Caltrans shouldn't wait until 2037 to fix Otis Drive for kids walking to school and the park

A portion of a letter from the principal of Otis Elementary School to Caltrans regarding their upcoming project to "improve" Otis Drive alongside Krusi Park in Alameda.

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tldr summary: If you live near Otis Drive and Krusi Park, walk across Otis Drive, bike nearby, or have an overall interest in improving traffic safety in Alameda, please email a public comment to tc@alamedaca.gov that's addressed to Caltrans before Wednesday at 5 p.m. The letter from Otis Elementary School's principal at the end of this blog post has many talking-points that you're welcome to copy.

This coming Wednesday, Caltrans District 4 staff will finally speak publicly and listen to the public about the stretch of Otis Drive that their agency owns and operates. To Caltrans staff, this is no more than an opportunity to repave their existing highway in its exact current configuration:

But to people who live near or walk across or bike across Otis Drive, this is an opportunity to demand that Caltrans zoom out, look at the context of the surrounding park and elementary school, assess the history of fatalities and injuries on this roadway (this stretch of road is where Assemblymember Robert Crown was killed by a motorist while he was jogging in the '70s, and were more recently a motorist hit and flipped a baby's stroller), and redesign the street to more safely serve everyone:

The view while driving westward along Otis Drive toward Broadway. Note two "tru" travel lanes of auto traffic in each direction. Pedestrians crossing at Mound Street may press a button to active flashing warning lights. This experience could be so much safer and more comfortable with 2 thru lanes of auto traffic plus a pedestrian "refuge island" in the middle. Source: Google Street View, April 2016.

A complete street

In the lingo of Caltrans, what this stretch of State Route 61 (a.k.a. Otis Drive) should become is a "complete street" — a street that does continue to move motor vehicles while simultaneously addressing the safety and the needs of all users (including people on foot, or bike, waiting to board a bus, etc.)

In 2021, the director of Caltrans announced that "all new transportation projects it funds or oversees" would require tangible complete streets improvements:

from Caltrans news released on December 20, 2021

But what Caltrans headquarters says to the press in Sacramento apparently isn't necessarily what Caltrans District 4 (the Caltrans district covering the Bay Area) plans and designs in its Oakland office...

In advance of this coming Wednesday's Transportation Commission meeting, I asked City of Alameda staff to request a copy of the "Complete Streets Decision Document" for this Otis Drive project from Caltrans District 4. (The "CSDD" is one of the forms that embodies that 2021 policy announcement, by requiring written assessments of how well a project addresses bike/pedestrian/transit access and safety. Caltrans managers and executives then have to sign the CSDD to show their internal approval of the assessment.) The response:

Caltrans staff said that the CSDD was not required when PID was prepared in 2019 for this project.

To translate this into English, when Caltrans District 4 staff drafted a "project initiation document" for this Otis Drive re-paving project in 2019, the agency didn't have any complete-streets requirements... therefore, they are not holding themselves to any of these requirements... and therefore, they are not going to document how this project improves (or ignores or degrades) safety for pedestrians or cyclists or transit riders.

The Caltrans policy announced by Toks Omishakin, one of Gavin Newsom's closest transportation advisors, in 2021 is not being followed on a project that is currently estimated to complete construction in 2027 — and that will have at least a 10 year lifespan — meaning that 2037 is the soonest time that the Newsom administration's commitment to "complete streets" will have any bearing on Otis Drive in Alameda. So, we're on track to get 16 years of bureaucratic inertia — and at least 13 more years of disregarding safety for students, seniors, and everyone else on foot or bike near Otis Drive.

This Wednesday is an opportunity for change

This coming Wednesday is a chance to argue against 16 years of bureaucratic inertia and to argue for meaningful safety improvements to Otis Drive in this current Caltrans project.

Caltrans District 4 staff are presenting to the Alameda city Transportation Commission on August 28 and listening to public comment.

Here's the public comment that Otis Elementary School's principal already sent in:

August 23, 2024 Dear Caltrans staff and members of the Alameda Transportation Commission, I hope this letter finds you well. As the principal of Otis Elementary School, I am writing to express my concerns about the current traffic conditions on Otis Drive. Many of our students and their families rely on this thoroughfare to travel to and from school each day, and we have observed several safety issues that need urgent attention to ensure the well-being of our community. We have received feedback from concerned parents, who have highlighted specific areas along Otis Drive that require improvements: 1. Mound Street Crosswalk (at the corner of Krusi Park): While this crosswalk is equipped with flashing lights, there have been multiple crashes and near-miss incidents reported. The addition of a protected pedestrian island in the middle of the crosswalk and a reduction in the speed of oncoming vehicles would greatly enhance safety. Currently, many families are hesitant to use this crosswalk due to safety concerns. 2. High Street/Otis Drive Intersection: The sidewalks at this intersection are narrow, and vehicles often travel at high speeds. This intersection is frequently used by students biking to and from Lincoln Middle School, as well as by groups from Otis Elementary on walking field trips to the beach. Expanding the safe areas for pedestrians and cyclists here would be a significant improvement for all users. 3. Broadway and Otis Drive: While this location might be beyond the immediate scope of this project, increasing space for pedestrians and cyclists would benefit Otis families walking from nearby homes and apartments. Safe passage at this intersection is crucial for those on foot or bike. As a point of reference, Caltrans recently implemented a "road diet" on Encinal Avenue, reducing it from four lanes to two, with a center turn lane. This redesign has resulted in slower but steadier traffic, room for bike lanes, and better visibility for drivers to see pedestrians entering crosswalks.

We believe a similar approach for Otis Drive, particularly between High Street and Broadway, would significantly improve safety for everyone. We respectfully urge Caltrans to consider these suggestions and take prompt action to address the dangerous traffic conditions on Otis Drive. The safety of our students, their families, and the broader community is of utmost importance, and we believe these improvements would make a meaningful difference. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and am happy to provide any additional information or support needed. Sincerely, Brian Dodson Principal Otis Elementary School

If this resonates with you, now is an opportunity to email in your own public comment as well.

Your comment can be a short comment or it can be long; it can be emailed in, or made live at the Transportation Commission, or both. In any case, it's worth sharing experiences with Caltrans of how this may be a "highway" in their engineers' eyes — but to those who live nearby and travel around Alameda, it's a street that should be safe and calm and usable for more people of more ages and abilities.

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Should Otis Drive include bike lanes? When Caltrans staff hear "complete street" I think they assume that we're asking specifically for on-street cycling facilities. When they studied a road diet at the request of City of Alameda, the Caltrans study re-allocated some roadway space to bike lanes — and then rejected the entire premise of a road diet. While they blamed the bike lanes for sucking up too much space, it looks like it's the combo of the bike lanes plus extra long "zipper merges" for drivers.

While I'd like bike lanes to be considered for all Caltrans right-of-way in cities, I'm honestly not sure this portion of Otis Drive needs bike lanes as one of its top priorities. I think it would be helpful to make clear to Caltrans staff this Wednesday that a "complete street" on Otis Drive definitely should include substantial safety improvements for pedestrians and for cyclists crossing the street — but adding bike lanes directly along Otis Drive may not be necessary. Let's grant Caltrans some flexibility and see if they can use that flexibility to design an incrementally better Otis Drive.

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After all my criticism of Caltrans, let me end this post with a "thank you." After learning that this Wednesday evening overlaps with back-to-school night at Otis Elementary, Caltrans D4 staff were kind enough to reschedule their agenda item at the city Transportation Commission. So instead of going first at 6:30 p.m., Caltrans staff will stay to have this agenda item at 7:30 p.m. or after. Thank you to Caltrans staff for their willingness to stay later so that more parents can participate!