Napa's most dangerous roads get safer - and more bike-friendly

"Napa's streets are undergoing their biggest safety makeover in years, with protected bike lanes, flashing crosswalks and narrower roads designed to slow traffic and better protect cyclists and pedestrians. The most visible transformation is along Browns Valley Road and First Street west of Highway 29, where construction crews are finishing the city's first parking-protected bike lanes. The new lanes run between the sidewalk and rows of parked cars, creating a physical buffer between cyclists and moving vehicles."

"The $4.8 million project also includes flashing pedestrian crossings and narrowed traffic lanes meant to reduce vehicle speeds. At the intersection of First Street and Freeway Drive, Napa installed its first bike box in August - a green-painted zone that gives cyclists a head start in front of cars when turning left. Public Works Director Julie Lucido said those changes target one of the city's most collision-prone corridors."

"In the city's 2022 Local Roadway Safety Plan, the Browns Valley-First Street stretch was listed on Napa's "high-injury network" - streets with the highest rates of fatal or severe crashes. Over a five-year study period, that segment saw 20 injury collisions and one fatal or serious crash. Lucido said excessive speed remains the leading factor in many of Napa's severe collisions. The city is now designing its paving projects with safety as the central goal, adding traffic-calming features, flashing pedestrian crossings and multiple forms of bike lanes to reduce the risk and severity of crashes."

Napa is implementing a major street safety overhaul focused on reducing speeds and protecting vulnerable road users. The Browns Valley Road and First Street corridor received the city's first parking-protected bike lanes, creating a physical buffer between cyclists and moving vehicles. The $4.8 million project adds flashing pedestrian crossings, narrowed traffic lanes and a bike box at First Street and Freeway Drive. The corridor was identified on the 2022 Local Roadway Safety Plan as part of a high-injury network after 20 injury collisions and one fatal or serious crash over five years. Excessive speed is cited as a leading factor, and paving and redesign projects now prioritize traffic calming and varied bike-lane protections.

Read at The Mercury News