By Matthew Hartzell

Caltrans plans to install new bicycle and pedestrian facilities on Tiburon Boulevard as part of its project for State Route 131. In public comments to elected officials and a recently circulated petition, some Tiburon Peninsula residents have expressed concerns about the need, safety and impacts of the proposed facilities.

I represent the Marin-based nonprofit WTB-TAM (formerly Transportation Alternatives for Marin). Our leadership group supports Caltrans’ plans to add the new multi-modal facilities. We believe there is strong demand.

When complete, they will form a continuous east-west route from Mill Valley to Tiburon. This route has been planned for more than half a century. In the last decade, it has been publicly vetted by officials and community members in every jurisdiction it touches.

By making it safer, more convenient and more comfortable to travel by foot or bike, this project will reduce the share of trips made by automobiles, thus reducing the No. 1 source of congestion.

Unfortunately, there are some significant misunderstandings in the community about the Caltrans project. The petition created by some in opposition makes several unsubstantiated claims:

• One claim is that the proposed Class IV bikeways will not be safe for all users. Caltrans plans to employ a “link separation system” consisting of a low-profile plastic curb and upright delineator posts. This will create physically protected bike lanes that are far safer than the current conditions on Tiburon Boulevard. Some users, such as elementary school age children, may still not feel comfortable on the new protected bikeways — and that’s OK. Those users can continue using lower-stress alternative routes like Greenwood Beach Road.

• Another claim is that the proposed bikeways are incompatible with transit access on Tiburon Boulevard. Both Marin Transit and the joint-powers authority running the school bus program raised concerns in letters to Caltrans. Crucially, neither transit operator opposes bikeways. They simply want bus stops designed to minimize interactions between buses and bicycles.

A straightforward solution is to design the bike lanes to “bend out” behind bus stops rather than run through them. These “bendouts” are recommended by Marin Transit, WTB-TAM and Caltrans’ own design guidelines. We hope Caltrans will follow through and redesign the project to include bendouts at pertinent bus stops.

• Another concern is that the proposed bikeways will increase traffic congestion at the Trestle Glen intersection because more bicyclists will be using that crossing. This claim is unsupported by evidence. New cyclists will cross during the existing signal phase, requiring no extra wait time for motorists.

• One concern is that there is “no demand” for bike lanes on Tiburon Boulevard. In fact, there is demonstrable demand for a through bicycling route on it. This route was first planned over 50 years ago, when it was identified as the second-most important bicycle route in Marin County in the 1974 Marin County Bike Plan. It has been vetted through multiple public planning processes and approved by elected officials in the 2012 Bay Trail Plan, the 2016 Tiburon Bike Plan, the 2018 Marin County Bike Plan and the 2018 Caltrans District 4 Bike Plan.

• It is claimed that the existing Greenwood Beach Road route is sufficient. The proposed Tiburon Boulevard route will complement, not replace, the existing route on Greenwood Beach by serving different users. Greenwood Beach experiences high volumes of high-speed weekend cyclists, creating conflicts with slower users and residents. By moving faster cyclists to Tiburon Boulevard, slower riders using Greenwood Beach will benefit from safer, lower-stress conditions.

• It is claimed that the proposed bikeways will obstruct emergency vehicle access. That’s not backed by evidence. Tiburon Boulevard has two lanes in each direction. In an emergency, drivers can move into the right lane, allowing emergency vehicles to pass in the left. State law also allows vehicles to pull into Class IV bikeways during emergencies if needed.

The proposed Caltrans improvements — especially when paired with thoughtful revisions to bus-stop design — will make Tiburon Boulevard a safer, more efficient and more inclusive transportation corridor. These changes will benefit everyone: drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. It’s time to focus on facts and forward-looking design, not fear and hyperbole.

Matthew Hartzell, of Larkspur, is director of planning for the Marin-based nonprofit WTB-TAM. Learn more at wtb-tam.org.