Description
[The City of Alameda should] install a traffic circle at San Jose Ave & Regent Street. Current issue with the intersection:
1. Cars regularly disregard the speed limits through this intersection (to and from Park Street) along San Jose Ave.
2. There is a stop sign only along Regent Street, causing confusion and near accidents as to who has the right of way for drivers new to this intersection.
Why a circle makes sense as a solution:
1. Requiring a reduction of speeds along around this intersection will make drivers more cautious and slow down while approaching and leaving Park Street + Chochenyo Park, which typically has a lot of pedestrian foot traffic.
2. Replacing the 2 stop signs currently installed with a 4 way circle will remove confusion at the intersection for drivers in all directions.
also asked...
A. Unsafe crossing
9 Comments
Alameda, CA (Verified Official)
Case (Registered User)
Acknowledged Transportation Planning (Verified Official)
Thank you for reporting your concerns about street safety in Alameda. San Jose Ave is proposed to be a traffic-calmed bicycle boulevard in the draft Active Transportation Plan recommendations. This would include crossing improvements at key intersections, and traffic circles are one of the treatments the City will consider for bicycle boulevards. More information here: https://www.activealameda.org/Recommendations#section-3. The full draft Active Transportation Plan will be released next month (September 2022). Join the mailing list here: www.alamedaca.gov/Subscribe
Your report will help inform the City of Alameda’s work to achieve our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries. We will use street safety reports, including yours, in combination with crash data and equity indicators to prioritize and design street safety investments. This evaluation will generally happen on an annual basis, with some exceptions for clear and pressing trends. Issues that the City deems to be immediate safety concerns will be elevated for quick action.
For more information and a list of current and planned transportation projects, see www.AlamedaCA.gov/SaferStreets
Alameda resident (Registered User)
Hannah Mobarekeh (Registered User)
Marko (Registered User)
As a neighborhood resident near the intersection of San Jose and Regent, I am appalled by the behavior of drivers using Regent as a shortcut to avoid traffic on Broadway, or those using San Jose to cut across to Park St in order to bypass Encinal.
We hear drivers honking at, and yelling from, frustrated pedestrians at all hours of the day. We need the City of Alameda to step up to Vision Zero values and prioritize this intersection for enhanced safety before another pedestrian fatality is hit closer to home.
AlamedaCARegisteredReporter (Registered User)
Heyden Family (Registered User)
Several years ago I pursued making the intersection a 4-way stop with the city to no avail. City's rationale was more stop signs makes for more driver annoyance and less obeying. So, maybe a traffic circle?
The problem persists with daily near-misses and occasional fender-benders or a full-fledged t-crashes. Issues: 1) Speed in both directions 2) rolling stops thru Regent stop signs 3) 4-block stretch (Broadway to Park Street) with no stop signs or lights encourages increasing speed, especially for those avoiding lights and stop signs on Encinal 4) Worse yet going from Broadway to thru Park Street when they accelerate to make green light at Park Street 5) School day AM is worst time with many (student) pedestrians and more cars racing to make the late bell.
Mary Neumann (Registered User)
I, too, pursued making the intersection a 4-way stop and the city rebuffed that idea. In fact, the neighbors still have a $100 deposit with the city to appeal that decision and I'll check on the status of that appeal (and the deposit) in the near future.
I concur with the Heyden Family observations about the problems with crashes, near-misses, and speeding. While some of these issues were reduced a bit when everyone was staying home due to Covid restrictions, they have always been present, and now, the speeding and near-misses seem to be on the increase.
I would have to learn much more about the proposed traffic circle before I could fully support it. I do think the area around the intersection may be too small for that solution, but I'm willing to keep an open mind. Parking is a VERY big problem on this street and I would not support any plan that would reduce the number of parking spaces for residents. Thank you!