Traffic Safety Around Schools
Traffic Safety Around Schools
In support of Vision Zero, in 2021 the City initiated Rapid Implementation School Safety Plans to study school safety issues and develop implementation plans to improve safety for students and caregivers walking, bicycling, and driving to and from the City’s seven schools. As part of this effort, City Staff along with consultants, Toole Design Group, engaged with the community and school district staff to learn about safety concerns near schools. This work was the basis for the development of short-term, mid-term, and long-term projects for seven schools.
City Council authorized a total of $1,300,000 as part of the FY 2022/23 budget to implement short-term safety improvements around schools. Since that time, the City has been busy around many of our schools designing and installing a sub-set of the safety improvements that had been prioritized by the City’s Transportation and Circulation Commission. As budgets permit, further engineering, technical analysis, design and construction will continue on the remainder of the prioritized safety improvements shown in the tables below.
The tables below provide a summary of the proposed and the completed safety improvements for the seven publicly-owned school sites. This list will be updated each month to reflect the current status of project implementation. Last updated September 2024.
|
Location |
Safety Improvement |
Status |
|---|---|---|
|
School St: Lafayette/Moraga Trail to Paradise Ct |
Add north side temporary bike lane, will remove 6 parking spaces |
COMPLETE |
|
School St/Paradise Ct |
Add permanent bulb-out and flashing beacons |
COMPLETE |
|
School St: Eastern parking lot |
Add pedestrian protection |
COMPLETE |
|
School St: Moraga Road to Topper Lane |
Add red curb at intersection corners |
COMPLETE |
|
School St: Paradise Court to First St |
Add north side temporary bike lane, will remove 24 parking spaces |
COMPLETE |
|
School St: Moraga Road to Topper Lane |
Traffic calming (speed humps) |
COMPLETE |
|
School St: Avalon Ct |
High visibility crosswalks and flashing beacons |
COMPLETE |
|
School St: Avalon Ct |
Add east/west crosswalk across Avalon Ct |
Install with Connecting Lafayette Project (Summer 2025) |
|
School St: Paradise Ct |
Add east/west crosswalk across Paradise Ct |
COMPLETE |
|
School St: Topper S curve |
Replace No Parking with No Stopping |
COMPLETE |
|
Moraga Rd: Brook St |
Add advance stop bars, add pedestrian signal head, adjust signal phasing |
Install with Smart Signals Project |
|
Moraga Road: Brook St |
Refresh crosswalk striping |
COMPLETE |
|
Moraga Rd: Moraga Blvd |
Change signal timing to include leading pedestrian intervals |
COMPLETE |
|
Moraga Rd: Moraga Blvd |
Add advance stop bars at the approaches to the intersection |
Install with Smart Signals Project |
|
St. Mary’s Rd: Solana Dr |
Flashing beacons and curb extensions |
COMPLETE with realigned crosswalk |
|
St. Mary’s Rd: Acampo Dr |
Flashing beacons and curb extensions |
COMPLETE |
For more details, read the Stanley Middle School combined with Lafayette Elementary School Rapid Implementation School Safety Plan.
|
Location |
Safety Improvement |
Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Pleasant Hill Rd: free right |
Remove vegetation blocking visibility to pedestrians in ramp |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill Road at Pleasant Hill Road |
Add delineators to separate vehicles from bike lane |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill Road at Pleasant Hill Road |
Place concrete k-rail barrier adjacent to pedestrian island to protect pedestrians |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill Rd: adjacent to school |
Add double-sided school warning sign |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill Rd: southbound approach to Martino Ct |
Add Stop Ahead legend |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill Rd: free right to Pleasant Hill Rd |
Add one School Crossing sign assembly, relocate ex School Crossing sign assembly |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill Rd: Pleasant Hill Rd |
Set back yield line in slip lane, add yield to pedestrians sign |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill Rd: free right to Pleasant Hill Rd |
Narrow lane with hatching and delineators |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill Rd: Pleasant Hill Rd |
Adjust signal timing |
COMPLETE |
|
Springhill: sidewalk east of eastern school driveway |
Install barrier or chain-link fence between street and sidewalk |
COMPLETE (Re-Graded with Added Wood Footer) |
|
Springhill Rd: free right to Pleasant Hill Rd |
Install raised crossing in slip lane |
COMPLETE |
|
Path on east side of school |
Construct pathway to close gap in walkway between asphalt path and concrete sidewalk |
Grant funding for design and construction was obtained. Design work to begin in Fall 2024. |
|
Springhill Rd: Pleasant Hill Rd |
Relocate northbound Pedestrian Push Button |
COMPLETE |
|
Pleasant Hill Rd: Reliez Valley to Stanley |
Replace school signs with flashing beacon school zone and radar feedback signs |
COMPLETE |
For more information, read the Springhill Elementary School Rapid Implementation School Safety Plan.
|
Location |
Safety Improvement |
Status |
|---|---|---|
|
West High School Driveway on Stanley Blvd. |
Add delineators to physically prohibit right turn from left-turn lane only (School maintenance responsibility) |
School Maintenance Responsibility |
|
High school overflow parking lot/Springbrook Pool off Stanley Blvd. |
Add yellow ladder crosswalk and STOP sign (School maintenance responsibility) |
School Maintenance Responsibility |
|
Stanley Blvd. near Happy Days Preschool |
Relocate speed limit sign |
COMPLETE (Speed Limit Sign will remain in current location. Sign recently changed to reflect new School Zone Speed Limit.) |
|
Stanley at Camino Diablo |
Add crosswalks, ADA ramps, and advance limit lines to allow crossing all three legs of intersection |
COMPLETE |
|
Approximately 60 feet east of exit-only high school driveway on Stanley |
Add raised crosswalk with rectangular rapid flashing beacons |
COMPLETE |
|
Stanley Blvd Pleasant Hill Road to Camino Diablo |
Restripe roadway with 10-foot lanes and stripe an edge line on the north side to create a buffer between sidewalk and vehicles. Add optional delineators along north edge line |
COMPLETE |
|
Stanley Blvd. between west school exit driveway and Camino Diablo |
Add speed humps |
COMPLETE |
|
Just west of EBMUD Trail location |
Adjust fence and trim vegetation to improve visibility |
COMPLETE |
|
EBMUD dirt strip on south side of Stanley Blvd. |
Build a sidewalk on the existing dirt parking area adjacent to fence on south side of road. Add crosswalk with new curb ramps and rectangular rapid flashing beacons to cross Stanley Blvd. |
COMPLETE |
|
Existing school zone speed signs on Pleasant Hill Road |
Add flashing beacons timed with school start and end times, and add speed radar signs |
COMPLETE |
|
Pleasant Hill Road/Stanley intersection |
Add ladder crosswalk marking to existing crosswalks |
COMPLETE |
|
Pleasant Hill Road/Stanley intersection |
Trim vegetation to uncover school speed limit sign |
COMPLETE |
|
Pleasant Hill Road/Stanley intersection |
Consider reassigning westbound right turn lane as a thru/right lane. Make No. 1 and No. 2 lanes left turn only. |
INFEASIBLE - no longer a project based on engineering analysis |
|
Pleasant Hill Road/Stanley intersection |
Replace pedestrian call button with large low-force button |
COMPLETE |
|
Pleasant Hill Road between Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Deer Hill/Stanley |
Continue design of multi-use path |
70% Design is complete. 100% design plans expected by end of 2024. |
|
School grounds |
Consider adding bike racks near Performing Arts Center (School maintenance responsibility) |
School Maintenance Responsibility |
|
School driveway exits |
Replace faded Wrong Way signs (School maintenance responsibility) |
School Maintenance Responsibility |
|
All school driveways |
Refresh striping across driveways (School maintenance responsibility) |
COMPLETE |
|
School parking lots |
Add marked crosswalks within parking lot (School maintenance responsibility) |
School Maintenance Responsibility |
For more information, read the Acalanes High School Rapid Implementation School Safety Plan.
|
Location |
Safety Improvement |
Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Property immediately west of school |
Trim hedges to improve sight line |
COMPLETE |
|
Happy Valley Road directly in front of school |
Consider turning parking lane in front of school to a passenger pickup/drop-off zone |
INFEASIBLE - no longer a project |
|
Happy Valley Road School Zone |
Use delineators on roadway centerline to help keep drivers from driving into opposing traffic |
INFEASIBLE - no longer a project |
|
Existing crosswalk directly in front of school |
Install rectangular rapid flashing beacons |
COMPLETE |
|
Southeast corner of the west school driveway |
Add concrete bulb-out to straighten crosswalk |
COMPLETE |
|
Existing crosswalk directly in front of school |
Add paint-and-post curb extension to shadow parking lane |
COMPLETE (WITH BULBOUT) |
|
Happy Valley Road entering school zones |
Add speed humps |
COMPLETE |
|
School property |
Consider allowing earlier drop-off for students to spread the peak demand across a longer time period (School District responsibility) |
School Maintenance Responsibility |
For more information, read the Happy Valley Rapid Implementation School Safety Plan.
|
Location |
Safety Improvement |
Status |
|
Sandalwood Court Trail Outlet |
Remove trail bollards and replace with off-set fencing, restrict parking and add centerline to road near trail |
INFEASIBLE - no longer a project |
For more information, read the Burton Valley Rapid Implementation School Safety Plan.
A Pilot Project installed in the Burton Valley neighborhood intended to facilitate safer travel to Burton Valley Elementary School has been installed and is currently under evaluation. More information on this Pilot Project study is provided in the staff report to City Council on August 23, 2021.
|
Location |
Safety Improvement |
Status |
|---|---|---|
|
Meek Place and Leland Drive/Condit |
Refresh crosswalks, stop bars, and markings |
COMPLETE |
|
Meek Place and Sunset Loop 2-way stop |
Evaluate feasibility of 4-way stop (study only) |
COMPLETE |
|
Northside curve of Condit across from Hidden Oaks |
Add delineators to create more protected walkway/bikeway |
INFEASIBLE - no longer a project |
|
School front parking lot and one-way driveway |
Add pavement marking/signage to distinguish entrance and exit-only driveways |
COMPLETE |
|
North of northern school crosswalk |
Install speed humps |
COMPLETE |
|
School front parking area and one-way driveway |
Trim trees and vegetation (School responsibility) |
COMPLETE |
|
Condit Drive Dr-Pleasant Hill Road to Leland/Meek |
Refresh lane lines and add delineators at some curves |
COMPLETE |
For more information, read the Meher-White Pony Rapid Implementation School Safety Plan.
Background Information
In April 2022, City Council accepted the recommendations from the Transportation and Circulation Commission for most of the short-term recommendations and several of the mid-term recommendations around Stanley Middle School, Lafayette Elementary School and Springhill Elementary School.
- Watch the April 11, 2022 City Council Meeting Presentation and Discussion (links to City’s YouTube channel)
- Read the April 11, 2022 Staff Report
In June 2022, City Council accepted the recommendations from the Transportation and Circulation Commission for the short-term recommendations and several of the mid-term recommendations around Burton Valley, Happy Valley, Meher-White Pony and Acalanes High School.
- Watch the June 13, 2022 City Council Meeting Presentation and Discussion (links to the City’s YouTube channel)
- Read the June 13, 2022 Staff Report
Student Transit Ticket Options
If you are looking for information about discounted transit tickets for students, please visit the Student Transit Ticket Options webpage.