Cyclists laud Mill Valley's plan for Miller Avenue

By Will Jason
Marin Independent Journal, July 11, 2011

For years, Elisabeth Thomas-Matej has used a bicycle to run errands in her hometown of Mill Valley and in neighboring Sausalito and Corte Madera. She enjoys the convenience but has long battled a source of frustration — inconsistent bicycle lanes on busy roads that force her off the shoulder and into the path of cars.

"I've had many experiences of drivers honking and getting angry," she said.

On Miller Avenue, one of the city's two major arteries, such angry encounters could soon be eliminated under a new plan to overhaul the street to improve its safety and appearance. Approved unanimously by the City Council last week, the Miller Avenue Streetscape Plan would provide 5- to 6-foot bike lanes along the entire two-mile road, in addition to wider sidewalks, new landscaping and other improvements.

"I'm really excited about the plan," Thomas-Matej said. "I think it will encourage a lot more people to ride, which would do more to reduce car traffic, which would make everybody calmer."

The plan was approved July 6 after more than a decade of on-and-off planning, discussion and debate by Mill Valley elected officials and city staffers.

It is the descendent of a more ambitious plan that once included mixed-use development and other land-use provisions. The now defunct Miller Avenue Precise Plan was put on hold in 2007 after the land-use portion became a lightning rod for controversy over the possibility of new development.

"The first effort did not go well from a process and community engagement perspective," said Councilwoman Shawn Marshall. "People ended up getting so angry and mistrustful that nobody could think straight."

The land-use issue was set aside, and will be addressed separately as part of a citywide update to Mill Valley's general plan.

In 2008, the council honed in on the streetscape portion of the plan, appointing a task force to create an outline. A year later it created a design advisory committee, which produced the plan approved last week.

A centerpiece of the streetscape plan is its goal to improve access on Miller Avenue for multiple modes of transportation including walking, bicycling and public transport.

"I was just thrilled to finally be able to approve at least the streetscape portion of the plan," Marshall said. "We are really making an effort to make it a multi-modal street that is safe for all ages."

Bicycle and pedestrian advocates applauded the plan.

"We're happy that this plan is going to provide a continuous bicycle lane up and down Miller Avenue, which is sorely needed at this time," said Alisha Oloughlin, advocacy coordinator for the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.

The plan includes a general five-year construction schedule that would begin in 2013. City staffers have estimated the total cost at approximately $18 million, but the figure will likely change depending on factors such as funding and the timing of sewer repairs and other separate but related work along Miller Avenue.

The city has already secured approximately $9 million through Measure A, the half-cent countywide sales tax approved by voters in 2004 for local transportation projects. The city will look for more grants and other funding sources, said Mike Moore, planning director for Mill Valley.

The plan's approval paves the way for construction planning, but the council and city staffers must still decide on the details for two difficult intersections — where Miller Avenue meets Evergreen Avenue and Gomez Way, respectively. The advisory committee had proposed major road re-configurations at the two corners, but the council stopped short of endorsing them.