HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/6/2024 Item 6a, Wolf
Laurie Wolf <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:South Broad St Area Safety Needed!
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Dear Members of the San Luis Obispo City Council,
I drive from the Tank Farm Road/Broad St intersection towards downtown to shop, dine and socialize at many
businesses between Broad St and the Railroad tracks at least four days a week. There has been a significant
traffic volume increase; also a notable increase of speeding, erratic and just plain dangerous drivers. With rare
exception a left turn toward the airport is not a safe maneuver. Pulling into the center two way left turn lane
to await an opening in the southbound traffic leaves one a sitting duck to be plowed into by hasty
inattentive drivers.
Last year I emailed with one of the City Council members who directed my attention to the South Broad St
Area Plan. I was looking for some action to fix this problem especially since much of this area has been built
out. I recalled that years ago we had been told there would be traffic controlled intersections along this
section. There are No left turn controlled intersections yet three are called for in the Area Plan as the housing
units are built increasing the traffic.
Quoting from the Area Plan page 7:
A Fundamental Shift in Land Use
Over the next 20 years, the Area Plan calls for:
» Approximately 355 new dwellings,
» 330,000 square feet of commercial space.
How much of this has been built out or is under construction now?
The only controlled left turn servicing this area is not technically in the South Broad St Area and cannot be
reached by public streets. It is at Upham St which is accessed by driving through three parking lots; the
railroad area parking lot, Miner's Hardware parking lot and the parking lot of a high density apartment
complex to reach a traffic light controlled left turn. This is only accessible during business hours when the
locked gates at Miner's Hardware are open.
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Here is what we were told was planned, again quoting the Area Plan at Page 48:
Signals and Turn Lanes
Traffic signals and additional turn lanes, as identified in the
2010 South Broad Street Traffic Impact Analysis and the
2014 General Plan Circulation Element, should be installed at
intersections on Broad Street as traffic demands increase and
warrants are satisfied.
There are no controlled left turn intersections for traffic heading south between Orcutt Road and Upham St
and the area is almost built out. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of turn events desired by residents,
new drivers, old drivers, bad drivers and mad drivers every day. The City has allowed the creation of this very
dangerous situation by not collecting and applying the fees to install the controlled intersections as
anticipated by the existing Area Plan when the demand increased.
Quoting the Area Plan at Page 52
INFRASTRUCTURE AND ESTIMATED COSTS
The following projects are major infrastructure improvements
needed to implement the Area Plan:
Signalized intersections at Woodbridge, Lawrence and
Sweeney.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION ESTIMATED COST
Signalized intersections $952,000 ...
Reflects both public and private costs
Preliminary Infrastructure Cost Estimates1
Source: Wallace Group
Some improvements, like parcel-by-parcel frontage
improvements or Meadow Park neighborhood traffic calming
features, may be partially or wholly paid for as the planning area
redevelops and are not listed. The remaining pages discuss
each project in more detail, including project location, scope,
assumptions and cost.
This small stretch of road has high volume virtually uncontrolled traffic. The citizens and visitors of the City of
San Luis Obispo deserve to be better served. Prioritize the traffic signals. This has been foolhardy in planning
and implementation for too many years.
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An additional comment I would like to make has to do with the choice of street trees. London Plane, Chinese
Elm, Jacaranda, Chinese Pistache and Red Maple are very uninspiring street trees without a single California
native among them. Several of the listed trees have very undesirable characteristics, excessive litter,
significant allergen production, and growth pattern requiring frequent pruning. I urge a fresh look at street
trees to be encouraged by San Luis Obispo.
Thank you for taking a careful look at improving and prioritizing the safety of this important street. Also
consider putting the geography and ecology of San Luis Obispo first when selecting street trees.
Laurie Wolf
773 Azalea Ct
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
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