By Joan Garvin

The Los Altos City Council decided to eliminate the proposed roundabout from a list of street improvements along Berry Avenue due to the intersection’s size.

Town Crier Correspondent

Two years and thousands of dollars in consultant fees later, the Los Altos City Council has decided to scrap the traffic roundabout planned for the Springer Road-Berry Avenue intersection.

The council unanimously accepted the recommendation from Public Works Director Jim Porter April 9 to delete the roundabout traffic control feature in the Loyola Safe Routes to School Project based on comments from three consulting firms that agreed the intersection is not large enough for such a device.

The proposed roundabout grew from 80 feet to 90 feet to 92 feet as the design phase progressed and incorporated emergency vehicle access into the plan.

The driveway at 695 Berry Ave. remained in conflict with the roundabout, according to the consultants. Cars exiting onto Berry would back into the roundabout traffic, creating a hazard.

The city must complete the traffic plan by Sept. 30 to qualify for the grant money. The roundabout was part of a list of street improvements included in a federal grant to calm traffic in the Loyola School neighborhood. Bike lanes and a raised crosswalk are also part of the plan. The project is still eligible for grant funding without the roundabout, Porter confirmed.

Porter said he was “very concerned” whether the city would be able to meet the deadline. “To get the federal money, we must comply with the grant’s requirements to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety … We have already asked for two extensions,” he said.

The intersection is currently controlled by a four-way stop that the council could modify to decrease pedestrian crossing distances and enhance safety. The staff recorded suggestions for traffic-calming at the intersection including revising the splitter islands, removing the right turn lane, raised crosswalks and better signage.

Porter presented an updated proposal for Berry Avenue which utilized the full 50 feet of roadway and included 35 feet for automobiles, moving and parked, and 8 feet for bicycles and pedestrians with the required 5-foot buffer. He acknowledged the plan still presents some problems, the existing obstructions on the south side such as landscaping and conforms, but said it meets the Caltrans requirements.

The council asked Porter to come back with a revised proposal in two weeks to include 10 foot traffic lanes, parking on both sides and the bike lane on the south side.

Porter will also consider a list of recommendations from neighbors, who have battled against the roundabout since the city first proposed it two years ago, but are concerned whether a four-way stop would address pedestrian safety and traffic issues.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the city the “Safe Routes to School” grant in April 2000 after a group of Loyola parents prepared an application seeking funding for more than a dozen street improvements, based on recommendations from a privately-funded traffic-planning consultant.

The award was based on the initial concept that included a possible roundabout at the Springer and Berry intersection.