HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/4/2025 Item 7a, Connelly
Rob Connelly <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Lane reductions & city lighting
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Hello SLO City Councilmembers,
First, thank you for your dedication to our great city. I truly appreciate your efforts!
I want to express my support for ongoing lane reductions and the overall focus on making our roads safer
for pedestrians and cyclists, including the upcoming lane reduction on Tank Farm Road. I have
personally experienced the dangers of cycling in our city—I was once thrown over the hood of a car and
landed on the far side of the road after a driver crossed into my right-of-way on Chorro St. at the Peach
St. intersection. I had been riding westbound in the bike lane when the driver failed to see me due to
another car turning left onto Peach. Although this happened years ago, I remember every moment vividly.
I appreciate the improvements that have made that intersection safer.
Additionally, I want to voice my strong support for further initiatives to reduce light pollution in our city.
We are fortunate to have beautiful, clear skies, but unfortunately we do suffer from light pollution, and
this affects our quality of life, as well as local wildlife. I do recognize our city has made strides in the right
direction, though I believe we could do better.
Our current streetlights, which I believe are 5000K, are much too bright. Switching to 2200K–2700K
lighting would be a substantial improvement. I also encourage the use of low "bollard" lights (3–4 feet
high) along bike and walking paths instead of overhead lighting. Overhead lights not only obstruct the
view of the night sky but also shine into nearby homes—including mine. The current lights in the Righetti
area are not fully shielded and contribute to light pollution. I’ve attached a photo illustrating this
issue. Using lights that are low to the ground are significantly more pleasant. I appreciate our existing
lighting ordinances and support on-going code enforcement. I encourage you to take a moment to
review this page on light pollution to better understand its impact. My point here is we're doing "okay",
but could do much better... We're moving in the right direction. I worry about new construction (sports
fields especially), and being vigilant at code enforcement.
I hope this email is helpful. Again, thank you for everything you do to support San Luis Obispo! Please let
me know how else I can help.
Sincerely,
Rob Connelly
(23yr resident)
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