Project Description
This Iron Horse Corridor Active Transportation Study (“Study”) analyzes opportunities and constraints for further developing the active transportation features within the Iron Horse Corridor. The scope of the Study includes the entire length (approximately 22 miles) of the Iron Trail facility and Corridor within Contra Costa (State Route 4 to Alameda County Line). The Study was developed in collaboration with stakeholders such as the Town of Danville, the cities of Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, San Ramon and Dublin, East Bay Regional Park District, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, 511 Contra Costa, utility companies, and local community and advocacy organizations.
Background
August 2018, County staff and Alta + Planning and Design (consultant) initiated the Study. A summary of tasks staff and the consultant have been engaged in include:
• Receiving public input via web-based mapping tool.
• Completed technical memos, including the Existing Conditions, Corridor Analysis, Shared Autonomous Vehicle (“SAV”), Demand Analysis and Needs Analysis.
• Held public outreach events along the Iron Horse Trail in various locations.
• Define study goals and develop improvement concepts and evaluation criteria.
• Convened three Technical Advisory Committee* (“TAC”) meetings (October 2018, March and October 2019).
*TAC consists of staff representatives from each of the agencies listed in the “Project Description” section of this report.
Public Outreach
The Study benefited from public input through a comprehensive public outreach strategy that surveyed a variety of communities and disciplines. Outreach activities began immediately after initiating the Study and continued through Summer/Fall 2019.
County staff and the consultant team engaged in several public and stakeholder outreach events. On December 2, 2018 the consultant team conducted a bike ride of the entire Iron Horse Trail (within Contra Costa County) to help inform our work on the Study. TAC members and members of the public were invited to participate and during the ride were asked to consider the following:
• How you use the trail today?
• How you would like to use the trail in the future?
• Which crossings need improvement?
• How to improve access to the trail?
January 2019, County staff and the consultant team met with staff from the Center for Independent Living and the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program representatives to introduce the project and discuss potential project goals.
Spring/Summer 2019, the consultant and County staff held six in-person public engagement events where we received feedback from approximately 260 people. Generally, people expressed a desire for: adding amenities (e.g. lighting, shade, and bike stations), increasing access points, prioritizing trail users at road crossings, and providing user separation along the trail.
The online public engagement webmap tool, open from January to August 2019, gathered over 1,100 unique interactions (i.e. 407 comments and 769 comment likes/votes). Synthesizing this input revealed themes centered primarily around: improving mobility, increasing safety, increasing access/equity and improving the user experience.
Draft Study
An Administrative Draft Study was completed and disseminated to the TAC on November 26, 2019.
The Administrative Draft Study summarizes the data collected in the prior technical memos and defines the Study vision and goals based on feedback from the public engagement process and TAC.
Vision and Goals
The Study envisions a trail that can serve as an active transportation spine that supports the region’s mobility goals and continues to provide a treasured recreational resource for users of all ages and abilities.
• Safety: Enhances trail condition and improves traffic and intersection safety.
• Mobility: Provides connections to transit, trails and on-street facilities; accommodates user demand and enhances user comfort.
• Access & Equity: Provides access to jobs, destinations, parks and open space, and health services; presents opportunities for new access points.
• User Experience: Improves trail conditions and amenities; presents opportunities for stormwater filtration, ecology, new amenities, and placemaking.
• Project Synergy: Aligns with planned projects and existing land uses and allows for future expansion of new technologies.
January 21, 2020, the updated Draft Study, which incorporated comments received during the Administrative Draft phase, was posted on the project website for public review. The review period ends on Thursday, February 13, 2020.
Potential Trail Improvements
The Corridor was divided into 15 segments (Exhibit A), each approximately 0.5 miles to 2.5 miles. Each of the seven Corridor jurisdictions (six incorporated areas and unincorporated County) contain 2 to 3 segments. Examples of the design segments are provided as Exhibits B (Contra Costa Centre/Pleasant Hill BART Station Area) and Exhibit C (Alamo).
The Study proposes projects for each segment that were developed by paring the corridor and community needs. A data driven corridor analysis documented how the trail connects to regional networks and adjacent land uses, as well as how it currently serves surrounding communities. Each segment’s proposed projects intend to improve the on-trail experience (e.g. user separation), intersections, access points (existing and new), and connections to existing and planned bikeways and trails. Implementing a coordinated vision will also improve travel for higher speed cyclists by providing an efficient route for faster, long-distance travel (i.e. commuting or other utilitarian purposes).
The Study also investigates potential for emerging mobility modes, such as shared autonomous vehicles (“SAVs”), e-bikes and e-scooters. Accommodating emerging mobility options could serve as a first/last mile connection to fixed-route transit, improve mobility options and reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions. The Study also acknowledges implementing emerging mobility in the Corridor could face challenges due to limited data from such an application in other trail corridors, conflicts with existing utilities, and operation and maintenance needs. For SAVs to safely operate within the Corridor they would need to run on a facility fully separated from other non-motorized modes. The Corridor has space for this type of infrastructure in only a few areas (mainly Walnut Creek and Danville/San Ramon areas). Ultimately, additional study and extensive public outreach would be necessary to further develop this concept.
Project Prioritization/Evaluation
Five evaluation criteria (safety, mobility, access & equity, user experience) were developed by the TAC based on the community-driven goals. Those five criteria were used to evaluate the performance of each project type per segment. The TAC provided feedback on the proposed improvements and results of the recommended prioritization.
An evaluation was conducted to project how many additional users are likely to use the trail if certain design improvements are made. This evaluation modeled three proposed improvement scenarios (improved intersections, increased/improved access, and increase in E-Bikes) and measured how each would impact future demand as well as perception of trip and travel time. Results of the evaluations indicate the following:
Improved Intersections – The Study evaluated how trail priority at all intersections would impact trail users and total bikeable trips. If arterial crossings were separated from the street, collector crossings had signals to decrease trail user waiting times, and local crossings required vehicles to stop, the trail would feel 14% shorter in length than existing conditions. Trail priority would enhance user experience and could encourage more commuters and recreational users to use the trail.
Improved Trail Access – The Study modeled better trail connections. Currently, few comfortable on-street bike facilities connect users to the trail. With the addition of comfortable low-stress bikeways leading to the trail at regular intervals, there would be a significant number of new trips to the trail (up to 23% more trips).
E-Bikes – The Study considered how the presence of e-bikes would impact trail usage. With an increase of electric bikes and scooters, trail user speeds would increase and allow for longer and faster trips. E-bikes would allow users to make trips that are 22% longer and would increase the number of bikeable trips significantly (approximately 27%).
Comments from the TAC on the Administrative Draft Study were due on December 13, 2019 and were incorporated into the Final Draft Study, which was published on January 21, 2020. After the public review period and any necessary revisions to the Final Draft Study are complete, staff anticipates a Final Study will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for consideration by March/April 2020.
Operation and Maintenance
An important point of discussion among TAC members was how to operate and maintain the Iron Horse Corridor if improvements are implemented. The improvements outlined in this Study will increase operation and maintenance costs significantly, and may require a new strategy.
Currently, the Corridor is owned by Contra Costa County and maintained through the Iron Horse Corridor Management Program Advisory Committee. The County has a license agreement with the East Bay Regional Park District where they (Park District) agree to maintain the 12-foot paved trail portion of the Corridor plus four feet on either side.
Section 6 of the Study discusses potential governance and revenue models. The existing management structure for the Iron Horse Trail is sufficient for the corridor as it exists today. However, a new strategy may be needed to ensure there are adequate funds available to implement and maintain the proposed projects outlined in the Study. Establishing this new strategy will require a coordinated effort between the Corridor stakeholders.
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