On Thursday, November 18th, approximately 20 Pleasanton bicycle advocates attended a workshop to review and provide feedback on the East Pleasanton plan and proposed bike infrastructure. The attendees broke out into small groups to allow more in-depth discussion with our land planner Neal Payton, landscape architect Vince Lattanzio and transportation consultant Patrick Siegman.
Click to download the presentation (PDF) from the November 17th meeting.
Here are some highlights of what we heard:
- Bike travel needed to be safe for ALL users (i.e. cyclists/club riders AND families with children)
- Intersections along Busch need to emphasize pedestrian and cyclist safety
- Encouraged the idea of creating a gathering place for people who ride their bikes to/through the neighborhood – potentially with a coffee kiosk at the center median/El Charro-Busch
- Two-way cycletracks were preferred for both El Charro (on the east/park side) and Busch (on the north side to better connect with the Iron Horse Trail)
- Ensure NACTO standards are achieved throughout
- El Charro trail needs to provide a connection to the gravel trail on the north side of Arroyo Mocho
- Bike lanes on major roads (i.e. Busch & El Charro) must be protected
- Special attention should be given to the two major intersections – El Charro at Busch and El Charro at Stanley
Our revised Bike and Trails plan, available here for download or below for easy viewing, reflects the suggestions received in November. The most significant modifications are the change from a median trail to a protected two-way cycletrack along Busch Road, and refinement of the El Charro Road bike path, which becomes a protected two-way cycletrack along El Charro and now connects to the Arroyo Mocho trail on the north side of the Arroyo Mocho.
We believe that new neighborhoods must be created with cyclists and pedestrian safety as a primary goal to ensure the people can get around safely and easily without having to use a car. We’re thankful for the input of the Pleasanton cycling community in helping us achieve this objective.
We will be asking for City Council to prioritize the continued planning of this area to ensure that the land will continue to be thoughtfully planned in a manner that benefits the community and achieves the highest ideals for how new neighborhoods should be designed. In the meantime, we’re happy to talk further about our plans. Feel free to contact Pam at [email protected].
Revised Bike and Trails Plan