City Beat
New islands to help slow traffic along Delmas Ave.
Many higher-level measures among first in Willow Glen
By Kate Carter
After months of meetings between residents and city officials, Delmas Avenue between Willow and W. Virginia streets has undergone a wide variety of traffic-calming measures, which residents hope will bring relief.
"This is the largest project that we've undertaken in Willow Glen," said District 6 City Councilman Ken Yeager, who helped the residents work with San Jose Department of Transportation staff and an outside consultant. "I'm just happy to report that the process worked out really well. I think we're going to make a great difference to that neighborhood."
The most noticeably different features are five locations of temporary curbing islands, which were installed two weeks ago on Willow Street, and Delmas, Coe, Bird and Hull avenues. The island at which Delmas intersects Willow on the north is expected to make the most difference, as it will help reconfigure the traffic through that busy intersection, which many drivers take too fast, San Jose City Traffic Engineer Mansour Malek said. With the new island, drivers will have to travel at slower speeds to turn left onto Delmas from eastbound Willow, and another island will prevent motorists from driving too fast down the residential street that often serves as a speedy cut-through for motorists avoiding Bird Avenue.
A new crosswalk there across Delmas will also provide more visibility and safety for pedestrians, he said.
These and other measures including a new all-way stop at the intersection of Hull and Delmas avenues, a two-way stop at Delmas and Brown avenues and changed timing of traffic signals along Bird Avenue are higher-level traffic-calming techniques that have been implemented because basic measures--increased enforcement and photo radar--weren't working.
The city has implemented a new traffic-calming policy of addressing traffic concerns in three increments. The city first attempts basic measures that don't significantly change the physical street, gradually trying more and more significant changes until the street meets an appropriate level of performance. While neighborhoods throughout Willow Glen are participating in the resident-engaging process, few have yet received changes above the basic level. But the Delmas Avenue area is among a few exceptions.
Area residents began meeting with the city last fall about their speeding and cut-through problems. They pointed out that Delmas Avenue is an attractive option for motorists trying to avoid Bird Avenue because the residential street had no stop signs or traffic signals, or anything else to slow traffic, along its length from Willow Street all the way to Interstate 280.
City officials began to address the problems with basic measures, according to the policy, and also conducted a variety of traffic studies. But it became apparent that the street's problems would require more, so the city hired a consultant to help it quickly identify some possible solutions, and met again with the neighbors early this year to receive the go-ahead.
"The best way to deal with this is to have a data-driven plan," Malek said. "You want to make sure you're doing it right."
The neighbors agreed to temporary installations of rubberized tubing with reflective white decals to see if that would help. The city will evaluate the effectiveness of the new islands over the next three months and make changes if necessary. Permanent installations with landscaping or attractive paving are to be in place by the end of the year.
At least two other Willow Glen neighborhoods have already implemented traffic-calming measures beyond the basic. About six months ago, Malone Avenue received new edge lines to narrow the traffic way, and an all-way stop at Malone and Coastland avenues. Minnesota Avenue also received edge lines, as well as an all-way stop at Minnesota and Dorothy avenues and pavement speed messages.
Malek said the intersection at Malone and Bird avenues might also receive an all-way stop.
For more information about San Jose Department of Transportation's traffic- calming policy or to report concerns, call 408.277.4303, or visit the city's website, www.ci.san-jose.ca.us, and follow the link to the department's site.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
