This is a public comment on behalf of Bike East Bay 5/28/2025 City of Alameda Transportation Commission meeting agenda item 6-A, the Caltrans' State Route 61 Otis Drive/Doolittle Drive/Broadway Preventative Maintenance Project.
1) The Caltrans staff presentation on pages 12 and 13 indicates an "Included Class IV Bike Lane Doolittle Dr". The diagram of the roadway shows travel lanes between 11 feet and 12 feet, but it does not indicate the bikeway width.
Please be aware that the current Caltrans design includes significant segments with only a substandard 4-foot bikeway width next to a 2-foot buffer space. A more detailed view of the current Caltrans project design is shown here:
Oakland DOT staff have already been in communication with Caltrans staff, compelling them to reduce the car travel lane widths along Doolittle and provide more clearance for the bikeway, and they have been reminding Caltrans that their standard per DIB 89 is a minimum 5 foot Class IV bikeway clearance not including the gutter pan.
So far we have not received confirmation from Caltrans staff that they intend to abide by their own design standards and widen the bikeway, so we would appreciate the City of Alameda Transportation Commission reiterating this need.
As much as we appreciate Caltrans committing to a Class IV bikeway on this segment, the design details still need to be appropriate.
2) Per Caltrans staff's stated concerns that pedestrian median islands on Otis at Mound St and Versailles Ave will not allow for 60' truck turn movements, we encourage a solution to simply ban large vehicle turns at these locations to allow for the island installations. Both Mound and Versailles are small, neighborhood streets with other options for the rare truck access instances. It is very obvious that pedestrian safety design needs should be prioritized above large vehicle turn movements at these locations.
Thank you to Robert Prinz, Bike East Bay's director of advocacy, for sharing this letter.
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Did you previously make an annual contribution as a member of Bike Walk Alameda? If you haven't already, consider making a similar donation to Bike East Bay.
To simplify administrative overhead, the Alameda group has made its own membership free and become a fiscally sponsored project of the larger East Bay non-profit (which organizes programs across Alameda and Contra Costa counties).
Membership in Bike East Bay is a suggested donation of $5/month, $35/year for an individual, or $65/year for a household. In addition to supporting advocacy and events, membership benefits include a discount at all four bike shops in Alameda.
To simplify administrative overhead, the Alameda group has made its own membership free and become a fiscally sponsored project of the larger East Bay non-profit (which organizes programs across Alameda and Contra Costa counties).
Membership in Bike East Bay is a suggested donation of $5/month, $35/year for an individual, or $65/year for a household. In addition to supporting advocacy and events, membership benefits include a discount at all four bike shops in Alameda.
To share your own support for an Otis Drive that's safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and even drivers:
- Send an email for inclusion in the May 28 Transportation Commission Meeting by emailing
tc@alamedaca.govand CC'ingCITYCOUNCIL-List@alamedaca.gov,manager@alamedaca.gov, andDina.ElTawansy@dot.ca.gov - Join by Zoom or in person for this coming Wednesday's Transportation Commission meeting. This will be the only agenda item, so it will likely happen promptly at 6:30 p.m. at Alameda City Hall.