Marin County and San Rafael are reviewing how to restore street parking on Point San Pedro Road after a repaving and bike-lane project removed roughly 285 on-street spaces along the three-mile corridor, including about 100 inside San Rafael city limits, Hoodline reported.
What changed
The project added buffered bike lanes, narrowed travel lanes from 12 feet to 11 feet and added pedestrian signals and flashing beacons, according to Hoodline. Marin County supervisors awarded the $1.5 million construction contract on July 15, and work began in August. Residents say they didn't realize their curbside parking was gone until the bike-lane striping was finished in late September.
The county's response
In an Oct. 15 letter to neighbors, Marin Public Works Director Christopher Blunk wrote that the county "should have clearly explained where parking would be removed" and given residents a real chance to weigh in first. "We did not," he wrote, calling it "a serious breakdown in Public Works' community outreach."
Blunk said traffic engineers are working block by block. He listed options under study and stressed that nothing has been decided:
- Cutting the number of travel lanes in some sections to make room for parking and continuous bike lanes
- Narrowing vehicle lanes further where it makes sense
- Reconfiguring parts of the median
- Checking whether changes near sidewalks are possible while keeping safe walking space
He said the county would share workable proposals with the wider community and take input before deciding. Supervisor Mary Sackett has asked for a formal Public Works policy on when residents get notice during projects, the letter says.
What's on hold
A residents' coalition tracking the work says, as of Oct. 26, that parking sign installation is still on hold pending the city and county review, and that upgraded crosswalks should be finished by Nov. 3.