HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/25/2025 Item 6a, Hunter
Logan Hunter <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Public Comment - 2/25 Meeting Item 6.a
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Hello,
This letter relates to the Short Range Transit Plan under consideration at Tuesday’s Council meeting,
specifically the potential of re-establishing some level of bus service along the Phillips Lane - Pepper
Street loop.
Our neighborhood began engaging with City Staff in 2016, in conjunction with that year's SRTP. At the
time, frequent bus service utilized Phillips and Pepper, and we raised specific safety concerns with this
bus traffic. A bus is unable to safely make the turn at the intersection of Phillips and Pepper, completely
crossing a double-yellow line at the intersection. It is important to note that the bus stop that existed on
Phillips Lane did not extend the accessibility of service to any residence not within 1/4 mile of the other
bus stops on Mill Street because of Highway 101. The SRTP adopted by the Council in September 2016
did not include bus service along Phillips Lane and Pepper Street.
Unfortunately, following adoption of the SRTP, bus service remained along Phillips and Pepper. The
Transit Manager was consistent that his preference would be to have bus traffic stay on Mill Street.
However, the Public Works Director was unable, or unwilling, to trim trees along the 1300 block of Mill
Street to accommodate the double decker bus. In light of this, according to the Public Works Director
and Transit Manager (neither of whom are currently employed at the City), continued bus traffic along
Phillips and Pepper might as well remain. I will note the double decker bus requires 18” more clearance
than the Fire Department’s ladder truck to say that this should have been easily addressed with tree
maintenance. A public records request at the time identified several instances where trees were
trimmed to accommodate SLO Transit’s operations throughout the City, just not on that isolated block of
Mill Street.
In light of the City’s unwillingness to trim the trees on Mill Street to accommodate the double decker bus,
the neighborhood asked that the City close the bus stop that had been located on Phillips Lane. This
way, traditional buses would be able to travel directly down Mill Street between the bus stops at the
intersections with Pepper and Johnson, while a double-decker could utilize Phillips and Pepper. This was
met with significant resistance from the Public Works Director and Transit Manager. Ultimately, though,
the Mass Transportation Committee agreed with our concerns and recommended the closure of the bus
stop that was on Phillips Lane in their May 2018 meeting.
On December 15, 2018, SLO Transit initiated a 6-month closure of the bus stop on Phillips Lane to
evaluate impacts on ridership. Having documented no adverse effects of closing the bus stop, on June
12 2019, SLO Transit made the closure of the bus stop permanent. This should have been expected; in a
March 2018 Mass Transportation Committee meeting, the Transit Manager stated that the only reason
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buses traveled down Phillips and Pepper was to accommodate the double decker bus, not because of an
increase in ridership from the additional bus stop. Since then, we have noticed minimal, if any, use of
Phillips and Pepper by the double decker bus.
Since bus traffic has been effectively discontinued along Phillips and Pepper, the vehicular circulation
patterns have only become more challenging. The bicycle and pedestrian bridge has made Pepper Street
narrower, exasperating the challenge a bus would have navigating the corner at Phillips Lane. Bus traffic
along Phillips and Pepper was inappropriate in 2016, and it is even less appropriate today. Please do not
allow SLO Transit to utilize the Phillips-Pepper Loop with the implementation of this Short Range Transit
Plan.
Sincerely,
Logan Hunter
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