Click the questions below to read about the Active Transportation Plan's Recommended Bicycle Network.
How was the recommended network developed?
A major goal of the plan is to develop a well-connected, “low-stress” network that is comfortable and convenient for people of all ages and abilities. To develop the recommended network, Toole Design (the consultant) reviewed the community’s comments shared during the first phase of engagement last fall and winter. We also analyzed the existing bicycle network and identified which areas of the city were not well-served, or not served at all, by the existing network. This included identifying places where there were gaps in the network or a need for a more comfortable, low-stress route.
Toole Design made sure that all neighborhoods would be served by the recommended network. We also included recommendations to increase the density of north-south travel options and provide low-stress connections to schools.
Our facility recommendations follow best practices in bicycle planning, such as guidance from the following nationally recognized guides and recently adopted design resolution:
This national guidance generally bases bikeway type recommendations on vehicle volumes and speeds. For some streets, a separated bike lane (SBL) may be recommended based on this criteria, but given the frequency of driveways along the street, there would be significant gaps in the protection offered by an SBL and would reduce the overall comfort of the facility. In the recommendations, SBLs are recommended in places where the street conditions allow for them, and they are deemed necessary to create a comfortable route.
What is a Bicycle Boulevard?
Bicycle boulevards are new to Alameda, but used frequently in premier bicycling cities around the country, including Portland and Berkeley Bicycle boulevards are on streets with traffic calming where bicyclists share lanes with vehicular traffic. Traffic calming is used to create a street that is low-speed with low-vehicle volumes, resulting in a low-stress bikeway. An important feature is intersection improvements to increase bicyclist safety and comfort. For more information about bicycle boulevards, see the poster on www.ActiveAlameda.org/recommendations.
