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refuge areas can be a large enough size to accommodate pedestrians, they are not designed to accommodate people who remain stationary over long periods of time, as their exposure to vehicle traffic is prolonged and the level of safety is reduced. Narrow Medians The California Department of Transportation ("CalTrans") Highway Design Manual identifies a minimum median size of 6 feet wide for medians that are used by pedestrians for refuge. Pre-existing medians less than 6 feet ("narrow medians") may not be adequate to provide protection for pedestrians and are not suitable for lingering, loitering, or sitting on by individuals. Lingering and loitering on narrow medians reduces the safety of the intersection for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. Pedestrians lingering or loitering on narrow medians endanger themselves by creating continued exposure to moving traffic streams, impeding other pedestrians and bicyclists, and increasing the risk of distracting motorists. Distracted driving, while not a primary classification for a cause of a crash, does detract from the orderly movement of vehicles. Distraction is often cited in driver testimony as the reason for many collisions. Motorists attending to people loitering in medians is a distraction. Doing so during when a motorist is moving through a green light also causes unnecessary traffic congestion, which can increase the number of rear end collisions. In situations where there are multiple lanes, people who are loitering often move across multiple lanes to receive money or food. This can also increase the risk of collisions. Because of these concerns, staff is recommending that lingering and loitering on narrow medians be prohibited City-wide. Medians and Corner Islands Located in High-Volume Intersections Two Interstate freeways serve Pleasanton. Interstate 580 ("1-580") is an eight-lane freeway which runs east-west from Interstate 5 near Tracy to beyond its joining with Intestate 80 in Emeryville. Interstate 680 ("1-680") runs north-south from Interstate 280 in San Jose to Interstate 80 near Fairfield. 1-680 is a six-lane freeway, south of 1-580, and a six-lane freeway with an additional high-occupancy vehicle ("HOV") lanes north of 1-580. As explained in the Circulation Element of the City's General Plan, 1-680 and 1-580 are extremely congested in the morning and evening peak hours. This congestion impacts the City's local roadway circulation. As these freeway systems become more congested, motorist search for alternate routes, such as using local roadways to bypass the freeway congestion creating additional local peak hour congestion. Several interchange and non-interchange intersections are approaching or are already at capacity. The increase in traffic at these locations is not due solely to regional traffic on the City's street network, but instead is at least partially the result of growth and development within the City. (See Pleasanton General Plan, pages 3-9 through 3-12.) Page 3 of 5