Issues and Advocacy
in Marin Cities and Towns
April 2008 Update

Every spring, MCBC reports on what’s been happening with implementation of the bicycle network in each of Marin’s 11 incorporated cities and town. We’re continually collaborating with public works directors to expand the network of bike lanes, pathways, bike parking and access to public transit. In addition, many of the local jurisdictions as well as the County are in the process of updating their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans. MCBC has been working closely with each of these communities to provide recommendations as the Plans provide a framework and guide for bicycle and pedestrian improvements over the next five years.

Many important projects are breaking ground or nearing completion, including the Cal Park Tunnel in Larkspur, Center Boulevard in Fairfax, Countywide Bicycle Guide Signs, and the Lincoln Hill Pathway -- these are projects that MCBC has been working on with local agencies for nearly 10 years. Each one of the projects will connect communities and provide a safer, more accessible route for cyclists.

To get involved, or for more information about bicycle projects in your city or town, please contact David Hoffman, Director of Planning, at 415-456-3469 ext. 4# or david@marinbike.org. The latest activities for each community are summarized below.

Read the April 2007 Update
Read the April 2006 Update
Read the April 2005 Update

Belvedere

We look forward to helping Belvedere create and implement a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in the near future.

Corte Madera

Corte Madera recently began updating their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and welcomes Debra Sue Johnson as the new Director of Public Works. Debra Sue was previously with Fairfax as their Public Works Director and worked for the Town of Corte Madera prior to her tenure in Fairfax. We are looking forward to the Corte Madera-Mill Valley Gap Closure study that will be initiated during 2008 by the County of Marin. The study will help to determine the best bicycle and pedestrian route between Corte Madera and Mill Valley through studying Alto Tunnel, Camino Alto, and the Horse Hill routes.

Fairfax

On February 20, Fairfax adopted a great new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan along with a Complete Streets Policy. From our offices here in Fairfax we have been watching the Center Boulevard Rehabilitation progress. Once completed later this spring, Center Boulevard between Pastori and Pacheco will sport new bike lanes, wider sidewalks, bike racks, improved intersections, and new plantings. Fairfax will also lead a study of an East-West bikeway that will span from Fairfax through San Anselmo to San Rafael. With a preferred alternative in hand that the three jurisdictions agree to, funds can be sought to make the corridor improvements.

Larkspur

By summer, the City of Larkspur will be constructing an improved intersection design for bicyclists and pedestrians at Magnolia and Doherty Drive. In addition, the City received funding from the Pilot Program to upgrade an incomplete sidewalk to become a multi-use pathway that will parallel Doherty Drive and connect with Redwood High School. Countywide projects affecting the City of Larkspur include the Cal Park Hill Tunnel (will break ground this year), the Central Marin Ferry Connection Project, and the Greenbrae Corridor Improvement Project.

Mill Valley

The Miller Avenue Precise Plan (MAPP) has been in progress for more than seven years. One component of MAPP includes transportation elements. The current designs call for 5-foot bike lanes through the entire corridor (Camino Alto to the Lumber Company), vastly improved intersections, and wider sidewalks. In addition, separated one-way bicycle-only facilities “cycle tracks” will be studied to determine if they can be used on some sections of Miller Avenue. Mill Valley is also undertaking updating their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. See Corte Madera’s update (above) for details on the upcoming Corte Madera-Mill Valley Gap Closure Study.

Novato

Congratulations are in order for Novato staff and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) members for completing the first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan update which was adopted by the City Council in September 2007. In addition, Novato passed a Complete Streets policy that will help to strengthen and support the new Master Plan. In the County portion of Novato, bike lanes will be installed next year on Alameda del Prado.

Ross

Ross is working on a much-needed update to their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan later this spring. We look forward to a new and robust plan that will help to connect Ross with surrounding communities.

San Anselmo

The BPAC is putting the final touches on their new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan now and the Plan is expected to be adopted this spring. There is also funding from the Pilot Program to include safer crossings of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at Saunders and Madrone.

San Rafael

San Rafael recently upped the ante among the local cities by installing new shared lane markings “sharrows” on about a dozen heavily trafficked roads by cyclists. San Rafael will also be updating their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan in coming months. The BPAC has been working hard to help design a new bicycle and pedestrian pathway along the Northgate Mall, and there are several high-priority projects that are part of the Pilot Program which are now in the design progress including: East Francisco Boulevard Study, Mission Avenue to Transit Center Project, Transit Center to Mahon Creek Pathway, Northgate Gap Closure Bike Lanes, improvements along Terra Linda, and County Health and Wellness Campus Access.

Sausalito

Sausalito will soon be updating the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and beginning a study funded by the Pilot Program to examine how to extend the North-South Greenway class I pathway to the Sausalito Ferry Terminal.

Tiburon

Tiburon just opened their newly improved multiuse path and it looks great! The new multiuse path features a ten-foot wide asphalt paving with 3-4 foot wide crushed granite trail on each side of the paving. The Town will also be updating their Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

Marin County and West Marin

The County Department of Public Works has been working hard to get a significant number of new bicycle facilities in place. These include the near-completion of a countywide bicycle guide sign system that helps to route cyclists through all of Marin County. The signs are nearly all installed and feature Mount Tam over a route number; you’ll find the new signs along most major bicycle routes. MCBC plans to include this new routing system in the next edition of our bicycle map (due out later this year). Several major roads have also received bike lanes, including: College Avenue, Lucas Valley Road, and Seminary Drive. More bike lanes will be installed as part of complete streets treatments over the course of the next year. The County is set to adopt the Countrywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan on March 25 – a Herculean effort that involved input from many local agencies, and notably our sister organization Transportation Alternatives for Marin (based in Mill Valley and led by Patrick Seidler). The Marin County Parks and Open Space District is collaborating with the National Parks Service on a study for a pathway connecting Inverness Park and Point Reyes. More information about North-South Greenway projects such as SMART, the Cal Park Hill Tunnel and the Central Marin Ferry Connection Project will be in the summer 2008 issue of the Pedal Press.

Last updated May 2008