HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-03-2017 Item 1, Ayral('OIINCIL MEETING: " 3
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From: On Behalf Of Odile Ayral
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2016 9:58 AM
To: E-mail Council Website <emailcouncil@slocity.ore>
Subject: Bishop Peak, item 1
Dear Mayor Harmon and Council Members,
RECEIVED
DEC 29 2016
I have hiked the Felsman loop on Bishop Peak for years. Twelve years ago, it was easy to park on Highland,
but things got progressively worse, and I finally switched to the Patricia trail head. Unfortunately, conditions
worsened on Patricia as well, not because the San Luis population has grown (it barely has) but because of the
dramatic increase in the number of tourists on the mountain. For quite some time now, the City and the
Chamber of Commerce have promoted the Bishop Peak trails without taking into consideration the impact it
would have upon the residents. Tourists do not belong in residential neighborhoods and should not be
encouraged to go there. They often come in groups, create a great deal of disturbance, and residents should not
have to deal with this type of abuse. Instead, the City and the Chamber of Commerce ought to direct tourists
toward the trail heads that are away from our neighborhoods, such as Johnson Ranch and Cerro San Luis. The
present staff proposal of completely eliminating parking near the Highland trailhead would only shift the
problem to Patricia, and create safety and disturbance issues for its residents. I urge you to explore alternatives
such as:
1) Expand the parking area at the Johnson Ranch. This parking area is a mess anyway, and needs to be
improved.
2) Expand the parking area at Cerro San Luis. The right side to the entrance is an overused parking lot, but the
left side could be developed into an extra lot, possibly with the help of Cal Tran.
3) Build a terraced style parking area on the lower part of the land owned by the city, located on Patricia, south
of the trailhead.
4) Build a real parking lot on West Foothill Boulevard with a real trail leading to Bishop Peak. Presently, there
is a makeshift parking lot, and boulders block part of what could be a trail.
5) Sell yearly passes to park on the streets near the Highland and Patricia trailheads. The charge could be lower
for the San Luis Obispo residents (who pay local taxes) than for other people, and free for the people who live
around the trailhead. I have seen this system work quite well in other countries (of course, you have to enforce
it.) It would give the staff the advantage of being able to control how many passes they would sell. Those
without passes would simply have to walk up to the trailhead or hike somewhere else.
6) Stop promoting the Bishop Peak trails.
Even though I do not live in this particular neighborhood, I love Bishop Peak, and I respect the right of the
residents to live in peace. Thank you for listening.
Odile Ayral
San Luis Obispo