San Rafael adds bike lane buffer to repaving program
At the urging of cycling enthusiasts, a bike lane on Las Gallinas Avenue in northern San Rafael will soon get a bit of extra protection.
A section of the road is slated for new pavement as part of the city’s annual street resurfacing program. The plan did not include the addition of the painted bicycle lane buffer until residents asked for it at the City Council meeting on Tuesday.
April Miller, the city’s public works director, said Thursday that the staff looked into the possibility of adding the buffer. Miller said officials will coordinate with the contractor on “a revised restriping plan to add a striped bike buffer between Montevido Way and Las Colindas Road.”
The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize staff to finalize the contract with VSS International Inc. to perform the repaving on eight roads throughout Terra Linda. The $1.19 million contract includes a $154,478 contingency.
The city’s pavement management program tackles road segments each summer or fall, and this year the city plans to resurface 4.7 miles. In addition to Las Gallinas Avenue, the plans include parts of Del Ganado Road, Las Ovejas Avenue, Montecillo Road, Manuel T. Freitas Parkway, Los Gamos Drive, Professional Center Parkway and Sterling Way.
The work includes crack sealing, slurry sealing, fiberized micro-surfacing and new traffic striping and crosswalks.
Residents urged officials to add the painted buffer to the bike lane on Las Gallinas Avenue to make it safer for cyclists.
Matthew Hartzell, director of planning for WTB-TAM, a bicycling advocacy group, said the class II bike lane is 5 feet wide and the vehicle travel lanes are 14 feet wide. The painted buffer will widen the space between cyclists and vehicles. In doing so, it will slim down the vehicle lane, which typically causes motorists to drive more slowly, Hartzell said.
“The city could be killing two birds with one stone for very little money,” Hartzell said.
Resident David Seltzer agreed. Seltzer asked the council “when it’s time to repave or restripe that we have some kind of mechanism to look for those opportunities to improve the cycling infrastructure.”
Miller said officials are working on the project schedule to determine which roads will be repaved first. The schedule depends on weather, school routes, traffic control and other factors.
Work is expected to begin in mid-October and last three weeks. Notices will be sent to nearby residents.
More information is online at cityofsanrafael.org/pavement.