Please attend: New ramps for 242 at Clayton Rd without bicycle facilities through the intersection

Caltrans and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority are planning a project to add ramps for Hwy 242 at Clayton Rd. This is a key point for bicycle transportation in Concord, as it lies along the route from downtown Concord to the Monument Corridor Trail.

The intersection is currently difficult and unsafe to navigate by bicycle, and there are no plans to improve this in the project so far, in spite of the additional motor traffic which the new ramps will generate.

Caltrans has publicly set a goal of tripling bicycling in California by 2020. Continuing the harmful mentality of the past which treats bicycling as recreational, or at best as a marginal transportation mode, is incompatible with that goal. The shift must happen in specific projects like this one. Please turn out to help Bike Concord hold Caltrans to its word.

A public input workshop will be held in the Concord City Council chamber at 1950 Parkside Dr on Tuesday, Sept 20 from 6pm to 8pm.

This is a high attendance priority for Bike Concord’s mission of safe, convenient bicycling in our community. Please do your best to make time to come. The number of people giving input will make a difference in how seriously it is addressed.

The project’s environmental review (which does not include design drawings) can be accessed here. Click on Contra Costa and scroll down to 242/Clayton Road Ramp Project. The document has been broken into a number of pdfs by section.

Caltrans District 4 Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting recap – Safety at freeway crossings

Today’s Caltrans District 4 Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting covered a topic about which Bike Concord members have expressed consistent concern:  bicycle safety at freeway crossings.

Representatives of contractor Fehr & Peers presented best practices for pedestrian and bicycle safety at these points.

A subcommittee of the BAC and PAC also presented their findings about best practices.

The treatments and principles presented would go far to make our street crossings at freeway ramps safe for non-motor traffic in Concord.  I (Kenji) requested and was given an opportunity to make a comment after the presentations, to the effect that Caltrans’ active involvement is needed in order to persuade our engineering and transportation staff in Concord to take these best practices seriously and work to put them into operation here.

My notes on the meeting and comment follow below.