Engineering - Traffic

updated on 9-15-06
9-15-06: General notes:

I added the following posting about the Pinehurst and Skyline road repairs/ closures.

I have not heard anything since mid August from the traffic planning or OPD regarding any progress on engineering improvements to the roads, signs, or control systems. I am not sure if "no news" is good news" or just "business as usual", and am uncertain if being a squeaky wheel would serve any purpose. I made various recommendations here in this site, and hope that they will be considered, and presume other people are also directing their views to the appropriate parties. When I hear anything solid I will post it here.
9-15-06 - ROAD CLOSURES:

1) Pinehurst: The contractor managing the project on Pinehurst reported that he is having problems with vandalism of the locks on the security gate as well as "reprogramming" of the sign that advises the public of the conditions.

Condition: there is major drilling operations in progress, involving deep placement of steel, a type of "moment frame" similar to what is used to shore up hillsides when building a house on a steep grade. The site is VERY dangerous, and liability insurance and other problems make public entry to the area forbidden and problematic for everyone.

a) He mentioned cyclists in particular have expressed angry outrage over the closure and ignored his comments regarding the dangers on the site. He is concerned about the comments and believes they are responsible for braking the locks

b) The sign has been reprogrammed to say various deranged things about Clinton, Houdini, and life in general, with an apparent republican bias of all things. The culprits are tech savvy and able to access the control box, break the password, and reprogram the sign at will, causing the contractor further problems.

He also reports that the site conditions are far worse than anticipated, and he is now in the process of resolving contract administration issues with the City, which by the nature of this process further delays the project and increases costs ultimately.

As it the termination of traffic from commuters over this hill has greatly improved the quality of life in the neighborhood, reducing speeding, and traffic, we secretly (...albeit posted to web) hope the road never re-opens, that a nature preserve and eco lodge can instead be developed there similar to Post Ranch Inn, and through traffic is closed forever. bh.9.15.06
2) Skyline Road Repair - Location 1/4 mile north of Shepard intersection

We understand the west lane of Skyline will finally be repaired, with work starting soon, and to be completed at an unknown time in the future. A sign has been installed today that notices the public of this closure.

There is a very nice professional sign announcing this work and the various agencies involved at the spot of the work, and it appears that the work has commenced from a preparatory POV.

This means among other things, that Skyline in this area will likely not slide down the hill when the rains eventually come, and that during the time period of the construction, through traffic will again be blocked. Traffic will either have to "find another way" to race and commute or the residents on Manzanita will realize a new understanding of what living on a "freeway in the trees" is like.

Again, it wold be wonderful for the quality of life up here if they would give up, close the road and thereby permanently stop the chronic condition of Skyline being used as an expressway. We believe that is unlikely of course that the repairs will fail, and are thankful the original plan for building a freeway with banked turns up here that was promoted in the 50's ( anyone know this history??) was never approved.
PREVIOUS POSTINGS
8.15.06: FROM: Dept of Planning -City of Oakland:

This week, we've begun an inventory of signs along Skyline so we can
evaluate and implement the most effective corridor-wide signage program.
This may include additional speed limit, bike and pedestrian warning, and
bike route signs. The intersection of Skyline/Shepherd Canyon/Manzanita is
being evaluated for an all-way stop. The installation of stop signs is based
on traffic volume and accident history. Traffic counts and observations are
scheduled next week. We hope to have a recommendation based on our analysis
ready to share with the community by the end of August.

According to staff from the City's Design and Construction Division, the
landslide repair at 7700 Skyline is expected to be completed by mid-October.
Bids were received and contract documents are pending with the City's
contract administration division.
There is a sign now parked at the Pinehurst Grade at Shep
which states:
ROAD CLOSED - 8/21 - 11/1/06

This will serve to strategically dissuade the pattern of Pinehurt-shep being a freeway alt over the hill

It seems important to convince citizens "Sky-long" that they should remove
as possible all vegetation and debris from the set-back and their property - this will mitigate
the shoulder problem and help the City reduce the cost of improvements on Skyline

bh.8.15.06
Email from J Stanley- City of Oakland on Cycling, signage and other issues

J Stanley with City of Oakland clarfied a number of questions about the deployment of signage, processes, and other details. This information is integrated within this or the appropriate pages of the site.
UPDATE ON ROAD IMPROVEMENTS BY CITY OF OAKLAND

Limited roadway repairs are underway. The suggestion to improve the
shoulders has been under consideration for some time. It needs evaluation to
ensure that such a project would improve safety because, due to the changing
configuration along Skyline, a continuous facility is not possible. TSD will
evaluate locations along Skyline to see where shoulder upgrades would be
viable and improve safety.

Regarding the other issues you raise, we will continue to coordinate with
Sue Piper, OPD and other City agencies and divisions to address the concerns
you've raised. Thanks for your patience and TSD will be back in touch just
as soon as we have information to share, which will be within the next
couple of weeks. / per JS.City.Oak.8.15.06


Skyline Corridor conditions and Road Audit • 
Development of Action Schedule

We recommend that a comprehensive audit be conducted of the Skyline Corridor and a schedule be developed for rapid response implemntation of the findings - with life safety and road failures being the first point of action

PROCESS NOTE: this is my first draft of recommended action to be undertaken by PW/Traffic Planning

Suggested agenda for review is per below

ACTION:
Please direct your concerns and calls for action to the contacts listed for Public Works and Traffic Planning on the CONTACTS pages. If you ID additional responsible parties, please let us know
SIGNAGE PROGRAM

Speed limit Notices - MORE PLEASE
Pedestrian, cyclist and deer crossing and alert signs
Improved wayfinding - people often get lost up here
>Enhanced controls for intersections and road markings
> Installation of crosswalks - require that vehicles stop to give pedestrians right of way - this is NOT a freeway!
>bumps where permissible and possible, or the low profile white dots ( not sure what they are called)

>PAINT: "SLOW" - IN THE STREET - EVERY 1/4 MILES

>ROAD REPAIR

>>restore shoulders where they are degenerated;
>>clean rubble and litter from curb areas possible
>>fill cracks
>>repair collapsing south lane near the 7700 block - DO NOT WAIT UNTIL FALL

!!!!! aggressive tree and vegetation removal to increase views and visibility,
FREE UP AS MUCH SHOULDER AS POSSIBLE TO MITIGATE ISSUES WITH PASSING!!!!!!
ROAD IMPROVEMENTS

>New paving would be nice - the road seems overdue for a resurface
>Add new shoulders: whever possible - increase quantity and width and quality of the shoulder areas
>Analysis of where the double yellow could be broken to allow passing - assuming sufficient visibility
>repaint yellow - ideally resurface the road
>5 way stop at Shepard

Did I mentioned Traffic Circles?
CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT - KEEP YOUR SIDEWALK- SHOULDER AREA CLEAR OF DEBRIS AND FOLIAGE
There are many cases of foliage on private property that has grown in a manner the blocks available pedestrian pathways or the "shoulder" areas of the road. PLEASE cut back your trees, junipers, brush - as this encourages or forces people to walk unecessarily in the street
AMENITIES

>Scenic viewpoints with seating and furnture components - possible private funding
> weeds and fire safety program
> remove view-blocking vegetation in all possible places
>Educational and informational signage - possibly involving Chabot if they are proactively interested in the neighborhor - could tie to an identity program that establishes "celestrial" or space related viewpoints along the corridor with signage
Road Should Enhancement Program
Problem: shoulders are blocked by vegetation, debris, rocks or have road defects/cracks:

ACTION: Repairs/cleaning to Enhance safety of Road Sharing

Concept: Mitigate problems of "road sharing" by the many types of users, I suggest a program aimed to repair certain problems and clear debris from the Shoulders.
This would increase the ability for slower moving cyclists or pedestrians to USE the shoulder, thereby allow SAFE passing and less double-yellow jumping.
This could have an immediate and potentially lifesaving impact on public safety

Questions and Action Ideas:

a) Can Leonardo get an inspection and repair team up here ASAP? A small crew could clear 80% of the issues in one day, fixing the more egregious problems?

b) INVOLVE: ALL homeowners/renters on Skyline should IMMEDIATELY:
>>Inspect their own property and cut back trees and remove debris.
>>check the set back - should be considered in this and all reasonable attempts to clear gutters and pass ways should be undertaken.
>>Citizen involvement and awareness of this risk and their responsibilities to clear debris and foliage would help considerably.
>>this would also have a ZERO cost to the City/

c) Does the City of Oakland have a method to NOTICE all residents along Skyline that they have a responsibility to keep the set-back free of debris and foliage??
Are their regulations that affect cases of blockage, similar to what the Fire Department uses in the case of vegetation management?

d) Can repair of the road-failure- landslide at approx 7700 Skyline be expedited ( now schedule for Fall)??? - One lane is totally knocked out - condition is dangerous

Skyline Shepard Intersection Improvements

High volume of traffic from commenting especially, greatly increases traffic on Skyline/Shepard intersection, which currently is poorly marked and confusing at best.

LONG TERM GOAL: REBUILD INTERSECTION WITH TRAFFIC CIRCLE TO STOP THROUGH TRAFFIC - AND ROUTE AROUND AUSTRALIAN STYLE CIRCLE - WITH SCULPTURAL ELEMENT, WAYFINDING, AND A VIEW PARK NAMED FOR MR. WEISS OVERLOOKING MOUNT DIABLO

SHORT TERMS: INSTALL A 5-WAY STOP AND CROSS WALKS - DO THIS TODAY!!!!!

Response of OTP: this depart thus far has refused to take action to change the controls in this intersection citing a variety of reasons, in which we have failed to see the logic path.

CROSSWALK PAINTING:

OTP also has refused to paint cross walks, citing the possibility that it would lure pedestrians into "believing they were safe to use", claiming that it would result in injuries when vehicles struck them in the crosswalks in VIOLATION of state vehicle code. Officers of OPD we spoke with found this absurd - pedestrians have right away in a cross walk - if cars viollate that - it is a citable offsence - and become a tool for enforcement and reducing speed in general.

We find the argument by OTP for non-action on this matter ludicrous - ergo ceding control of the street to speeding drivers because they will further violated the right of way laws pertaining to crosswalks, in addition to the speeding laws that they already violating - this logic borders on the absurd to surreal.

Reasons cited include their claim that there have been NO ACCIDENTS in 5 years at this intersection, which we KNOW is false, as we have attended to the victims of several incidents. With the tragic passing of Mr. Weiss, we cannot accept a continued claim of accident-free justification for not taking action in this area and call upon OPT to act without further delay or obfuscation.

ACTION REQUEST FROM OPT
We would appreciate having them issue formal statement to traffic planning that immediately conduct a full study for the entire Skyline corridor to determine improvements and action them as a priority.

As they have refused thus far to correct the conditions at SKyline and Shepard, please ask them for the rationale, and if you agree with our assessement, please ask that they short list these changes, starting with cross walks and or the 5-way stop solution.

I would also appreciate further clarification of their refusal to paint cross walk markings in this intersection.
PAINT IS CHEAP!

OPT: Oakland Traffic and Planning Department

updated bh 8-8-06
Bike Routs and Pedestrian Issues
ACTION: check your area for signage related to cycling - is it OK? Is it missing? Should it be added to your area? - Let Ms. Stanley know of your findings / BH8.15.06
1. Skyline is City and County Route #55. It is a Class III bike facility,
aka "bike route." This designation is described in the Caltrans Highway
Design Manual and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (documents
that dictate traffic engineering design criteria). / Per JS.8.15.06

2. Bike route signs were installed along the route in 2004, approximately
one per mile in each direction. Please report all damaged or missing signs
whenever you notice them by calling the Public Works Call Center at
615-5566. The California Vehicle Code (CVC) does not offer "special
protection" to those cycling on designated bike routes; it doesn't refer to
the Class 3 designation at all. (Read the CVC at
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=veh&group=21001-22000&
file=21200-21212).

3. The City will evaluate the use of sharrows on Skyline. As specified by
Caltrans, sharrows are for use only adjacent to parallel parking which could
limit their use on Skyline.

Signage related

Pedestrian signage - signage related to pedestrian/cyclist awareness specifically

NEW: We understand that signage may be obtain via Sue Piper/Jean Quan and potentially others and installed by citizens on private property such as trees. this has already occurred through the work of other groups on Skyline. We will add more information about how to execute this type of action once we can confirm details and know exactly who to contact on this.

CAUTION: Because the violators of note (mBikes) are generally flagrant and intentional violators and typical KNOW they are breaking the law, signs will not necessarily deter them from their criminal acts. However, we have heard from a citizen who forcibly stopped some mBikes, who expressed to him, "I thought the speed limit [on Skyline] was like 45mph or so" Given the possibility that some mBikers are simply 'stupid' and 'oblivious' it would seem that installation of more signs should remain a priority

OPT - is current placing an order to additional 25mph signs to be installed in various location on the Skyline corridor
>>action schedule: unknown - request for information issued to Leanardo on 8-1-06 in AM

OPT has ordered the tree trimming be conducted to remove blockage from signs that are now covered with foliage
>>action schedule: unknown - request for information issued to Leanardo on 8-1-06 in AM

OPT is exploring additional signs to increase awareness of pedestrians and cyclists, and cycling route markers - the stratus of this initiative in unknown at this time. Jennifer Stanley appears to be the point person on this

>>response schedule - unknown, 8-1- RFI issued

See contacts page for information on who to contact to support this initiative


last update 8-2-06, 1:22
So does Skyline fall under this category ?

FROM OAKLAND GOV SITE: Bicycle route:

http://www.oaklandpw.com/Page122.aspx#recommend

A bicycle route ("Class III facility") is a denoted by route signs and is installed on streets that are recommended for cycling but do not require bike lane striping due to the low-volume of vehicle traffic flow. The numbered signs (pictured) are guides that can be used in conjunction with bicycle route or lane signs.

In September 2005, Caltrans approved a new pavement marking to indicate shared use lanes. The new "sharrow" (pictured right) has been used on Foothill Blvd. from 36th to 41st Avenues. The City will consider the use of sharrows where bike lanes are not feasible and where a Class III route is not adequate. For more information about sharrows, read a Sharrow FAQ flyer (.pdf)

OTHER CYCLING RESOURCES: http://www.oaklandpw.com/Page132.aspx
Hello Bennett,

Transportation Services is analyzing the need for different types of bicycle and pedestrian signage to improve safety on Skyline. The Bike/Ped Unit's role is to work with traffic engineering to make recommendations about bike/ped signage types and placement, and other potential safety improvements. Traffic engineering will implement all of the improvements. Leo Hernando is the main contact in engineering responding to this issue.

Hope that helps,

Jennifer Stanley
Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Coordinator / em recevied 8-09-06Bicycle route:

Traffic Circle -
enforce "right-of-way" for all entering the intersection and enhance public space experience - see hereA bicycle route ("Class III facility") is a denoted by route signs and is installed on streets that are recommended for cycling but do not require bike lane striping due to the low-volume of vehicle traffic flow. The numbered signs (pictured) are guides that can be used in conjunction with bicycle route or lane signs.
In September 2005, Caltrans approved a new pavement marking to indicate shared use lanes. The new "sharrow" (pictured right) has been used on Foothill Blvd. from 36th to 41st Avenues. The City will consider the use of sharrows where bike lanes are not feasible and where a Class III route is not adequate. For more information about sharrows, read a Sharrow FAQ flyer (.pdf)