pages: TransportationCommission/2016-05-25.pdf, 13
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TransportationCommission | 2016-05-25 | 13 | going into Oakland and they are not able to lock it, well no one is going to do that. Heather Little stated that six months ago she started speaking with key people around the City such as the City Council, Planning Board and Bike Walk Alameda about safety issues such as the lack of infrastructure for bikes linking one end of the island to the other and vehicles speeding. She said she was pleased about Central Avenue and the Bay Trail, but in the meantime something must be done about safety. She explained to the Commission that her husband was bicycling home from the ferry terminal and while traveling home, a car failed to yield to him and he was pushed off the road at Main Street. She said he now has a pretty serious collar bone fracture. She asked the Commission to make sure this plan is not just piecemealed together, but take into account all modes of transportation along with a policy such as Vision Zero. She brought up the fact that two fatalities occurred with a car involved in the past eight months. Also, when she quoted the last statistics on record from 2013 when comparing Alameda to 103 other cities similar to its population size, Alameda was rated eighth worse for injuries in car related versus pedestrian accidents. She liked the fact that this was being addressed before new development gets underway. Yet, the City is struggling because people want to get out of their cars, but the City needs to set the infrastructure and not have cars parked right on the intersections. She said this is not just on the Commission, but Alameda Police Department, Bike Walk Alameda, Planning Board and City Council. Lucy Gigli, President of Bike Walk Alameda, said the plan was off to a great start and she has been part of the presentations in the past months. She said there is great stuff to move the City forward in active transportation. However, she has provided recommendations 1. Safety must be implemented on our streets and placing goals and objectives on how to encourage people to walk and bike in Alameda and get them there safely is paramount and 2. One of the largest impediments in encouraging people to bike and walk off the island on the west end is the Estuary Crossing. She said a feasibility study was conducted 8-10 years ago that talked about some of the alternative transit options to get people off the island. Consequently, the City implemented the Estuary Shuttle that fills a small niche during its run times, but that's it. She said the City needs to fix that critical link to get people off the island on the west end without having driving. Jim Strehlow stated that you cannot just rubber-stamp the people because this plan is not one size fits all. He explained that his coworker has to drive his daughter to north Oakland to high school from South. He said she will not ride the AC Transit system or BART to 19th or 12th Stations because she feels uncomfortable and unsafe. So, he felt more consideration should be taken to the people who are using this infrastructure. He said he rides his bike daily and during the weekends, but four times a month, he is one of those evil single-occupant drivers leaving the island. He went on to say the reason being because he picks up three people, which includes two youths to go to a youth group meeting. Yet, he stated that he is one of the statistics that says he is driving alone, but he is actually transporting other people, bags of food and other supplies. He pointed out that visitors coming from other states to visit families will not want to spend their time taking public transportation all the time. He said he has a friend who goes to Napa and spends 8 hours on public transportation and that is horrible. The plan should also consider the elderly who need to get to medical appointments and need assistance. He noted that infrastructure is important, but do not forget about the people you are trying to serve and make it safe for all of them. Page 13 of 17 | TransportationCommission/2016-05-25.pdf |