HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/7/2023 Item 6d, Ayral
Odile Ayral <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Public Meeting of March 7, Item 6.d, Chorro bikeway
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Mayor Stewart and Council Members,
First, I am surprised that the city staff does not seem to know that North Chorro links Highland to Foothill,
while Chorro links Foothill to Upham and Broad Street. The staff project should therefore be called Chorro
greenway, not North Chorro greenway. In a sense, this is symbolic of so much that is wrong with this project.
Let me briefly introduce myself: for 35 years, I walked daily to Cal Poly (25 minutes each way), and I rode a
bike for fun until someone stole it a couple years ago. When I sold my 20 year old Jetta last year, it had only
80,000 miles on the meter. I keep my new Prius in my garage. Presently, even though I am old now, I regularly
walk to the Mission and back from Ferrini Rd., using either Broad or Chorro. I am therefore aware that though
their sidewalks are not perfect, they fulfill their mission relatively well. As you see, I am not “a nimby addicted
to her car”, in fact I am quite the opposite. Unfortunately, Bike SLO would like you to believe that those
opposed to this poorly conceived incredibly expensive bikeway are self-centered, car-addicted, intolerant
people. To them I reply that instead of pointing an insulting finger toward those who disagree with them, it
might help us all if they—these cyclists—set their own self interest aside and took a closer look at the bikeway
they are asking you to approve, and at the horrendous cost it represents. Personally, I took a closer look, and
these are my conclusions:
1. We have had two deadly bicycle accidents in my neighborhood in the past, both on Foothill
boulevard, and none on south of Foothill. I am puzzled as to why the previous council took so much
interest to south of Foothill, and so little in Foothill boulevard. Was it because they felt more connected
to the relatively small but very vocal Bike SLO group than to the large number of residents who opposed
this project?
2. The cost of this project has jumped from 1 million dollars to 6 million. This is totally
unacceptable. We are not a rich city, we don’t have the money to throw away at questionable projects,
and the REOC understood this when they turned down the increase requested by the staff. Think of
it: what else could you do with 6 million dollars? Maybe take care of the homeless problem, or help
struggling businesses, or repair sidewalks, or a thousand more urgent and useful things.
3. Most important: Several years ago, a dedicated group of people spent months trying to find the best
possible solution for a Chorro bikeway. This group included seasoned cyclists. They reached the
consensus that going through Lincoln then Murray would save a lot of headaches and a lot of money. It
was the perfect compromise, but it was rejected by the then city council because it did not satisfy the
people they preferred to support. I am asking that you go back to the drawing board, unearth the
Lincoln compromise, and study it carefully because this was and is the right answer to our
problem.
4. Finally, remember the Chorro bumps? It did not take long for them to prove to be a disaster, so after
spending money to put them in, the city spent more money to remove them. Fortunately, this was only a
few thousand dollars, but we can ill afford to do the same thing with a 6 million dollar project if it turns
out to be another disaster, as I am sure it will if you turn a deaf ear to common sense.
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Sincerely,
Odile Ayral
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