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Council Watch
City unveils plans for traffic fixes at session for planning commission
Light rail, widening of Highway 87and street repairs are coming in '98
By Jessica Lyons
Traffic in San Jose--a serious problem that has been at a virtual standstill for the past several years--may finally be moving forward.
Taking the first step toward solving the problem, members of the City's Public Works department held a study session on March 24 for the Planning Commission. The session was designed to update commissioners about ongoing major transportation projects--including the Route 87 freeway project, and another $70 million project to improve local streets.
Improvements directly affecting Willow Glen include the widening of 87 between highways 280 and 85 and the addition of a second fixed lane; the extension of light rail from downtown San Jose to Campbell; the final stages of the bike trail network along Los Gatos Creek, Coyote Creek and the Guadalupe River; and surface street improvements.
"The city generally spends $10 million year on street maintenance," said Hans Larsen, transportation division manager for the City Public Works department. "Over each of the next four years, the city is going to be spending $20 million. The public will see dramatic improvements in residential streets."
Street improvements, he added, will include the filling of potholes and the resealing of some streets.
Some commissioners, however, weren't satisfied with the discussion on traffic solutions--which were only briefly touched on toward the end of the meeting.
"I expected them to address solutions," Commissioner William Ress says, "but when I asked the question there weren't any. In their defense they've finally converted the software and the methodology for measuring traffic, and are now in a position to analyze their trouble areas. They probably had solutions in mind but weren't in a position to discuss those."
The city's system of measuring traffic and the transportation "level of service policy," on the other hand, were discussed extensively.
The level of service policy is a growth management tool for the city, and sets a standard for levels of traffic. The city rates traffic levels from A to F, with an A or B level describing an intersection that has light or no traffic, and an F level describing bumper-to-bumper, gridlock conditions. The majority of city streets are rated at level B (42 percent) and C (28 percent). The city considers anything under a D unacceptable.
The level of service policy also requires new developments to make street improvements if the development is responsible for bringing excessive levels of congestion--anything below a D--to the area.
Currently, during peak hours (generally between 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., and 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.) 64 percent of San Jose's freeways and 18 percent of expressway's are a level F, and 7 percent of local streets are at a level E or F.
"It was helpful for me to understand the methodology of how the city rates the intersections--I didn't realize all that went into the method of it," commissioner James Zetterquist said. "I didn't go into it with any expectations. It was an informative session. I actually had a good feeling coming out of it. We may not have reached the point to come up with solutions, but first we have to be able to evaluate the problem."
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
