Neighborhood Greenways

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NEWWe're planning the Pacific Ave Neighborhood Greenway! Give us your feedback by October 20th on the early draft concept planConcept plan here(PDF, 2MB) / Comment form here / Quick-build traffic circle mock-up(PDF, 4MB)

NEW: Use our new web map (link here) to tell us about your biking and walking safety concerns and needs for the planned Neighborhood Greenways, especially the three that will be implemented first - the Slow Street segments of Pacific, San Jose/Morton and Versailles.

NEW: Find all the materials from the 9/28 Pacific Avenue Neighborhood Greenway Pop-up event under "Pacific Ave Planning" below. 

Neighborhood Greenways are local, traffic-calmed streets designed to give priority to people walking and biking, where bicyclists and motorists can safely share the road and busy street crossings have been made safer. In 2024-2025, the Slow Street segments of Pacific Ave, San Jose Ave/Morton St and Versailles Ave will be converted to Neighborhood Greenways. Read more below and find a quick overview here(PDF, 2MB).

Neighborhood Greenways, sometimes called bicycle boulevards, are streets designed to give priority to people walking and bicycling, and to allow bicyclists and motorists to safely share the road on low-volume, low-speed, local streets. Used in cities across the country, these comfortable, low-stress bikeways additionally improve walking safety and calm traffic. 

Alameda does not have any Neighborhood Greenways today, but the Alameda Active Transportation Plan includes 10 miles of Greenways to be implemented by 2030, which are essential to creating a connected, low-stress bikeway network.

Treatments on Greenways are much more extensive than on bicycle routes, which only have painted shared lane markings and signage. They are also distinct from Slow Streets. The key Neighborhood Greenway goals are:

  • Achieve and Maintain Low Vehicle Volumes and Speeds. Neighborhood Greenway streets are only considered low stress when the traffic volumes and speeds are low enough that people biking feel comfortable sharing the roadway space with cars. Reducing traffic speeds and volumes increases safety for all roadway users and improves neighborhood livability.
  • Make Street Crossings Safer and More Comfortable. Neighborhood Greenways also include treatments to improve crossings, particularly at busy intersections, to make it easier and safer for people bicycling and walking to cross busy streets. 

From 2024-2030, the City will work to implement the 9 Neighborhood Greenways in the Active Transportation Plan's 2030 Low-Stress Backbone Network(PDF, 2MB), totaling 10 miles, as shown on this map(PDF, 729KB) and listed here:

Neighborhood Greenway

Limits

Pacific Avenue

Marshall Way to Park St

San Antonio Avenue/San Jose Avenue/Morton St

Ninth to Fernside

Versailles (Fernside to Calhoun), Calhoun (Versailles to Mound), Mound (Calhoun to Waterton), Waterton (Mound to Court), Court (Waterton to Bayview)

[see left]

Third Street

Central Ave to Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway

Eighth Street

Jean Sweeney Park to Pacific Ave

Ninth Street

Pacific Ave to San Antonio

Chestnut Street

Clement Ave to San Jose Ave

Lincoln Avenue/Garfield Avenue

Park to Fernside

Bayview Drive

Broadway to Otis Dr

 

Pacific Ave from Ninth St to Oak St will be the first street in Alameda to be developed into a Neighborhood Greenway, in 2025. 

Draft concept: Review the early draft Concept Plan from Sept 2024(PDF, 2MB), and share your input via this form or by emailing transportation@alamedaca.gov by October 20. The concept plan includes many quick-build traffic circles. Check out what one could look like(PDF, 4MB) at Pacific and Chestnut (also below)!

Safety concerns: Share your walking and biking safety and other concerns along Pacific Ave via this web map, or by emailing transportation@alamedaca.gov, ideally by October 20. You can also share concerns for any of the planned Neighborhood Greenways on the map at any time.

Events:  

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Many design treatments are being considered for Neighborhood Greenways, all of which would be applied only after engineering analysis. 

Corridor treatments to lower auto speeds and volumes (and increase comfort)

  • Speed cushions/speed humps 
  • Speed tables
  • Neighborhood traffic circles
  • Chicanes
  • Partial diverters
  • Auto filters/turn restrictions
  • Lower speed limits to 20 mph
  • Move/remove/replace stop signs

Crossing treatments to increase safety and comfort

  • High-visibility crosswalk markings
  • Raised crosswalks
  • Bulbouts
  • Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, including push buttons for people biking
  • Pedestrian hybrid beacons (HAWK signals)

Placemaking/wayfinding to identify Greenways to all users and allow people to find their way

  • Pavement markings
  • Wayfinding signage
  • Placemaking such as asphalt art/signage/markers

Community input: We asked the community to provide input on these options in the July/August 2024 survey and the results are in: Summary Results(PDF, 122KB)  / Open-ended Responses(PDF, 249KB). There will be more opportunities to provide input as we develop the treatment toolkit!

Events, Meetings, & Surveys

Email Bulletin Mailings + Social Media

Press

Versailles Speed Cushion engagement (June 2024)

Project Phases

We anticipate the following phases for this project:

Continuous: Public engagement and evaluation/analysis

Phase 0. Versailles Ave (San Jose Ave to Calhoun St): Speed cushions will be installed on this block of Versailles Ave, as part of the 2024 pavement resurfacing project, which will support early implementation of this portion of the Versailles Neighborhood Greenway. Neighborhood outreach, conducted in June 2024, was generally supportive. Once the cushions are installed, the Slow Streets barricades will be removed from this section of Versailles. 

Phase 1. Convert Slow Street segments of Pacific Ave, San Jose/Morton Ave and Versailles Ave to Neighborhood Greenways (2024-2025). See map here(PDF, 729KB) of this phase (plus Phase 2) implementation.

  • 1A: Finalize implementation plan, collect citywide community input and develop an initial Neighborhood Greenway treatments toolkit.
  • 1B: Design and begin implementing a segment of the Pacific Ave Slow Street, starting in 2024.
  • 1C: Design and implement remaining Pacific Ave Slow Street, plus all of San Jose Ave/Morton St, and Versailles Ave Slow Streets, by end of 2025

Phase 2. Implement remaining Neighborhood Greenways in 2030 Low-Stress Backbone Network(PDF, 2MB) (2026-2030)

Phase 3. Implement remaining Neighborhood Greenways in Active Transportation Plan(PDF, 802KB) (Post-2030)