Steven Millard Elementary School Existing Conditions Summary

January 2019

Prepared by Alta Planning + Design

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Steven Millard Elementary School A School Safety Assessment was conducted at Steven Millard Elementary School during the afternoon dismissal on Thursday, March 15, 2018. The assessment was attended by representatives from the City of Fremont, Alta Planning + Design, and Millard Elementary staff and parents.

School Information Address 5200 Valpey Park Avenue Fremont, CA 94538

Morning Bell(s) All Grades: 8:35AM

Afternoon Bell(s) Regular Dismissal – All Grades: 2:50 PM Early Dismissal: Kindergarten - 12:15 PM, Grades 1-6 1:10 PM

Grade Levels Kindergarten – Sixth Grade

Enrollment 598

School Type School has enrollment boundary

Does the school have bike racks? What is the capacity? Is it secure bike parking?

On a typical day, what percentage of racks are used?

Yes, the school has existing bike parking. In an open area, there are two circular and one linear “schoolyard” style racks. While not in an enclosed location, these racks are not located along the edge of campus, adding some level of security.

During the School Safety Assessment, SSA, observation period, three bikes were observed parked (rainy weather week).

How do school and transit buses interact with the school?

Millard is served by a variety of FUSD vehicles: large buses, small buses, and vans.

There is no direct transit service in the immediate area near the school.

Does the school have special pick-up/drop-off policies/ procedures?

Millard has a staff member that puts outs cones and signage all around the campus to try to improve travel behavior during morning and afternoon times. There is also a student safety patrol.

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Left: Millard Elementary’s existing bicycle parking.

Right: The cart full of cones and signs that gets deployed every arrival and drop-off period.

Steven Millard Elementary School is located in the Blacow neighborhood of Fremont, with primary access and egress occurring along Valpey Park Avenue and Fiesta Road. School staff and volunteers take great care to set up cones and signage before each arrival and pick-up period, to try to prevent undesired driving/walking behaviors around the school. Despite these efforts, there were still behavioral issues observed. While Millard Elementary School has a large share of its students arrive and depart via private vehicle, many families chose to park and walk instead of use the drop-off loop. Some students also use school buses. There is one primary drop-off loop; this loop backs up and causes other traffic issues along Fiesta Road and nearby streets.

Existing Conditions The following existing conditions were observed or reported by participants during the school safety assessment.

1. Butano Park Drive/Valpey Park Avenue

♦ Butano Park Drive/Valpey Park Avenue is an all-way stop controlled, T-intersection. o The north and east approaches have marked yellow transverse crossings. The

south approach does not have a marked crossing. ♦ Assessment participants reported that there is tall vegetation which limits the visibility

of signs and other objects near the north-west corner. ♦ Assessment participants also reported that cars commonly roll through the

intersection and do not come to a complete stop. ♦ It was observed that despite it being the only unmarked crossing, crossing at the

southern approach was a very common movement by pedestrians. The west side of the street has a driveway where this crosswalk would end, prohibiting the construction of a crosswalk.

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Above: The intersection of Butano Park Drive/Valpey Park Avenue, looking south.

2. Fiesta Road/Valpey Park Avenue

♦ This is a very important intersection near Millard Elementary for all modes of transportation, handling relatively high volumes of both pedestrians and vehicles.

♦ There is only one marked crossing at this intersection, across Fiesta Road; it is a yellow transverse crossing.

♦ At the southeast corner, the school bus loading zone begins along the south side of Valpey Park Avenue.

♦ Assessment participants reported that the buses, especially the larger buses, can hinder the visibility of pedestrians using the crosswalk for cars traveling west along Valpey Park Avenue who may want to make a left turn onto Fiesta Road. Similarly, the buses can also hinder the sightlines for vehicles traveling northbound along Fiesta Road attempting to turn onto Valpey Park Avenue.

♦ The red paint near the intersection is very faded and in need of repainting.

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Top left: Two of the three buses that picked up from Millard during the observation period.

Top right: The empty bus loading zone after the buses departed.

Bottom left: A truck encroaching on the crossing of Fiesta Road waiting to turn left.

Bottom right: Faded red curb at the approach to the Fiesta Road/Valpey Park Avenue.

3. Fiesta Road & Don Way

♦ Fiesta Road is the primary queueing road for the school drop-off loop. ♦ During the assessment, cars were observed queueing to enter the drop-off loop along

the entire stretch of Fiesta Road, continuing onto Don Way and Butano Park Drive. ♦ School officials and parents reported that midblock crossings regularly occur across

Fiesta Road with both students and family members. o In some cases, students are being called across the street by parents waiting in

their cars. ♦ Participants observed that private driveways are regularly blocked by cars loading and

unloading students. ♦ Assessment participants reported that during less congested periods, cars will speed

along Fiesta Road. ♦ Some parents will park on Fiesta Road and walk to/from school to get their child. ♦ Participants also reported that in addition to speeding and blocking driveways, cars

will also double park to load/unload children and will make mid-block U-turns. ♦ As Fiesta Road transitions to Don Way and approaches the Don Court intersection,

the road curves to meet Butano Park Drive. This creates a blind curve as cars move along street. Assessment participants reported that this can be problematic when looking out for vehicles and pedestrians.

o At this location, the road also narrows slightly; if queueing cars can’t pull to the curb, this greatly reduces available roadway width for non-school-related or through traffic.

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Left: Cars backed up waiting to enter the drop-off loop.

Right: The back up cars at its peak near Don Court.

4. Don Way/Butano Park Drive

♦ At the peak period, the traffic can back up through this intersection. ♦ Queued cars block the crosswalk as they wait for space to move forward into the loop. ♦ Assessment participants reported that due to curvature of Butano Park Drive, when

approaching Don Way from the south, it can be hard to see pedestrians well in advance of the Don Way crossing.

♦ An additional queue of cars can also form with cars making a southbound left onto Don Way.

5. Valpey Park Avenue

♦ Valpey Park Avenue has multiple crossings across or along it, school bus loading, and parents parking and walking.

♦ This section of Valpey Park Avenue has two speed bumps. These speed bumps have the older “crosswalk-style” line-markings.

♦ Assessment participants reported that cars regularly speed along Valpey Park Avenue. ♦ Similar to the behavior along Fiesta Road, cars will double park and block driveways

along Valpey Park Avenue. ♦ Participants reported that drivers will make U-turns throughout this segment of

Valpey Park Avenue.

6. Valpey Park Avenue/Trio Court

♦ Trio Court is a very small street and that ends in a cul-de-sac. It forms a T-intersection with Valpey Park Avenue. The crossing of Valpey Park Avenue is one of the school’s most heavily-used crossings.

♦ This crosswalk is directly adjacent to the school bus loading area. As previously mentioned, these buses can cause visibility/sightline issues with nearby crossings.

♦ The cul-de-sac is commonly used as a turnaround space for cars. While waiting and/or loading, cars were observed blocking private driveways.

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♦ The school’s safety patrol currently works near this crosswalk. ♦ Assessment participants reported that drivers make U-turns on Valpey Park Avenue

near this intersection.

Left: The crossing of Valpey Park Avenue during the dismissal period with the safety patrol.

Right: The crossing, from the other direction, shows how the bus can limit visibility.

7. Valpey Park Avenue/Tanglewood Park Drive

♦ This is a T-intersection that also handles a lot of school-related vehicular and pedestrian travel.

♦ The area immediately near this intersection has been observed to have double parking and the loading/unloading of students.

♦ It was reported by assessment participants that the crossing of Tanglewood Park (yellow transverse) is also very well used by students and families.

♦ U-turns were also reported in this segment of Valpey Park Avenue. ♦ Midblock crossings across Valpey Park Avenue were observed at/near this location.

Curb ramps and crosswalks are frequently encroached on/blocked by cars at this location.

o Currently, the closest marked crossing on Valpey Park Avenue is at Trio Court.

8. Drop-off Loop & Staff Parking Lot

♦ As previously mentioned, the drop-off loop causes cars to back-up along Fiesta Road and Don Way.

♦ Parents are not allowed in the staff parking lot. School staff reported that parents frequently violate this rule, cutting through the lot and using it as a pick-up & drop-off location.

♦ During the assessment, participants observed a car parked on the sidewalk/plaza area in the front of the school.

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Above: The car parked on the sidewalk/plaza area in the front of the school.

Recommendations Recommendations to improve infrastructure or operations surrounding Steven Millard Elementary School can be seen on the conceptual improvement plan found on the following page. Engineering cost estimates for the infrastructure recommendations are also provided.

The following improvements are recommendations for policy and program implementation at Millard Elementary School to improve traffic safety and encourage bicycling and walking to school.

Policy & Program Recommendations

♦ Distribute Recommended Walk/Bike Maps to students and their families in an effort to promote walking and biking to school on suggested routes. Safety tips are also included on these maps to promote good behavior among bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. SR2S resources would be very useful in creating these documents.

♦ Work with parents to connect them with others who live nearby to increase the number of students carpooling, which may reduce the number of vehicles coming to school. Similarly, Walking School Buses and Bike Trains can be established with the same type of coordination.

♦ Join the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Program. o After joining, participate in SR2S encouragement events including International

Walk and Roll to School Day, Bike to School Day, and the Golden Sneaker Contest.

o After joining, participate in SR2S educational events including Bike Rodeos, Pedestrian Safety Rodeos, and the Rock the Block Assembly. The Rock the Block Assembly features singing, dancing, comedy and lessons about safely walking and bicycling to and from school.

o After joining, participate in SR2S evaluations each fall and spring to monitor progress on mode shift goals.

♦ Continue to send regular reminders to parents regarding the drop-off and pick-up location options and encourage parents to use the relatively underutilized drop-off space along Valpey Park Avenue and Butano Park Drive.

Alta Planning + Design 9/25/2018

ITEM NO. DESCRIPTION

ESTIMATED QUANTITY UNIT UNIT COST COST

1 Mobilization 1 LS $24,000 $24,0002 Traffic Control 1 LS $12,000 $12,0003 High Visibility Crosswalk 10 EA $2,000 $20,0004 Traverse Crosswalk 1 EA $500 $5005 Advance Stop Markings 1 EA $100 $1006 Speed Hump Pavement Markings (Renew) 2 EA $500 $1,0007 Painted Curb Marking 1 LS $800 $8008 Curb Extension & Ramp 2 EA $50,000 $100,0009 Concrete Shared Use Path 5,800 SF $20 $116,000

10 Trim Landscaping 1 LS $500 $500

SubTotal Items $274,900

CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY 20% $55,000

Total $329,900

ITEM NO. DESCRIPTION

ESTIMATED QUANTITY UNIT UNIT COST COST

1 Mobilization 1 LS $20 $202 Traffic Control 1 LS $20 $203 Painted Curb Marking 1 LS $200 $200

SubTotal Items $240

CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY 20% $0

Total $240

City of Fremont Recommendations (Without Optional Items) Total $329,900Fremont Unified School District Recommendations Total $240All Recommendations Total $330,140

Traffic Safety Improvements - All Recommendations

Fremont School Traffic Safety AssessmentSteven Millard Elementary School

Preliminary Cost Estimate

Traffic Safety Improvements - City of Fremont Recommendations

Traffic Safety Improvements - Fremont Unified School District Recommendations

STOP

Recommended Curb Extension

Recommended High-Visibility Crosswalk

Recommended Advance Stop Markings

Fremont Uni�ed SchoolDistrict Recommendation

City of FremontRecommendation ##

STOP

Recommended Yellow CurbRecommended R25D“School Loading” Signage

Recommended Transverse Crosswalk Existing Speed

Bump

Existing Safety Patrol

Existing SchoolAccess Point

Existing Bike Parking

Existing Loop Circulation

Steven MillardElementary School

Valpey Park Avenue

Don Way

Farina Lane

Trio Court

Fiesta Road

Butano Park D

rive

Curtis Street

Tanglew

ood Park D

rive

Mau

na L

oa P

ark

Driv

e

Don Court

Aud

ubon P

ark Court

Butano Park Drive/Valpey Park Avenue- Upgrade the two existing transverse crosswalks to high visibility crosswalks.

- On the south approach, push back the advance stop bar to increase visibility of potential intersection conflicts.

- Trim vegetation to ensure su�cient visibility of signs and upcoming roadway conditions.

Fiesta Road/Valpey Park Avenue- Upgrade the existing crosswalk across Fiesta Road to high visibility striping.

- Shift the curbside bus parking along Valpey Park Avenue east. The bus loading area is large enough to accommodate three school buses. With this shift, two buses can idle south of the Trio Court crossing and one would idle north of the crossing. The bus zone should be adequately spaced from the crossing to ensure su�cient visibility.

- Install a curb extension at the southeast corner.

Fiesta Road & Don Way- Consider restricting parking on the northern segment of Fiesta Road during arrival and drop-o� times (east side).

- Stripe a yellow transverse crosswalk across Don Court.

Don Way/Butano Park Drive- Install a curb extension at the southeast corner.

Valpey Park Avenue- Restripe the two existing speed humps to meet current standards.

Valpey Park Avenue/Trio Court- Upgrade existing crossings to high visibility crossings.- Install a curb extension on the school side of the Valpey Park Avenue crosswalk.

- Ensure that there is su�cient “No Parking” space on all sides of the crosswalks.

Valpey Park Avenue- At the intersections with Tanglewood Park Drive, Audubon Park Court, and Mauna Loa Park Drive, upgrade existing or install new high visibility crosswalks.

Omar Street/Butano Park Drive- Install high visibility crosswalks at the eastern and southern approaches.

New Trail- Construct new Class I shared-use path to increase connectivity to school

Curbs Near Crosswalks- FUSD should work with the City to paint/re-paint red curb near crosswalks and driveways.

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Steven Millard Elementary School,Fremont

Safe Routes to Schools Improvement PlanSite Assessment held March 2018

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Recommended Red Curb with “No Parking Anytime” signs

The above items are recommendations only and based on Safe Routes to Schools site assessment best practices. Feasibility determination, final design, accessibility, funding, and implementation of any recommended improvements is the responsibility of the appropriate governing agency. Improvements not to scale

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