City Plan Contemplates Bike Racks, New Bikeways, Improved Walking Areas

The city hopes to install bike racks and more than double the miles of bikeways running through San Leandro, according to the latest update of its Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. The plan also prioritizes crosswalks and pedestrian ramps.

The City Council approved the plan at its meeting Monday night. The master plan allows the city's Transportation and Engineering Department to identify the most needed bike and pedestrian improvements, and seek funding to carry them out.

San Leandro currently has 25 miles of existing bikeways, which include on-street marked bikeways, designated bike lanes, and distinct paths. The updated master plan adds nearly 40 miles to the list of priority projects. 

Three new pedestrian improvement areas were added to the existing seven. These are Westgate Center, Estudillo Avenue—I‐580 Underpass to Anthony Chabot Park, and the future Kaiser hospital area.  

The last time the master plan was updated was in 2004. Since then, the city has spent an estimated $21,400 for new bikeways, and $2.5 million on the San Leandro Bay Trail Slough Bridge, which provides connection on the Bay Trail between San Leandro and Oakland.

Much of the funding for bike and pedestrian improvements comes from Measure B—the Alamada County transportation-related sales tax measure, passed in November 2000—and the state via the Transportation Development Act.

In a March 2010 study, San Leandro got above average marks for its pedestrian safety, the master plan notes. Students from the University of California Transportation Center carried out a pedestrian safety assessment in the city, interviewing city staff and walking the city’s streets.

The study results found that San Leandro exceeded national best practices in over half of the 35 criteria.

Between 2006 and 2009, there were an average of 27 pedestrian collisions each year in San Leandro, according to a presentation made at Monday's City Council meeting by Keith Cooke, the city's chief engineer. That's down from an average of 33 yearly collisions between 1999 and 2003.

The average number of yearly bike collisions dropped from 23 between 1999 to 2003 to 20 between 2006 and 2009.

Also at Monday's meeting, the Council approved a Permanent Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which will meet yearly and provide feedback on the master plan's implementation. 

The Master Plan is attached, along with the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Design Guidelines, which lay out best practices for designing bike- and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure and street and sidewalk improvements.