A stretch of Linden Street could soon look very different for drivers, cyclists and students heading to John W. North High School.
City officials are considering transforming Linden Street between Chicago Avenue and Iowa Avenue from a four-lane roadway into a two-lane street with a center turn lane and buffered bike lanes as part of a proposed three-year pilot project, following 36 reported collisions on the corridor over the past five years.
The Mobility and Infrastructure Committee – made up of Councilmembers Chuck Conder and Steve Hemenway – on Thursday unanimously directed city staff to conduct community engagement on the proposal and return with findings and recommendations to the City Council. The Transportation Board previously unanimously recommended moving forward with the outreach at its June 3 meeting.
The proposed changes would not widen or narrow the roadway itself – instead, the city would change how the existing space is striped, adding a two-way left-turn lane in the center of the street, buffered bike lanes on both sides and an enhanced student loading zone next to North High School.
The change would also bring the roadway closer to the city's general plan designation. Although Linden currently operates as a four-lane road, the city's Circulation and Community Mobility Element identifies the section between Chicago and Iowa avenues as a two-lane collector.
The proposal comes as the city prepares to resurface Linden Street through its fiscal year 2025-26 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) street improvements project, giving the city an opportunity to change the striping while the road is being repaved.
Public Works Principal Traffic Engineer Brett Craig told the committee that the new configuration could help address traffic problems around North High School, particularly during student arrival and dismissal.
Currently, parents and students turning into the school can occupy the inside eastbound lane while waiting to make a left turn, causing vehicles traveling straight to stack up behind them. Under the proposal, vehicles waiting to turn would be able to queue in the center turn lane instead.
The city also plans to formalize the student loading zone on the north side of Linden Street. The existing area is used for student drop-off but does not have striping marking it as a loading zone. The proposed project would extend the zone and delineate it with striping, signs and curb painting.
Safety is another major factor behind the proposal.
There were 36 reported collisions on the Linden Street segment between Chicago and Iowa avenues from 2021 through 2025. Improper turning was the most common primary collision factor, accounting for 33 percent of crashes, followed by unsafe speed at 19 percent and automobile right-of-way violations at 17 percent. City staff said the collision rate is higher than expected for a typical four-lane undivided urban arterial.
The proposal is intended to reduce the number of potential conflict points between vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists. A center turn lane would remove left-turning vehicles from through lanes, while pedestrians would have fewer travel lanes to cross. Buffered bike lanes would provide additional separation between cyclists and vehicle traffic.
The staff report does not expect the change to create significant congestion; however, one resident asked the city to look more closely at the results of a similar restriping project before moving ahead with Linden Street.
In an online comment, Jerry Good pointed to the previous restriping of Brockton Avenue between 14th Street and Central Avenue, asking the city to conduct a comprehensive traffic survey and compare current conditions with studies conducted before that project. Good said average speeds and bike lane use should be examined before the city moves forward with additional projects of this type.
Good, who said he frequently walks and drives through the Brockton Avenue area, questioned how often the bike lanes are used and raised concerns about speeding, passing and pedestrian crossings. He said drivers sometimes use the bike lane as a passing lane and argued that traffic enforcement in the area is lacking.
Craig addressed the online comment during the meeting, saying the department has previously analyzed the Brockton Avenue restriping. During the committee discussion, Craig said that project had undergone "extensive analysis" and had been in place successfully for several years.
The city has also already received some input from Riverside Unified School District staff, who expressed initial support for the enhanced loading zone after city staff observed traffic conditions at North High School. The district also asked the city to evaluate the intersection of Linden and Cranford streets for a possible traditional traffic signal.
City staff said additional outreach will be conducted before the pilot moves forward.
If implemented, the three-year pilot would be monitored by Public Works staff, who could adjust the striping or signal timing if changes are needed to improve traffic operations.
The project is estimated to cost about $100,000, though the city says that money is already budgeted through its pavement management program and would not represent an additional expense.
