Laserfiche WebLink
Local Agreement <br /> The local agreement stemmed from litigation on the Staples Ranch Specific Plan <br /> Environmental Impact Report (EIR). When the EIR was certified, the City and the <br /> project applicant (the Alameda County Surplus Property Authority) were sued by three <br /> entities: a community group calling themselves Safe Streets Pleasanton (who opposed <br /> the through connection), as well as the Alameda Creek Alliance and the Center for <br /> Biological Diversity (who felt that specific biological issues had not been adequately <br /> addressed in the EIR). After additional environmental analysis was completed and <br /> circulated, an agreement was reached that among other things, outlined very specific <br /> conditions under which the bridge could be re-striped to four lanes, i.e., "Two years after <br /> the opening of Stoneridge Drive as a two-lane roadway allowing through traffic to and <br /> from El Charro Road, the City Council shall have the discretion to open the road to four <br /> lanes. Prior to doing so, the City shall evaluate traffic data, solicit community input and <br /> schedule a public hearing for review and consideration of the matter." <br /> Vehicle Speeds <br /> Based on comments from the public, the City Council also inquired about posted and <br /> actual vehicle speed in the vicinity of Stoneridge Drive bridge. The State requires an <br /> Engineering and Traffic Survey (E&TS) to be completed on all arterial roadways. E&TSs <br /> look at vehicle speeds, volumes, accident history, adjacent land use, and unusual <br /> conditions to establish the posted speed limit. The State requires that the posted speed <br /> limit be set at the 5 mph increment closest to the critical speed. The critical speed is <br /> identified as the speed at which 85% of drivers are driving at (or below). The 85% speed <br /> is used because the general premise for setting speed limits is that the majority of <br /> drivers operate their vehicles in a safe and reasonable manner and just the top 15% do <br /> not. This is supported by collision data that shows that 70% of collisions occur with the <br /> vehicles that operate in the top 15% speed. <br /> An E&TS for this section of Stoneridge Drive (segment between Trevor Parkway and <br /> El Charro Road) was performed in November 2013, after the opening of Stoneridge <br /> Drive to El Charro Road. The posted speed limit for this section of roadway is 40 miles <br /> per hour (MPH) and a critical speed of 43 MPH was recorded just after the opening of <br /> the roadway. A subsequent E&TS was completed in July 2017, and the speeds have <br /> remained constant with a critical speed of 43 mph. <br /> There are only two segments of Stoneridge Drive that are not posted at 40 mph. The <br /> two segments are from Santa Rita Road to Kamp Drive (35 mph) and from Kamp Drive <br /> to Trevor Parkway (35 mph). The Santa Rita to Kamp Drive segment has a valid E&TS, <br /> completed in September of 2018. The segment between Kamp Drive and Trevor <br /> Parkway does not have a valid E&TS. Since 2003, the E&TS has identified the need to <br /> increase the posted limit between Kamp Drive and Trevor Parkway to 40 mph but the <br /> speed limit increase has not been adopted and the 35 mph signs remain in this section <br /> of roadway. The most recent E&TS for the Kamp to Trevor segment was completed in <br /> October of 2018 and the critical speed continues to suggest a 40 mph limit. <br /> Page 3 of 4 <br />