How a 2008 decision still keeps the public from easy access to Fresno’s Woodward Park
Bee columnist Marek Warszawski recently wrote about the tragic death of Fresno cyclist Paul Moore, who was killed Jan. 12 while on his bike at the intersection of Friant Road and Audubon Drive, right at Woodward Park.
Moore, on a recumbent bike, was struck by a truck; police have yet to share more details, such as which direction Moore was headed.
Marek’s column pointed out the irony of how Woodward Park is an island of tranquility surrounded by dangerous roadways full of speeding motorists. He noted that a roundabout to slow down traffic on Audubon was on the books to be built at the entrance to Woodward Park, but not until new offices were built a short distance away as part of a shopping center project.
That seemed weird. Why would a developer be allowed to get a shopping center up and running before being required to add the roundabout?
That launched a deep archive search through city of Fresno records to find the answer. (Many thanks to Public Works Director Scott Mozier and his team for the research.)
The reasoning won’t surprise those who run, walk or ride bikes in Fresno. In short, those activities did not factor into the roundabout discussion at all. Rather, it was all about vehicle traffic.
Nevermind that today, more than 13 years after the roundabout was required by the City Council in its approval of the Park Crossing project, the Woodward Park entrance on Audubon remains as scary for runners, walkers and cyclists as it was then. In fact, traffic has gotten heavier since the shopping center opened. City traffic counts show more than 30,000 vehicles a day at Friant and Audubon.
Woodward Park a jewel
Woodward Park is a jewel of Fresno’s parks system. With miles of winding trails, access to the San Joaquin River and lots of grassy lawns, it draws visitors from around the region. The city does not track those entering on foot or bike. But last year 282,000 vehicles came in off Audubon and at the Friant Road-Fort Washington entrance a mile north. That’s more than 700 vehicles a day.
Stand at the Audubon entrance to the park. Directly across the street is the driveway to the Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital. In between is nothing but roadway. There are bike lanes on each side, but if a cyclist is coming from the west on Audubon and wants to enter Woodward, that rider must use the left-turn lane meant for cars. If one is running or walking near the heart hospital, the only way across to the park is a jaywalking sprint.
This is where the roundabout is to go. Except that, under the terms of the Park Crossing project, that traffic-calming element does not have to be built until Zinkin Family Development gets ready for office development.
This condition was approved by the City Council on Dec. 16, 2008. Some years passed before Zinkin was ready to break ground on the shopping center— that came in late 2014. Sportsman’s Warehouse opened in July 2015, and has been followed by a Trader Joe’s and a host of restaurants. But as of now, no offices. And thus no roundabout.
No focus on runners, cyclists
In reading the City Council report from that 2008 meeting, the roundabout was required by city planners as a way to handle the expected increase in vehicles. That, of course, should have been a priority. But it is notable that other users, like runners and cyclists, did not even enter the equation. Improving access to Woodward for those users was kicked into the future by city staff, not Zinkin.
The city in 2019 adopted a formal policy that now recognizes pedestrians and cyclists. In the Complete Streets Policy, the city makes this commitment: “Every development and city transportation improvement shall be approached as an opportunity to create safer, more accessible streets for all users.”
Frankly, this approach has been standard in many California cities for decades. It is about time Fresno caught up. Too bad that was not followed with the roundabout requirement. It should never have been delayed.
Thanks to $194 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding the city is to receive, work could happen now. Fresno officials should earmark some of that money for the roundabout or, better yet, traffic signals in the Woodward Park-heart hospital stretch of Audubon. Get that built, and charge Zinkin for it.
Until that happens, however, getting into Woodward Park off Audubon will remain a dicey proposition for anyone not surrounded by thousands of pounds of steel, glass and rubber.
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
