BUtterfield Safety
The Butterfield Corridor Safety Committee, a subcommittee of Butterfield Corridor Safe Streets, has been hard at work identifying the community’s long-standing concerns and coming up with improvements to address them. This collaborative group includes representatives from the Sleepy Hollow Homes Association (SHHA), the County of Marin Department of Public Works, the Town of San Anselmo Public Works, local schools, Safe Routes to Schools Marin County, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and interested residents.
October 2023 Update: Thank you to all those that attended the recent Butterfield Safety Community Meeting! The Butterfield Corridor Safety Committee, a subcommittee of Butterfield Corridor Safe Streets, has been hard at work over the past year identifying the community’s long-standing concerns and coming up with improvements to address them. This collaborative group includes representatives from the Sleepy Hollow Homes Association, the County of Marin Department of Public Works, the Town of San Anselmo Public Works, local schools, Safe Routes, the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and interested residents. In the last year, a partial bike lane was implemented/striped and signs were installed. This change extended the bike lane from Butterfield Road, City of San Anselmo, to Sleepy Hollow Drive. Travelers on Butterfield have noted what a difference this makes, the lack of parked cars in bike lanes is notable allowing safer passage in our corridor. In addition, the county has approved a crosswalk from Irving to the community center. The crosswalk will be ADA-compliant and will require a new curb on the southside of Irving and Butterfield. The design is in progress but will allow for an island refuge and safer crossing in this high foot traffic and road traffic area. It will also have a rapid flashing beacon for additional safety. The County is currently looking for grant funding and we are hopeful it will be installed summer 2024. Recently (September 2023), the committee held a community meeting to report out on results from the second survey designed to collect opinions on both Butterfield and Green Valley Court and specifically to gauge if there is consensus of support to extend the bike lane to the north end of Butterfield (thanks to all that filled out the survey and attended the meeting!). The survey showed that roughly 80% of respondents were in favor of extending the bike lane so the County will be working with the Safety committee to bring this item to the Board of Supervisors for approval this fall. You can watch a recording of the the community meeting for more detailed information. The survey, launched in July, received over 400 responses, and made the following findings:
We did receive some great feedback at the meeting and will be addressing in the future: curbs on Butterfield as relates to the extended bike lane, moving bike lane signage in several places to allow for more off street parking, developing a community educational campaign around the extension, potential for narrowing lanes and decreasing speed limit, congestion on Green Valley Court. Survey Responses regarding extending bike lane on Butterfield: General Safety Measures & Reminders Road safety is a shared responsibility; bikers, scooters, strollers, and drivers all play a vital role by being attentive, using designated crossings, and staying visible to ensure safe journeys for everyone. Please exercise caution regarding vehicle speed, wear helmets, and follow the rules of the road for the safety of all. The Safety History of Butterfield: Update/History of Traffic Calming County/Community efforts over past 30 years 1991: Narrowed traffic lanes to 11’ to calm traffic speeds. 1991: Established 30 mph speed limit. 1992: Installed school warning assembly signs near Green Valley Court (updated in1996, 2003). 1994: Established 25 mph school speed limits on Butterfield Road. 2008: Striped in provisional bike lanes. County striped 5-foot shoulders on the paved section to calm traffic by narrowing traffic lanes and provide refuge area outside way of motor vehicles. 2014: Safe Routes/Safe Streets effort to provide a bike lane with parking shoulders in school zone. 2015: No Parking signs near school crossing established to address some of most problematic areas. 2016: Evaluated Butterfield/Green Valley for all way stop. 2017: Worked with neighbors on Green Valley Court (GVC) improvements. 2018: Upgraded GVC crosswalk with RFB signals. 2018: Explored paved bike shoulder approaching GVC. 2019: Moved limits for 25 mph school zone and added legends on pavement. 2019: Launched Eyes Up campaign to address driver distraction. 2020/21: Worked with special task force on creating socially distanced safe routes to school 2023: Extended the bike lane from Butterfield, City of San Anselmo, to Sleepy Hollow Drive, implemented/striped, and signs were installed. You can ralso ead past SHHA bulletin articles as well which cover the team's work. ************ April 2022 To Butterfield Corridor Residents, Neighbors and All Users, WE HEARD YOU! Thanks to all of you (almost 900 strong!) that filled out the recent Butterfield Safety Survey! The response was tremendous and demonstrates how many people use the Butterfield corridor and how much safety is a concern for people walking and biking. The Butterfield Safety Committee is working to improve the safety of the corridor for everyone, in particular vulnerable users (young people and older adults) and those traveling by active modes (walking, scooting, biking, etc.) and your responses go a long way to help inform our work. Please see the infographic that breaks down the survey responses into areas such as who responded, survey findings, support for changes and importantly, and conclusions drawn from results. Highlights: few people walking and biking are always comfortable on Butterfield, there’s a large number of unreported bike crashes (most involving children), and there is broad support for a designated bike/walk lane in the unincorporated section of Butterfield. Thank you for being involved in improving the safety of the Butterfield Road! -Butterfield Safety Committee A collaboration of Sleepy Hollow Homes Association, the Marin County Department of Public Works, San Anselmo Department of Public Works, Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Safe Routes, local schools and concerned residents |
