Marin IJ Article 12/3/07

Work targets risky intersection in San Rafael
By Jennifer Upshaw

Maybe soon, Third and Union streets - home to Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, San Rafael High School and other attractions - won't be such a scary busy place.

The San Rafael City Council on Monday approved changes to the intersection that will make the pedestrian-accident-prone area safer - and slower.

Pedestrian and bicyclist safety will be improved as part of the estimated $1 million project, but at a cost to motorists, city officials said.

The decision to change the intersection will add up to 70 seconds of additional wait time for drivers, city officials said. But for an intersection with at least 10 bicycle- and pedestrian-related accidents in three years, council members said the delay is worth it.

"I think that's at the heart of what we're doing here," Councilman Paul Cohen said. "I'm pleased to support it."

City leaders said they were aware not everyone would be satisfied, but said safety, particularly of students and seniors using the area, was paramount.

"I know this intersection is a concern for people who live in East San Rafael," Mayor Al Boro said. "At the same time we are addressing the concerns of people in the immediate neighborhood."

Work is expected to begin in 2009. Proposed improvements, paid for through traffic fees charged to developers, include:

• Adding a second left-turn lane and left-turn-only signal for traffic from Montecito Shopping Center to westbound Third Street.

• Lengthening the left-turn-only lane from eastbound Third Street onto Union Street, which provides access to Whole Foods.

• Creating a right-turn-only lane from westbound Third Street onto Union Street.

• Traffic signal upgrades.

• Widening Union Street to accommodate two northbound lanes, one a left-turn-only lane into Whole Foods, and a second through-traffic lane.

• Adding new sidewalks on Union Street.

• Widening the sidewalk on the northbound side of westbound Third Street to keep students out of the street.