HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/17/2026 Item 6b, Christian
kevin christian <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:2/16/2026 Item 6B
Dear Mayor and City Council,
I am writing to express my support for the Higuera Complete Streets Project and the Revised 50 Higuera
Widening Project. These projects are large and will impact most SLO residents, as well as our daily
working population from other parts of the county, and our out-of-county tourist visitors. Some will love
it, some may not. Some will think that it is too bold and others may find it not bold enough. It is BOLD and
I applaud you in advance for your priorities of making our streets safer and encouraging transportation
choice!
I do have one ask concerning Staff recommendation #4, "Approve the project, authorize the City Engineer
to approve any minor refinements to final plans and specifications…:” Please ensure that final plans are
reviewed to include:
Space is provided to allow right turning bicyclists to avoid straight through bicyclists queuing for
bike signals (Higuera/Madonna and Higuera/L.O.V.R).
Provide adequate advance gaps for leaving barrier separated bike lanes anywhere that a left turn
is permitted for motor vehicles (including driveways - commercial or residential). Note that this
concurs with a previously supplied recommendation from the ATC at their 2/6/2022 meeting
(detailed in the staff report): One of their key recommendations included the provision of “more
gaps in bikeway barriers to allow cyclists to merge out of bike lanes to pass other riders and to
merge across traffic lanes ahead of intersections."
The key to this is understanding; what is an adequate gap length. I’ve researched both the NACTO
(National Association of City Transportation Officials) and the FHA (Federal Highway Administration)
guides on separated bike lanes and unfortunately this isn’t specifically addressed. Although the FHA
guide does indicate a 60’ mix zone at intersections (guide Figure 24) which is similar in function as it
allows bicyclists to merge through the motor vehicle lane when a separated bike lane is dropped at an
intersection and a RHT only lane is created. Therefore I did some testing using gaps along the Marsh
Street separated bike lane to help understand adequate length.
Suggested Considerations:
- Minimum 70’ gap for merging out, longer preferred (100’), especially on roadways posted 35 mph (or
above) or when bicyclists are traveling on a downgrade as higher speeds require more room. Note that
my testing speed was approximately 14 mph.
- Provide periodic gaps for possible early merge opportunities on longer stretches and/or heavily
trafficked roadways.
- Use gaps planned to allow MVs to make right turns across the bicycling facility (driveways) as an
opportunity to create a larger gap for bicyclists to merge/turn left.
Thank you again for your support of these projects and also for your consideration on my suggestions.
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Kevin Christian
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