HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-28-2017 - KeelingRECEI
COUNCIL MEETING:__ JAN 2 6 2017
ITEM NO..: P061
From: Shanta Keeling [
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2017 8:18 PM
To: E-mail Council Website <emailcouncil@slocity.org>
Subject: Support of implementing the South Broad Street Area Plan
Dear Mayor Harmon and City Council Members,
Please see our attached letter regarding the South Broad Street Area Plan. Thank you for your time.
Shanta and Matthew Keeling
Matthew and Shanta Keeling
San Luis Obispo, CA
January 25, 2017
City of San Luis Obispo
Attn: Mayor Harmon and City Council Sent via email
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Subject: Improving Safety and Neighborhood Walkability in the Broad Street Corridor
Dear Mayor Harmon and City Council Members:
We are residents within the Broad Street corridor between South Street and Orcutt Road. We are
writing to express our support of improving pedestrian and biking access across Broad Street as well as
addressing vehicle safety in this area. We support implementing the South Broad Street Area Plan
(adopted December 2014).
Our children attend Hawthorne Elementary School and take part in the Safe Routes to school. We bike
or walk most school days, weather permitting. We would walk or bike more often across Broad Street
to frequent local businesses such as the Natural Foods Co-op, the Farmer's Market at the Grange Hall,
and Taste if it wasn't so dangerous to cross Broad Street with our children. For now our only safe option
is to cross Broad Street at the South Street or Orcutt Road intersections. If there were other safer and
more direct access across Broad Street it would increase our walking and biking trips to frequent local
businesses.
We also often ride our bikes to and from work and when returning home, traveling north on Broad, it is
often difficult and very dangerous to cross the street (turning west). It is just as dangerous trying to
cross the street in an automobile. Traffic along Broad Street has increased significantly over the last ten
years and will continue to increase along with residential and commercial development on the south
side of town, making walking and biking along this corridor more dangerous in the years to come. A
signalized crosswalk somewhere between Orcutt Road and South Street would increase safe passage for
all who live in the neighborhoods on both sides of Broad Street. This would allow traffic to continue to
flow, yet allow safe passage across for pedestrians when needed. In addition, wider bike lanes on Broad
Street would also increase safety and accessibility along this corridor.
We respectfully urge the City to give a high priority to addressing traffic, safety, and pedestrian crossing
along the Broad Street corridor between South Street and Orcutt Road during the 2017-19 financial plan
and goal setting process. Broad Street has become a major barrier to movement whether in a vehicle,
on foot, or on a bicycle. Investing in the planned improvements to the Broad Street Corridor will
improve the quality of life for the residents and increase accessibility of local businesses in this area. We
respectfully urge the City to prioritize investments in this area now.
Sincerely,
Matthew and Shanta Keeling