Ralston 101 mulitmodal issues

The issues with Ralston numbered historically are

1- Bike lanes or a wide through lane.
The on off ramp needs to be reconfigured with paint from the Oracle
side to provide access on the through lane westbound. A bike lane or
sixteen foot lane would work here. This would fix today's shortfall
providing access over the interchange until the bridge is built.

2- Routine accommodation.
This problem would not have arrisen if CCAG had adopted MTC Resolution
3765. We could have had routine accommodation for the cost of paint.

3- Safety.
Safety funds were used by CCAG in construction of the interchange.
www.mtc.ca.gov/funding/delivery/Annual_Listing_FY06.pdf
We ask that the situation with respect to cyclist auto collisions be
reviewed since the Oracle project was finished in 2004 and fixes
outlined.

4- Fund the Ralston Bike Ped Bridge.
Many users are uncomfortable riding on large roads with crossing
traffic like the reconfigured Ralston 101 interchange. CCAG took this
into account fifteen years ago when this project was proposed in the
CCAG BPAC CBP. At this juncture CCAG should fund this bridge as a top
priority because of diminished access since the Oracle project.

5- Urban Trail System
Users who tend to use separate structures like the proposed Ralston
bike ped bridge include children. These bridges are large and
expensive and in some places provide access to recreation like the Bay
Trail. In others like Hillsdale the access egress is compromised. CCAG
BPAC should propose a connected urban trail system across the county
linked to the land uses of children to take advantage of these
expensive structures. An UTS would use bicycle boulevard, choker and
diverter restricted auto access streets like Bryant in Palo Alto, to
connect across urban built out areas.

Since June of 2004 when the Ralston 101 interchange came on line we have talked to-
Julian Carrol, bicycle coordinator at Caltrans, who first reviewed our
complaints on Ralston in 2004 and put us in contact with Peter
Voramasante in Redwood City. Peter asked us to contact Dwight
Campbell.
Dwight Campbell, the safety engineer at Caltrans, said that the design
team took into account the availability of the bike bridge and he's
sorry that hasn't been built yet.
John Lynch, the head engineer at RWC, last week told us he doesn't
know anything because Caltrans tells them what gets built.
Ray Davis the Public Works Manager at Belmont which co managed the
project with RWC says that Belmont hasn't bought off on the project
and will ask Caltrans about the wider through lane coming from the
east. This item is before the Belmont Bicycle Advisory Committee.
Sue Lempert, MTC commissioner, said that she understands our complaint
and that "Bicyclists shouldn't be penalized today for promises tomorrow."
Belmont police chief Don Mattei said that the south bound on ramp for
101 from Ralston, since 2004, is where the most collisions occur
between bike and cars in Belmont. We think because the access from the
east is so dangerous looking, with the right turning lanes for
northbound on ramp, that riders are using the sidewalk on the south
side of the interchange and running into cars that don't expect them.
Scot Mace saw the design in '98 and warned in a newspaper article that
it would be dangerous.
Belmont BPAC has discussed with City Manger Jack Crist the hold ups in
bridge funding. We've also talked this over with Richard Napier, ED for
CCAG, and the misdirected usage of the Comprehensive Bicycle Plan as a
document for road planning. Napier has offered to bring all the parties
together to discuss the issues.