Sausalito board backs plan for bike lanes, crosswalks

A dangerous stretch of road in Sausalito could soon get some safety upgrades.

The Sausalito Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee voted unanimously Dec. 9 to recommend that the city add two one-way bike lanes and crosswalks to a section of Bridgeway Boulevard. Committee member William Beyer was absent.

David Parisi of Parametrix, a consultant for the city, said there is a history of bicycle crashes along the section of Bridgeway between Princess and Richardson streets. Between 2014 and 2024, nine collisions resulted in injury, and three of those were caused by unsafe motor vehicle speeds, Parisi said. The stretch has no pedestrian crosswalks.

In 2021, the Association of Bay Area Governments awarded Sausalito $67,214 to design the project, and last year the Metropolitan Transportation Commission awarded the city $504,600 in construction funding for the project.

“As we know, this stretch of Bridgeway has very high bicycle traffic,” Parisi said. “Thousands of bicyclists can be on the street on any day, particularly on summer weekends, and it’s the only practical north-south route for cyclists including residents and visitors.”

Currently, bicycles and cars share one lane in each direction, and the middle lane is a two-way left turning lane, though vehicles park in it. A bicycle lane on Bridgeway ends at Princess Street.

Parisi said because there is only 42 feet between the curbs in the area, it is challenging to add bike lanes and retain parking and the turning lane. The area has 47 parking spaces and two motorcycle spaces.

“Something needs to give because it is a very narrow space,” Parisi said.

Parisi presented three possible designs: a one-way bike lane in each direction; an on-street two-way bikeway; or a sidewalk-level two-way bikeway, which would keep the left turning lane.

All options have tradeoffs, said Jen Shriber, a Parametrix transportation planner.

Adding one-way bike lanes in each direction would remove the center lane. A two-way bikeway on one side of the road could have occasional loading trucks in it, and emergency vehicle access might be challenging. A sidewalk-level two-way bikeway would be costly and require a sea wall.

Shriber said the firm put cameras out for a week to collect data about parking in the center turn lane. There was a maximum of three vehicles parking at any given time in the lane, and more than 40% were passenger vehicles. A smaller portion of the vehicles were delivery trucks. Shriber said a curbside management system would alleviate this and improve safety.

A curbside management system would repurpose around nine parking spaces into a designated loading area. The zone would not be active during peak afternoon hours or on Sundays, and would have two-hour parking spots instead.

Shriber recommended adding a one-way bike lane in each direction along with curbside management. She also suggested adding mid-block crosswalks with flashing beacons with curb ramps, and a curb extension at Richardson and Second streets.

Some residents contested removing the middle lane. Jann Johnson said the design proposals did not take pedestrians into account. She said many people use the middle lane as a place to wait while trying to cross the street, and added that limiting parking will kill breakfast, brunch and lunch businesses.

“If you are going to remove the emergency lane, not the left turn lane, the pedestrian refuge that it provides will be eliminated and I, quite frankly, think I’ll get killed,” Johnson said. “There’s too much traffic to get across both lanes most of the time.”

Roger Taylor of Sausalito, a cyclist and physician, said he strongly supports the addition of crosswalks, signage and bike lanes in general — though he opposes eliminating the median.

“I care deeply about safety and I’ve been involved in a number of bicycle collisions,” said Taylor, a former director of the California Emergency Medical Services Authority.

Matthew Hartzell, a transportation planner, said he is in favor of the plan. He said using the middle lane to cross the street is hazardous. He added that parking in the median lane limits emergency access.

“Pedestrians that use it are putting themselves in the pathway of cars that are using it for its intended purpose,” Hartzell said.

Thomas Mahoney of Sausalito wrote to the City Council to oppose removing the middle lane.

“This would have very serious consequences for all the businesses and emergency vehicles, which would not be able to reach residents when they need assistance,” Mahoney wrote.

Charles Merrill of Sausalito wrote in favor of the plan, stating the middle lane is usually blocked by vehicles.

“The current layout is dangerous for expert cyclists who travel it frequently and downright life threatening for non-experts and pedestrians, even in low traffic periods.” Merrill wrote.

“I appreciate how hard it can be to imagine change, especially if you’ve looked at something every day for many years and it’s looked the exact same,” said Kieran Culligan, chair of the committee. “I also know it’s possible with good design.”

The City Council will review the committee’s recommendation at a meeting in January.

Construction for the project has to be done by the end of 2026, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission grant.