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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/16/2025 Item 7a, Luo Yiming Luo < To:E-mail Council Website Subject:CC Public comment - 9/16/2025 Item 7a Attachments:Taft Report.pdf; Taft Endorsement.pdf Hello council, I am writing today on behalf of Cal Poly Urbanists, a student organization focused on human-centered urban design at Cal Poly, in support of adopting the resolution of necessity to acquire land for the California and Taft Roundabout. Please see the attached letter and report. Thank you, Yiming 1 Cal Poly Urbanists City & Regional Planning, 1 Grand Ave, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 September 14, 2025 Mayor Stewart, Councilmembers, City Manager McDonald: Cal Poly Urbanists is a student club at Cal Poly that focuses on advocating for human-centered urban design, especially projects that promote equity in urban planning. We are proud to support the construction of the Taft/California roundabout. The item presented tonight is a step towards making this heavily-used intersection safer for all road users. This project matters to us because this was the first project we worked on with real stakeholders such as local businesses and city staff, including Jennifer Rice. Cal Poly Urbanists conducted research, data collection, and outreach, which culminated in the Proposal for Taft Street Pedestrian Enhancements, which was published in April 2024 and is attached to this email. Key findings from the report include that: ● students, nearby business owners, and employees reported feeling unsafe crossing Taft Street. ● despite how unsafe the intersection feels, pedestrian use was significant, peaking at 37.17 crossings from 3-4pm in 2023, or a person crossing every ~90 seconds. ● drivers exiting the freeway routinely exceeded the posted 25mph limit. ● there have been several car crashes at or near this intersection, including one on December 11, 2022 where “a car traveling at excessive speeds lost control and hit a telephone pole, blowing the transformer and resulting in power outages for the entire block.” ● a raised crosswalk on Taft St would slow traffic and protect those who walk, bike, and drive. Since then, the 2025 Draft Vision Zero Action Plan has identified this intersection as a high collision-rate intersection, and the Active Transportation Committee has repeatedly discussed improvements to this intersection. The need is obvious to anyone who walks or bikes here. Residents on California still face a 0.7-mile gap with no marked crosswalk between Foothill and Mill. With the city making significant progress, most recently with the bike/ped bridge at Pepper and Phillips, this gap on California feels increasingly out-of-place from the rest of the network. Eminent domain is a tool that should be only used for projects that are clearly necessary for the public good, and as a last resort. This is that case. Improvements to this intersection have been in the works for eight years, and are in line with the city’s Circulation Element, Active Transportation Plan, and the city’s recent 2025 Draft Vision Zero Action Plan. All the property owners have done since 2019 is obstruct and delay by not responding to the city and citing irrelevant concerns about losing on-street parking that they don’t even own. The land at issue is ornamental lawn, not storefronts, and in fact, and once improvements are built, the businesses stand to benefit from safer access by people walking and biking, who, based on our own counts, are already key customers. As of when this letter was written, there was no agenda correspondence for this meeting, meaning that the property owners have still not responded and continue to obstruct and delay, perhaps in hopes of receiving a $600,000 payout for a strip of lawn and a 18 month construction easement. The public has waited long enough. Adopting a resolution of necessity tonight will move this long-discussed and badly needed project forward. Cal Poly Urbanists strongly supports adopting the draft resolution and authorizing the acquisition of land required to build the Taft/California roundabout. Sincerely, Yiming Luo Outreach Coordinator PROPOSAL FOR TAFT STREET PEDESTRIAN ENHANCEMENTS April 2024 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Research & Site Background.....................................................................2 Existing Conditions2 Fig X: Caption 2 Fig X: Caption 2 Why this site?3 Fig X: City of San Luis Obispo 3 Parcel Information 3 Why a crosswalk?4 Why this site? Cont.4 Fig X: Injury Collisions between 4 2012-2021 4 Fig X: Crosswalk Placement Flowchart for Uncontrolled Locations 5 Data Collection....................................................................6 Data collection 6 Analysis6 Fig X: Average Pedestrian Crossings per Quarter-Hour 6 Fig X: Caption 7 Outreach8 Our Proposal9 Ideas9 Case Studies and Guides10 San Francisco, CA10 California10 Research Study11 How this fits in with the roundabout11 Considerations for CalTrans11 Additional References11 Acknowledgements 24 6.1. CPU Members & Helpers 24 6.1.1. CPU Board 24 6.1.2. Report Team 24 6.1.2.1. Researchers 24 6.1.2.2. Writers 24 2 RESEARCH & SITE BACKGROUND Existing Conditions Description of conditions Taft Street connects California Boulevard, Kentucky Street, and Highway 101 interchange 203C. Railroad tracks and a multimodal path run parallel to California Boulevard. The intersection accommodates many commercial establishments with mixed use mid-rise buildings and a small retail plot on the north side of Taft, and retail development on the south side. The area is zoned as tourist-commercial, surrounded by other tourist- commercial and medium- density residential. Kentucky Street is a residential street occupied with many student housing residences. The southern retail plaza has a variety of food and services, including Parliament Deli, a smoke shop, Ziggy’s, and a Taqueria. The northern retail includes a restaurant, tattoo parlor on the ground level of the mixed use building, and a convenience store, laundromat, and locksmith on the second development. There is free lot parking available in north and south plazas and on-street parking on the south side. Due to the freeway on and off ramp, the City of San Luis Obispo and Caltrans are included in the list of stakeholders. Fig X: Location Map Fig X: Caltrans Jurisdiction Boundary 3 Why this site? This site stood out to Cal Poly Urbanists (CPU) from a safety standpoint. Taft Street is located less than half a mile from the Cal Poly campus. The businesses adjacent to our site are frequented by students and San Luis Obispo locals. Based on personal experience and concerns voiced by fellow students, it is clear that this area is frequented by pedestrians and is not safe. Vehicles are traveling at high speeds, but there is no pedestrian infrastructure or traffic mitigation. First-year Cal Poly students do not have cars, so they must walk or bike to this site. To get to the local businesses (Boba Stop, Parliament Deli, Ziggy’s, etc.), pedestrians must cross Taft Street, which does not have a crosswalk or any form of pedestrian infrastructure aside from sidewalks. Vehicles entering and exiting Highway 101 at high speeds via Taft St. pose a large threat to the safety of pedestrians. Vehicles are moving at speeds as high as 50 miles per hour, and with street parking on the south side of Taft St., visibility is significantly impacted; cars cannot see pedestrians and pedestrians cannot see oncoming cars. Business owners want their customers and employees to feel safe, and would likely receive more business if more people felt comfortable getting to and from their establishments. Visibility is also impacted by lighting. The only street light located on Taft St. is on the far west corner of Taft St. and California Blvd. However, pedestrians typically cross Taft further east, closer to the freeway, where there is no lighting whatsoever. Data According to the 2018-2019 Traffic Safety Report, there were several collisions on Taft St. between the highway exit and California Blvd, including a “Severe Injury Collision”.1 On December 11, 2022, a car traveling at excessive speeds lost control and hit a telephone pole, blowing the transformer and resulting in power outages for the entire block. During our outreach we heard from employees in the commercial strip who shared anecdotes from this event. Many of the eateries had to remove items from refrigerators and lost business that day. 1City of San Luis Obispo Public Works and Police Department (2022, March). 2018 & 2019 Traffic Safety Report. https://www.slocity.org/home/showpublisheddocument/32091/637859604905830000 SWOT Analysis Strengths (On Site, Positive) - There is immediate, accessible freeway access to Highway 101. Taft Street holds popular establishments on both sides of the street. Weaknesses (On Site, Negative) - There is a lack of traffic control and no pedestrian safety measures including a lack of striped pedestrian crossing(s). On-street parking obscures vision for automobiles, pedestrians, and cyclists. Fig X: City of San Luis Obispo Parcel Information 4 Why this site? Cont. In addition, SafeTREC and UC Berkeley’s map of California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System data shows 24 injury collisions on Taft St and California Blvd between 2012 and 2021. Safety It is very dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers to exist on or cross Taft St. There are no pedestrian safety measures in place. There is no marked crosswalk where Taft and California meet. Vehicles treat Taft as an extension of the freeway and drive at exceptionally fast speeds, far beyond the speed limit of 25 miles per hour. The area is frequented by Cal Poly students on foot. First-years cannot have cars, so they rely on active transportation modes. There are many businesses bringing lots of people to the area. From our outreach, business owners want their customers to be safe and employees frequently cross with feelings of unsafety. Taft is adjacent to freeway on and off ramps encouraging high speeds and there is no traffic mitigation to counteract it. It is at the border of neighborhood commercial and medium-density residential zones. In the evening, it is especially dangerous due to poor street lighting. Collision History A Vision Zero document from the San Luis Obispo Public Works and Police Department discusses collision history in San Luis Obispo. In 2018 and 2019, there were 2 to 3 collisions on Taft Street, and 7 to 10 collisions (plus one severe injury collision) on California Boulevard adjacent to the Taft site. According to San Luis Obispo’s collision history, bikes and pedestrians are especially vulnerable (27). Additionally, 24 percent of vehicle code citations in 2018 were speed citations (16). Why a crosswalk? Information gathered from the City of Manteca Pedestrian Safety and Crosswalk Installation Guidelines states that, “In California, a legal crosswalk exists where a sidewalk meets a street, regardless of whether it is a marked crosswalk or an unmarked crosswalk. Advantages of Marked Crosswalks Marked crosswalks offer the following advantages: • They help pedestrians find their way across complex intersection • They can designate the shortest path • They can direct pedestrians to locations of best sight distance. The first step in identifying candidate marked crosswalk locations is to locate the places people would like to cross the street (pedestrian desire lines). Pedestrian desire lines are influenced by elements of the roadway network, such as transit stops, and nearby land uses (homes, schools, parks, trails, commercial centers, etc.). This information forms a basis for identifying pedestrian 3Esri. (2024). City of San Luis Obispo Parcel Information. https://experience.arcgis.com/ experience/a51155e46d504bfab3b7a107c3eb6643/page/Planning/ Fig X: Injury Collisions between 2012-2021 5 crossing improvement areas and prioritizing such improvements, thereby creating a convenient, connective and continuous walking environment.” To warrant a crosswalk, 20 pedestrian crossings within a peak hour are required. Far more than 20 pedestrians cross Taft Street during peak hours to access commercial establishments. Fig X: Crosswalk Placement Flowchart for Uncontrolled Locations 6 DATA COLLECTION Data collection Collection Method Data collection ranged for three weeks, four days per week. The days chosen were Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Data collectors completed one-hour shifts during the following times of day: 9-10 a.m., 12-1 p.m., 3-4 P.M., and 6-7 P.M. The collectors took note of the number of pedestrian crossings, vehicles entering Highway 101, vehicles exiting Highway 101, vehicles entering a parking lot via Taft St., and any unusual occurrences. The data was collected by hand, and was generally done in groups of 1-3 where collectors cross-checked their data. *NOTE: due to our limited numbers, some shifts were not covered. Collection Reasoning We had limited members for data collection influencing the frequency of our collection. Our data was stratified throughout the week and throughout the day. Traffic is different day by day, patterns are different day by day, and hour by hour. These businesses serve a lot of college students, so adjusting our data collection method to try to capture how this demographic uses the site made the most sense. The businesses on the Taft Street site are frequented by many college students, so it is important to use a collection method that captures the patterns of the college student demographic. But, also note this is motivation, business owners and employees will walk to work, and have said it is dangerous to cross Taft without any pedestrian safety measures. We made the decision to count vehicles entering and exiting the freeway and turning into the parking lot because vehicles entering Taft St. from 101 tend to enter at high speeds and in large numbers. Many pedestrians cross Taft mid-block instead of at the intersection of California and Taft. We documented a high number of vehicles entering 101 and speeding to do so and a decent volume of vehicles entering the parking lot near the many eateries. Analysis Taft Street handles frequent unregulated pedestrian crossings, as reflected in figure 6. Crossings were recorded by the quarter-hour during four distinct parts of the day over the course of two weeks by our volunteers. The mornings saw more sporadic crossings at an overall lower rate, while afternoons and evenings had consistently higher numbers of crossings. Pedestrian crossings typically occur at or near the vehicle entrance to the south plaza. Our volunteers noted that pedestrians crossing Taft often looked confused or were hesitant about crossing the street, alluding to sentiments that current infrastructure may be inadequate in terms of pedestrian safety. Automobile traffic, especially going to or coming from the highway interchange, was often cited by volunteers Fig X: Average Pedestrian Crossings per Quarter-Hour 7 as feeling dangerously fast, especially for would-be crossers. The lack of visibility at adjoining streets may contribute to heightened speeds, notably traffic entering Taft from either California Boulevard or Highway 101. Lastly, a majority of the pedestrian traffic seemed to be in groups of patrons for businesses in the south plaza. Groups often crossed multiple times and arrived via car and parked off site. Fig. 7: Average Circulation per Day The impact of vehicle traffic on Taft Street cannot be understated. With the train tracks to the southwest of California Boulevard, Highway 101 plays an important role in circulation to and from that side of town; nearly 90 percent of all travel on Taft interfaces with the highway interchange (Fig. 2). Off-ramp traffic enters Taft at high speeds, increasing both the chances that drivers will not notice crossing pedestrians, and the risk of fatality should a collision occur. Volunteers noted instances of near collisions between multiple cars or pedestrians and cars. From our observations, we believe that new infrastructure to serve pedestrians on Taft Street is warranted. A crosswalk near the south plaza vehicle entrance would give pedestrians a marked place, but would be inadequate without other safety measures. Signage for drivers entering Taft for example, could warn motorists of pedestrian activity before they entered the short sightlines at high speed. Fig X: Caption 8 OUTREACH To understand how proposing a change to Taft Street would impact the people who use it most, we conducted a sufficient amount of outreach to the businesses in the area. We knew that they, more than others, have everyday encounters with the site, as well as observed how others experience it. To determine how the businesses were being impacted by the high-traffic area we created a set of questions to ask the business owners and employees: 1. How long has your/this business been in this establishment/ How long have you been working here? 2. How often are you in this area? 3. Do customers dine in or take out at this establishment? 4. How do you commute here? 5. Do customers arrive by car, bike, bus, or walking? 6. How safe do you feel getting to work? 7. How do you feel walking/biking/driving in this area? 8. What kind of experiences have you had with cars on Taft, Kentucky, or California? 9. What are your thoughts on the street layout? After talking to the owner of Parliment Deli we were able to get a better understanding of how people felt crossing the street as it stands. The owner was excited that we were writing a proposal to improve safety on Taft Street. He immediately expressed to us that he had been hoping the city of San Luis Obispo would make updates on the area soon. He even said that he had thought about painting a crosswalk across Taft Street himself. The owner of Parliment Deli said that he has seen many people almost get hit crossing Taft Street, and even said “I’ve almost gotten hit multiple times.” He has concerns about his employees getting to work safely and worries that the dangerous street is negatively impacting the amount of business he gets, particularly from students who primarily walk to the establishment. When we asked him what his thoughts were on the street layout, he suggested that there be a crosswalk across Taft Street close to the Seven-Eleven parking lot so that cars have enough time to slow down. We also talked to Christian Valentine, a piercer at Tiger Rose. Valentine generally feels safe going to work but has witnessed many people feeling unsafe in the area. He noted that he witnessed a car hydroplane into a telephone pole after exiting the freeway onto Taft Street. The pole fell over and exploded in the water on the street. He says that this event cut the power to their businesses. Valentine said that he would like to see safety improvements for pedestrians on Taft Street but says “I can’t really imagine how a crosswalk would help the problem but I can see that it might be good”. Valentine thinks that putting a reflective sign near the freeway exit and entrance that notifies drivers that pedestrians cross Taft street could help slow traffic. 9 OUR PROPOSAL CPU proposes to stripe and install a raised crosswalk on Taft St. with rectangular rapid flashing beacons. At the moment, there is no crosswalk between the two sides of Taft St., and cars often do not yield to pedestrians as they are not visible, especially at night. By striping a crosswalk, the city would provide a way for pedestrians to be protected and prioritized. Raised crosswalks allow for the crosswalk to remain at the same elevation as the sidewalk for greater accessibility; for those in wheelchairs, strollers, and an enhanced ease of crossing for all people. Taft St. holds many commercial dwellings including eateries, a smoke shop, and barbershop that are heavily trafficked by Cal Poly students, only 0.3 miles from campus. Nearby residents and employees of the commercial dwellings also access the commercial strip on Taft St. by foot or park a few streets over and cross Taft St to get to work or an eatery. Ideas Our primary idea is a raised crosswalk which acts as a speed bump equalizing the surface to the sidewalk. Raised crosswalks are commonplace in cities like Amsterdam, Netherlands and Malmo, Sweden where pedestrian safety and mobility is a true priority. Because the city has plans for a roundabout on California and Taft, a raised crosswalk would serve to moderate traffic before the roundabout. Our secondary idea is flashing lights and signage via a rectangular rapid flashing beacon on Taft St. as well as working with Caltrans in their jurisdiction to provide signage to warn vehicles exiting the freeway to slow down. Prioritizing people should be the number one goal on Taft St. where many people circulate daily. We came to the conclusion that a midway raised crosswalk was the ideal solution ffor Taft rom our observations and data collection because people are crossing in the middle of the street as it is the most convenient location to cross. Not a single pedestrian walked to the intersection of California and Taft during our data collection epriod. Every pedestrian counted during our data collection crossed midway on Taft. Fig X - Location of proposed raised crosswalk on Taft St. 10 CASE STUDIES AND GUIDES San Francisco, CA According to the SF Better Streets Program, raised crosswalks should be considered, “where low-volume streets intersect with high-volume streets, such as at alley entrances, neighborhood residential streets, and local access lanes of multi-way boulevards and where a street changes its function or street type. For example, a commercial throughway may become a neighborhood commercial or a residential street as the land uses along it change.” California Caltrans Traffic Calming Guide “A speed table is a vertical traffic calming device, similar to a speed hump that runs transverse to the direction of traffic. The speed table is longer than a speed hump, typically having a ramp up of approximately 6 feet followed by a 10 feet minimum flat section, then a ramp down of 6 feet for a total width of 22 feet. The roadway transition will not exceed 5% grade relative to the roadway profile. The flat section may have a marked crosswalk placed on the flat section, which provides more visibility to the crosswalk and crossing pedestrians. Recommended for single-lane one-way or two-lane two-way roadways, where a crosswalk exists or if a crosswalk is warranted. Should not be placed on a sharp curve. Speed tables can enhance marked crosswalk visibility, while having the added benefit of reducing vehicular operating speed at the crossing location. There are two types of speed tables: flush with the curb and open at the edges. When speed tables are constructed flush with the curb, an ADA curb ramp is not required. However, detectable warning surfaces are needed at the sidewalk curbs. Drainageflow must be considered along the gutter line. When speed tables are constructed with open ends, the crosswalk will taper to the pavement prior to the gutter, and an ADA curb ramp must be provided. The edge taper should meet ADA design requirements and can also conform prior to the bike lane to avoid impeding bicyclist Functional Classification: Collectors and Local Roads Appropriate Daily Volume Range: 9,000 ADT or less and a maximum Posted Speed Limit: 30 MPH or less. Performance Speed Reduction: 7-8 MPH reduction in 85th percentile operating speeds (FHWA) Volume Reduction: Low, but more significant diversion can be achieved by combining this measure with other traffic calming measures. Impact on Emergency Vehicle Access: Generally, not appropriate for a primary emergency vehicle route or on a street that provides access to a hospital or emergency medical services.” ITE Traffic Calming Fact Sheet “Most common height is between 3 and 4 inches (reported as high as 6 inches). Ramps are typically 6 feet long (reported up to 10 feet long) and are either parabolic or linear.” “Typically preferred by fire departments over speed humps, but not appropriate for primary emergency vehicle routes; typically less than 3 seconds of delay per table for fire trucks.” “Cost ranges between $2,500 and $8,000 for asphalt tables; higher for brickwork, stamped asphalt, concrete ramps, and other enhancements sometimes used at pedestrian crossings.” 11 Research Study Research from Monash Injury Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia looked into raised crosswalks “on entrance to the roundabout-a case study on effectiveness of treatment on pedestrian safety and convenience.” They concluded that raised crosswalks in this location provide, “implications for pedestrian safety include less exposure to traffic and lower risk of serious injury, particularly for elderly pedestrians; convenience outcomes include shorter waiting times to cross and greater compliance to the crossing” (Candappa et al., 2014). HOW THIS FITS IN WITH THE ROUNDABOUT The city is planning to start construction on the roundabout on California/Taft in FY 2025-2026. While there would likely be a painted crosswalk in the standard location at the intersection, this does not reflect observed pedestrian behavior that shows crossings concentrated at the middle of Taft St, right in front of the Tiger Rose Tattoo shop. The raised crosswalk would slow vehicles before they enter the roundabout. Considerations for CalTrans In addition to our proposal for a midway raised crosswalk, we encourage Caltrans to consider safety measures to protect all users on Taft Street as vehicles enter and exit highway 101. We support signage near the freeway exit signaling that pedestrians are crossing the street. We support flashing lights or a rectangular rapid flashing beacon by the freeway on and off ramp again signaling that pedestrians are in the area. We encourage Caltrans district 5 to work with the City of San Luis Obispo to adopt our proposal to make Taft Street safer for all users. ADDITIONAL REFERENCES California Department of Transportation, California State Transportation Agency. (2024). California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices: Revision 8 https://dot.ca.gov/programs/ safety-programs/camutcd Fehr and Peers. (2016). Pedestrian Crossing Treatment Guidance: City of Pasadena. https:// www.cityofpasadena.net/transportation/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/Pasadena-Pedestrian- Crossings-Volume-1-FINAL-1.pdf Gagnon, F. (2017). Raised Crosswalks and Continuous Sidewalks: “Pedestrian Priority”. Montréal, Québec: National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy. https://ccnpps-ncchpp.ca/ docs/2017-Built-Environment-Raised-Crosswalks-and-Continuous-Sidewalks.pdf Kingsland, D., Kueper, D. (n.d.) Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons Near a NJ Rail Station: Elmwood Park and Fairlawn Boroughs: Elmwood Park, New Jersey http://www.pedbikesafe.org/pedsafe/casestudies_detail.cfm?CS_NUM=100&op=C&CM_ NUM=54&subop=f McGrane, A. (n.d.) Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons (RRFBs): St. Petersburg, Florida. http://www. pedbikesafe.org/pedsafe/casestudies_detail.cfm?CS_NUM=99&op=C&CM_NUM=54&subop=f National Association of City Transportation Officials. (2015, July 24). Neighborhood Street. https://nacto.org/publication/urban-street-design-guide/streets/neighborhood-street/ 12 SFMTA. (2018). Wiggle Neighborhood Green Corridor. https://www.sfmta.com/projects/ wiggle-neighborhood-green-corridor US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. (2018). Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements. https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/2022-06/techSheet_ VizEnhancemt2018.pdf Acknowledgements CPU Board President: Emma Meyer Vice President: Sheridan Green Treasurer: Blythe Wilson Projects Manager: Collin Parker Outreach Director: Emma Roeller Data Analyst: Isabel Caton Graphic Designer: Davidson Drake Report Team Researchers Writers Emma Meyer Editors Emma Meyer Collin Parker Graphics Emma Meyer Emma Roeller Data Collectors Aaron Helmers, Blythe Wilson, Charles Schooner, Chucky S, Collin Parker, Davidson Drake, Emma Meyer, Emma Roeller, Frederick Yung, Gabe Starkey, Isabel Caton, Joon Isobe, Katie W, Kiaya Batkin, Lexie, Mia Angela Fiesta, Sarah Morong, Seth Johnson, Sheridan Green, Zoe Klement. Members of the Public Cal Poly Staff Dave Amos SLO City Staff Jennifer Rice