Councilmembers Ed Balico and Kris Valstad both mentioned their support for a pedestrian ramp at the intersection of Sycamore and San Pablo Avenues during the last City Council meeting (amidst a discussion of the Sycamore Crossing project)…

A pedestrian ramp is not a bad idea, but it is not the solution to the problem at Sycamore and San Pablo. It is a punt. And with the streetscape greatly changed — and greatly enhanced — with the future development of Sycamore Crossing and Market Town (first phase of New Town Center, current site of Market Hall), the number of pedestrians will increase significantly, to a level that you will not be able to ensure that all pedestrians will take the designated pedestrian ramp. And why should they?

Although a pedestrian ramp seems to be a structure that caters to pedestrians, it is in fact an amenity provided to the automobile drivers. The ramp will keep pedestrians out of the intersection so vehicles can drive faster and unimpeded. A ramp is a suburban solution.

Even if/when the ramp is constructed, the future developments at Main and Main will require some sort of interaction between drivers and pedestrians; it will be impossible to separate the two entirely. For one, street parking will be introduced along San Pablo Avenue. Pedestrians will also be invited to cross the street — to shop, dine, relax — and should not be forced to double-back to the ramp entrance (which will likely be quite a distance from the intersection in order to comply with ADA regulations).

The City’s plan to improve pedestrian safety at Sycamore and San Pablo should not solely be based on increasing vehicle speed (by getting those pesky foot travelers out of the way). The plan should be in-depth and holistic, include slowing vehicles down as they approach the intersection, and encourage a healthy mix of transportation modes (a bus stop, parked cars, pedestrians and bicycles).