HAYWARD, Calif. — The Alameda County Transportation Commission has opted to reroute the section of the East Bay Greenway passing through Hayward from Mission Boulevard to Whitman Street.
The nearly unanimous decision, made on Thursday, Dec. 7, approved several actions related to the East Bay Greenway project, including allocating $3.25 million in Measure BB funds to consultants Kittelson and Associates for scoping, preliminary engineering and environmental work for the realignment. Commissioner Rebecca Saltzman, who said she supported most of the action items related to the greenway, was opposed.
“It seems really premature for us to approve the new alignment in Hayward,” Saltzman said. “It’s pretty clear there’s still a lot to be evaluated.”
Originally conceptualized by Oakland nonprofit Urban Ecology as a 12-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail linking Oakland and Hayward along the BART tracks, the East Bay Greenway has evolved into a 37-mile regional trail spanning northern and southern Alameda County. Challenges like acquiring the right of way from Union Pacific Railroad and substantial environmental cleanup costs have prompted the realignment of some segments of the greenway, like the 16-mile Urban Trail connecting the Lake Merritt and South Hayward BART stations.
The transportation commission, which is overseeing the Urban Trail’s development, initially planned the new route, spanning San Leandro, Ashland and Hayward, along East 14th Street and Mission Boulevard because 90% of the corridor is on the pedestrian high injury network and 50% is on the bike high injury network.
The Hayward segment’s plan included removing infrequently used parking spaces and reducing Mission from six lanes to four between Fletcher Lane and Tennyson Road. However, opposition arose from city staff and members of the Hayward City Council during an October 2022 meeting. Concerns were raised about parking loss, increased congestion from reduced traffic lanes, and the dangers of adding cyclists to Mission.
Yet, a study presented by commission staff earlier in the meeting indicated that parking on Mission is used infrequently and there is ample side- and off-street parking. Data from fitness-tracking platform Strava revealed a significantly higher cyclist presence on Mission compared to Whitman. Multiple studies have demonstrated that reducing lanes has social and economic benefits.
Nonetheless, protests from the city of Hayward led transportation commission staff to work with the city to select Whitman Street as the preferred alignment during the past summer. The Hayward City Council unanimously approved the alignment in November.
At Thursday’s meeting, Alejandro Jasso, vice chair of the Bike East Bay Board of Directors, and Tyler Dragoni, a member of the Eden Area Municipal Advisory Council, raised concerns about the lack of notice about the proposed changes. They emphasized the safety risks on Mission, highlighting the recent death of Hayward resident Chris Pena, 55, a father of three who was fatally struck in a hit-and-run collision while cycling.
“We had a community member die in September,” Dragoni said, “and there is no excuse for this commission to sit on its hands and look at what the Hayward City Council did and use that as some sort of excuse to not do what it needs to do right now.”
Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas, who serves on the County Transportation Commission and Council Infrastructure Committee, defended the decision, saying that the realignment would be safer for pedestrians and cyclists while providing connections to three schools.
“The realignment actually makes it safer,” Salinas said, adding that “the city of Hayward is not done with Mission Boulevard.”
Saltzman echoed concerns surrounding the process of changing the route and the extensive time and money invested in studying the Mission Boulevard alignment.
Emeryville Mayor John Bauters, chair of the commission, expressed frustrations with the city and the process, but ultimately supported the realignment. He stipulated that an active transportation working group be convened to oversee the project’s progression, which Salinas agreed to add to his motion.
The upcoming scoping phase is expected to include data collection on traffic volumes and speeds on Whitman, public input, and an assessment of parking impacts. Those findings will steer recommendations for bicycle facilities and the creation of three conceptual plans, slated for presentation and approval at future meetings of the Hayward Council Infrastructure Committee, Hayward City Council and Alameda County Transportation Commission.
Sonia Waraich can be reached at 510-952-7455.
