Lincoln Avenue/Walnut Street traffic safety pilot, State of the City, annual reports, labor agreements
On March 17, City Council will consider a proposed traffic safety pilot at the Lincoln Avenue and Walnut Street intersection, which has been identified as a high-collision location. Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft will reprise her State of the City address, and Council will review annual reports covering the City’s housing, transportation, and climate action plans. Finally, Council will consider labor agreement clarifications with both the police officers’ and firefighters’ unions to ensure certain compensation complies with state pension reporting rules.
Lincoln Avenue-Walnut Street pilot safety project
City staff recommend a pilot safety project at the Lincoln Avenue and Walnut Street intersection that would prohibit through and left-turn vehicle movements from Walnut Street, requiring all vehicles to turn right onto Lincoln Avenue using a diverter island.
The intersection has been identified as a high-collision location in Alameda’s Vision Zero Action Plan, which aims to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries on city streets by 2035. Between 2009 and October 2024, 38 collisions were reported, making it the second-highest collision intersection in the city and the highest among non-signalized intersections. Nearly 80% of the crashes were broadside collisions, typically occurring when drivers attempt to cross or turn left onto Lincoln Avenue from Walnut Street.
Despite prior improvements—including a road diet in 2020, flashing pedestrian beacons, expanded bulb-outs, and visibility improvements in 2025—collisions have continued, prompting staff to explore stronger safety measures.
Staff proposes installing a quick-build diverter island that would prevent vehicles from crossing Lincoln Avenue or turning left from Walnut Street. Pedestrians and bicyclists would still be able to cross the intersection using the existing crosswalks and flashing beacons.
The change is expected to:
- Eliminate most broadside collision scenarios.
- Redirect traffic to nearby signalized intersections (Oak and Willow streets).
- Discourage drivers from using Walnut Street as a shortcut to the Park Street Bridge.
The diverter would be installed as a temporary pilot project, potentially beginning in the summer of 2026. Traffic and collision data would be collected three to six months after installation, and the Transportation Commission would review the results.
If successful, the improvement could become permanent as part of the Lincoln-Marshall-Pacific corridor safety project planned for 2028.
2025 annual reports
City staff recommends that the City Council accept the 2025 annual reports covering the City’s housing, transportation, and climate action plans, including the Alameda 2040 General Plan/Housing Element, Transportation Choices Plan, Vision Zero Action Plan, Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP), and Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation Plan. The Planning Board previously reviewed these reports on February 23 and March 9. They summarize progress made in 2025 and outline priorities for 2026.
Police, firefighter compensation
City staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution approving a Letter of Understanding with the Alameda Police Officers’ Association (APOA) to clarify compensation language to comply with CalPERS pension reporting requirements. The agreement clarifies eligibility, calculation methods, and effective dates to ensure compensation can be properly reported for pension purposes. APOA members have ratified the agreement.
Similarly, City staff recommend that the City Council approve a Letter of Understanding with the firefighters’ union (IAFF Local 689) to clarify contract language so education incentive pay, acting pay, and holiday pay comply with CalPERS pension rules. The firefighters’ union has ratified the agreement.
How to participate
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 17, at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, located on the third floor of City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue.
Members of the public are welcome to participate in person or via Zoom. They may comment on the Non-Agenda, Consent Calendar, and Regular Agenda portions of the Meeting Agenda (link downloads document).
The Non-Agenda portion of the meeting provides an opportunity for members of the public to address the Council regarding any matter not on the agenda over which the Council has jurisdiction. The Consent Calendar is intended for routine items and is approved by a single motion. The Regular Agenda is the central portion of the meeting, where each issue receives a presentation and time for Council discussion and public comment.
Complete this online form to request reasonable accommodation.
Click here for Zoom registration. The Zoom phone number for telephone participants is 669-900-9128; the Meeting ID is 893 3058 2645.
Information to assist with remote participation is available online in the Public Comment and City Council Meeting Guide. The meeting can also be viewed on the City of Alameda’s Facebook page. Note that comments posted there are not monitored.
For each issue, public speakers will have three minutes to speak if fewer than five are speaking, or two minutes if five or more are speaking.
Community members may also email Council Members on issues of interest before meetings.
Contributing writer Karin K. Jensen covers boards and commissions for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at https://linktr.ee/karinkjensen and https://alamedapost.com/Karin-K-Jensen.
