Burlingame officials are hopeful the soon-to-be completed roundabout near downtown will make a confusing and dangerous intersection more safe and convenient for pedestrians and pedestrians.
Public Works Director Syed Murtuza said the new California Drive roundabout under construction at the intersection of Lorton and Bellevue avenues is expected to be finished next month.
The project, which has been underway for several months, is designed to maintain a free flow of traffic for drivers along California Drive while offering a separate turn lane in the roundabout for drivers looking to access or exit the main arterial.
Murtuza said after years of study and feedback, officials elected to install a roundabout as part of an effort to simplify a confusing intersection which made for a harrowing experience walking, biking and driving through the area.
“We believe it is going to be very successful,” said Murtuza. “It will be an increase in safety for pedestrians and all modes of transportation.
Murtuza acknowledged though that the California Drive roundabout is slightly different in its design than a traditional approach, as part of an effort to preserve a free flow of traffic along one of the city’s main thoroughfare.
“This roundabout is a little more fitting of the location,” he said.
Dedicated lanes are available for those looking to continue through the roundabout in their route along California Drive, while separate lanes are for those looking for access to and from Bellevue and Lorton avenues.
Additional crosswalks are available in the roundabout as well, said Murtuza, who highlighted the safety improvements as a key focus of the construction process.
“We wanted to make sure that we slowed down the traffic a bit to allow for safe driving and pedestrians are allowed to cross,” he said.
The project, which started construction in March, is moving into its final phase of work which will include road resurfacing as well as infrastructure improvements such as landscaping, utility fixes and sign installation. In all, Murtuza said he expects the project to be finished in February, which is in alignment with initial projections. He said the project took as long as it did since officials could not close off California Drive to traffic and preferred not to do work overnight out of respect for neighbors.
As the construction work finishes, Murtuza said focus will shift to educating residents and community members on ways the roundabout is designed to alter traffic patterns through the area.
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He said the city is ramping up its outreach to make information about the changes more readily available, and has also crafted a video for the city’s website which illustrates the way the roundabout is designed to function.
“There will be a lot of signage as to what people should be doing,” he said.
Murtuza added police officers will be posted near the intersection once construction work is completed, to help drivers and pedestrians better navigate the area, when necessary.
Once all the work is completed, Murtuza expressed confidence that all traveling through the roundabout will be able to quickly adapt to the change.
“We believe it is not going to take that much,” he said, of the amount of time needed for people to adapt. “But with any change in the roadway, it will take some adjustment for traffic.”
Murtuza suggested some adjustment is necessary though, as the intersection’s previous alignment was an area where crashes and confrontations between pedestrians and cars were too common.
“We had to address the situation and reduce the confusion and eliminate the concerns that we had,” he said.
With an understanding that there should be a brief period needed to people to become more comfortable with the roundabout, Murtuza said he believed ultimately it will make traveling through Burlingame easier and safer.
“We believe it will be a great improvement for the city of Burlingame and anyone who comes here,” he said.
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Note to readers: this article has been amended to remove incorrect information regarding bike lanes in the roundabout. The roundabout is not designed to accommodate bicyclists.
(4) comments
Unbelievable that it takes almost a year to install a roundabout. I'd like to see two important bits of information on this article: What is the total cost of this change, and just how dangerous was the old intersection - how man serious accidents per year?
By reducing California Avenue to one slow lane southbound, this is already causing traffic delays, I think it's a valid question as to whether all of this is worth it.
Am so glad Burlingame "gets it" in regards to Vision Zero and moving away from the old, 20th Century metric of LOS (level of service...for cars over pedestrians & cyclists) and moving into the 21st Century metric of prioritizing pedestrians & Cyclists over cars
It took society over 100 years of architecture metrics designing cities with LOS for automotive and it will take decades to move into an VMT methodology
Most folks are still in an automotive 1st mindset and hoping they will make the change away from an automotive based society.
Tidbit of info...current road systems were invented for bicycles. Before that, walking, riding a horse, riding on a horse drawn buggy or trolley
Applaud Burlingame for their vision
PS...SB-743 mandates the move away from LOS based metrics and into a VMT based metric
PPS...this is a prime example of "Traffic Calming" road design. Incorporating a Circular and a Chicane to slow down traffic and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists
People using the road make mistakes (like running stop signs and red lights), always have and always will. Crashes will always be with us, but they need not result in fatalities or serious injury.
Modern roundabouts are the safest form of intersection in the world - the intersection type with the lowest risk of fatal or serious injury crashes - (much more so than comparable signals). Modern roundabouts require a change in speed and alter the geometry of one of the most dangerous parts of the system - intersections.
The reduction in speed to about 20 mph and sideswipe geometry mean that, when a crash does happen at a modern roundabout, you usually need a tow truck, not an ambulance. Visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for modern roundabout FAQs and safety facts. Roundabouts are one of several proven road safety features (FHWA).
The life saved may be your own.
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/provencountermeasures/roundabouts/
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/innovative/roundabouts/
Modern, slow and go, roundabout intersections have less daily delay than a stop light or stop sign, especially the other 20 hours a day people aren’t driving to or from work (it’s the #2 reason they’re built). Average daily delay at a signal is around 12 seconds per car. At a modern roundabout average daily delay is less than five seconds. Signals take an hour of demand and restrict it to a half hour, at best only half the traffic gets to go at any one time. 'At best' because traffic signals must have the yellow and all red portion (6+ seconds per cycle) for safety, and modern roundabouts do not. At a modern roundabout, drivers entering from different directions can all enter at the same time. Don’t try that with a signalized intersection.
First of all, all City communications before the project started, and during its construction, said it would be completed in December 2018. Suggesting it is on schedule is simply not true.
Secondly, while having breakfast at Stack’s last week, I was troubled by how fast the traffic was flowing south through the new roundabout. With the driver visibility reduction emanating from the circular flow of traffic, pedestrian crossings will now be less safe across California Drive as traffic speed seems as fast as ever.
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