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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8/15/2017 Item 16, Kirby August 12, 2017 Mayor&City Council City of San Luis Obispo 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 934Q1 Daryl Grigsby Public Works Director City of San Luis Obispo 919 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Subject: Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan Dear Mayor,Council Members, and Director Grigsby: As the City takes up the matter of the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan, I wanted to provide additional comments on the unintended consequences of the plan(s), which I believe,would adversely impact the area's neighborhood and its residents. While the goal of creating a more bicycle-friendly City is admirable and perhaps necessary, there are unintended consequences to these proposed plans that impact the residents of the area. Of greatest concern is the potential of traffic diversion and calming methods to increase vehicle traffic and congestion on small residential side streets. Streets like Murray and Meinecke will likely experience increased traffic volume with the implementation of any of these plans. Should bike boulevards and traffic calming devices be installed on roadways like Broad and Chorro? Should smaller, older, and narrower residential streets that are not historically engineered to handle large volumes of traffic be adversely impacted?In the case of Murray Street,the homes are closer to the street and any increased traffic,some traveling at fairly fast speeds,poses a hazard to its residents. What off'icial traffic studies have been undertaken to examine these and other issues related to the proposed street changes? Furthermore,what formal review and input has emergency services provided in regards to this matter. As an emergency service provider, I have concerns that the installation of traffic calming devices (e.g.traffic circles,speed bumps,etc.),or the potential to affect traffic flow via one-way streets would adversely impact emergency response. Historically,traffic-calming devices negatively impact emergency response vehicles and their response time. Do we want slower response times when our home is on fire or our loved ones are having a heart attack or stroke? Also,with limited alternative north-south thoroughfares in the City that traverse Highway 101,do we want to negatively impact streets like Chorro with change in traffic flow patterns (e.g. one-way) when this street may need to ferry police,fire,and EMS vehicles in the event of emergency or natural disaster. The north end of the City is protected by only one Fire Station-Station 2 at 136 N. Chorro Street. The bulk of fire protection resources are located south of Highway 101 and have limited direct respanse routes to north end of the City. As the City grapples with increased traffic volumes due to development and student population increases at Cal Poly, we need to ask the question as to whether the bicycle boulevard proposals benefit the community as a whole, or have serious, negative impacts that cannot be satisfactorily mitigated so as to ensure maintenance of pubic safety and neighborhood quality of life. Sincerely, ��,." � � � � Lee Kirby kirby.fpo@gmail.com