HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/4/2025 Item 7a, Taylor
Jaymie Taylor <
To:Fukushima, Adam
Subject:The Higuera Complete Streets Project
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I was unable to attend the February 4 public discussion on the Higuera Complete Streets Project, but after
watching the session video, I would like to address three key points regarding the proposed road diet for the
Bridge to Margarita segment.
1. Current Road Configuration (Margarita St. to 2963 S. Higuera St.)
The diagram presented during the discussion, particularly in reference to Chumash Village residents, does not
appear to accurately reflect the current road configuration. From Margarita St. up to my home at 2963 S.
Higuera, the existing layout includes only one northbound lane. I want to ensure that when the Mayor and
others discussed the potential starting point of the road diet north of Chumash Village, they were aware of the
actual current configuration.
2. Personal Experience and Safety Concerns
As a frontage resident of this corridor, I have a unique, 24-hour-a-day perspective on how this section of
Higuera Street is used by all road users. I strongly support the proposed configuration—not just for the reasons
stated by other advocates, but also based on firsthand experience.
This corridor is extremely dangerous. While official accident data captures reported crashes, it does not
account for the countless "close calls" I have witnessed over nearly a decade of living here. Every day, I
observe swerves, honks, sudden braking, and near-collisions involving drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, scooter
riders, rollerbladers, and unhoused individuals transporting their belongings.
I have personally rushed outside to assist an elderly woman trapped upside-down in her smoking car after a
crash, helping to direct traffic until emergency responders arrived. I have also stood barefoot in broken glass to
stabilize a motorcyclist hit directly in front of my home, keeping his neck and back supported as he drifted in
and out of consciousness while others controlled traffic. That particular accident took nearly 15 minutes for
paramedics to arrive—not due to accessibility issues, but because emergency services were already engaged
in a separate life-threatening bicycle accident near Cal Poly.
We need to make our roads safer proactively, not reactively.
As a child, I lost my seven-year-old brother when a speeding car struck him on a street much like S. Higuera. I
know firsthand the lifelong pain that results from preventable road tragedies. A road diet from Margarita to
Bridge may cause minor delays for some drivers, adding only seconds to their commute, but it has the
potential to save lives.
3. Consideration for Residential Safety
Although this stretch of Higuera is zoned commercial, the city must not overlook the fact that many families and
children live along this corridor. Unlike other areas, our children do not have alternative safe routes for walking,
biking, or using scooters. Before obtaining their driver’s licenses, my own children had to navigate this corridor
by bicycle as their primary mode of transportation.
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As a parent and a citizen, I strongly urge the city to move forward with the road diet as proposed.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Best regards,
Jaymie Taylor
(805) 440-8094
jaymietaylor@gmail.com
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