Steele Lane Elementary Pilot Project to Begin Second Phase

The City of Santa Rosa is planning to implement Phase Two of the Steele Lane Elementary Pilot Study to further Steele Lane "road diet" between Meyers Drive and Rowe Drive by reducing the eastbound traffic to one lane and creating a center two-way left turn lane. This second phase of the pilot study will take place from mid-August through December. It is designed to further enhance multimodal school safety, building upon the findings that began with Phase One earlier this year.

The City conducted its first school safety pilot project from March to July 2024 on Steele Lane from Meyers Drive to Rowe Drive in front of Steele Lane Elementary School. The first phase of the project installed a "road diet" in the westbound direction which took one travel lane and reallocated the space for school drop-off and pick-up. The second phase will further enhance the "road diet" by reducing eastbound traffic to one travel lane with a center two-way left turn lane.

The purpose of the project is to test Safe Routes to School access to Steele Lane Elementary School, allowing City staff to understand how more bus, bicycle, and pedestrian space in front of the elementary school may improve access to the school for students and parents. While the City is concerned about safe access to the elementary school, the City also understands that it is near a Highway 101 interchange and is a significant thoroughfare for vehicles. The "Road Diet" project aims to determine impacts on multimodal travel in the area before a permanent solution is implemented.

During the first phase of the project, the site was monitored to evaluate impacts for all modes of transportation, such as examining queueing lengths, general traffic flow, potential conflicts between modes, side street traffic, speeds, school and parent feedback, and overall perception. Residents and commuters also provided the City with feedback via a public survey. The second phase of the study is based on the findings of these on-site observations and the survey results and aims to study concerns expressed by residents and commuters.

The general changes to be implemented in the second phase include but are not limited to: removal of one eastbound traffic lane between Service Court and Rowe Drive; addition of a striped two-way left turn lane; addition of signage that clarifies merging of lanes; addition of a protected westbound bike lane; and eliminate through-traffic in the school loading zone by coning off the space in front of the school.

The goal is to implement the project's second phase before school starts in August and to have it in place for at least four months, weather dependent. A second survey to obtain feedback from residents on their experience traveling through the area will be conducted in November.

Visit the project webpage at www.SRCity.org/SteeleLanePilotStudy for further details on findings, survey results and roadway conditions for the project.