Community Corner

Safe Routes For Seniors: Improvements Community Meeting March 8

The City will gather feedback on plans for accessibility and walkability enhancements at four downtown intersections.

Press release from the City of Hayward:

March 2, 2021

The City of Hayward Transportation Division will hold an online community meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. on March 8 to introduce and gather feedback on plans for accessibility and walkability enhancements at four downtown intersections.

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The planned improvements—at B Street and Montgomery Avenue, Hazel Avenue/City Center Drive and Foothill Boulevard, D Street and Watkins Avenue, and A Street and Montgomery Avenue—are part of the City’s Safe Routes for Seniors program.

The proposed changes involve construction of “bulb-outs” (curb extensions onto the roadway) at certain intersections, which reduce the travel distance for pedestrian to cross the street.

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In one of the intersections, the median also is proposed to be substantially widened to provide for a safe pedestrian refuge while crossing a wide street.

While these modifications help improve safety and convenience of crossing the street, in some cases they require taking a travel lane, such as a dedicated right-turn lane, or reducing lane width.

These measures can contribute to a decrease in efficiency of vehicular movements at signalized intersections, and thus increase traffic congestion and backup.

Safe Routes for Seniors is a collaborative project of the City, local senior housing communities, senior centers and community organizations. It receives annual funding through Alameda County Measure BB transportation sales tax revenue allocations for paratransit.

Information on how to join the 6:30 p.m. March 8 community meeting through the Zoom video conferencing platform will be posted here the week of March 1 on the City of Hayward website events calendar. Or call or write Ayeh Khajouei of the Hayward Transportation Division at (510) 583-4749 or SR4S@hayward-ca.gov. To learn more about Hayward Safe Routes for Seniors, check out the project page here on the City of Hayward website.


This press release was produced by the City of Hayward. The views expressed here are the author's own.