:lo;;urt':. has not fared weiJ. For a pemLanen! traffic
circle, an irrigation: s}'s~em would ~ required, or a poli..::y would need to be developed
to provide for manual \\J.(aing of Ih,~ n.:w land5capii1g.
~e1of15
Utitities Departm4!'nt. The Utilities Dq:-.anment poinl~ OU[ thaI any suda-:c obstruclicns
mak~ maintenance of uooerground util itit:s more difflc-ult lind cO$.tl~·. If utilities under l1l;:::
circle needed repair, a poJtjOIl of lhe cird~ would n3. ... (: 10 Ix T'C'ni\.I\'ed and replaced in
order to acoomplish t.his work. From thai ptrspccti\,t, a landscaped drcie would Ix
preferable to a hardscape design. The tnffic cil'clC' win ':J~ er rmmnoles and 0ther ulili~y
accesses_ As part of the design and conslruction of a permanent circic. IneSt" acccSS(:s
would need to be raised 10 the new grade in the circle 3ift"a
Palo Allo Sanitation Company (PASCO). PASCO roports ,~ .. lh< circle in'eriero.
with its trucks when vehldes par~ lUep.lI)' ;1"1 the fed z.m~') "4t b~ (Ornef$ of \h(,
intersection. In tho~ cases, drivers had 10 take special >::3.f'C 10 a",'oid hi"in~ the illegally
parked vehicles, and needed 10 drive over the .sloped c,-)n':Te'll~ h:o..:~s form~ng Ihe circle
PASCO favors trying some: othtr device thai wOIJld rrt"~e1'1t ks.~ inttrf,,:-.:n.:e-\\ ith th~i{
operatlons, (The slop¢d area ..-.;~) designed :;:f"'? ... ·!rlc.~Il-' t,,", :'1!!~"'~ ,"r.~T.).'l~'hm:~t tl\ lM!;t'
vehic:cs. and y.'otl1d b{~ inccrp>:)f"J,rcd inw ,1 l:n:~1 (ird~' d-:5-i.l'r; I
U.S. Porta! Sf<nicr. This. agi:ncy b'i. n;)~ },:!,j gl:.' )111';iL~jl~ '., 'li!l tiL' ~i"J:. M;j (,::rll" .... ~"
th<tl ii wor ks well.
Palo Alt{) ~u.rsing Center. Tr,~ I\IJ\"j\\l: (,~,'\',~'r j:' ~\, •• ~\\>j '.111 ,I"~,: ;;: ... ,,~ ~\d·,· I,f P,r)Mil
Street beiweeo Charlning and Addi('on, immdl1k1y 3dj,1::e'1: !n Ii;,' fl'ffllt"r s.trc<'i :;:hSUfl"
The director of the ~:efltcr ft~l.~ rh~11 th~ I..'ird,:.' is. a p,1s.i!i\'t~ .. h,H1f'" fr,J.11 tht" ~!rC'CI !':los!II'e",
as it slows drivers down and dc.x;.~ r"!ot take pad ... ln,g ~v.:ay fn'nl if) fr,)rJI t1f (he (;h dit)"
Urgent Care Center. This (3citity. p~Ht 1)1' Ihi." Pal":l Ailo :-"kdil,,,1 FO·.Jnd~it(1n tP;\;\H''),
i!) localed directly oppCl:-,ilc from If;e llurs.i!1,t; l.·'.IHtr. on Inc-w('~~ <,id;;-of Br)'2nt Street
They are pleased with the circle, and Ie-.:-llhat II i~ 3 g.rt';:tl ·lnlp({l .... ~mt:"ll( <.wer tr.e: forrr,a
!Otre(:1 closure.
PABAC was In fa"'or of the former stre-et closure at the condusion of its trial, and
believes that it was mort favorable for cjclis!s Ihan th(:" IraJl"ic circle. Ho",,"ever, the
circle is acceptable. If the circle is installed pama~mJ)'. PABAC r-equesiS that the
existing size not be reduced. that good signt lines bt-maijH. .. ir~d. Jnd that thert be
contrast between the paveillent and the t.:lge of lb: I..'irc.'k.
Evalyatiun by the Historic RcsQur~.~.~.J~~.'!DL{.HRB)
The traffic circle lS located In the Prafes-sorviltt Histun\., District During lh~ course. of
the bicycle boulevard projrxt, the HRB h3S not law'Ted .-::.ny oj the dl'\'icc~ rrl'rr"-J:,td or
test~d for Bryanl Sireet (srre.t! dos.urr:. road btlll~p~. I Ll.ffic cird .... ), dtit 10 <lddili0nal Slgn.s.
and striping, and blocking of the view corridor by the Irafti.,: (jrde. Wilh specifi.c ~gard
CMR:436:94 PaJ:e.8 0( IS
to the traffic circle t.;al, the HRB fel\ tl1a~ the circle was too large. One impact cited was
that vehicles are forced to travel too close to the pedestrian crossings. The: HRB is
especially concerned about the design of. pennanent circle, which should reflect the
character of 1I1e Professorville dislllci. Hard.c.'Ip" and visual elements oIller 1I1an
landscaping may be the beSI: treatments for the center Df the circle, The BRB wants to
be involved in the design.
'ooclyslQu
Staff concludes that the traffic circle shculd be made permanent al ils present location,
for the foUowing reas(,r.:s,
• Traffic cin:ulation ill the area has bce.n redistributed in a pattern similar to. and
lower in volume, than before implementation of the bicyc!e t'1oule'o'ard \!xlen<iion.
• The volume on Waverley, a c.:olleclor Slrt'et, whirh was. ,'xpc(:fd 10 r-c'2~I"-~ tht~
brunt of additionallfaffn.: from Bryant, ~5 to\~e.r Ihan h~f()fC the: il'lpkm.:"r>t~tion
of the bicycle bouievard
• The v·oJume on Bryant, which is p-articul:;rly crill(al btcaus.e it !.i Ih~ b:cyclt
boulevard, remains substantially lower Illan befort! the impiementation of ttJe
hicycle boulevard extension. PABAC supports the I.raffic cii',,;le.
• Midblock traffLc speeds on Bryant have essentially lW[ ('hangC'd 3';; a rts!.dt of
rem,w'mg the stop signs and installing, first, a stre.et dO~lJre, and now a traffle
circle.
• No accidents or other ma.jor problems have occurred at the Bryant/Addison
intersection as a result of the traffic circle or the remov;;:al of stop signs.
• The majority of neighborhood residents favor the circle over other possible
actions alIne Bryant/Addison intt;:rsection.
• The de-sign of the pennanent circle can ac,ommodale, to varying de.grees, the
concerns ~x.prt:ssed by the HRB, PASCO, and the City's 0iJol::rating departments.
• Thus, the circle has addressed the specific cor ns identified h)' Council lind
some residents during approval offhe hicycJe bOUiC.vard extension--which are the
possibility of increased vehicle speeds. and volumes. on Bryant Street and the
resuiting impacts on fhe safety of the residents and users of Bryan!.
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Qesign and Cost of Permanent Iraffie r;i!:ill
Proven traffic circle designs have been used for many years in Portland and Sea\~e, and
could be adapted for use in Palo Alto. Signs and geometrics for the temporary circle
were based on Port!aoo's standards. Given the location of this eirel"! in the Professorville
Historic District, special design considerations would be important. Staff anticipates thai
the design process may be somewhat involved, given the speciallocatic;on of the circle and
this being the first one orlhis type in Palo Alto. The Park Boulevard/Park Avenue circle
instal1a3 in the mid-1980s would not serve as a suitable model because it is-located in a
much larger intersection, If landscaping were incorporated in the circle, it would ~
necessary to develop a policy regarding maintenance ar.d watering of iandscaping. The
diameter of the circle would be reviewed in light of HRB's concerns; how~ver, traffic
engineering considerations ~'ollid be the primary determining hl:ctor in the diam~tcr,
resulting in 3. circle size similar to that currently in place. The process staff expects to
follow to dc:velop the d~~ign is disciJ~sed under '·Steps. Following Approval.·'
~;VALUATIOi' OF (lTHf:R,\SPE(;TS. __ OF' 'lJiL.6ICY!:U;,.JH)"!.ILEVARD
EXTENS10;S
When the bicycle boulevard extension was implemented. parking was removed from !he
south side ('If Addison between Bryant and W;wcrley between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
in order to install bicycle lanes. Several resident~ living on and near Addison repeatedly
reported that they were seriously incon .... enienced by this. parkjng los3. A:::; a part of th~
Wa\,'erley-AddisQn Study, discllssed by th~ Policy and Services C(..mmitte~ in May 1994.
and approved by Cound] in June, the removal of the bicycle lanes was approved, TIle
bike lane removal and the restoration of parking were completed in mid-August. This
block remains connected to the bicycle network by means of a Class III "bike route 1l
desJgnati on,
Pip on Bryant at KHIG~dey
The dip on Bryant at Kingsley has been a source of complaints from some residents since
fhe stop signs were removed on Bryant at Kingsley. Because the dip acts as a natural
speed control device, and is needed for drainage. staff has hesitated to remove it. in
May, the dip was partially tilled wlth asphatt~concrete in order to reduce the extreme
grade change, especially in the southbound direction, while maintaining its drainage
capability, "Dip~ warning StglJ'i will still remain in place, The speed measurements on
Bryant {discussed above) were tcken only a tew days atler this moditlcatioll, so it is
unlikely that thcy reflect any ilH'f!s.urablc changes in driver behavior due to the dip
modification,
~ge HI of IS
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On Tuesday. July 25, speeds of vehicles were measured as they crossed the dip. The
85th percentile "peed, were 23) mph southbound and 24,6 mph northbound, Speed, had
noc ber:n !Tte&Sured at tius location before the dip was mooified, so a direct comparison
cannot be made However, ihese spee.ds. are substantially lower than midblock speeds
presented ea.riicl'" in Ihi'S report. Therefore. the severity of the dip has been reduced to
I !nO« reasonable It-vel ~n the southbouoo d~rectiol1. while not unduly compromising its
ability to al.."t as a 'Ipec.d dete!'Tent.
Signs advising thai ·cro~s traffic does not stop" \\-"ere installed at each intersection along
Bryant '4'her~ s.top signs had been rrmoved in order to alert drivers who ",'ere accustomed
10 stop signs at those locations. Use of the.'ie signs on a permanent ba-sis interferes with
drive; \'isitJlllly and pedes.trian movements, and is not standard practice, Small
:.uwieml~_nlal sign plat!s lOoic-ating "t\.l,'o-way" are already in place in these locations, and
will IT':r..l.in. St2.ff had planned to remO\'e rhese signs at the end of the street closure trial
\d\~'::l<).s.c-d hy CO:.l1'k;\ in July l(},:n/, but Council directed th;li \he signs remain during the
Iri:?1 of Ih~ d~ .. i,,-e ~h3.1 v.'ou!d r..:rl~Ce the clos.ure. Council's n~a!;oni!1g was that ~afety
"".1.5 Df ~>rilnaT~ "-('iie'er:l, and-dri\crs rn,-~y sti!: need more rim;;-Ie adjust to the n:;::· ....
\'-";1Jltil_\:l~ Tht ~':.;'-'nd Ir1Jl is. 11(;1\ (wa, ;inrl mort' th~n s.ufljci~nt time h3~ pa~~ed for
(!ri, c":. ('J b('c'J!T:t lcquaifltcd Wllh [1'.(' nt'\\' (:onligur?llon Thus, qaff pJans to remove
Ihc \;'.a.rnillg signs.
In rr-spon..e II) requ<!sts frcrn the public over the;: pas.1 ten )'~3rs. primarily from
n::pre~n-rati\'es of lhe-Paio Alto M~dical Foundal~o-r. (PAMF), staff has monitored the
a.:-c-i6eol hi:stury at the BT):HllIHoma and BryantfCharllling intersections. As a result,
sc .. eraI changes ban: b-'~!1 made since the mid·1980s;, including extending the red curb
lOnes 10 improve visibiiit)'. and impro .... ing the nne--way signing and pavement tegends.
For severaJ ),ears following these improvements the number of accidents at these.
inter'$e(:tions remained at a relatively low level. Recently, the number of accidents has
increased. Since 1991. there have been twelve reported right-angle accidents at the
BryantlHOfllCr intersection. In addition, there were Iwo more accidents at rhis
I~tersection this month. which staff did not have the opportunity to analyze for inclusion
lO !h-i.s report_ CorrespoOOetltt frt}m PAMF -personnel has noted the-.se. ucddents., as weB
as an unreport~d as..-:idcnl involving a bicyclist, and numerous near misses; action has
been. requested fJom the City, F.ive reported right·angle 3ccide-nts have occurred at the
Bryant/Channing inlerse-ction sLnce 1991, one of which involved a bicyclist. Right-angle
accidents are cot"T'eCtable by Slap signs or visibility improvl!ments. Further visibility
iJnpro ... ~mcms are no! practical al either intersection. Pedestrian volumes are relatively
high at both int:!rsc·';I!ons. Staff has observed that many drivers, especially on Homer,
stop at Br)'anl even in III~ ~b"~~n("~ of SlOp signs, causing some confusion for pedestrians.
bi.c),ciists, aoo other drivers,
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Page 11 of 15
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The Palo Alto Bicycle: Ad ... ~sory Commia(!'e (PABAC) favurs [he installation of new stop
signs on Horner and Channing at Bryant in ord.er to facilitate hic)"clists crossing these
colkd.or streets, bur in conjunction '''''ith remm'!ng the ('\is£in~ stop sigm: on Bl)'ant al
these intersections. PABAC's reasoning is th2t theft art: cumnfl)' too many impediments
.along: the bicycle ooukvard bet"o'ttn Ch~Hm!ng 300 lytton (three signals and three Slop
signs), PABAC f~l! fhal the t-ic)'c!e botJleyard should be considered as a collector street
for bic)"des, and thus. despite Bryant's lower ,,"'o\ume, ~\ would he reasonable to stop
Homer and Channing tr2ftic for Br~;o.nl trJ,ffi..:. Sian c0nsidered this possibility, but has
concluded that the voltnne and Chiif'.K!tT of traffic 011 Channing and Homer is such that
i, would be unwise and potentilll)' unu(e to gi\c 1 10'1111" I,;olume s[reet preference over a
high volume street,
In conclusion. Staff rec!)mrrk:oos adding: slOp signs Orl H:'lmer .and Channing at Bryant,
Cleating ail-way (thX't.:'-\\,3:yj ~t0r 'tntcI<..:":':\:OflS" if P.-\;\1F m(''lv,:-s ilS' f<"1::ihl.., dS expected,
and [he are-a is r.:J..;,d,'p..-d, {r.,tlic '.c'h!l>~c, lri d"," ~1r~~ r:!:n ~JCdC,1:'<:'. and Homer and
Ch(tnning Sh~J\l]d k c':':l:,i,J~;(d f,lj rCYd~,,1:1 t,:--I""'·'IL'!), lr;\''-':] ;\1 thai tim::. the.
inter~c\"'1ions. cou!,~ j-·,c· re'. :.:\",,,, . ..1 f(l, r<,,<i:-'I:,· rc:n~l)".d l'< Ih~ ';:!(lP <.i!,'".n~ f>rl Br:-"2.r1c
l!1sttad of pC'rmanelll irIS!aJl3t!Un l)f tll" tT3r-fl':-'~I'!' .. 'lt (r::\"',:~rnll1c:nd3tinn 1 J. Cl.lundJ could
consider one of Ihe ai!l."rr.aliH" ~,-di('}l1~ ;d,·nt;t:d in All.1chmt:nt i as r",rt of the
neighborhood ~~Ir.'l.'y:
(13) Reml)\"e-[r.,,' cir,'k <lnd reph;,'(' II with a r~rlTl;lr]erl~ qr~·,-~t do:)ur~' Of] Br}'3.llt
De-!we--en Channing and A.ddis.on
(lh) Remove tile wele .ad "pi", it with ;lOp 'ign' on Bryant at Addi,on.
Or) Rernove the clrde and replact it with a road bump on Bryant on each side of
AddL",n.
(ld) Remove the ('ircle aod tal.<! no oth~r action,
Ail of the above allcrn:1!i\':;.·~ ...... cIt" L(1I1Inl~flkd (In by 3..-('3 r..:siG';:;nI5 in the neighl,orhond
survey dis.cussed Pibu\'c and tabulated ill ... \ttal:hmenl t; nOll': was. the resid~nts' preferred
alternati",e,
Alternative (1a). the Slreel CJOSUfl.!, is the most j: .. opular allernative to the circle as
identified by residerl1.s \0 ~h.;.: su!'\'e) St3ff 3tSC\ <"uP}'t<)(1.S 1:he ":>tf::~t ~\DS\.lrc B:..sed 011 iast
yC2r':s s.lH,'\.'cssfl.ll lcSI, it results HI the !(W,tSt volum.: Oil Bryant (favorable 10 bicyclis.ts
a~ Bryant residents), bUi heavier \Ol'.lm6 un adjat:cnl sti-cds. 111': latter issue, plus
CMR:43':~ PIt~e 12 Gf 15
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increased turns al the Bryant/Addison intersc.:tion, and the inahility to lraverse Bry:a:nt h}
aute and truck, were the primary neg:ati"~ factor.;. cited h)' re~,id-:nt.'5 and seryice
providers.
Alternative (lb), stop signs 011 Bryant, is opposed by st.aff ar.d mcr,.l biC'Flists as beirig
contradictory !o the purpose of the bicycle tx,u!evartL How(:ver, stop SiplS an: preferred
by many residents. especially those with children who .lIm1 Add,wn School .nd pa.s$
through this. intersection,
Alternative (lc), tWO road bumps. has not bee-n tcstN. 11 is .KCt:ptahk to bic-ycli~ts.
would control speed, and could reduce volume on Br)'ant It would be IC'~~ ;::.:pensi\'C'
~han the circie or the closuf"c.
Alternative (ld), removing th~, drde and taking no other 3t::!ion, r"'~lr~"'~nls . .;,uff's tr1ili:al
recommendation for the bicycle bO'.lkv .... rd e~lcn$io:1. H,W,,:"WL 1m n:. rt"~id:'"nh Jrd s-,:'~r,c'
Ccuncil Members \I,rere 0pp0~~d 10 leavi I1g Br~·2nl Stft';?t un'J;-' 'i rlJ. !I.' J f r{':-n E n.b,,,·,: ,0.,;;,.' r."\
to Channing, following reml),;':.ll of the Sl(lP sigil.~?1 King~l':> ;>,ld Ad"i,i,'>'-"","L T[,"; i,rlll',:tf'.1
conc.ern was that speeds, ;:lnd pO~5.iQ1J' \'CII.lll1c',), w()llld in, r,'~s:"
Regardil'1g the instal1at!on of slOp 'Signs. l..In HnriH'r ;m,1 C;la':ntl;.~ .1t E~rY.:1fq
(recomm~ndatiun 2). COline!! ..::outd ('onsida eme ~lf tho: :'(~:low!n~ :!!krnJ.!i·.t: dl'liGIO,):
(a) do not install stop 'ign> (i.e .• tak, no ,,,ion);
{2b) install SlOp signs only on Homt:r at Bry~n!: or
(2c) install stop signs as. recommended on HOJnt"r and Channing at Bryant. and
remove stop signs on Bryant al both locati0ns.
Alternative (2a) is not recommended. as the number of ;'H:c,d~nts :',1 lhe Bryant.iHomer
intersection more than meets the minimum num~r recommendc..1 fDr all-v.,'!lY Slop
installation. Allemativc (2b) does not illcludl! stop sjgn~ (In Bry'am af Chanrting, as this
intersection does not ha,re the minimum number of s.~.:cid(.'nts to warrant an all-way Slop.
This allemative does not mairltain consistency in stop sign cOlllrols as Bryant Street users
cress the Horner-Channiilg one--way couplet, and is thus Iwl n;.:ommcnd~.j. Alte-mati, ~
(2c) is not recommended tx.:cause. as explained earher in this Te'port, it ',I,'olild be unwis.e
and potentially unsafe to give J. low volume street preference over a h~gh volume stro!>et.
An approximate conc.eplUal~lev(.1 cost es.limak for an irri.gi.Hed. landsc3ped circle rangt'::.
from .$25,000 to $30,000. A design that is ('ompatible with the historic aspeci of (he
---------_. __ ._----
CMR:4lIi:94
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neighborhood, such as a design that included mostly hardsc.pe arK! a vertical feature
other than a tIee, could result in a cost surpassing $30,000. In December 1991. Council
approved an ordinance amending the budget for FY 91·92 to eMablish a new CIP project
in the amount of $69,000 (Street Improvement Funrl--Bryant Street Bie)'cie Boulevaro
Extension. No. 19212), to provide for aspects of the project other than the
BryantlEmbarcadero signal {which was funded by electric utHity funds). The. source of
funds for the CIP is. 1992·93 Transportation Development Act (fDA) grant. The funds
from the 1992·93 TDA grant are available until June 1995. Thereafter, the Metropolitan
Transportation Cnmmis.siorl wUl all<Y'....ate unused fuoos to other projects. The approximate
balance in CIP No. 19212 is $45.000, and can be used to fund the design and
construction of L~e permanent traffic circle, subject to the June 1995 deadline. Staff
proposes to 'Work with a volunteer group of neighborhood representatives to d;eveJop the
canceptu~'\l and final designs of the circle. This would aid in developing a design lhat
would be acceptable to the neighhorhooJ as a whole, and ShOllfd sa',It! the City some of
the cost of design work.
The attach~d enviromnelllal asse~~f1lerH (91·EIA·28) was pr~~.\'iou:>iy prepared for 1he
bicycle boulevs.rd proj~(;t v,rith and wilhoul the street closllre, and Council approv,:d a
Negative Declaration for th~s project at its meetillg of Dec~mbcr 2, 199L That ElA
described operational impacts of the former street closure, and idcnlified blocks where
traffic volume increases would be the greatesL The operational impacts of the traffic
circle, as well as the changes in traffic volumes, are all less. than those evaluated in 91
EIA-28 for the Sigel closure. Thus., additional environmenlal J.s.St~$smeI11 for the traffic
circle is not required. The insrallation of stop signs at the BryalltlHomer and
Bryant/Channing intersection.'> i~ categorically exempt under the California Environmental
Quaiity Act, so environmental assessmem for those actions is not required.
SIEPS FOLU)WING APPROV AL
Staff proposes lO work with a volunleer group of nl!ighborhood representatives 10 develop
the conceptual and fmal designs of the circle. The de-.sign would be re.\,1ewed by the. HRB
and PABAC, and be approved by the Architec1ur.1 Review Board (ARB). Staff expects
that three conceptual designs would be dev(,:jopcd--a fully Jandscaped design, a hardscape
design, and one other (such as a combination of hardscape and landscape elements).
Working with a such a group would aid in developing a design thai would be acceptable
to the neighborhood as a whole, and should save the City some of the cost of the usual
design work.
P"ooIgt 14 01 IS
..
Due to funding constraints e~plained above. CO!lstruction of the permanent circle will
need to be underway by June 199~. Therefore, staff intends to set up the neighborhood
design group shortJy after Couru:il approval, to gain ARB approval by January 1995,
complete final plans and select a contractor by March J995, and award lIle construction
contnlct by April ]995. 1lte construction contract would be bTI.Jught to Council for
approval.
AIT ACHMENTSIEXlUBITS
1. Table of neighborhood preferen= regarding disposition of Bryant/Addison
l'!mporary traffic circle.
o Qi-EIA·28. October 28, 1991.
cc: pj;mning COfT1n1is::.ion
Arch;lect'Jral Re\'it~w B,)ard
Historic R~sources Boa.d
Pal(1 A!to Bicycle Advisory Comml!tr.e
Palo Alto C~Jm~er of Commerce (Susan Fran!:)
City of Menlo Park (Don Dey, Ruhell NiilO)
Stanford University (Julia FrCrTlOil)
Page 15 of lS
ATTACHl\1ENT 1
NEiGHDOPHOQO P?~TtRt~CE~ REGARDING DISPOSr~ION OF
B'Rl:"MfTjhrJ:lISON T!:jojpOR.AAY TRArF'iC C!R(:LE
!'f')Mg~Pl (;1' USPONSES BY PLACE OF' RESIDENCE OR
Ko pr.tersnce or r~.ponle not
cleat".
Dooomtown
(f'o-~.II-t t-Q
Lyttenf
BUS mESS
:?rof.,,
.orville,
South of
Fo:te.~
1 "
:r«.bar
cadero to
Churchill
<5 (3\)
231
AlTACHMENT 2
Environmental Documents . Ctty ~f Pile Alto
QIV !!!(Jft)([A l oI.S S [ SS!lE~,
Project Descr1pt1on/l1tle: BrYlnt Strut ..i.k1. __ 1'-_Soy1 ,,,.rd Exter.s jon pr?jrc1..-:;:
RecPWJn;WI, Sybstitute. and CQlb1ned phns>-l,"od"'---V".l.!r..Ji ... ' .. t ... i"'Q""-s'-_______ _
location/Address: Brnnt and w.verhy StrHts. betm!l Chya:~ill Aunue Ind
Sin franc1squitQ Creekj '04 Addison. Chyrch]!). ind CQ1~ri~ Avenyes betwren
BrYlDt and Waverley Streets
Sponsoring Ageo<y/Applic.nt: tity of ,,10 Alto -----,--------
Address .and Telephone of Applic<1nt; l?.O: ___ J(~!lilton Avenue. Pjlo Alto, CA 94306
14151 329-2552
A;!plication for: Road Il'!!prOv~;1ts
(e.9.! z.oning chang.:, suWiyisiorl of propertj-, ul:~;,t€'::t, .. r<tr-;:e~I'iI?' ... ~----u-5·e
penni! i
Zoning at Prr,ject location: _111.2.. ____ _
Based upon r.:vieJf of the project fill2"h .t.he lJ~ders1gnl:'j r-:-_-.:'er of tr~ ?l,ann"Ll,g
O~?artment has ~onc1~ded:
1 ii 1
I]
Negi2ti.¥e Decl?J:,ation: The project fiB no ~i9l1ificint er1'o'irulloental
impact, No En'r'iror~ntal Il!pact .~eport is. req;.dred. Th~ reasons for a
Negati¥e Cec1aration are:
in the a __ tti!lc~_Q_"Jnitii!l Study. whlrh cMclyd~s t~aLlb .. ~-'~ __ 3 .. r:t._'!J.Q ____ ~jg.ntf..:
icant en;:irQO!!!enta1 iSlcts. ThiS o'QctJ!:!?nt is. najJ_i.Q.lt...1.2r rgyigw it
the Palo Alto Transportoit1Qn DlvisiQn. 5i.A1J'L.£lw .. 1. __ .. Citr H.,ll. 150
HpiltQD Aveny!!. S M -12 noon ~ ___ L.PM ~::-______ ~ __ PM, ~ndiiy-Frid.i'.
The prC}ject aay have a 5ignificant erl'o'lrQT8ent,ll 1a.pact.
EnVironmental I~act Report will ~ prepired,
An
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Phnning Oep.rtaoent Offici,l: ~ dftd!e,2 .. _·~r44b.!.,c:.,.t,~ ~dJ. r D
Planning Director: )¢j" .• W Sc~__ Oat.: /Q/l£/9/ •
The project has be-en .apprc .... e1, Date:
The project has ~en denied. Oate;
9) ,ElUS
£lANOO
Reylsed 10/18/91
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ENVIRONMENTAL actuOS -PALO ALTO
INITIAL STUOI' ••
r. Project Title/Address: Br!(ant Stre~t~~Y.l~t'!.·~'UGrd~~Ex~!~e=n=s::j=O",,:-~-~= Recommended. Substityte. and CQmbined Pl!n3~ and V~ri»tlcns
U. Project Oescriptlon: E.xte.nL1b~~ent bicycle bQule'o'Hd frO!!! its.. __
present terminys at (hu.rchi 11 A'/enue. ncrth""ard) through d01m_tOWD __ ~~
AHa. to the ex1Sting bicycle/pedestrjan bridGE acros.L2.!.tL.Uancisquito
Crg!k. The Rec:onmended. Substitute. and (ollIbine.QL!.ns are fjva'YjtNl in 1h11 Initial Study. with a street closure locat~9n Bryaot either
between Addison and Lincoln. or betl(een Charming and AddisQr •• Thts
Initial study is va1id for th~ existing stop sign lQcatio~s on BrYlnt~_
as well as for stop sign changes proposed ;n tne ~ec~nded ~~ ____ ___
111. Environmental Setting: !k:bafJ res.idential area. dIYofLITltQWns_entnl by:.j-
ness district (C __ I;i~ ___ p.aNed roads. substantiill hndscap.i.ng end tr"'e$ in
the residen;ial §orea. urban tnffic !loise. eSDec.Lcl,JJ..t ... ir ... ___ P?lJ .3od fl%b(}rc-
aderoLe..r.Yltr)t "intersection, ______ _
IV. EnvircnmentaJ Impact Checklis.t (F.xpl,an-ltion of a~l "ye<1 iin~oifn u..? iri
Section V)
1.
a, Unstable e~rth conditiuns or changes
In g~olog1c substructures?
b. Disruptions, di~placements. compac
tion or overcovering of the svil
c. Change in topography or ground
surface relief features?
d. The d""structioll, covering or modi
ficat10n of any Ulllque geo1ogic or
Physical features?
e. Any lncrease in wind or water eros1on
of soils, either on or off the site?
f. Exposure of people or property to
geologic hazards such as earthquakes.
landslides. mudslides, ground failure
pr sirilil ar hazards?
g. Changes in siltation, deposition! or
ero~ion whicn m~y modify the channel
of .a river or the bed of a bay PI'
inlet?
.. Adapted from Appendix I, CalHornia Guidelines for Implementatlon 'Jf
CEQA, December 14, 1976 .
• * Updated May 1982, J"oe 1983
[IACKI
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Revised 10/28/91
91-EIA-2S
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2.
3.
'. /
Air. .i 11 the proposa 1 result in:
•• Sub. hot i ,I air ~issions or de-
terioration of ambient air quality?
b. The cre~tion of objectionable odors?
c. Alt~ration of air movement, mai shire
temperature, or any change in elf-
mate, either lotal1y or regional?
ltiW;. Wi 11 t~e proposal result in;
a. Changes in absorption rates, drainage
patterns, or the r~te dnd amount of
surface ~ater runoff?
b, Alterations to the course or flow of
fl ood waters?
c. Discharge into surface waters, or in
any "lteration of surfan wOlter
Q'.I.al'lty, inc.luding but not lil"1itel1 to t"empp.r.atur~, dissolved oxygen Qr
turbidity?
d. Alteration of the direction or rate
of flow of ground wat~rs1
e, Exposure of pe{)ple or property to
water relatf.d halards such as flood
ing or tidal wave?
f. Change in the quantity of ground
waters, either through direct
o.dditions or withdrawals, or through
lntercepti~ns of an aquifer by cuts
or excivati~r.s?
4. Plant Life. Will the proposal result in:
il. Change in the diversity of species, or
number of any species of plant~ (in
cluding trees. shrubs, grass, crops,
microflora and aquatic plants)?
b. Reduction of the numbers of any
uniq~e, rare or endangered species
of pl ants?
c. Introduction of new species of
ill ~
EIACKI 91-EIA-1B
Revised 10/28/91 2
1lQ.
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ElACKI
p13nts into an area, or in a barrier
to the normal r~p1enish~nt of
exist!ng spec.ies?
d. tle-duction in acrei!'~i! of any
agricultural crop?
".....
',~'
S. Anlai! Life. Will the proposal resuH in:
a. Change in the diversity of sp~cies,
or of any species of animals (birds,
land a"i~ls includin9 reptiles,
fish a~d shellfish, benthic organis~~,
insects or ~jcrofauna)?
b. Reduc.tion of the rH':r-1bers of any
:mi(JLJe, rare or endangered species
of ifl ;r.,.1 So!
c. [ntr~~uctlo~ of no~ specles of
dnirrals ir,to ar1 area, or re:SIJ1t in
a barrier to the Migration Oi' :~o~e
~ent of animals?
d. Deterioration ill existing fish or
Io!i ldl if~ tlabitat?
6, ~oise .• hil the proposal ft;'sult in:
I.
8.
d, Increases in exis.tir.q noise levels?
b. txposur~ of people to severe noise
levels?
L~9ht and Glare. Will the proposal
produce ne. light glare?
lind Use. Will the proposal result in
a ~ub$tantial alteration of t~e present
or planned land use of an area?
9, Ef1ergy/~dtllral ReS(!J,Ir~J~~ ..... ill the
proposal result in:
a. Use of substantial amnunts of fuel
or Er.ergy;
b. Substantia.l increase in demand upon
eXisting source~ of energy, or
Revised 10/28/91
-
91-EIA-28
3
_x_
_x_
10.
require the d~yelo~nt of new
!;ources or cn.e'"9Y?
c. Jncr!ase in the r.t~ of use of .any
natuTil resources?
d. Sub5t!ntial d2pl~tio" of anj ncnre
~.ble r,alur~l re$~urc~?
Ri.s.li of Upset. [)o.es tnt prcp'Osal
involve iii rl3.k of -In e'(plosion or the
reluse of h.azaroolJS s.:..bstjnc.e~ (in
du~ing, ~ut not iillliited to, c.d1,
p~$ticides, chl'1"icals or r!'!1~;;tjon) in
t~e e~enl of i~ ~c,ide~[ or upset?
Will the pr~PQ~ar 3iter t~e locatI0~,
dlstrlbJtlon. df~Slt). or gro~t~ I'ale
(,f ~h'E' hU~"fl PL'~".!i':it :'::;', .:,f dr, ari'~1
b, ~'il; t:''! rr'Jf",:'S'l: effect, c).i)ti:
hc.~JsirrJ, or (r!?atl:' it {!e~'alid fo, tdditi~~al hn~5lng7
17' lr ... :;5portH 10''VnOr.<=n'bUat ian. Will tr~e
proposal result In:
a. Gener~tion ~f subst~ntial lddi'icn~1
\leh ieu1 dr 1IO',;~.{'nt? _ ... .J._~
[JACK]
b. fffects O~ exi~tin9 Pdr~ing faciij.
ties., or deaolnd for r.~ PlrJ.in9? L
c. Alterati~ns to pr!!ent patterns of
cirrulati~n or .a~~nt of people
dr'1d/or goods? .. L
d, incre'se in triffic hazards t~ aotor
¥th!clts, bicyclists or ptdeslr;ans?
13. Publ.i...L2er\'ires. Will the proposal hay€
in effect upon, GY result in a net'd for new
or altered go~ernmentil services 1n any of
the following areas;
i. fire protection?
Rev; sed 10/28/91 91·E1A·18
4
_1-
... .l.
_x_
E lACK!
b. Police protertion?
c. School s?
d. ParKs or oth€r recreation~l
facilities?
e. Maintenance of public f~'l}lties,
including I"oads?
f. Other govenmental s.ervices.?
14. !l1i.l.jJ.J_~. Will the proposal result 1~ a
nsed for new systems, or substantial
altera.tions to thr; follo;'!ir:g utilities:
(. Io,later?
d. Sewer or septic tafl~?
e. Storm water dralnagE'?
f. Soljd waste and disposal?
15. lliJJl1J1!1 Hedlth. ~1l1 tt~€' ~H"'opc5.al r'e::ouH
in:
16
I).
a. Creation of any health hal~rd or
potential healtn hazard (e;:(cluClinq
mental health)?
D. Exposure of people to potentla1
health hazards?
Aesthetic~. Will the proposal result
in the-obs.truct ion of any scenic \Ii sta
or view open to the public, or .. ill the
propos~l result in the creation of dn
i~sthetical1y offensiv~ site open to
publ ic ""iew?
~iltioll. Will the prop{)sal result
in an impact upon the qual ity or quantity
of eXisting recreational opportunitie~?
Rev i sed 10/28/91
•
~L
18. Cultyral Resoyrces.
a. Wi" the pro~osal result in the
alteration of/or the de~truct1on
of a prehistoric or historic
ifchaeolog1cal site?
b. Wi 11 the propoSAl re.ult 1n ad·
verse physical or aesthetic effects
to a prehistoric or historic
build1n9, stryct~re; ~r object?
c. Does the ~roposal have the potential
to cause a pnysica1 change which
would affect lmiquE' c!.J1t~Jral values?
d. Will tn~ r>roposal restrict existing
religjous cr sacred uses ~ithin the
potential Impact area?
19. tI_~J1.1ator\/ Findinqs IJf Slgl',jJi_l:A.1.h~.
ill
i. Does t~e project h~ve the potential to
degrade the quality of the enYiroI1m~nt.
substantially reduce the habitat of a
fish ar wildlife species, cause a fish
or wildlife population to drop below
s~lf·su~taining le~els, threaten to
eliminate rl plant or ~nirnal cornmunHy,
reduce the number or restrict the
range of a rare or endangered pI ant or
animai or el imin.ate important exampl{l$
of the major perl ods of California
hlstory or prehi story?
b. Does the pr.')ject ha,,-e tne potential
to achieve short-tet1n, to the di s
advantage of long-term, environ~ntal
goals? (A snort-term impact on the
environment is one which occurs in a
relatively brief. definitive period
of time While long-term impacts wi 11
endure well into the future_)
c. Does the project have imp~cts which
are individ~ally limited, but
cumulatively considerable? (A pro
ject may impact on two or more
separate resources where the irnpilct
£lACKl 91·[!A·lB
Revi .. d 10/28/91 6
on each resource ;5 r~latively
s~al1. but where the effect of the
total of those impacts on the
environment is significant.)
d. Does the project have environmental
effects which will tause substantial
adverse effects on human beings,
either directly or ;ndi~cctly?
o
YES
Y. Explination of "yes" answers in environmental checklist.
See attachl!d.
tlACKl
Revised iO/28/91 91-EIA-28
7
• ,
\
1he p~rpos£ of tnls project l~ to extend the existin~ bicycle boulevard by
oI~lH·tll:i.Hel}· 1.3 Jrn7E's. The purpose of a bicycle boulevard i$ to provide a
di~'Ct route that rP.-duces trdvel time for bicyclists and minimizes conflic.ts
t.eh.een bi'C)'cles and mtor ~~hiclEs, The hicycle boulevard t.'lUS promotes the
lose of bic.,rcles a5 an aiterniltive transportaUon mode for all travel purposes.
U~e of the bic.ycle as .1ii"i il.tem.atlve tnnsportation mode will take on
1ncruslng illliportilncp as .a w.ty to .~et thl!' requirefl'!-2nts of nelrll State and
re'jl on.l I re9ulitions vtIich ittempt to irnprovr:' air quality and decrease traffic
c.o~9;!$t len.
BiC)'c1e BouJevu~ ___ Ext@nslon PliD..Lrvaluated in thi~ __ Initial Study
This l~itla1 St~dv is b~~ed on the e~aluation of the Recommended, Substitute,
,and (O$bino:-<1 P1an'~, ... ~tt-: J strei!t c1e;sure located on Bryal'1t eHher between
Addiso~ and Linco!rl, or bet\ll'een Channing and ,4ddison. Hie Combined Plan
i:".(iLJde~ ~h(> f"'~H(.idero/Br)'2nt jnter~e(tion con(iglJration as df:scribed in the
Ri'Ci:-'~r"';je,j P13;n {I.e., traffic lig"'jt. left turn pod(ets, channelizatlDn
I'!.L!r,):;. e.i"j t'Jrn re<;trictioll~), ~,jIJS the street closure as d~scribed irt the
Sl,j:'S~1'_it.;-f'br.. The ~€'(o'TJ"'t'r;,:k,j, Substitute. and COlllbim.d. Pll1ns are
.. ,\~",.,tiul .::t ,~ll ID(atir.;n~ eX(~pt for Hie frr,barc.:dero/Bryant intenection arid
t1",~ ~t(h:-t (lG!.urE. HilS lrrlthl St\.idy i~ valid for U:~ existing stop sign
h'~cltic:',";'; "'," 2r-)'.:[!t. a.;; ' .. e-n .!.'.. for :,t.op 'ioi9rl (nanqe:. pruposed iii the
i\~':(I-r-er,Jr.-:i ~'1Jn' t~-2 i~;od;:t ':If st<p s.ll;n In<:",gcs does. not matel-ially chang-e
thi:s iHhi;':;lC,.
This Initial Study is based' on a ~w("Jrst Cilse~ analysis, The greatest impact
at a ~pecjflr lQl~tion attl'ibutabl~ to any of th~ Bicycle Boulevard Extension
plan~ W~\ ~s~d in t~j} Initial St~dy. Actu~l impacts would not be as great &~
df~(ribfd herrin. because no sin91~ pl~n represents the worst case at all
loc.tio~5. TMp diS(ussion in the next section of Items !2a, b, c, and d
(Trinsport~t\on/Circul~tion), and [tems lla, b, e, and f (Public Services)
inc-l;...:ae~ H·e traffic 9!!nented by the propos.ed expansion of the Palo Alto
Medjc~l fQu~daticn (PAHF). Hlu~. tr.e dlHussion of these items is based on
the cu.u!ati"t:' lJ1PiiCts of bQth t~e PA!'lF expansion and the Bicycle Boulevard
txtensio~ plil.~s. If the PAMF expansion i~ not built, the traffic impacts
described ~)~ ~,uld be le~s. Only those a~pects of the PAHF expansl0n that
wo~ld ~dd to thE imp.atts of the Biclcle ~ull!'vard Extension plans are included
l~ this discussion. Other impacts of the PAMF expansion project are described
In the In'olirot'.aental lI.pact Report fer that pr{lject.
In the fol1D~ing paragraphs, all Checklist ite~s marked "Mayb~:' and ~Yes~, as
well .U SOCfIe "'.arked >No~, <irE explained. Section and figure references below
refer to the ~S....unt Str£!.et SlC)'cle_~_Ql.devard ExtenSion ~!tltQrJ.. City of Palo
Alto Tr.n~rcrtatiun Division, September 1991. This report is available as
de~cribec ',r. tr,~ frl','iror.'":1ental A~~ess!"ent, lh€ Recommeoded and Substitute
t" lAo.: 1
Re .. '; sed 1{1/28/9l
Sl-U~-28
8
P1lns. arr: des.cdbed in SeCUC1\ 10 t'f the re?~rt.
described above,
Itea 2{;J). Air This itell", .iIIS 5IIirk.ro "no.' A stL.:d, of tlie estimaha emissions
at the Sryant/EMbarcadecro io1tersectio", for wulgnalized (e)(!stif1gJ and
signalized co~ditio~s "as conducted in Jurp 1989 (1igPilized co~ditions were
based on th(l "wors.t c-iSe"",ufires.tflcte<i use of the intt'nection by <ill
veh\cles). City st~ff ~rovlded t~e traffic dit~, ,nd the emissions
ta1culatio~s were prepir~ ~y Mic~.el (i. of the 8.y Area Air Quality
Manf,9~nt DIstrict. 1n1! r~su1ts 0( the e9.i.ssi-oc-,s ciltuh.t~ons are as
follows:
eefore s.ignl; ?.at l(rr"!
After 5i~nii'zat~on
1 n l rl2 a S l:
,05
, ! S
NHr-ogen
Q.!.iQ.'£
o
The increasa 1~ e-issi~n~ of CJr~:~ -·~~A.~~ ~f is ~Qn~,'da~ 1S t~10~ the
thre.s~!,,;d l~'.'::ol ~f .27.5. to",:;"c".!' 'C'1Sl'."i:('li ~".' h ~,iS"lifil3rlt t\)' t~,e 8:1:, Ar"a
;'i, Q,L'l.litj' ~;;.rl.a9-e--c'~d. D1,tnC( h J~'!':(""J Hi 13'11<-, ill] '~,·1 of ;',Jc ... Qu.?.JjJ.:l
~LU rb~ n .... Ot;-'(I?.LQJ::';:-li.~_g I" j rJ::.J..i.l.~-,:.~~(:.~ ...... f, ~.~." ..!.2 .. lE .... i ::.DS .. t.i...-,).L.EJ.:.QJ.t:":.t .... .,l. .. r::d P l~,
SAt.OrlD, t;"0','1:mbe-T '19e.S. S,r:::€' ..1'.)r,.;::-193':1, trJff't, )OIU~,b ,;\ t;f)--anl/l1:"!bc.)'caCno
ha ..... e incr€dHd by i1!:1DiJl: 2 :"HUflt, ",,-},j(h ,j.: .. i':' r:(l', "'-!terldly affed this. \lir
qu~lity analYS1S.
A st~dy of t~e esti~~ted e~is5icMS ~a~ c~~d~cted fo~ t~p prap0sed ne~ stop
signs Or) Ho,'"Ier and ::'~ilnnir;g at tlr)'tirjt. HE' ir!cr:;>as€ in ,,:-:-,is~.lCn$ ",.as found to
be below the Stat~ stand3rJs fer Hydrocarbons, Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen
O;.:ide. ThiS anal.ysis is ii".;ubbh' if! thE 1raj1~~portaiiDn DI'.;ision H describ€d
in the En~ironmental Asses)~~t.
Items ilia, b, c. .Al,_ Irar-tS[!orlati-on/Ci,-ql.U.9.D
~l~LHgvem.:-nt. The $I..ibstltut-e and Cc-;tJin.e-d P};ai"J$ )t'O!.J1c! cl<lse Bryant
Stre:et to an <ootor "enide traffjc. (eHE'pt f~rger.r:y lIPhicles) bet\tteen
Ch~nning ~nd LincDln A"en~es (i.e., at lo(.tjo~s A, 8, C, or 0 as. shown in
F19ure 6,6 of the fxlensior. Rep'Ortj J by ~.rtS of a pe-raanent str""et c·!o~ure.
The RecOllftE'nded and Combined Plans would prohibit certain IDOtor vehicle
tur"i~ "O'iE'lIfnts at the EClllbCircadero/Brjilll"lt i nlersi!'ct ien. These features
would t~use e~isting and future Bryant Street traff~c \8 uS~ other routes,
The j~cre~se in yehi(le-~iles tr~~elled due to the street closure and the
turning prohibitions, eS a percenta.ije of total .,.,~hicle-~i1es tr-a .... ·el1ed fo!' a.ny
gilien trip, is expected to be "in"i~til J as <lri't'ers. ire e-xpect-e-<J to use
alternate routes whic.h are no longer, or onlj up to thne blocks longer, than
the direct Brjant Street r(}ute, Refer to L'1-e Circl.ililtion s.ection belew fol'"' a
discussion of the impacts of these diverted trip~.
<lACK)
Revise-d 10/28/91
9} flA-28
9
-.
-.... ;...;..:.---------.-~-.. -•• <-.
Parking Impacts of Street Closure:. None of the BicyclE' BoulE''.'ard £xtenslo!"l
plans would cause a demand for ntw par~in9. To the degree that the txtensl0n
Ciuses il shift fl"'OfI\ auto~bile driving to bicycllng for r,on·recreation~l
trips, the dell'!'and fo" automobile park."inllJ' will det ... eii~e. A str~et closure
)ocated Oft Bryant between Channing and lincoln A,enues would dlsplace
approximately two on·street parkHH] spaces on eac'" side of Bryant. for 4 10tll:}
l~ss of 4 on-street parking spaces. On-street parking on 8rya~t ae:we~n
Channing and Addison lS well-utilized d~rin9 the day, pri.arily by ~loyees
of th-e Pa10 Alto Medical (1 inic and other downtown bus ir,e'SSes, Thus. the loss
of four park.ing spaces in this bl(ld. would create a d~and for four pnkl~
spaces elsewhere, presumably farther lnto the neighborhood where parking
spaces are iYiilable. This additional demand, when dispersed over se~oenl
other blocks, is not expected to cause a siqnlf~cint impict on the
nelghborhood, even in the block of A1di~o~ Street betwee~ ~averl~y l~d Bry,r.t.
as discussed In the next paragraph. Th€ i.pact of lcsing four parking spaces
on Bryant l:i.etweefl MdisCl"o <!.r.':i Ur.(;o10 is less ttH.f1 tl"l€ ~bo''''~ ·:::~s~, b~Ci.'J$e d-l.:i
time on-street parking south of Addison i~ not fully occupie~.
Park.i~.~l~_Ql1 ___ ~O::!;Jison and Coleri1ru..,'~w'?'r.~J"2. ;',11 M !r.i' Bi(f!..."1"
BOl.:levard t):t.ensian pLms. would r€:sult in the pl'"I:~!ib'itio:; {1! n"l"kir',~ t,,!t, ... ":.:~
AM 2nd 7 PM l'l1 Ofle sid(-of nne Dlock of both Colerir:l~::.> ,o.r,ri ,~jj\s(:r, :\,U~U"''
between Waverley al1d Bryant, re:ilflting in the 105$ '}f zt:u:Jt 20 "r'.2~:';S ir! ta,>"'
blcck during daytime hours. As doc~~ented in Sp~tion g.3 of t~;? r~~Dr', \~i\
loss. may cre<;t~ some deficienc), uf 'ipace::. an l.edisQjj ri','t:r,"t O"Jrir:g thO' p·ri[:d~,
jl!T,lediateiy following 7 AM and irT;'~·ediiltel.Y prece·jing 1 p,"j, <:s .... {lll a:;.
inconve(1ienc~ to SOrr'h2' Addis-on Avenue residents.; ~Qf,le'.'er, thesE.> i;·-'Lldl"l.S. 3""," r,,:,t
considered lo be si9nifjcanL Parking deill,arlo Or'! Cc,1erid9{> i:. lr;w', ~I::> tho )OS-5.
of daytime parking on ColeridgE will not ~a'le a shlfiifi(.ant i~,p ... ct.
ParkiM Impacts Near Castilleja $'.)-,.9.9.1. 1he channe1izatl!Jr. 1<,I~r:d~. itt the
Bryant/Embarcadero traffic signal, Hsocl"ted with tt1e R;:corm~iljed anC
Combined Plans, would require that two to three on-street parking spaces be
relito\'ed 0, .each side of aryant immediately north and SQuth of (m,bar.cild~ro, for
a total loss of 8 tQ 12 on·str~et parking spates. Half ot this lo~; ~o~ld
occ~r south of Embarcadero and would bE noticeable ~hen Cas.tiileja $choo1 is
in operation, as most Ol'i-~treet pa.rking spaces 1n that block. arc in use during
school hours. fspeclall), on the C3.stll1f:.ja side of Bryant. Othn Ur1occupie{!
on-street parking is availabl~ du)-ing tnese haurs in the blocks of ~eil099
Avenue and Emers~n Street bordering Castilleja, on the Castll!eja side of t~~
stre-t-ts, so this lo-ss of park .. ~n9: spa('.l;s is Mt considered to be it s1gfliflCilnt
impact.
PiTting Impacts on RamQna Street. He Substitllte and (o:nbined Pian~, with a
street -closure o.n Bryant between Channing and Alldison. (oLt"id caws€' .a,.nage
daily traffIC volume (ADT) on Ramona b~tween Channing and Addison to increase
to a level sueil that rem~v~l of parki~g on one Side of Ramona between Channing
and Add~son might need to be considered. On Ramona between Homer and
Channing, park.ing on the east side of Ramona has been prohibited for man),
years. This is. because Ramona is 30 feet wide, whid is considered to be too
narrow to comfortably accorM",odate ful1y occupied p.a.rldr.q on t\oth sides. Q.f the
street and two lanes of traffic with an ADT in th~ j'ange of 1200· 1400
[lACKl
Revised 10/28/91
91 ElA-1B
10
.. 'P
'--.," . ',.
--'~--~-_\ ------,~-.,-------
vehides. Hone of the Bicycle Boulevard E:c:tension pians recomends removal of
'Plrbr.g on Ramona beciouse the an.t \cipated ~'lrst case t..r.a.ff1c 'o'olume ~'gh.t not
deyel~p, in part. because parking on bOoth sides of Ramona ~ould act as a
deterrent to driv~rs who might consider u$ing this street.
Sho~ld it t-ver b~ ad~'Sible to pn}hibit parking on RamuM after the s.tre~t
(l~sur~ had b~en installed, it is probable that the prohibition would only be
on t~e east side of Ramona between Channing and Add'lson dur1f19 norma.l working
holJrs. Puking in thls block is usually fully utilizp.d during He d~y. but is
rel~t)vel~ 1i~nt at other times, as ~nQicated by a par~in9 sur~2y conducted en
a week. day in October 1990, (The intent of the survey was to assess the
extent (If non-residential park.ing in neighborhoods surr{)lInding downtown. The
survey indicated t~at, at 6 AMl 7 vehicles were parked in this block, ail of
~1ch wett!' assumRd to be1orl9 to residents, At S. AMI there were 28 veh~cles
~arked, witn 6 belonging to residents. At 10 AMI there were 29 vehicles
park.td, with Z belonging to residents.) The possible parking prohibition
would entail a ioss of approximatelY 14 parking spaces for t~e wee~,day day
time period. This loss ~ould not be expected to caus! sigrtlficant
inconvenience to the residents of that block, as the number of residents who
park in the street during the day is relatively small. The~e residents could
compete \rroIith employees for' parking on He west side of the ~treet., and/Dr
utilize their dri'leways. Abotlt half of the errplojees lI'ho PJi'k on Ra~'ona
during the day would need to find parking spaces elsewhere in t~e
neighborf,ood, How~er, all the Sicycle Boulevard Extension plans would r~slJlt
in a large g~in of on-street sp~ces on Waverley, as discussed Ifl t1le next
paragraph. which wO!Jld more than ofhet cl loss. of employee parking in the
general area.
Parking ImpacJ __ on~_~_!verl~. All the Bieycl€ Bouleyard Exten$.;on plan:> '~ould
result in a gain of approximately 170 on-street parking spaces as. a result of
the removal of bike lalles and rejnst~tement of parking on portions of Waverley
Street and Churchill Aver,vB. This includes 13 MW spaces on Waverley in the
do~nto"n area.
Circulation. The Substitute and Combined PlariS wOLild alter pr~sent ~atterns
of circulation to a greater degree than the Recommended Plan, because the
first two pliins inch .. de a street closure. In general \ three aspects of the
plans would .alter circulation patterns: the new traffic signal at Embarc
adero/Bryant, the street closure on Bryant, and changes in stop signs on
Bryant and crO$S streets. For the Substltute and Recommended Plans, these
changes are documented in detail in Section 9.1 of the Extension Report (refer
especially to Figures 9,3 and 9.4 in that report). Similar figures
illustrating circulation patterns for the Combined Plan have been prepared,
and are available in the Transportatio~ Division as described in the
Environmental A.sses5m~nt. The traditlorla.l grid street pattern pr.;dominant in
this area will help to diffuse the impact of chang's in traffic patterns. All
plans would also affect the circulation patterns of emergency vehicles and
City service vehicles, as described below under ltem 13.
The combined impact of th~ PAMF expansion and the Bicycle Boule~ard Exten~ion
plans would decreas£ the average dady traffic '..I(1iumes (AOT) on Bryant street
[lACKl
Re, i sed lO/26/91
91-[lA-18
II
~t~en Channing and £~barcade~o, which is an environmental benefit to Bryant
Str~t. South of Embarcadero, the Recommended and Combined Plans would
decreas~ th~ AnT on Br)ant. while the Substitute Pl~n would increase the ADT
on Bryant. On Wa~erley Street north of Embarcadero, the combined impact of
the PAMF e~pansjon and the Bicycle Boulevard Extension plans would increase
AOT on Waverley. South of h,barcddero, the Reconrnended and Comb; ned Pl ans
wo;J1d incre .. s.e ADT on Waverley, while the Substitute Plan would decrease the
ADT on wiverley, The cosbined impact of th~ PAMF expansion and the Bicycle
Boulevard E)(tensicm plans would increase ADTs on all cross streets from Homer
to L~11, between bet~en ~averiey and Emerson.
As explained in Sections 9.].1 and 9.l.2 of the Extension RepQ~t, the Traffic
Infu~ion an Resldenti~l Environment (TIRE) Index is used to evaluate tne size
of the AnT increa~es. In ~st cases, ADTs either decrease, or increa~e by an
oIIIOunt that is. r,ot expected to be noticeable to the a .... erage resldent (i.e, the
ch,l~ge in tt'le TIRE index is less than 0.1). In some bl(lcks, i",sted below) the
increase in the TIRE Index is expect~d to exceed this minimum n0ticeable
le .... el. Th~ increase i" tne TIRE IndH listed belaw repreS:f!nts the "worst
case' for th~t location; j,e., tt is the highest increase at that location for
~n! af the plans. No single plan would cause all the worst c~se increases
lIsted belll'.l.
1oI:ao"""tr-~' jc.-,. C,,;vy,;r'\j tc> ~!~01"1
~rlff 'rap ~i~oll te. Lli'I()~<l
rr,...,t f,'CIIIo [~'~09\l !Q c ..... ;'~ltl
.~ trOll C" ....... lr'Og tel A3ci~(>'",
a~ fr~ ~.'on t.:o L;.-..::oln
",:kii~O'1 t~ .. \Ia'l'~Ie-v to ,I""...,t
"-OO'~<:>-, t~<:OII ~r)l"""lt ~Q ~_
lirc(",;". trCOll v-e~"d~ 10 "yart
l ;r1("t!ln t.·M !It''!ent 10 R~
ti,....ley fr(ll. ,,",~tl'!'Y to er"",,'.
~'~!Oft 'rOl! INW';I"", to Pir-YlI!nt
19<:'~
~L.s:.J:~,'~B-1
3770
1,.(./00 (r-~l)
57>
6~~
..,.,,~ (e<>t;
! .. :O
n~
'nO
900 IMn
"" ~OO (fit)
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H50
700
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-li"X:llde$. ~I:-ttd i~t of PM'" f'~ion ar.j Bic)"CI'l! IIN!e •• rd £ .. tl!nSion plans. figure1l; listed .re troe
1W'ta1 ifIC<"'U:Sti in MI' .-d lI'~ lrodele .UriM.o~e to any oi til"! pllnt. lrjoQ :.i"IJ\e plan IInJld hl~ ,II til.
inc-~ lined,
The City of Palo Alto has nut established nu~rical standards regarding
.{(eptable trafflC volu~s on residential strpets or acceptable increases in
the TIRE Index, In~reases in traffic volumes and the TIRE Index are useful in
describing t,raffic impacts, cut th~.'f c.annot be used to e~tabl1sh the point at
li(h'ir.:h a triltfic impact becomes environmentally significant. For this purpose,
le~el of StrVlce (LOS) impacts at intersections (the pOints of the n~twork
.ith the .ast (cnstrained capacity) ar~ us~d as the indicators of traffic
ir.1pdcts on the network, inl'ludin9 residential street.~, The City has a well·
established procedl.'re for determining traffic impacts at intersections, using
f!ACKI
R"ised 10/18/91
91-EIA-1B
12
,.
o
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standirdS th<1lt ar~ (CMIIftilO~ ')'ccong DOi'.t cHilO's. AccordinglY, intersection
1e~~is of servi(e {lO~) ~re dfte~ined for a11 intersections on the street
:§.1!'gI!Ie"ts lhted in tnE ab{)'.e table. rI.t all intersections, including
'lI'ntrle.:dElilucad-er-{I and 8ryant/(sb.H'cadero, with ar1Y of the Bicycle BC!ut~vard
E%tensto~ plans and t~e PAMf eKpinsio~ project. and .ith any street closure
loutior. betwee-n Cl'1aT'in,f\9 u:d tinr:01r1, lewls of 'Sel"'vic{' wer€' determlned tCl be
lOS A. 8 or C • ..mid are con!:.jrjered to be well "'"itf1in the a::ceptable range at
an)' loColtjon i:; the City_ IhE"refc;re. there aroE' no significilnt ne9athe
'l.B.Ihti'i!' i~ads on traffic circuhtinn due to ar:y of the Bicycle Boulevard
[.'I(tE-f1sion pl .. r.s, cOt:bine<l ,..H!'I tr,€' PA.~f eXDan'Sl('1n.
llllict Wl (aHilleii $..::t'!-yoL CiStil1i!ji School is. located on the southwest
CGrnEr of t'rle SI'")"41r'lt/Eltbarcadero i.nt.ers.,,"ction. The channellzation island;) at
the BTY.lt'lt/tlllllJir·ca~ero traffic :;igllal ';;5-S-ociated .ith t;1C Recomended and
C.OI'Ibifled Phrn ... in pro'~lbit '!IQtor · .. ehjc1e left turns from Bryaf1t to
[.,n ...... d~ro 'fld the tllrc-t.;Qh (I)Ovee-:r,t across fmtJarrarjero. This ""ill not affect
,.,any dri'(Hs .. cpru .. .::~ir:s tre :i.::rtOQ1, bJt .".Ul (ause SCr!1E' drivers lea .... ing the
sc~col to ~~~ a:tf~'na~e rO~~E~. ~s ~escl'!bed abo~e. drivers' use of alternate
rCl~tes { .... :-:iL.r: \r_lc'~?s Ijril-er~. ,;:.riqH~Hii:9 'li C.as.til1ejJ Scho t,l}, will not
lH'~t' <l ".ig'":ifl(,~~,t i.·~,~·:t. TI~e prl-U: rE'i!:';0n th.at ll!r T1Rt index increases
OJ .15 ~n ~~1\0.;~ t~t~ff~ ~a.e~l~) &rd Sr~int \~ 1ue to ~ri~er~ l!~Ying
Ca"St.i11<?j~ Sc"',c~11 I~Slq I:~l:,:.}~ teo rL"a.(/', i.~,E' '.'ili·errt:'y/£"'barc-3.11ero j,lti'rs.ection
jn (,r<.~.;;r t,~ '.:cHi-' left C":t!.,. (;.<.)~~, ("~~31-ca<i<,r(i. ;'.'5 s.tat!:d .ab:ne, this.
i .. ·~.a.:t ;.:; r:'Jl. ({:~;:"d"I,,";} ttl ~;,. c;iqr'11:(.:;~lt. Loss (If 4 6 Dn stf'e-el ~Jfkir.g
"fJeC't5 O:I! ~r:~ Sd"C'JI t·.U\.l" .. .;.~ 6~s,>~sv,j d.1!)<i€' \li;der ~<I"I-~in9 Li1pa::t Nea~:
(a~til .. J.~J .. i.",~.'::.Ii.J:;~.(~.L i!~d 'lias r,ot ((lr"fSl!~ererj to t·e ii ~ignificant irr:pact.
I..r::.~ffic Hllurds. In lh~ check-list, this. iten .. .as ctted8d "no". In order for
th~ SiCld~ Soul€"">1mj to t>e extl:'rll:h:'o ~s. propo')ed, a tr1if!lc s1gna) must be
i~stalled at t~e Bryant.!£~blr(adero intersrrti0n. l~js. signal would provide a
safer crossjng of [~bar[idpr~ PG~d, a m~jnr arteri~l ~treet, for bicyclists
;)1itJ pedestnGns. Cy..:11~ts ar:o t:'''i1i'S.trl,irl~ l:t'IO currently use Bryant Street
~ust ~ait for gdP~ In t~e flo .. of traffic en f~bar,adero, wMich is heavy
d1Jrir~ the Il"eak (ornt.Jte p~ri{lJs. A~ documented in Section 9.2 of the
htension P,~pc.t, f'"t'r/J(h'~l of stor :sigllS on Bry;ant Street is not expected to
result in ir,ere'i5E"·j IIIOt'Jr H!"t~cl-e spe-t'ds. on that stret't. As stated in
Sc\:tl0ns. 10.1 ili"ni 10.3 of the l'er~rt t if actual experience indicated that
e,",,,fl i ct s. spe~ i ng I u r oHer ODHl tiona. I prob 1 ems wel'eo o{:cu r i "9 as a r€'$U 1 t
of stop sign r~ ... a1s.. c.orrenivp r.easlIrl!s. inCluding pos.sible rcdns:tallation
of stop signs, wo~ld ~ t.ken.
Bess: 13(01. b. e. f). e~.uc nS.f!_ndces
Police c.ndFtce., fhoe channe\'ld.tian ~s.liir-.ds. at th.e Bryant/Embarcadero. traffic
siqiial as.-;,.;(j:;:~I:" .. l with the Kecr);;tT1endt:j .c.niJ Cu~bine-d Plans would impede right
tu.rns. from BrY<ifl t to tmbdrodel"O for very h rge t rud.s. and would impede 1 eft
turns frog Bryant to f.oarc.dero and the through movement a~ross Embarcadero
fQ!' .11 l;e.h1c"les.. HClJfenr, poHce u,-j fir..:: lIehic1i!$ {\f\c\udiI'l9 fir~ truck.s},
op'!:'rating in e-mergency cor • .dition.s, wouid btl able to bypa:t;$ He islands by
driving to the left of the~. Police ~nd fire vehicles accas.iollal1y have to
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91-ElA-28
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use the l~ft sides of 1nters~ction5 in order to bypass queues of vehicles.
Effects on emergency re~ponse tj~ would not be measuf3bie.
A street doslire on 8rj'ant between (helMing oIn{j L.r.coli"f iltould 'IlOderately
affect the del her,)' of PQl iCE services to the HN b€t",pe~ the c1o~ur~ and
Embarcade-ro Road, espe:c;~lly on or in thE' "lcjnit.y of Br)'ant Str.el:"t. Police
officers leaving the Police Station g.ilrag(' \II'(luid exit the gilri!!g!'! 0:'1 Rai2(H''lii
Street (Bryant Street lS ir. entrance ~nly). Ir. general, froa Ra-onc, an
officer W<luld choos@ a. route to rea,,", Snant or E.mbarcadoE'f"o that W'Ould not
involve .a detour ;,!".our.d the ..::lesure. Officers .. ouid rleed to rc-!tei!IIber the
location of the closure when choosing their routl!.5 into il'ld throU91'i t~t iI!"'U.
In the specifit case of an offi~er de~tined for in .OI:h"f:iS II"! the actual blocl;
wn~re the closure is located. the Dffic~r could POSilbly ~nd up on the wr0n9
side af the closure from th~ intended de~tinitio~. a~d thus ~~ de)~yed in
reaching that destination. The P(11i~e ~partrtte!lt bel ie .. t's Hat t~e o'Vua11
dela.y in response tilM' due to the :;treozt do:~r€ i:> not S.ir;:~.1fi<:;:~il-;' H:'):'H~~. to
require mitlgation. but t~.e Oepocrt"',ent pr<:fen tlw ~H_[:'T'Pr-,j\"',:-Plan r£ci;ius€, it
does not inchlde 11 stl"'eet clL1stJre.
A stref:l <:losurr; "'Quid €xtl:!nd t;:,o> ti-.; nflC2~5af-\' f:)r tt>; t iie (I,:~~tt-=-c~:t to
respond to c:nergenc.ie~ hi t.he ,H'i!.a of rh" ,-le'''J'r;:; ih~ f Ire [:;o~'.H~:-,"'rit h;:;.
rpspor']ded to thEe> Pa-Io Alto UI-g(,r,t (,,(o? Cl1r,j( dr~.j t~,~' p':'lr, ,:.l{D ~i.j'·")r:?
Center, beth (,In 8r),<lM 1":l:'U (h~";,ir,'~, for -"".ji\~! ~)d ,3i:'~ a:', 3',,(,";':> ·)r
~bQut 1 t-j~~~ pet 1"':)1'11\'1 ·j\Jr\r,r~ ',h; P<l.':>t lill'''\':' 'ii<n ~'-)1) :_' ;>:~'"d ... ""t il:"":)
prefer:> trr:::-P€,(,,''''''r';encled F'jjn t,;;ca:j~e It d,l!'':. r:'Jt iu1t~I;'~ 1 str--?O'~ c.1C'~:..ri;-:.
If a street closurf were to be instal lEd any~he~e Let~eE~ (h3nnj~g and
~!fI.ba.rcM~fOI thE! Fire Ooe~hHt~nt t'o-o.s. r-t!qlJ,~,;t('_j ttl;'!. ; -;':'~' cor,cn:t~ b'lQ(~ b~
install~d in the c~nt~r of the closure inste~d of the lockpd ballard that hd\
been used in the City's ~st recent penruent ~treet (lfJ~urn, ihe conr:retp
block. would giVE: ~3ramedic var}s iind other ~'t''!'r<~!'r<'~ v'?hi(lE;', 'li1:cn rH',? nigr,
undercarria.g~ clearance, unr"'strio:.ted e"'t€rqency acc,,~s to Ut<:-~t;ove t ... o
facilities. The concrete blod would be sir.::ililr to thal 1Jsd i;") t~e temporary
Bicycle Boulevard street clO5.ur~s at lowell and £1 ~p.rino A'ien..:e!:, and jr, the
recently constructe-(]' permanent s.tr{'et (lo:;ur~ or, c;~ AvertlJE" it M.ay~11
Avenue.
~Dance {If Public F.lcilitjt;'s. All Bic .... cle Bou!evHo t;(ter!slon pl.ans. ..oul,j
result in incr-ease-t1 .lUintenance for one or II'Ore of H'H:' rlE-'oo' apit~l plp~nts of
the plans.: the ne. traffic signal, the Hsociated cnannelintion i~hnds.,
and/or the street closure. This increased ~ai.,t~nince ",,-ould be (Jffset by the
removil of bik.e lane llnes on portions of Wi'l'erley and CfHJrchi!l, which would
result in elimination of the periodic repainting of bike lane li~es, There
would be no significant negative impact~ O~ malntenanc@ of ~ubljc facilities.
Govenmenhl Serilices. The ch~nnelization i$l .. nd~ at tho? BryantjElnb.arod'!ro
intersection and/or the street closur~ may cause aiteration of routes for the
Postal Service, P.alo Alto Sanihtion C(Jmpan),. City street sweepers, and other
occasionll government.a-I services. The impacts c,r, th€se ~en'ices He not
eXpfcted to be significant.
cs
E I.~CK 1
R.vised W/18/91
9}-E1A-2B
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