Description
We live on the north side of Buena Vista Avenue between Chapin and Wood. It has been an ongoing challenge to cross Buena Vista on foot or bicycle, particularly during morning and afternoon commute hours, but also throughout the day. Cars on this street consistently exceed the speed limit and I and my child have nearly been hit on more than one occasion while on our way to and from Maya Lin School. Once, in a rare instance of someone stopping for us to cross, we were nearly hit by an impatient driver who sped around them. People seem to want to race between the lights at Sherman and Constitution, and our few blocks are the midpoint between those intersections, where people are likely to be going the fastest.
An additional note regarding bike safety: These days my child and I are commuting to Nea on our bicycles. The narrowness of Buena Vista Avenue, coupled with the general speed and volume of the vehicle traffic, makes it necessary for us to ride on the sidewalk until we reach 8th and can access the dedicated bike trail in Jean Sweeney Park. I am an experienced cyclist and feel that riding down Buena Vista Avenue in the street is unreasonably risky. I certainly do not feel that my child is safe on this route.
Thank you for considering how to make this section of Buena Vista safer for everyone.
R. Young
also asked...
A. Speeding
2 Comments
Alameda, CA (Verified Official)
Acknowledged Transportation Planning (Verified Official)
Thank you for reporting your concerns about street safety in Alameda. Ninth St between Buena Vista and Haight is currently slated for pavement resurfacing next year, which can be an opportunity to add new striping. I have shared your request with the project team. The pavement management maps are here: https://www.alamedaca.gov/Departments/Public-Works-Department/Building-Safer-Streets#section-5
Ninth St is also proposed to be a traffic-calmed bicycle boulevard in the draft Active Transportation Plan recommendations. This would include crossing improvements at key intersections, like Buena Vista. More information here: https://www.activealameda.org/Recommendations#section-3. The full draft Active Transportation Plan should be released in spring 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.
Join the Vision Zero mailing list to receive bimonthly (every other month) updates on traffic safety in Alameda: www.alamedaca.gov/Subscribe
For more information and a list of current and planned transportation projects, see www.AlamedaCA.gov/SaferStreets