HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/29/2024 Item 1, Scott
Greg Scott <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Public Comment for Feb 29, 2024 Active Transportation Committee Meeting
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Dear members of the Active Transportation Committee,
I am a resident of the city of San Luis Obispo and commute primarily by bicycle with my two young children on board,
though I also walk and drive in the city. I routinely ride many of the streets considered for improvement in the current
agenda. I am pleased to see in the agenda for the Feb 29, 2024 meeting several proposed improvements for safer
multimodal transportation, but would like to ask that we consider more physical barriers than those proposed in the
agenda packet.
I noticed that most of the proposed street redesigns including on Grand and on Johnson have painted buffers--but no
physical barriers for protection--and have cyclists riding between parked cars and the car lanes. I suggest that the
committee consider alternatives that add more physical barriers between bicycles and cars. One alternative is to move
the bicycle lanes between the parked cars and the curb and including a physical barrier between the parking lane and
the bicycle lane. Where feasible, this allows for physical separation of bicycles from the motor vehicles.
Painted buffers, while providing some additional space for cyclists do not provide any physical protection. Now that
substantial progress has been made on the North Chorro Greenway, which I ride daily with my children, there is a
dramatic difference in my comfort on the road with my children between these protected stretches of roadway and the
other sections of our commute that are not protected. The physically protected parts of our commute, including the
partially-completed North Chorro Greenway, are much better for the safety of my family than other sections with no
bicycle infrastructure or paint-only separation.
I also want to share that I cycle and drive on Johnson avenue and think that the road diet is a big improvement for both
modes of transportation. Not only has it improved my comfort cycling on the road, the calmer traffic is an improvement
for my driving experience. If we can incorporate physical barriers--potentially by moving the parked cars between the
moving cars and the bicycle lane and installing additional curbs or removing parking where necessary--this would be an
even better improvement. It is also unfortunate that the road diet only extends north to Bishop; we should explore
extending the road diet for the entire length of Johnson.
I very much appreciate the efforts the city and the ATC have made to improve multimodal transportation over the past
several years. I also understand that Jonathan Roberts has reached his term limit on the ATC, so I want to especially
thank him for his many years of service to our city through this advisory body.
Sincerely,
1
Gregory E. Scott
2