140 Livermore Residents Turn Out For Meeting On Rural Road Safety

LIVERMORE, CA - From Alameda County Government: Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, representing District 1, hosted a community meeting on January 25 to hear and address paralyzing traffic concerns by residents in East Livermore. Approximately 140 residents filled the barn at Boa Ventura De Caires Winery on Tesla Road to join in the discussion, many of whom were kept warm from the frigid temperature by their heated concerns for safety and quality of life.

Residents were quoted saying things such as: “I look through my kitchen window and the cars start lining up at 4:30 AM”; “I have to leave an hour early for work, just to get out of my driveway”; “People continue to drive recklessly, litter and pass on double yellow lines, someone is going to die”; and “My daughter was hit last Friday on Cross Road and the car took off."

The common sentiment shared by residents throughout the meeting was simply that they feel commuters driving East Livermore rural roads have no respect for the people who live there, and something desperately needs to be done.

Executive Director of the Alameda County Transportation Commission, Art Dao, presented information on infrastructure upgrades and improvements that have already been made to help alleviate some of the commute-traffic related problems on Livermore rural roads. Dao indicated that under Supervisor Haggerty’s leadership on regional transportation, $1.2 Billion has gone toward improvements on Highway 84, I-680 and I-580. The question was raised- All this money invested to keep drivers on the highways rather than taking
alternate (often residential) routes, but is it really working? “Yes,” says Dao.

According to regional transportation statistics, the freeways are flowing better, and Dao says that once
Highway 84 is completed to I-680, including the I-680/ Highway 84 Interchange, it is projected that drivers will choose to stay on the highways rather than veering into residential areas. Dao added, however, that reaping the full benefit of the improvements is still a few years away, and until then, traffic on regional rural roads will continue to fall victim to the booming economy and the Waze digital navigation application.

As he closed out his presentation, Dao committed an additional $90 Million of agency funds to go directly toward Alameda County rural roads.

A presentation delivered by Alameda County Public Works Agency Director Daniel Woldesenbet quickly became the highlight of the evening. Woldesenbet attributed the primary reason for the increased traffic to be a robust economy with near zero unemployment, and affordable housing being in adjacent counties while employment opportunities are in the Silicon Valley area. He says it takes “the three E’s-Education, Enforcement, and Engineering” to address the driving behavior of commuters along the rural roads.

According to Woldesenbet, educating drivers on safe commute practices, along with working with and
educating mobile phone navigation application developers, such as Waze, to remove unsafe roads from their
user applications is key. Both of which, he says Alameda County is currently working to do. Next, he stated
that while the Alameda County Sherriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol are committed to increasing
traffic law enforcement in affected areas, and increased fines through legislatively established double fine zones would help deter speeders. With this, Woldesenbet affirmed the crowd that the County continues to work with the State to come up with legislative fixes. Lastly, Woldesenbet touched on the topic of money, stating that the recently passed “Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, or SB1,” and funds received from Measure BB will allow for engineered solution project implementation, as well as, continued general major highway improvements.

As potential solutions to the traffic problems ailing residents, Woldesenbet and his team of Agency engineers proposed the installation of 10 speed tables along Tesla Road and three along Patterson Pass Road. Speed tables minimize vehicle speed to an average of 20-25 miles per hour. The construction contract is currently out to bid, and according to Woldesenbet, construction can begin as early as April or May, following the rainy season. Though mostly supported by members of the audience, some residents voiced concerns with the speed tables and the negative effects they might have on their trailers.

Other proposed improvements included stoplight installations at the intersection of Tesla Road and
Greenville Road, and another at Greenville Road and Patterson Pass Road. Additionally, in an effort to educate drivers and monitor speed in areas where speed tables/stoplights cannot be legally/safely placed, electronic speed feedback signs will be installed. The proposal is to install three speed feedback signs along Patterson Pass Road and two along Tesla Road.

For more information regarding the community meeting and/or the proposed placement of speed tables and
readers in East Livermore, contact Shawn.Wilson@acgov.org.

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