The planning effort is a partnership between the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, cities of Seaside and Marina, TAMC, Monterey County Health Department and Ecology Action and is funded through a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant awarded in December 2017.
The Plan builds on the goals of the Measure X Safe Routes to School Program to ensure children across Monterey County have access to safe, healthy and affordable transportation options. Seaside and Marina have both been identified as high priority cities due to the high rates of youth biking and walking collisions and obesity.
The two-year planning process will identify barriers to safe access to all K-12 public schools in Seaside and Marina and recommend infrastructure and non-infrastructure improvements. The planning effort launched in late August 2018. In Fall 2018 the project team conducted walking audits around each of the schools with members of the school community and public. Through the walking audits the project team developed a list of recommended infrastructure and non-infrastructure improvements to reduce barriers to walking and biking to school and reduce traffic congestion in front of schools during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up.
In May the project team will install temporary safe routes to school demonstrations on the street to allow the communities of Seaside and Marina to physically walk and bike through some of the proposed improvements and provide input on whether or not the projects should be made permanent. The temporary demonstrations will remain on the street for approximately two weeks and be maintained by City street maintenance crews and the project team.
Proposed Seaside Temporary Improvements (May 1 - May 15):
- Curb extensions at all four corners of the intersection of Broadway Ave and Yosemite St to extend the sidewalk at the corners creating shorter crossing distances for pedestrians and making them more visible to drivers.
- New crosswalk across Broadway Ave, east of the school driveway. This is a popular crossing location for families during drop-off and pick-up.
- Road diet on Broadway Ave between Yosemite St and Mescal St to create buffered or protected bike lanes. This project is identified in the Seaside Draft General Plan, and involves reducing this section of Broadway Ave from four lanes to two and replacing the outer lane with a bike lane. This treatment would help to slow traffic on Broadway Ave in front of the school and provide a safe space for students and community members who bike.
Proposed Marina Temporary Improvements (May 14 - May 28):
- New crosswalk across Carmel Ave at Nicklas Ln, and new crosswalk across Nicklas Ln. This could include changing the crosswalk in the school parking lot to align with the new crosswalk across Carmel Ave.
- Curb extensions at the intersections of Carmel Ave and Pleasant Cir and Carmel Ave and California Ave. Curb extensions on Carmel Ave and Carmelo Cir and Lynscott Dr.
The project team is coordinating with MLK Jr. Elementary, Crumpton Elementary and Marina Vista Elementary school administration and Monterey Peninsula Unified School District staff to communicate with parents and the school community about the temporary improvements. Interested members of the community including elected officials and City committee members and commissioners are also invited and encouraged to walk or bike through the temporary improvements and provide comments to the project team as to whether or not they feel the improvements should be made permanent.