news Miller Ave. ‘Parkway’ Configuration to Become Permanent
After two years of public hearings, hundreds of emails and petition signatures, and a lengthy pilot period with traffic studies, we can finally say that Miller Avenue’s one-lane / buffered bike lane configuration in the ‘Parkway’ section is here to stay.
Safety triumphed once again on Miller Avenue after MCBC rallied supporters last week to write to Mill Valley’s City Council asking for the pilot configuration between Millwood and Willow Streets to be made permanent.
Opponents made the case that the configuration led to increased congestion on Miller and Blithedale Avenues, pushed cut-through traffic to neighborhood side streets, and would impede evacuation efforts. Each, however, was debunked by traffic studies and testimony from the project’s transportation engineer and the City’s fire chief.
The argument was truly put to rest by the overwhelming support for the one-lane configuration. Over 100 people submitted comments through MCBC’s website sharing their experiences walking, biking, and driving on Miller Avenue, and several came to the meeting to voice their support in-person.
“We were particularly heartened to read so many letters from local parents who say that they are now comfortable letting their children walk and bike along and across Miller Avenue as a result of this project,” said Bjorn Griepenburg, MCBC’s Policy & Planning Director.
One such letter came from Mill Valley parent and MCBC member Clay Kunz:
“This pilot project has been great – riding my bike on Miller has never been more peaceful, the configuration makes me confident enough to encourage my 10-year old child to ride her bike through that section, and I’ve never experienced any negative impact as a driver, bus rider, or pedestrian.”
Another Mill Valley parent, Ashley Watts, described how the buffered bike lanes have positively impacted her life:
“As a mother and a cyclist, I frequently use the Miller Avenue bike lane for taking my child to school or for running errands around Mill Valley. The current configuration gives me the ability to safely ride with my two-year old in tow and I no longer feel the need to jump in my car for simple trips within the community. With traffic congestion getting worse in our town, it would be a shame to eliminate this safe bike lane to promote more car usage. Our goal should be to promote other means of transportation and safe bike lanes are a great start to reaching this goal.”
“Since 2017, it’s been apparent how much this project means to Mill Valley and southern Marin residents who value living in a safe, active community. We’re honored to have them in our corner,” said MCBC Executive Director Jim Elias.
In the end, the Council was unanimous in its support for the one-lane / buffered bike lane roadway design. The debate instead centered on the matter of on-street parking and evacuation concerns; they opted for on-street parking on both sides of the street, except during periods of high fire danger.
Background
The Miller Avenue Streetscape Project, which resulted in a complete overhaul from Almonte to downtown Mill Valley, was originally adopted with two lanes in each direction and narrow, curbside bike lanes through the ‘Parkway’ section between Millwood and Willow Streets. Had the project moved forward as adopted, this would have been the only section without buffered bike lanes between downtown and Camino Alto.
During construction, Mill Valley narrowed the Parkway to one lane in each direction. Community members quickly noticed that the lane reduction created a safer experience and didn’t have any considerable traffic impacts, inspiring a late push to abandon the plans and keep the one-lane configuration in place. Narrowing to one-lane opened up space for wider, buffered bike lanes and on-street parking.
In 2017, MCBC teamed up with community members to call for the one-lane configuration, delivering a petition with over 200 signatures. After multiple lengthy and contested hearings, the Council voted 3-2 to move forward with a temporary one-lane configuration. The pilot went into place in Fall 2017 and returned to the Council for feedback for the first time at Monday’s hearing.
