Item 16 - McFadden Avenue Protected Bike Lane and Bicycle Boulevard: Harbor to Grand

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MCFADDEN AVENUE PROTECTED BIKE LANE ANDY"R� BICYCLE BOULEVARD PROJECT CITY OF SANTA ANA _ A With civil improvements, such as bulb -outs, curbs, and curb ramps being designed via The McFadden Rehabilitation Project between Fairview Avenue and Raitt Street; it is our team's understanding that this McFadden Bike Project will still be responsible for designing the traffic signal modifications and traffic signal interconnection improvements along this stretch of the corridor. The Standard Bike Project plans to install a fully protected intersection at McFadden Avenue and Standard Avenue, a "first of _ it's kind" for this area and likely all of Southern - \ California. We appreciate innovation in design and have recently worked with the City of Palm Desert to > transform the San Pablo Avenue Corridor into an " award -winning streetscape with innovative designs such as median parking, roundabouts with Class 1 and Class 2 bicycle facilities on entry, and low -impact 4 drainage and water quality design that utilized the desert's naturally infiltrative soils to treat storm water. Bikeway Network The proposed project will install bike lanes and routes of three different varieties to accomplish the goal of achieving complete bikeway network connectivity. At the westerly limits of this project the 4- lane roadway will remain with vehicular travel lanes to be reduced to 10' wide and Class 2 bike lanes to be installed along the outer shoulders. This configuration will remain heading easterly along McFadden Avenue from Harbor Boulevard, through two signalized intersections at Riverview Marketplace and Jackson Street, to the bridge overcrossing the Santa Ana River where the 4-1ane roadway will be reduced to 2-lanes via a road -diet. This area highlights the first critical transition zone where vehicles may tend to increase speeds to "get around" perceived slower moving traffic. It also highlights an important junction between the Santa Ana River Bike Trail and the new bike lanes to be added along McFadden Avenue. This is an area where proper signage and pavement markings will be necessary to communicate bikeway connectivity options and roadway safety. As McFadden Avenue continues easterly across the signalized intersection at Mohawk Drive the roadway cross-section narrows, so the buffered portion of the bike lane will reduce in width. Heading across the Fairview Street signalized intersection the Class 2 buffered bike lanes will transition to Class 4 protected bike lanes in the eastbound direction with parked vehicles to the left of the curb- side bike lanes. This is another area of opportunity for pavement markings and signage to coherently direct the traveling public to where they need to be, especially since the westbound bike lanes will essentially remain Class 2 through three more signalized intersections at Sullivan Street, Center Street, and Raitt Street. With parking allowed along the southerly curb line, but not along the northerly curb line, vehicles travelling eastbound will not be able to see bicyclists in the Class 4 protected bike lane to their right side as easily as westbound drivers will be able to see bicycles in the Class 2 buffered bike lane to their right side. This is a critical component of the installation of Class 4 bike lanes which requires complete comprehension and education by the travelling public to achieve the safest roads. Within the section between Fairview and Raitt Streets, then continuing easterly the roadway character slows and cross -streets are often treated with stop -control rather than signalization. As bike lanes cross these stop -controlled minor side -streets they will be treated with green conflict paint and dashed bike lane markings. East of Raitt Street the center median is eliminated in favor of parking on both sides of the street, thus the Class 4 bike lane treatments will be provided for both westbound and eastbound cyclists through the signalized intersection at Pacific Avenue to the west side of the traffic signal at Bristol Street. Heading easterly of Bristol Street the roadway width isn't sufficient to provide for separated or protected bike lanes therefore "Sharrows" and "Bikes May Use Full Lane" signs will be utilized to create a Class 3 Bike Boulevard where cyclists travel in line with vehicles driving at slower speeds. Spacing of the newly installed "Sharrows" and signs will be of utmost importance in maintaining driver awareness of the shared road situation, which continues for nearly a mile through three signalized intersections at Shelton Street, Flower Street, and South Broadway. R§DOKKEN Page 111 ENGINEERING