Modesto eyes putting College Avenue on a diet

The Modesto City Council is expected to decide Tuesday whether to put College Avenue on what is called a “road diet,” which is a traffic-calming technique used nationwide to slow and improve the flow of traffic, reduce accidents and make streets friendlier for pedestrians and bicyclists.

The proposal coming before the council would put College from Needham Street to Briggsmore Avenue – a distance of about 1.6 miles – on the diet. College is four lanes along that stretch and has street parking on both sides nearly all the way.

The proposal consists of changing the lane markings so there would be one lane in each direction for cars and a center lane for left turns. Modesto would use the space from reducing four traffic lanes to three to create more room for cars parked along the street, a bike lane on each side of the street and buffer between the bike lanes and traffic.

City officials went public with the proposal nearly a year ago. City staff members are recommending the council approve the proposal, which has received solid public support, including that of Modesto Junior College, though there has been some opposition and concern. The city has modified the proposal to address the concerns:

▪  There will be right turn lanes at major intersections, such as College and Orangeburg avenues, so drivers can turn right without impeding the flow of College Avenue traffic. There is no street parking in these areas, and that space will be used for the right turn lanes.

▪  On the west side of College that fronts Modesto Junior College, the city will place the bike lane next to the curb and sidewalk, then a concrete strip 5 inches high and 8 inches wide in the street, which will serve as a second curb for cars to park. The city is doing this to make it safer for bicyclists because of the many cars that park in front of the college.

▪  The city would lengthen the bus stop near the college so it can accommodate three buses, up from the two it currently accommodates. But the number of spaces for street parking would increase by eight, with most of them by the college.

▪  The two lanes for Kansas Avenue traffic turning left onto College Avenue will remain, with College having a transition zone where the two lanes merge into one.

The road diet concept has been around for a while and has been used in Fresno, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and communities across the nation. Modesto officials say there is a lot of evidence showing the concept works.

City officials say the road diet is ideal for roads that average no more than 15,000 cars a day. The segment of College from Needham to Briggsmore gets 12,000 to 16,000 cars per day, according to a city report.

If the council approves the road diet, the work would be done in conjunction with a $3 million project to resurface several major thoroughfares throughout the city, including College from Needham to Briggsmore.

It will cost $80,000 to put College Avenue on a diet. The city spent $23,850 for the consulting firm Fehr & Peers to conduct a traffic study and review the plan. The firm concluded College Avenue is an ideal candidate for a road diet, according to a city report.

The city expects to go out to bid soon for the $3 million resurfacing project. College Avenue will be resurfaced even if the City Council does not approve putting it on a road diet.

The council meets at 5:30 p.m. in the basement chambers of Tenth Street Place, 1010 10th St.

This story was originally published April 11, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Modesto eyes putting College Avenue on a diet."