Mr. Mayor, Councilmembers, and Commissioners,
I am writing to oppose any move to repave Hopkins Street by abandoning the Council-approved Complete Streets design for the corridor. While I am in favor of street maintenance across Berkeley, Council voted twice to approve the Complete Streets design and any change in policy must require a Council vote. In addition, Council should not change policy on this question, since your previous votes were completely in accord with the Climate Emergency Plan, Bicycle Plan, Pedestrian Plan, Vision Zero Plan, and the city’s General Plan.
Opponents of the Complete Streets plan would like to position the City Manager’s request for a delay of final approval of the Hopkins plan as a victory for their position. It was not. No Council action has changed the policy Council approved on May 10th, 2022, and again on October 11th, 2022. The City’s very unfortunate staffing issues in the Transportation Division, which I understand are continuing to worsen, are the reason for the delay. Staffing problems should not become an implicit change in policy nor an effective pocket veto.
Councilmember Hahn’s initial Hopkins referral was in 2018, five years ago now. When Berkeley streets are repaved, they are placed on moratorium for five years for any construction work that could involve pavement cuts. If Hopkins were repaved now, and the eventual Complete Streets project involved any pavement cuts, choosing to pave now would push this project’s planning phase *over a decade*. It would become even more of a symbol of the city’s inability to get work done to protect the public.
The Hopkins Corridor policy Council approved twice last year must be implemented in full. Focus city efforts on solving the Transportation staffing problems, rather than subverting the will of Council.
(Sent around June 11, 2023)