Road Advocacy Updates Improvements on Magnolia Ave Being Studied
If you think Magnolia Avenue could be better for biking and walking, now is the time to speak up! A public workshop is being held at Larkspur City Hall at 6 PM on Wednesday, February 12, to collect feedback about the road. You can also fill out the survey linked here to give feedback and subscribe to updates.
Background
Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur is a critical connector for anyone traveling in Central Marin. While parts of it are paralleled by a wide multiuse path, other portions require bicyclists to take the lane with fast-moving traffic. This haphazard and disconnected experience discourages new riders and poses a challenge for even more experienced riders hoping to take their kid to school.
Happily, the City of Larkspur is undertaking a study to generate a set of recommendations to improve the street. The project is just kicking off, so now is the best time to inform the city about the challenges that the street presents to you and your family.
The Study
The focus of the study is Magnolia Avenue between Doherty Drive (the road connecting to Redwood) and the Woodland Avenue/Kent Avenue intersection (at which point Magnolia Avenue has turned into College Avenue), a distance of a little over a mile. Study projects like this typically last around a year and include several public outreach events throughout the process, culminating in a presentation to the city council with a set of recommendations.
At that point, the council can choose to direct staff to seek funding to implement some or all of the recommendations made. Depending on the scope of recommendations, this might entail staff applying for competitive grants from the state or the federal government. So, while the planning process won’t necessarily lead to a change on Magnolia, it’s a key first step and will really affect what eventually gets built.
February 12th Public Workshop
There will be a public workshop on the project held at Larkspur City Hall (400 Magnolia Ave) on Wednesday, February 12th, from 6-7:30 PM. Staff from the city and the consulting firm hired to complete the study will be on hand to answer questions and learn about problem spots on the road. The more people who show up to this and ask about improved biking and walking safety, the more likely those issues will be addressed in the study’s recommendations.
Online Survey
Whether or not you can attend the in-person workshop, please take a few minutes to fill out the survey, linked here. These sorts of surveys are important for planners to understand how many people want better biking/walking infrastructure. Please share this survey widely, particularly among people you know who live on the project corridor.
MCBC’s Recommendations
There are several outstanding issues on the road that we will be pushing to fix as part of this study. Here are the ones that are top of mind:
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The eastbound bicycle lane disappears between Skylark Drive/Dartmouth Drive and Bon Air Road, forcing bicyclists to take the lane. The road has only one car lane both east and west of this segment, so there’s no good reason to have two lanes here if it means a bike lane won’t fit.
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The shared-use path is wide and pleasant between Doherty Drive and Bon Air Road, but between Bon Air Road and Skylark Dr/Dartmouth Drive, it’s not clear whether you’re allowed to ride on the path or if it’s just a sidewalk.
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There are no bike lanes at all between Creekside Drive/Ridgecrest Drive and Doherty Drive, forcing bicyclists to take the lane. Happily, there is a good parallel path, but it is hard for eastbound riders to access. It should be easier to make a left turn to get onto the path.
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Many of the crosswalks on the southern portion of the road are too long, making crossing the street dangerous. Narrowing car lanes and adding refuges would improve this.
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Several of the crosswalks in the northern commercial portion should either be raised or should provide a pedestrian refuge to make crossing safer and more pleasant (e.g., the one in front of Rustic Bakery).
That’s what we have, but we want to hear from you! If there are additional issues that we’re missing, please let us know. Send our Policy & Planning Director a note at warren@marinbike.org.
MEMBERS MAKE IT HAPPEN
Making Marin safe for everyone who wants to ride is a marathon, not a sprint, and all of the projects described above move us just a little closer to our goal. Thanks to the support of members like you, we can keep pushing projects forward, both big and small.
Support Marin County Bicycle Coalition. Become a member today!
