8 22-0154 Subject: Lake Merritt Parking Management Plan
From: Transportation Department
Recommendation: Receive An Informational Report On Interdepartmental Efforts To Support Safe Access To And Use Of Lake Merritt And Adopt The Following Pieces Of Legislation;
Part of any Lake Merritt parking management plan should include a full-time narrowing of Lakeshore. The high-speed vehicles, recklessness and noise around the Lake could be improved immediately and inexpensively by moving the lake-side parking out with delineators or bollards and effectively creating a 2-way bike facility. The vehicle travel lanes on Lakeshore have far too much capacity, which contributes to fast and unsafe driving. Moving the parking out and removing the center turn lane would be one important step in making the east side of the more like a park and give people more space to bike comfortably around the lake.
I see people who were asked mostly did not want the parking changed, but some did. Maybe the two free hours will help, but frustration over the meters may exacerbate an already touchy situation. It certainly won't make anything safer.
Part of any Lake Merritt parking management plan should include a full-time narrowing of Lakeshore. The high-speed vehicles, recklessness and noise around the Lake could be improved immediately and inexpensively by moving the lake-side parking out with delineators or bollards and effectively creating a 2-way bike facility. The vehicle travel lanes on Lakeshore have far too much capacity, which contributes to fast and unsafe driving. Moving the parking out and removing the center turn lane would be one important step in making the east side of the more like a park and give people more space to bike comfortably around the lake.
I see people who were asked mostly did not want the parking changed, but some did. Maybe the two free hours will help, but frustration over the meters may exacerbate an already touchy situation. It certainly won't make anything safer.