Neighborhood Greenways

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NEW: Attend the San Jose and Versailles Pop-up event on Saturday, April 19, to learn about Neighborhood Greenways, share your safety concerns and give input on draft concept plans. From 10am to 1pm there will be info/activity stations at San Jose/Chestnut and at Versailles/Lincoln. Learn more here

Web Map: Add your biking and walking safety concerns and needs for the planned Neighborhood Greenways, especially the three that will be implemented first - the Slow Street segments of Pacific, San Jose/Morton and Versailles. Web map link 

Neighborhood Greenways are local, traffic-calmed streets designed to give priority to people walking and biking, where bicyclists and motorists can safely share the road and busy street crossings have been made safer. In 2025 and 2026, the Slow Street segments of Pacific Ave, San Jose Ave/Morton St and Versailles Ave will be converted to Neighborhood Greenways. Read more below, find a quick overview here(PDF, 2MB), and see a summary of the timeline and phases here(PDF, 151KB).

San Jose Ave/Morton St (San Antonio to Oak) and Versailles Ave (Calhoun to Fernside) will become Neighborhood Greenways in 2026

Overall concept plans: To be presented at the April 19 Pop-up event for community input, and posted here by 4/21 for comments through 05/04. See the "Design Toolkit" tab for more information about treatments that are being considered.

Safety concerns: Share your walking and biking safety and other concerns along San Jose Ave and Versailles Ave via this web map, or by emailing transportation@alamedaca.gov. You can also share concerns for any of the planned Neighborhood Greenways on the map at any time.

Events/Surveys:  

Pacific Ave from Lafayette St to Oak St will be the first section of Pacific Ave to be developed into a Neighborhood Greenway, in summer 2025. The remainder of the Pacific Ave Slow Street (Ninth to Lafayette) will be constructed in 2026.  

Overall concept plan for corridor: A second and final concept plan (draft concept plan(PDF, 2MB), Dec 2024) was presented at the 12/10/24 Open House. The first draft (early draft Concept Plan(PDF, 2MB), Sept 2024) was reviewed by the community in September and October. Summary of Sept/Oct input here(PDF, 95KB).

The below background and draft materials were shared at the 12/10/24 Neighborhood Greenway Open House:

Events/Surveys:  

Treatments will be selected based on engineering expertise, national best practices, community input and emergency responder review. They will be built with a combination of “quick-build” materials, which can be constructed on a faster timeline using less expensive materials (such as paint and plastic bollards), and select permanent materials (such as flashing lights and asphalt speed humps). Artwork, planters and wayfinding can be added in the future.

In late 2024, the City developed typical Neighborhood Greenway treatments for use across all Greenways. A short segment of Pacific Ave (Lafayette to Oak) will be constructed in summer 2025, allowing the piloting of these designs and the ability to modify them before the rest of the Greenways are implemented.

Quick-build improvements can later be upgraded to permanent materials, as additional funding is available.

Toolkit for Phase 1 Implementation

Corridor treatments to lower auto speeds and volumes (and increase comfort)

Crossing treatments to increase safety and comfort

Placemaking/wayfinding to identify Greenways to all users and allow people to find their way

  • Pavement markings: Sharrows

Community input on the Toolkit 

We asked the community to provide input on a variety of treatment options in a July/August 2024 survey: Summary Results(PDF, 122KB)  / Open-ended Responses(PDF, 249KB). The Typical Intersection Treatments were developed as the Pacific Avenue Neighborhood Greenway was being designed, and were presented to the community for input at the December 2024 Open House.   

Treatments that may be considered for future use

Over time, additional traffic calming, crossing and wayfinding treatments can be added to enhance the Neighborhood Greenways. The following may be considered:

  • Wayfinding signage
  • Placemaking such as asphalt art/signage/markers and planters
  • Chicanes
  • Partial diverters
  • Speed tables
  • Auto filters/turn restrictions
  • Lower speed limits to 20 mph
  • Raised crosswalks
  • Permanent construction, with concrete, for bulbouts, etc

Neighborhood Greenways, sometimes called bicycle boulevards, are streets designed to give priority to people walking and bicycling, and to allow bicyclists and motorists to safely share the road on low-volume, low-speed, local streets. Used in cities across the country, these comfortable, low-stress bikeways additionally improve walking safety and calm traffic. 

Alameda does not have any Neighborhood Greenways today, but the Alameda Active Transportation Plan includes 10 miles of Greenways to be implemented by 2030, which are essential to creating a connected, low-stress bikeway network.

Treatments on Greenways are much more extensive than on bicycle routes, which only have painted shared lane markings and signage. They are also distinct from Slow Streets. The key Neighborhood Greenway goals are:

  • Achieve and Maintain Low Vehicle Volumes and Speeds. Neighborhood Greenway streets are only considered low stress when the traffic volumes and speeds are low enough that people biking feel comfortable sharing the roadway space with cars. Reducing traffic speeds and volumes increases safety for all roadway users and improves neighborhood livability.
  • Make Street Crossings Safer and More Comfortable. Neighborhood Greenways also include treatments to improve crossings, particularly at busy intersections, to make it easier and safer for people bicycling and walking to cross busy streets. 

Events, Meetings, & Surveys

Email Bulletin Mailings + Social Media

Press

Versailles Speed Cushion engagement (June 2024)

From 2024-2030, the City will work to implement the 9 Neighborhood Greenways in the Active Transportation Plan's 2030 Low-Stress Backbone Network(PDF, 2MB), totaling 10 miles, as shown on this map(PDF, 729KB) and listed here:

Neighborhood Greenway

Limits

Pacific Avenue

Marshall Way to Park St

San Antonio Avenue/San Jose Avenue/Morton St

Ninth to Fernside

Versailles (Fernside to Calhoun), Calhoun (Versailles to Mound), Mound (Calhoun to Waterton), Waterton (Mound to Court), Court (Waterton to Bayview)

[see left]

Third Street

Central Ave to Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway

Eighth Street

Jean Sweeney Park to Pacific Ave

Ninth Street

Pacific Ave to San Antonio

Chestnut Street

Clement Ave to San Jose Ave

Lincoln Avenue/Garfield Avenue

Park to Fernside

Bayview Drive

Broadway to Otis Dr

 

Project Phases

We anticipate the following phases for this project:

Continuous: Public engagement and evaluation/analysis

Phase 0. Speed cushions were installed on Versailles Ave (Calhoun to San Jose), as part of the 2024 pavement resurfacing project, which support early implementation of this portion of the Versailles Neighborhood Greenway.  

Phase 1. Convert Slow Street segments of Pacific Ave, San Jose/Morton Ave and Versailles Ave to Neighborhood Greenways (2024-2026). See map here(PDF, 729KB) of this phase (plus Phase 2) implementation.

  • 1A: Finalize implementation plan, collect citywide community input and develop an initial Neighborhood Greenway treatments toolkit (2024)
  • 1B: Design and implement a segment of the Pacific Ave Slow Street (Lafayette to Oak) with construction in Summer 2025.
  • 1C: Design and implement remaining Pacific Ave Slow Street, plus all of San Jose Ave/Morton St, and Versailles Ave Slow Streets, in 2026, pending funding availability.

Phase 2. Implement remaining Neighborhood Greenways in 2030 Low-Stress Backbone Network(PDF, 2MB), pending funding availability (2026-2030)

Phase 3. Implement remaining Neighborhood Greenways in Active Transportation Plan(PDF, 802KB) (Post-2030)