HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-03-2017 Item 1, EltzrothCOUNCIL MFF-rrXr(-:.
From: Tom Eltzroth <
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2016 3:10 PM
To: Gomez, Aaron; Pease, Andy; Christianson, Carlyn; Rivoire, Dan; Harmon, Heidi
Subject: Patricia Drive Area / Bishop Peak Emergency Fire Access and Public Egress Study
December 28, 2016
RECEI
DEC 28 2016
To: The Honorable Mayor Harmon and City Council Members
Re: Agenda Item for Tuesday January 3, 2017 Regular Meeting Study Session
Bishop Peak Emergency Fire Access and Public Egress Study
We are resident homeowners at 847 Patricia Drive which is located on the east side of Patricia Drive across from the
Bishop Peak open space area and almost directly across from the Patricia Drive trailhead. We will not be able to attend
the Tuesday January 3 meeting where the above referenced item will be discussed, so are contacting you by e-mail with
some of our thoughts on this very important issue.
As you no doubt know, or will soon learn, the Bishop Peak Emergency Fire Access and Public Egress Study issue is multi-
faceted. In this letter we are calling your attention to only three items out of many that we feel need to be addressed
and resolved. Thank you ahead of time for considering our input and for your continuing efforts to improve the city.
Two items in the Bishop Peak Emergency Fire Access and Public Egress Study are summarized by Chief Olson as:
1. Prohibit on -street parking on both sides of Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive from the point at which these two
streets split to the termination of both cul de sacs, and
2. Install a raised pedestrian crosswalk in the area of the Patricia Street (sic) trailhead. This was modified in a
Council Memorandum dated December 23, 2016 to read "Direct staff to analyze and implement pedestrian and
traffic safety enhancements at the Patricia Street (sic) trailhead.
As of December 28, 2016 the Staff Recommendation and Guidance Requested section of Chief Olson's report states,
"Since the Patricia Drive trailhead is likely to see increased use as a result of prohibiting parking on Highland Drive and
Oakridge Drive, staff is also recommending a raised pedestrian crosswalk in the area of the Patricia Street (sic) trailhead
to calm traffic and enhance pedestrian safety." Because of the conflict between the December 23 modification and the
December 28 text of Chief Olson's report we are unsure what is being proposed. However, we feel certain the action in
item #1 of Chief Olson's report will result in more parking on both sides of Patricia Drive and perhaps other nearby
streets — in effect, moving a problem from one area and pushing it into another area with only token attention (in the
form of the suggested "raised pedestrian crosswalk") to problems that will be created in the Patricia Drive area.
One sign of good planning is to identify possible problems that will be created as a result of an action and to suggest
solutions to those problems. Another sign of good planning is implementing the solutions, when possible, before the
causal action is taken. For example, when a hotel is to be constructed in the Palm St/Morro St area of downtown SLO
the impact on traffic is analyzed ahead of time and appropriate traffic reconfiguration is implemented before
construction activities begin. That's good planning.
With good planning in mind, we respectfully request you seriously consider these three items that will certainly arise in
the Patricia Drive area as a result of prohibiting parking on Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive:
1. By pushing the problem from Highland/Oakridge Drives to Patricia Drive there will be more parking on both
sides of Patricia Drive and nearby streets along with more pedestrians and more vehicles driving in the area.
Consequently, Patricia Drive will become more dangerous for drivers and pedestrians. While a "raised
pedestrian crosswalk" (whatever that is) may seem to enhance pedestrian safety, it is obvious from observation
that pedestrians who park any significant distance from the crosswalk will probably not see it and will cross
Patricia Drive wherever they chose. In effect, a "raised pedestrian crosswalk" seems not to be an effective
solution, it certainly will not become the default crossing point, and its construction could be considered a waste
of precious city resources.
Our suggested solution: Referencing the December 23, 2016 Council Memorandum (Direct staff to analyze and
implement pedestrian and traffic safety enhancements at the Patricia Street (sic) trailhead.): If something else is
to be done by way of a pedestrian and traffic safety study, it should certainly take in a far larger area than just
"the Patricia Street (sic) trailhead." - an area probably no more than 50 feet long. A solution might include the
installation of appropriate speed bumps as used effectively in some other parts of the city. Speed bumps
installed on Patricia Drive, perhaps in the section from Anacapa Circle to Clover Drive, would help reduce the
problem of speeding (which has become more commonplace in this area) and it would enhance pedestrian
safety along that entire section, not just in the area where a "raised pedestrian crosswalk" might be located. We
realize installation of speed bumps comes with its own set of problems, but feel the benefits far outweigh the
problems.
1. This may seem very mundane, but we feel any increase in parking on Patricia Drive that results from pushing the
problem from Highland/Oakridge Drives to Patricia Drive and nearby streets will make it much more difficult for
the city to effectively sweep the streets (currently done on the first Tuesday of each month). This is an example
of a problem being created in the Patricia Drive area, yet it is not addressed in Chief Olson's report, and it needs
to be addressed and solved before any action is taken to close off parking on Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive.
We have noticed in the past few years that, in spite of street sweeping efforts, there is more trash accumulating
along Patricia Drive (mostly in the gutter) mainly because the street sweeper can seldom do a thorough job,
having to drive around vehicles parked along the way. Mundane? Perhaps, but street sweeping is, after all, a
service paid for with tax revenue and the service should not be further degraded as a result of item #1. Our
suggested solution: identify how the city has effectively dealt with this problem in other parts of town and
implement a solution before any action is taken to close off parking on Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive. We
don't think this will require hiring a high-powered and expensive consultant; instead, a competent employee
already on the city payroll can figure this out. As a side note, several nearby neighbors often take on the task of
picking up trash left along Patricia Drive, and we suspect these efforts will continue, but San Luis Obispo
certainly should not allow its streets to become more trashy as a result of pushing a problem into the Patricia
Drive area.
2. The Bishop Peak Emergency Fire Access and Public Egress Study agenda item is being proposed allegedly to
address "public safety issues". There is a long-standing fire safety/public safety issue in the Patricia Drive area,
and in fact in much of the nearby neighborhood, that is not adequately addressed in Chief Olson's report and it
will certainly be exacerbated as a result of pushing the problem from Highland/Oakridge Drives to Patricia Drive.
The issue: the red paint on the curbs marking fire hydrant "no parking" areas is in dire need of a new coat of
paint throughout the neighborhood. We often see cars parked illegally in the fire hydrant area in front of our
house (probably because the paint is in such bad shape) and we feel this problem will be considerably worsened
as more traffic and parking is pushed into the area. Without attending to this matter ahead of time, a strong
argument could be made that as a result of closing off parking on Highland Drive and Oakridge Drive and not
addressing its consequences, fire safety in the Patricia Drive area will be compromised. No public agency should
ever do that — certainly not the fire department. This should be addressed ahead of any implementation of item
#1 in Chief Olson's report. Our suggested solution: buy some good quality paint and have a city employee come
out and paint the curbs where necessary throughout the neighborhood.
Thank you very much for thoughtfully considering our input on these crucial items. In our absence, we trust these
concerns will be appropriately raised and addressed.
Thomas and Mary Kay Eltzroth
847 Patricia Drive
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
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