Alameda

Open Issues: 64 • Closed Issues: 1 122 • Acknowledged Issues: 188
Watching issues created after: 2017-01-05

Notified About

  • Grand Street At Otis Drive Alameda, California - Alameda

    I am requesting a change in the traffic light and/or the crosswalk signal, at the intersection at Grand Street and Otis Drive. It is extremely dangerous to be a pedestrian through this intersection. I am a very aware and attentive adult when crossing this street, and I am frequently encountering near misses from people making left turns onto Otis Drive from Grand Street. It is a game of Frogger every time, starting and stopping, and dodging the cars to get across the street.

    The majority of people traveling on Grand Street toward the bay, turn left at Otis. I am suggesting a left turn signal with a red/yellow/green arrow to be separate from the straight green signal to allow the traffic to flow more smoothly onto Otis as well as to allow pedestrians a fear-free way to cross the street without having to dodge the oncoming left turners. Many, many children are crossing at this notoriously bad intersection every day to get to, and from, Wood Middle School (which now houses 4th and 5th graders as well).

    Another option would be to have "pedestrian only" time through this intersection with all lights staying red through the duration of the crosswalk timer.
    Thank you for your consideration.

  • 3325 Fernside Boulevard Alameda, California - Alameda
    The speeding on Fernside is out of control. I recently got hit pulling out of our side street. Where are the speed traps? They used to sit around this corner regularly and traffic was much slower then. Also, cars coming onto the island via the High St bridge (presumably heading to Bay Farm) that catch the red light to turn left onto Fernside, then shoot straight down High, make a left onto Bayo Vista, and then a left onto Monte Vista, to then go right on Fernside and beat the traffic. Problem is my kids were almost hit twice, I have had close calls many times, as have neighbors. They FLY through our neighborhood trying to beat everyone to Fernside. Saving maybe one minute? It's so dangerous. What can be done?
  • Maitland Drive Alameda, California - Alameda
    Maitland Drive from Island to Harbor Bay Parkways is so dangerous. AC Transit buses, cars, commercial trucks barrel through this street at least 40 plus miles per hour if not more. The long blocks encourage drivers to drive faster. I am requesting that the City of Alameda install speed lumps and proper bike lanes like on Bayview in Alameda to physically slow down traffic. They have marked bike lanes, cross walks, and speed lumps. Let this street serve as a great example for other Alamedians. Let Alameda serve as a great example for the rest of the community and to other neighboring cities for the safety of their streets.
    I lived on this street for many years and have seen traffic increase on this street with more people moving here and commuting via Bart or Ferry. I have gone to City Hall in Alameda -7 years ago in fact- regarding speed to no avail. They conducted their 2-week study only to find that this did not warrant any safety measures on this street. That it was okay for people to travel 15-25 miles over the speed limit and the other 20% for them to travel 35 miles over the speed limit.
    I've seen kids playing, school children walking, a family of bikers, seniors walking, and dog walkers and vehicles do not slow down. Every time I put the recycle bins and garbage out or attempt to get into my car, a speeding car comes inches from me without even slowing down. Typically they are not people who live on this street but people passing through in a hurry like a freeway. Think of a freeway and then think of Maitland Drive. There are no proper marked bike lanes, one pedestrian cross walk, no 25mph sign anywhere along Maitland except on the far end, no digital feedback machines like on Fernside, the roads are old and crusty, and of course no speed lumps. Police rarely enforce the speed on Maitland and in fact, I rarely see them on Maitland. The animal control officer that I spoke to a few times here couldn't believe how fast cars were speeding down this street. She told me to contact the traffic patrol officer but no one called me back from that department.
    I've lost 10 pets due to the vehicles hitting them and also seen car accidents due to speed. I am afraid that one day it will take a loss of a human life for the City of Alameda to do anything to make our street safer. It's unfortunate but sometimes this is the only way to install any safety measures.
    Every day I see AC Transit buses, trucks, and vehicles speed through because nothing is stopping them. So frustrating. I contact Public works almost daily to have something done but this is probably not the best place to start so I will start on this website.
  • Safeway Driveways On Island Drive Alameda, CA - Alameda
    Along the bike path on Island Drive two large driveways that serve as the exit and entrance to the Safeway / CVS - harbor bay landing shopping center pose a danger to kids riding that path to and from school. The stop sign at the exit is small and I have often seen drivers "roll" through it and have near misses of hitting a child on a bike . In addition , when a bicyclist stops or pauses at this intersection to check for cars they are blocked from the cars view both by the stop sign and an additional signpost that is there - causing an unsafe visibility issue.For cars entering the lot from Island Drive there is no stop sign - so Cars then turn in and cross the bike path at a faster rate from Island Drive.
  • 306 Maitland Dr Alameda 94502, United States - Alameda
    Maitland Drive Traffic Relief
    My wife and I have suffered thru yet another collision to our parked vehicles right in front of our home. Our insurance has had to pay out over 90k in property damage to 3 totaled vehicles in the past 27 months. Every car traveling Maitland Drive is SPEEDING! we need 24 hr speed controls. We also need a bike lane on this block it has always been a bike route but is not in compliance with safe access rules.
    Shady business deals between the city and developers, and back room agreements with HOA's have kept Island Drive closed to the parkway. Harbor Bay and Bay Farm residents need this opened as was originally intended.
    What we got instead is a silly road at the end of harbor bay parkway that connects to Mecartney road that serves no one.
    My suggestion to the city before lawsuits begin is the last 2 blocks of Maitland Dr. should be one way outbound, that gives alameda the traffic relief needed in the mornings and safe access compliance for cyclists. This would only cost a few signs and paint.. easily and quickly done. For in bound traffic coming off Ron Cowin Pky we all get a little better look at who's entering alameda's back door by routing them around the golf course or continuing on HB pky to Mecartney Rd. Maitland Drive is just too narrow to support the volume of traffic, there's just no room for error.
  • Veterans Ct Alameda, CA, 94502, USA - Alameda

    I use a long-tail e-bike to pick up my kids in Central Alameda each day. I use the Bay Trail from Bay Farm Island to get to the Bay Farm Island Bicycle Bridge. This requires crossing the recently installed speed hump at Veterans Court.

    While it is possible to get my bike over the hump with kids on it, it is challenging to get a wide enough angle as to not bottom out and risk tipping the bike over. The past two days I've done it, there has been a pedestrian also using the path which prevented getting the wide angle I need to get across safely. The first time I attempted the hump, the bike bottomed out --causing me to hurt my foot and my kids almost fell off the back.

    I’ve spoken with another person with a cargo bike who had a similar scary experience on the hump with their young child.

    As a family, we are trying to replace driving as much as possible and the hump is a bit of a challenge in a city that is otherwise trying to make it easier to cycle instead of drive.

    There are many options that can solve the problem of preventing cars from driving on the path without posing a danger to cyclists with cargo bikes and their families. Thank you for your help and attention to this safety issue.

  • Encinal Basin Alameda, California - Alameda
    This morning there were over 9 boats dumped in the Encinal Basin. The majority of these boats were towed into the basin by a man n a small dingy boat. In the last couple of years, this continues to be a problem causing garbage in the basin and people from the boats climb the ladder to chairs that they have chained to the fencing at the end of the basin , along with tables, and have gatherings there. So far two such boats have sunk in this basin causing the city to retrieve the boats at great cost but also as important leaving a large spill of oil and other damaging substances from when the boats sink. I don't understand why this continues to be allowed to this point. PLEASE use our harbor patrol boats and officers to take care of this matter before another boat sinks!
  • 867 Island Dr Alameda Ca 94502 United States - Alameda
    The public space at Harbor Bay Landing has several rotted, ugly and even dangerous umbrellas at the public tables. Several complaints to landlord have been ignored. It is embarrassing to invite friend to have coffee here as they think we live in a homeless encampment or a community that just doesn’t care. Can’t the landlord be forced to fix this eyesore!!
  • 1816 Santa Clara Avenue Alameda, California - Alameda
    Bayside realtor office in a house at 1820. This business has just paved the front yard for parking. How is this legal? The backyard is already paved. does Alameda aim to be the parking lot in the bay?
  • Fernside Boulevard Alameda, CA - Alameda

    From: Monica Burneikis [mailto:monica@meisel-law.com]
    Sent: Wednesday, May 10, 2017 8:41 AM
    To: City Manager ; PW Mailbox
    Subject: Fernside Speedway

    Dear City Manager and the Public Works Department for the City of Alameda:

    I am writing to express my concern regarding the excessive speed I have observed drivers using on Fernside Boulevard. I have lived on Fernside Boulevard near Thompson Street for 2.5 years. During that time, I have witnessed drivers on a daily basis driving at speeds well in excess of the 25 mile per hour speed limit. I also regularly (i.e., at least once per week) see drivers, frustrated with the car in front of them obeying the speed limit, swerve into the bike lane or cross over the double yellow median line in order to pass the vehicle ahead. Most concerning about this behavior is that I observe it most often during the morning commute, when numerous children are heading to school, walking across Fernside, or using the bike lanes.

    While I do not know this, I hope that the drivers I have seen participating in the above actions do not live in Alameda, but rather, are using Fernside to get to the Harbor Bay Business Park, the Oakland Airport or the San Francisco Bay Ferry. Such would also help explain the reason for such haste in driving.

    I would like the City to consider taking action to address this problem, and thereby reduce the risk of injury to the public and our children caused by the dangerous speeds and poor driving habits used by drivers on Fernside. Perhaps the installation of additional stop signs would be beneficial. Such is a low cost and relatively simple way to address the issue. There are currently no stop signs between High Street and East Side/Garfield Drive, which allows drivers to reach high rates of speed on this stretch of road. Another option would be to install speed humps all along the street. Finally, perhaps some sort of curb separating the bike lane from the roadway, or a center/median island (similar to the islands on Thompson Street) would be effective. I have personally spoken with non-Alamedians who have said that the large width of Fernside gives drivers the impression that the speed limit is higher than 25. Making the roadway narrower, either by installing a curb along the bike lane or a center median, may encourage drivers to slow down.

    Another benefit of installing some sort of speed reducing system is that such may deter drivers from outside of Alameda from using Fernside as a thoroughfare to the business park, airport or ferry, and encourage those drivers to use DooLittle or Ron Cowan Parkway, both of which have higher speed limits and less pedestrian traffic.

    Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing back from you.

    Best regards,

    Monica Burneikis | Partner
    Meisel, Krentsa & Burneikis
    350 Sansome Street, Suite 600
    San Francisco, California 94104
    Direct Dial 415.288.4032
    www.mkinjurylaw.com

  • Island Drive Near Mecartney Alameda, California - Alameda
    At the Harbor Shopping Area there are two entrances on Island Drive which are right turn only. The second one, closer to Mecartney is abused by drivers. They often get into that lane and then speed through it to make a right turn onto Mecartney. This is a total hazard as other cars are trying to get into that lane to turn and there are many near collisions. This has happened to us three times this week alone. I'm suggesting ;putting
    some tall white posts, as they are at 8th and Crown State Beach to keep drivers from driving through. There have been too many close calls. It shouldn't cost too much and would save some lives. There are also cars making a right turn out of the shopping area who are expecting the car coming toward them to make a right turn and doesn;t.
  • Intersection Of Packet Landing Road And Centre Court Alameda, California - Alameda

    Safety issues caused by red zone violations on either side of Centre Court intersection with Packet Landing Road, creating zero visibility when exiting or entering Centre Court. Occurs twice weekdays, at beginning and end of school at nextdoor Earhart Elementary school, with mostly the same few parents using Centre Court red zones as parking spaces for average 20-30 minutes per vehicle.

    I personally stopped by police station to report on 11/8 (incident 1C 117), and newly assigned officer told me it was the first he'd heard of problem (although familiar with similar issues at BayFarm school), and emergency work permitting, that he'd try to come out in a week or 2, to ticket offenders; asking around and asking police, has not happened to date.

    To demonstrate more than single incident of 11/8, I also called in violations to non-emergency police number on 11/14, 11/15, 11/16; police were unable to respond in the average 20-30 minutes vehicles remained in red zone. (I was told because drivers remained in vehicles, police needed to be dispatched, instead of parking enforcement.) I submitted photos of license plates of offenders to Harbor Bay Security, for their tracking & forwarding to police; these were mostly repeat offenders.

    My request is to eliminate the safety issues of zero visibility caused by red zone violations, whether via ticketing offenders, blocking red zone with pylons that seems to be effective down the street in school red zones, or whatever it takes to fix.