HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/12/2024 Item 3a, Willson
myron willson <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Feedback for Vision Zero plan
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To Active Transportation Committee members:
Meeting Thursday 12/12 6 pm
Item 3.a. Vision Zero Action Plan
I’m writing to share my strong support for this document. This effort has clearly been taken seriously, with
excellent suggestions and a path forward.
Part of the reason my partner and I love living in San Luis Obispo is the ability to walk and bicycle around town in
relative safety (some streets excluded). At minimum, the current staff and elected officials seem to prioritize all
modes of transportation and not just private automobiles. We are a 1 car family and do much of our local travel by
bike or walking (public transit soon). we are also nearing 70 years old and our ability to bicycle and walk across
streets will continue to diminish over time. We do not wish to be prisoners in our small neighborhood, or forced to
drive a car to safely get around in the city.
Here are my comments on the proposed plan.
Table 2: pedestrian collision type shows only 5% caused by unsafe speed. In the 2017 report by the NTSB, they
conclude that the “number of speeding passenger vehicles in crashes is underestimated”. Probably by a lot. Other
authors suggest that when the speeds are not obviously excessive, police officers are often hesitant to include
speed as a factor in the report, thus understating the problem.
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This point is important because we know that speeds over 20 mph (~30kph) are much more deadly- and the effects
increase log-rhythmically. In The World Heath Organization second edition of the “road safety manual for decision
makers and practitioners”, they recommend maximum speed limits of 20 mph for all roadways that mix cars and
vulnerable road users, and 30 mph for urban intersections where peds and bicycles are separated but crossing.
For this reason, I strongly believe the Guiding Principles of the action plan should explicitly include maximum
speeds for local streets at 20 mph (where all forms of travel mix), and 30 mph for collector streets where
pedestrians and other active forms of transportation need to cross. Any street with higher speeds should not have
at-grade mixing.
Including This guideline would give unqualified direction to staff and advisory bodies when designing and reviewing
street designs for all locations in the future - not just the problem areas currently identified. I realize that it may
take decades to update actual street design to reflect these standards, but we should be more clear about our real
path to vision zero - reducing vehicular speeds.
The last item I want to comment on is the qualifications that are placed on staff and your committee by the fire
department. See item below
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Any attempt to lower speeds that do not include impediments to fast-moving vehicles will be unsuccessful. Speed
limits on wide & unobstructed streets invites drivers to exceed the posted limits.
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At last month’s ATC meeting on Tank Farm Rd for example, staff did not seem willing to include any physical
elements to actually reduce speed (other than paint) such as raised medians, speed humps, etc. because of fire
department restrictions or pushback.
There are far more injuries from car crashes than fires (like a factor of 10-12) and a fire response time of a few extra
seconds because of traffic calming would probably save many pedestrian and bike rider’s lives over time. the
vision zero action plan should address the Fire Chief’s mandate to optimize public safety in all areas and not only
response times. These issues impact each other and we should always prioritize the greater public health.
Thank you for your consideration in the matter. At some point, we are ALL pedestrians or in a wheelchair.
Myron Willson
940 Felicia Way
SLO
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