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Someone must be collecting bollards on Jefferson Avenue
This is the 90-degree curve at Jefferson and Highland Ave, where cars constantly “take the shortcut” by crossing illegally into the bike lanes. Someone at City Hall must have seen this and wondered if there isn’t something that can be done through a quick-build solution. So, without much ado, public works did install those three bollards to keep cars in their lane. Regarding bike lanes, having a few bollards here and
there isn’t the worst policy. In fact, such a hybrid version between class 2 and class 4 protected bike lanes can work very well.
But somehow, this project didn’t work so well. After the first day, one bollard went missing; after two days, the second was gone; and on the third day, the street looked like the bollards never even existed.
It worked so well; let’s try it again
Since this implementation of protected bike lanes was so widespread, city hall thought, let’s give it another try. And once again, within a few more days, the bollards were gone, and the quick-build project failed again.
“If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.”
[Thomas John Watson Sr., IBM]
At this point, we must assume that these weak and whimsical bollards are collector’s items and installing more of the same would probably not improve on the outcome.
The project to fix Vision Zero and Safe-Routes-To-School
City hall just had its annual “State of the City address, which mentioned Vision Zero again. Council member Jeff Gee (D1) said the city is working again toward eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries through its Vision Zero plan.
Frankly, the local Vision Zero project isn’t going so well. This isn’t too surprising if we look at just one of their top-tier projects:
“The project will construct quick-build curb extensions with delineators, three high-visibility yellow crosswalks, and green bike lanes through the intersection of Kentucky Street and Massachusetts Avenue. The project includes public art designs in the curb extensions to increase visibility of quick-build treatments and enhance pedestrian comfort.” [Quick Build SRTS Project – RedwoodCity.org]
Does anyone see green bike lanes, public art design, or curb extensions here? I’m not sure how long this quick-build project lasted, but the black spots on the pavement seem to prove it existed for a very few but undoubtedly impressive days.
Let’s see how professionals would do this.
It seems evident that the Redwood City staff has a problem with the concept behind quick-build projects. We only have to look at our neighbor to learn how these quick-builds are supposed to be done. The Town of Woodside treated its biggest Safe-Routes-To-School project slightly differently. They started out with cheap buffered bike lanes on Alameda de Las Pulgas (ADLP) leading towards Woodside HS. Unfortunately, drivers felt entitled to use these buffered bike lanes to pass other vehicles. This put high schoolers on bicycles or scooters in danger, so Woodside upgraded with cheap bollards. Those also kept disappearing, so Woodside just got the bigger model.
The Town of Woodside kept making the project better, unlike Redwood City’s staff, who seems to embrace the policy of moving one step forward and two steps back while spending much of the county’s bicycle funding.
Post.Scriptum.
So who exactly is currently in charge of the State of Redwood City and all its quick-build projects?
City Manager Melissa Stevenson-Diaz, Transportation Director Tanisha Werner, and council members Jeff Gee (D1), Chris Sturken (D2), Isabella Chu (D3), Mayor Elmer Martinez Saballos (D4), Vice Mayor Kaia Eakin (D5), Diane Howard (D6) and Marcella Padilla (D7).
Editor’s Note: The views and opinions expressed in all blog posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Redwood City Pulse or its staff.
