REPORT TO BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SUBJECT
Title
Roundabouts: Proposed Process for Selection of Locations (Garcia)
Report
BACKGROUND
In July 2024, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) Member Kratz requested a discussion on a proposed process for selecting locations for roundabouts (Attachment 1).
At the June 28, 2021 Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting, staff presented Item 21-690, “Roundabouts for Better Traffic Control in Santa Clara.” The report provided details on roundabouts based on the Federal Highway Administration guideline “Roundabouts: An Informational Guide, 2nd edition” (FHWA Roundabouts Guide). In response, a BPAC subcommittee was formed to review and recommend potential locations for roundabouts.
At the March 28, 2022 meeting, the BPAC subcommittee submitted information and questions to City staff. At the meeting, staff stated the questions would be reviewed and responses would be provided at the June 2022 meeting.
At the June 27, 2022 meeting, the BPAC subcommittee item included roundabout recommendations for Forbes Avenue and staff responses to the subcommittee questions from the March 2022 meeting. At the meeting, the subcommittee requested additional information, including:
1. When Forbes Avenue will be re-paved
2. The process to install a roundabout
3. How a roundabout was installed at the intersection of Cypress Avenue and Cecil Avenue
4. Additional details on FHWA mini-roundabouts
Staff completed additional research to provide the information requested by the BPAC subcommittee on roundabouts.
At the October 24, 2022 meeting, staff responded to the Roundabout Subcommittee questions about combining a roundabout project with the next scheduled resurfacing for Forbes Avenue, the process for the City to install a roundabout, how the Cecil Avenue and Cypress Avenue roundabout was installed, and general questions about roundabout designs.
Discussion
The work plan topic includes two discussion topics. The first is for staff to review and comment on the roundabout designs for Forbes Avenue proposed by the Roundabout Subcommittee (Attachment 2) and include a BPAC vote for recommendation to staff to research funding opportunities. The second discussion topic is for staff to provide roundabout locations for BPAC’s review and recommendation to City Council for funding. The intent of the work plan topic is to streamline the process to build more roundabouts in the city.
Forbes Avenue Roundabout Recommendations
City staff work on capital projects listed in the City’s Biennial Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget. Projects are included in the CIP budget through a Council process that identifies priority projects and funding. Bicycle and pedestrian projects are often prioritized based on the opportunities to acquire non-City funds such as grants or funded through private developments. Grant programs have very specific requirements, so not all projects are eligible for grant funding.
Some of the capital projects listed in the CIP budget book involve bicycle and pedestrian facilities. CIP projects that involve bicycle and/or pedestrian improvements are brought to BPAC for complete streets review. Several CIP projects were initiated from the Bicycle Master Plan Update or Pedestrian Master Plan.
The Bicycle Master Plan recommends Forbes Avenue (Harvard Avenue to Los Padres Boulevard) to be a Class IIIB Bicycle Boulevard as a priority project (#19 out of 40 priority projects). Staff have worked on many bicycle projects on the priority project list, which were presented as an update to BPAC at the October 2025 meeting. Currently, improvements to bicycling on Forbes Avenue are not included in the City’s CIP Budget.
In the future, if the Forbes Avenue Class III Bicycle Boulevard becomes a CIP project, the first phase would be to conduct a planning study to determine which bicycle boulevard features would be acceptable to the community. Once a preferred concept is selected by the community and the City, the project would move to the design and then construction phase. Several of the bicycle projects in the Bicycle Master Plan have gone through a planning phase and City staff are prioritizing opportunities through grant funding for construction, such as Monroe Street, Walsh Avenue-Martin Avenue, De La Cruz Boulevard-Coleman Avenue, and Pruneridge Avenue. It is also important to note that staff is currently tasked with creating a new City Council Policy related to bikeway studies to guide the development of future bikeway studies in Santa Clara. Staff understand that this policy should be completed prior to starting new bikeway studies in Santa Clara.
Process to Install a Roundabout
To install a proposed roundabout, staff must complete both analyses and public outreach. These steps would provide information to support City Council action to install a roundabout at an intersection.
Staff would follow the FHWA Roundabouts Guide to complete analyses to ensure the proposed roundabout is feasible. These analyses include:
• Traffic operations - Traffic volumes would be collected and traffic operations analyzed to ensure the proposed roundabout does not increase vehicle delay.
• Roadway geometry - Dimensions of the roadway and location would be surveyed to analyze vehicle movements and ensure the proposed roundabout can accommodate large vehicles (such as small trucks or fire vehicles) and determine if design features would impact on-street parking
• Right-of-way - Dimensions of existing public right-of-way at the proposed location would be measured to ensure the proposed roundabout design features would not require additional public right-of way, reduce sidewalks, or impact landscaping
In addition, staff would coordinate with the Police and Fire Departments and analyze locations according to the City of Santa Clara Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP). The NTCP prohibits Level 3 Traffic Calming Options such as traffic circles or roundabouts on emergency response routes (Attachment 3). Finally, potential roundabout installations need to be prioritized based on request, need, and budget/staffing levels.
Staff
Written by: Ralph Garcia, Senior Civil Engineer, Public Works
Reviewed by: Carol Shariat, Transportation Manager, Public Works
Approved by: Michael Liw, Assistant Director/City Engineer, Public Works
ATTACHMENTS
1. Topic Request Form - Member Kratz
2. Forbes Avenue Recommendations from Roundabout Subcommittee
3. Excerpts from Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program