Slowing down traffic on Woodward Avenue, improving pedestrian safety, and easing the parking problem around Woodward Park are part of a plan being vetted at the municipal level.

Councilman Vince Hernandez expects the city staff in the coming months to bring a proposal back before Manteca’s elected leaders to address all three concerns of the greater Woodward Park neighborhood.

“We have to do something to improve the parking,” Hernandez said.

It is common during soccer tournaments for vehicles to park on corners, block driveways and even park several blocks to the north of Woodward Avenue.

At the same time Hernandez backs efforts to “choke down” traffic on Woodward Avenue to get drivers to go the speed limit.

The city has been examining a plan that would accomplish both. It involves “temporarily” converting Woodward Avenue between South Main Street and Bridewell Avenue into two lanes including the creation of 160 on-street parking spaces and a high visibility crosswalk at Buena Vista Drive.

The reconfiguration would include six-foot wide bike lanes and parallel parking. The bike lane would be far enough away from parked vehicles that motorists could actually pull out of the travel lane while maneuvering into parking spaces

Hernandez noted that if the need arises in the future, the “temporary” two-lane segment of Woodward Avenue between Main Street and Buena Vista could be converted back to four lanes.

A two-lane roadway can handle 14,600 vehicles a day and still meet the city’s targeted service level. The segment of Woodward by the park currently carries 6,300 vehicles a day.