To: Honorable Mayor and Members of City Council
From: Julie Lucido, Public Works Director
Prepared By: Tim Wood, Senior Civil Engineer
TITLE:
Title
Slow Streets Program: A Proposal from the Napa County Bicycle Coalition
LABEL
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommendation
Receive a report from staff regarding the infeasibility of implementing the proposed Slow Streets Program due the City's fiscal emergency and the resources that would be necessary to further evaluate, develop and implement the program.
Body
DISCUSSION:
The City received a memorandum from the Napa County Bicycle Coalition titled "Adoption of a Slow Streets Program during COVID-19." The memorandum requested the City of Napa and other jurisdictions adopt a Slow Streets Program to close selected public streets to through traffic to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists in the street during the COVID-19 Shelter at Home and social distancing requirements.
The memorandum is attached and specifically proposes the City close 11 segments of streets throughout the City. These include closures of the following streets to through traffic: Vine Hill, Sierra, Young, West Pueblo, Central/Yajome, Brown, East, Kilburn, Franklin, Kent/Pickwick, and Shetler. The concept proposed is to close these streets to through traffic to accommodate the use of the street by pedestrians and bicyclists. Traffic with a destination within the closure would be allowed to drive around barricades to enter the area. The proposal references the reduction in traffic experienced during the early stages of the COVID-19 Shelter at Home Order and requests the implementation of the Slow Streets Program as the County and State move through the Phase 2 re-opening stage.
In addition to the request from the Napa County Bicycle Coalition to initiate this new program, the City has received multiple inquiries and public comments during City Council meetings pertaining to the proposed Slow Streets Program. At the May 19th City Council...
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