Belmont Bike Bridge

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="05ad05a3.jpg"> <div> <B>    </B><B>     </B></div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>                                                                                                                      </B></FONT><I>   </I><I>Bike San Mateo County</I><I>                      </I></div> <bR> <div> <I>                 </I></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="05bd2123.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bike San Mateo County"><U><B><U>HOME</U></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Using your bike"><U>Using your bike</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bike SMC Recommendations"><U>Bike SMC Recommendations</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Campaigns/Activities"><U>Campaigns/Activities</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Current Issues"><U>Current Issues</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dangerous Conditions"><U>Dangerous Conditions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Google Discussion Groups"><U>Google Discussion Groups</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Maps/Routes"><U>Maps/Routes</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Resources"><U>Resources</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U>News Archive</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bikes on Transit"><U>Bikes on Transit</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Newsletters"><U>Newsletters</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="City Links and Contacts"><U>City Links and Contacts</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Membership/Contact"><U>Membership/Contact</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting Involved"><U>Getting Involved</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Improvements"><U>Improvements</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="In Case of an Accident Legal Considerat"><U>In Case of an Accident & Legal Considerations</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Map"><U>Site Map</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>The Belmont bicycle/pedestrian was opened for public use November 10 2011</B></div> <bR> <div> Pictures of the completed bridge</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0d52ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="0d72ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="0d92ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> West of 101 Entrance views and view of the bridge over 101 from the west side</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0dc2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="0de2ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="0e02ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Views of the roadway                                                                                                                  Exit east side of 101 at Baseball fields</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0e2fa4d0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="0e4fa4d0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="333" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><IMG SRC="0e8c0500.jpg" border=0 width="448" height="336" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  Foul Ball Warning                                  25MPH Limit?                                                Mixed Use Sidewalk for bicycles and Pedestrians</div> <div>                                         </div> <div> <IMG SRC="0d52ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">   <IMG SRC="0d72ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Watch for right tuning motorists when exiting the bike path.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>To address the right turn issue shown above, a special bicycle and pedestrian actuated No Right Turn Light has been installed.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0f22ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="0f42ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">  <IMG SRC="0f6a9e10.jpg" border=0 width="169" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> No Right Turn Light                                              Close up of No Right Turn Light                      Bike detector under bike</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0f82ce10.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="225" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> To address the danger from right turning motorists to bicyclists and pedestrian exiting the bike path, a unique bicycle and pedestrian actuated No Right Turn lights have been installed.  When the light on Ralston goes green and either a pedestrian has pushed the button for the walk signal or a bicycle is detected by the wire loop in the bike lane, the two No Right Turn Lights turn on. This is to inform motorists to not make a right turn as bicyclists or pedestrians are exiting the bicycle lane.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Review and Suggestions for the new bridge</B></div> <bR> <div> After the bridge was opened, some concerns and opportunities for improvement were noted. Using our google group these items were discussed with suggestions developed to address these items. These were summarized in our letter to Belmont asking them to review this to further improve the safety and usefulness of the bridge. Below is the body of our letter. The actual letter is available at: <A HREF="http://bikesmc.org/Belmontbikebridgesuggestions.pdf" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://bikesmc.org/Belmontbikebridgesugg"><U>http://bikesmc.org/Belmontbikebridgesuggestions.pdf</U></A></div> <bR> <div> 12/12/11</div> <bR> <div> Leticia Alvarez, P.E.</div> <div> Assistant Public Works Director/City Engineer</div> <div> City of Belmont</div> <div> Public Works Department</div> <div> One Twin Pines Lane, Suite 385</div> <div> Belmont, CA 94002</div> <bR> <div> Dear Ms. Alvarez;</div> <bR> <div> Having removed a significant barrier to non-motorized traffic the newly constructed and recently opened Belmont US101/Ralston Pedestrian Overcrossing is already heavily used by pedestrians and bicyclists.  Bike San Mateo County recognizes that the acquisition of ARRA funding which enabled project implementation came with the stricture of no further design input. The obvious design flaw is the 8' total deck width with assents/descents on sweeping curves that truncate sight lines.  Touchdowns, especially the western approach, may also negatively impact safety.  Since the deck is narrow BikeSMC has observed that the greatest impediment to safety is the user himself, since it is not in human nature to limit one's self to the confines of a 4 foot travel lane when twice the space is available.  Thus groups of pedestrians not predisposed to walking single file; young and/or inexperienced cyclists, wheelchairs, brakeless mobility including skateboards, in-line skates and scooters, and dog leashes often stray into the opposing travel lane.   </div> <bR> <div> In the spirit of offering constructive criticism to alleviate what are observed hazards on the POC BikeSMC would like to offer the following suggestions in order to make "The Children's Bridge" as incident-free as possible:</div> <bR> <div>     Reduce the speed limit to 10 mph as the existing 25 mph speed limit on the pathway approaches to the bridge is too high for mixed use.</div> <bR> <div>   The No Right Turn light at the intersection of Ralston and Hiller Street, a novel approach to alert motorists of those exiting the bike path, although appreciated, invites a dangerous situation because bicyclists are unaware that they must activate the light by riding over an unmarked detector loop.</div> <bR> <div>      Paint an outline of the detector loop on the path  </div> <div>      Add signage to read: "Ride on detector to activate light".</div> <bR> <div>    Conduct a traffic study at this intersection to determine if:</div> <div>      Motorists understand they must fully stop to wait for non-motorized users who trust the implied safety in crossing.</div> <div>      System control timing presents a green crossing indication to non-motorized users after the No Right Turn light is extinguished that might allow      motorists to assume an unobstructed right turn. </div> <bR> <div>      Install warning signage to read:</div> <div>      Bike/Pedestrians: "Watch for right turning traffic when exiting path"</div> <div>      Motorists: "Watch for pedestrians and bicyclists in Right Turn Crosswalk"</div> <bR> <div> Per Caltrans design standards install a barrier where the bike path is parallel to Ralston Avenue to prevent pedestrians or bicyclists from falling into traffic. </div> <bR> <div>     Thick thermo plastic paint markings may be a slip hazard when wet and are difficult or uncomfortable to some users such as skateboards or bicycles with rigid high pressure tires. Future maintenance might include simply using non-slip paint when the present markings need replacement.</div> <bR> <div>  Mirrors should be installed to improve sight lines on ascending/descending bridge curves to allow all users to watch for on-coming movement in  order to reduce the possibility of collision.  As a caveat, the mirrors should be shaded to prevent the unintended consequence to motor traffic of blinding sunlight reflection.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>History</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> A 2,448' bicycle/pedestrian bridge will be constructed crossing 101 just north of Ralston. It will cross 101 between Hiller Street and the Belmont Sports Complex Conference Center</div> <bR> <div> A plan to build bridge got a shot in the arm after sitting on the shelf for 9 years.  The total project cost is $9.5 million. Funding sources include:</div> <div> • $7.2 million from Federal (ARRA-TE, SAFETEA-LU Demo);</div> <div> • $1.0 million from State (Transportation Development Act, Bicycle Transportation Account, Environmental Enhancement and Mitigation) secured by the successful lobbying efforts of C/CAG’s Executive Director Richard Napier;</div> <div> • $0.7 million from local (City of Belmont, BAAQMD Bicycle Facility Program); and</div> <div> • $0.6 million from New Measure A.</div> <div> Final design and environmental clearance have been completed and necessary permits are secured. The construction contract will be awarded by December 31, 2009 and the project is scheduled to be completed by November 2010. New Measure A funding would be used for construction. </div> <bR> <div> <B>Weblinks</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.belmont.gov/Upload/Document/D240004797/06122009BicyclePedestrianBridge.pdf" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.belmont.gov/Upload/Document/D"><U>http://www.belmont.gov/Upload/Document/D240004797/06122009BicyclePedestrianBridge.pdf</U></A></div> <div> Map of the bridge:<A HREF="http://bikesmc.org/Belbikebridgemap.jpg" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://bikesmc.org/Belbikebridgemap.jpg"><U> http://bikesmc.org/Belbikebridgemap.jpg</U></A></div> <div> Redline of the bridge:<A HREF="http://bikesmc.org/Bike%20Bridge_red%20line.jpg" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://bikesmc.org/Bike%20Bridge_red%20l"><U>http://bikesmc.org/Bike%20Bridge_red%20line.jpg</U></A></div> <div> Detailed Plans:<A HREF="http://bikesmc.org/Plans_BidSet09142009.pdf" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://bikesmc.org/Plans_BidSet09142009."><U>http://bikesmc.org/Plans_BidSet09142009.pdf</U></A>      Caution this is a very large file</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B>  </B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>