HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/9/2020 Item 4, Ayral
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Odile Ayral <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:PC Communication
Dear Planning Commission Commissioners,
I applaud the efforts of the city to improve biking conditions and safety although I believe it has been carried too far in
the so-called Broad bike boulevard. Separate bike lanes belong in important arteries, especially where new
developments allow the freedom to build them (such as around Prado Rd.)
With this said, I would like to see the city give as much attention to pedestrians as they do to cyclists. There are areas
heavily used by pedestrians that are void of sidewalks or “where the sidewalk ends”, such as Broad Street or North
Chorro. I am going to tell you the story of North Chorro because it illustrates a disturbing attitude of the city toward
pedestrians in certain areas of the city. Many students live on North Chorro, and they walk to Highland to reach Cal
Poly, sharing the road with cars where the sidewalk ends. As a professor, I did the same thing for 35 years, and when it
rained, I got splashed and I feared to be run over by cars that were inches away from me. I fought the city for most of
these 35 years, trying to get it to finish the darn sidewalk. Every time I was told there was no money (but there was
money to make things prettier downtown.) When the City got ready to spend more than $200,000 on a sign in that
area, I protested that we needed a sidewalk more than a sign. Again, I was ignored, the city voted for the sign and
against the sidewalk. My long awaited victory took place because the land where the sign was to be built also belonged
to the county, and the county immediately saw the need to finish the sidewalk. The city was given 5 years to do it. It’s
not done yet but it should be done soon because it is part of the agreement.
This story illustrates how hard it is to have the city hear problems that are not among their chosen priorities. Cyclists are
important, but pedestrians are just as important, and resources need to be distributed in a fair manner.
Sincerely,
Odile Ayral
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