Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Discussion
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER AN UPDATE ON BICYCLE LANE PROJECTS IN CARSON (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
Council Member Hicks recently asked staff to make a presentation on the status of the bike lane and bike path projects currently in design. A full PowerPoint presentation will be made during the City Council meeting.
The City has five different bikeway projects under design including on-street bike lanes and separated bike paths. The designers address a number of issues including the optimizing the amount of right-of-way for bicyclists and their safety. The projects are as follows:
• Bike Lane Installation (Phase 1 and 2)
• Dominguez Channel Bike Path (Phases 1 and 2)
• Santa Fe Avenue Bike Lane Installation (Project No. 1534)
Public Works staff made a presentation to the City Council at the June 9, 2020 meeting on the Dominguez Channel Bike Path Phases 1 and 2 project, and staff and the design consultant KOA Corporation made a public presentation to the City Council on the bike lane projects at the November 4, 2020 meeting after the traffic assessment was conducted and project plans were 60% complete.
This presentation will cover the status of the bike lane and bike path projects.
The City currently has a Bicycle Master Plan that was completed in 2012 (Exhibit 1). This Master Plan has approximately 58 miles of bike lanes; approximately 30 miles of these are in the design phase. The Dominguez Channel Bike Path design is nearly completed.
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
TAKE the following actions:
PROVIDE direction to staff with respect to recommendations from the urban bikeway design guidelines and designs used at other cities, as provided by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO).
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III. ALTERNATIVES
Do not consider any modifications to the current designs.
IV. BACKGROUND
The City of Carson was awarded two Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grants to design and install bike lanes on various streets throughout the City.
Project No. 1451 has $1,338,400.00 available in federal grant funds which can be used for both the design and construction of bike improvements on Figueroa Street, Main Street, Victoria Street, and Carson Street.
Project No. 1452 has $1,250,000.00 available in federal grant funds which can be used for design and construction of bike improvements on University Drive, Avalon Boulevard, Central Avenue, Del Amo Boulevard, and 223rd Street.
The Santa Fe Bike Lane (Project No. 1534) has only been funded through the design phase.
In addition, the City received two grants from LA Metro for a bike path along the Dominguez Channel or nearby. Phase 1 (Project No. 1490) was from Main Street to Avalon Blvd. and was $1,250,000; Phase 2 (Project No. 1600) was from Avalon Blvd. to Carson Street and $1,300,000.
In early June, the bike design consultants informed Public Works and Planning about the updated safety data and guidelines for bike lanes from NACTO. Using the criteria and designs that have been determined to have greater safety and fewer accidents, it was determined prudent to reevaluate the bike lane designs. Public Works has had additional discussions with the consultants on the best approach to reassess safety and remain as consistent with the adopted Master Plan.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
The Public Works Department and the consultants will be reevaluating the existing designs at no additional cost to the City. Final Plans, Specifications and the Engineer’s Cost Estimate (PS&E) will be determined once the reevaluation of the designs is complete. It is expected that the existing budgets are sufficient to address the additional construction costs associated with any modifications that may be recommended as part of the review.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. City of Carson 2012 Bike Master Plan (pgs. 4-218)
Prepared by: Eliza Jane Whitman, PE, LEED AP, ENV SP