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Home My WebLink About2/6/2018 Item 12, Dietze From:Jim Dietze <jim@Architectsorange.com> Sent:Sunday, To:E-mail Council Website Cc:John Valpey; Valpey Marguerite Subject:FW: Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan Attachments:Attention.docx; ChorroBikeSLOTrib_2018-01.pdf SLO Council Members, I am assuming all of you saw this article in Wednesday’s edition of the Tribune, but I thought I would pass it on to you. It makes some good points against bicycle tracks in general. I hope you will consider it in your decision on Tuesday. Thanks, Jim Dietze 482 Chorro Jim Dietze, Consultant Architects Orange 144 N. Orange St. Orange, CA 92866 714 639-9860 jim@architectsorange.com From: Jim Dietze Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2018 2:07 PM To: 'emailcouncil@slocity.org' <emailcouncil@slocity.org> Cc: 'Schwartz, Luke' <LSchwartz@slocity.org>; Rice, Jennifer <jrice@slocity.org>; 'John Valpey' <jvalpey51@gmail.com>; Valpey Marguerite <plvalpey@comcast.net> Subject: Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan SLO Council Members, My wife and I live at 482 Chorro St. we are against the Preferred Alternative and favor the Lincoln Street Alternative. Please see my attached word document outlining our position. Thank you for your consideration, Jim Dietze, Partner Architects Orange 144 N. Orange St. Orange, CA 92866 714 639-9860 jim@architectsorange.com 1 lvrDilLsslY JAffu&BY .1,t ?tll8 sAt{turssffsP*.{GM FATTBO( &#&#*trffip ds w #srrd&#s pdm bor;-rid *n'iy. hiorthi:cr.rnd i:ik*s remain Hix*d i&'itl: liaffic" The r:it5, confirrns bik*s m*{*d :n'ith vehi*}es on Srq.:rad are s*fe, s* r,v" hi; buiid the disr:.lptive south- l-:* *ird e:,'cle tr*ck} 'l'a}* iu *r'e lapprlsed tt: i:ni::riraate interaf ti6r3s witi: vehieies. ?1":,*se rlolr't. In faet, they cl"eate doze:rs ,:f e<;ilfiicts thai {icn't cu.rre*ttry exist" Th ir r,v -onc elriv ewa -vs crcss the {yele traek$, each. to qu*te tiie city of ]ih..;is l3ik* l)trara, an *'11s- . signalie*i inl';rser:iii:n" elangerous t* ;:;:{:iir,;s. i)avis, A:r:eri.ca's biking cagrital, dccsrr'{ du c1,cle tracks this way" 0f 13*+- miles nf *avis bikeways, ahout I nrile is r) clc rrfic.k - ttsri(i xs shnl't eonrtecturg bcirrre*':t l'.iieur'*us and scl'tor':]s, i!-*..1 sti a l-::*jcl a rteri*l u{: houi ri.i-ivr;* riv* itlrs. f+sti$$ai e*gineer- ing ass*ciatr:e)&g r,{arn against cycle tracks cross- ed hy *.{ri:rewaya. Three "rtrirrer,u.ray"',;ros$- ings are actuaily high-use interseetions * rw*o entri.es t* the Foothi}l Ptraza Shcp- ping Center on fi.&mona, and ttre cntran{e i{r the Villages senior **nepl*x *n Sroad. trnctedibi3,, thc Viilages entw isn't r:n pians, suggesting th* designer is itblivierus tn this maj*r iniers*cti*::. "Xrvc-way c-rrcl* tra cks are paiticuiariy hazardous becarise mot*ristg ar**'t exp*ctir:g biices going againsr traffic. Th"is is bad at any drivex*atrr - imagine baekiug *ut wi?h pcor visitiiiity - but it's disas- tr(311$ al the sh,:ppii:g centsL's exit cn R.ant*sra, n*tcirious xlready f*r drivers looking left for on-et:ruing vehicles and n{,1t seeing pedestrians i:r fi;.* ercssv,iells t* lh-*ir right. Iiris da ng.- r,.,,: _;',..;l is ai*t:.g r:h* eitr's "Lrall-v- hooed "safe rcui:e t0 schoci" for elernentary schccl ldds. A i:ik* i* a tl:rick, *nXike srre Ofi t):e street, is phys- icaily trappc.rl" vlifhin rhe ira*k sc wher: i1:-:.nger suddeniy appear$: ther*'r: llttle chrLree to cvadc ii" Weli-design.ed r.:*-str*et l-rar'ks. h aele,iiio;r to bc.- lng cllivervay-free, are L:uff'ered- fr*r:r vehictres hv subsianiial rhiugs l:ke a : clr of ::a;"lted car5 0r a pianrer strip. SLO's will }:e iniinediat*ly a;ii*cent to ru*viirg r*tiic" fhis luit3 be rinc*fitf*rtabic ii-i.r vehicles and cyelists r*ov- ing in r::pp+si{e eiirectisy:s and hari{ll,.l*+ks iike tire "1sq,rl-stress" rliJe the *i*rt prnnrises. It'i a rulr lc - cipe for turning minor mishaps inti: serieus acei- eient*. Nariun:rl engureering organieatious, xs weil as I)avis, ha-:,'e enucnerated places it's approi:rriate t+ use cyele trit*ks, *nd r;:!ose t*t. $i,$'s piens hit zero f'*r appri:pl"iatcness nnd exemplify i*appropr.i- atefif$s. Bal'is says cycXe lraeks are appr*priat* "orr str€e;s witir parking la-nes, high v*h,icle travei speeds, higir vehicle fraff.ie voi- ume, high parleing turn- over, and/nr high bicycte lroltimes, " Engineering associaiiorls like AA$F{T'{} ar:"i trACTO echo that, f.{one of t}iose conilitir:ns exist on Broad,/Chorro. (}n the other hand., every authoritv I could. find warns tracks with ilrivewa_v crr:ssings are rlangercus. As are tw*-way ctriele tracks icl general, The Federal Iiighivav Adrnitr- ietration lists them arn*ng"practicei ro he avoided," statiilg they "ereafe traz- ardous conditisns for bi*ycli*ts" and are "dar:- gefous." Interuationai bike ex- perts agree. The corporate trl*g;ger at C*penhage- nize, an i:rterc*ntinental bikeway design firm- sa-xs bi-clir:ectioiral cyele macks harren'i been huiit in Den- mark ior moie ihan two deeades, because they wer* found unsafe. "The bi-directional cycle tracks we $ee in emerging biey- ele cities ean't possilrly be put there by people r,vh* know what they're doir:g,'' Copenhagenize wri{es. "If s*meone advocates inf'ra- strincture like this and actuali.y beXieves it is got,J, ti:cV Probably sir+uldir'r be advocating bicr.cie int'rastructure. " A Datch cvcling el?ert adds, "If yoil.'re trytng t* gra'*" c5r6ii11g in a place uihirh does not already har e a high cycling moclal share, the infra that yeru build r befter than this Deficient cyc design is ffiade sryreezing it r:nt t0$ nart0r,\r) sc { promises are re bikes and vehi* lXhorra, the une meftt i?e.st t$ th storrn inlets th;l bikes is c$u.nte{ cyele track's mi: width, the buffe track and r:rcvjy is a iralf-foar na- than mi*imurn r as is the width c ing iane r:n the t side ofrhe stree safery- corner-cu leayes twr: narrc traffic lanes" *n Broad, wh narrower, tlre bi is a fcot 1ta1?$w{ r:tiuimum stand; ihe seven-foot p iane - sr ilarrr;w resid.ents' vehicl trad*smen's trur fit within it" Those "de,tigr: str:em.ents al'e fe wide spots *n th, streets. 'Ihe pian plaees ,:n boti: st narrswer and u_i"r additianal sal'ety rnises will be ma Bike accideret r eii:n't supp:ny1 5E O*iy a quarter 0J dents happeli n:i. rnainly at clriverv where SiLO's trae ae*idents inore ii dang*r point * tli ters of aecidents lr EY &.ICFIlq}lIS SCICM1DT hy is ii*n i,uis CIbispo rushiirg tcV Y speird $3 miilior: for sev*n blocks of unsafe, danger- oas hieycl* i*fi',:_-qtru.eture alcng l{road. a*d {horru slreers north of }{ighway 1S1? T'he eity t*ils *yclists it's offering them a "safe, csilvefiientr iow-stres$" ride. Vi*rring $L()'s plaas against state.of ihr. fir.t i:ike plannins: rtv fot:ciu- sion is ttre *ity cff'ers eyelists rhe promise of safety and comfort with- out the real!r1,. T}:e "Broad/Chorrs; Bikeway" is * r:n'ishmaslr of cycle tracks, cycies mixed with velticie*, cy, cies rneving against the fiaw of traffic, doxcns of urumarked intei:sections, and trusy intersections with bikes f*r*ed into dangercr:s diagon*l movetl:e$t$. Nr:ne eif this pl'ov-ides safefu-" Cyele tracks - also known as protected bike lanes * are physicatrly separatecl bike lanes on the str'eet" The separa- ticn's r,rrith bcllards, curbs arrei painted buffers" T',rro-way cyrle tracks, wi.th sorne bikes going opposite the direction of adjacent vehicles and trilies, on Chorrc f'rorn Lincoln to &Iission and *n Ramona frour l3road to near Fal*rnar, are the plan's centeriritrd. CIn Broad, the ffaek is south* January 13, 2018 Attention: SLO City Council Members, Luke Schwartz, Jennifer Rice Re: Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan‐ Preferred Alt. vs. Lincoln St. Alt. My name is Jim Dietze. I live with my wife Andrea at 482 Chorro St. We do not support the Preferred Alternative. We purchased our house in 2006. At the time of purchase and to this date there has been available street parking on both sides of Chorro St. We would not have purchased the house if there was not that street parking. We feel the available street parking on both sides of the street contributes favorably to our property values. We realize Chorro St. is a major connector street from Foothill to downtown, but it is still a neighborhood‐ with neighborhood needs such as available street parking on both sides of the street. As long as we have lived here we have seen parked cars, moving cars, bicycles and pedestrians coexisting quite well on Chorro St. We feel that the loss of street parking on one side of Chorro St. for four blocks (Preferred Alternative) would put an unfair burden on the residents of Chorro St., while all other neighborhoods of SLO enjoy the convenience of street parking on both sides of their streets. We also are concerned about the safety of Chorro St. residents backing out of their single lane driveways across a dedicated 2 way bicycle lane into two way traffic. It is even quite possible car speeds will increase on Chorro St. if the bike lane goes in because the street will feel “wider” (the narrower a street feels, the slower cars will navigate that street). I realize I may be going against the wind on this issue. Luke Schwartz and Jennifer Rice have put together a thoughtful and comprehensive presentation of the Alternative plans. I sense a reasonable amount of sentiment for increasing bicycle ridership and the goal of removing cars from the road and the support for the Preferred Alternative. If the Preferred Alternative is implemented, I believe the increase in bicycle ridership would be up for debate ‐ currently bikes use Chorro St. quite successfully and if someone is nervous about the stretch from Mission to Lincoln, they can circumvent Chorro St. by using Lincoln. This will be my last correspondence on this issue. I hope you will give it some serious consideration. The bottom line here is we are talking about upsetting an old established neighborhood and burdening its residents (if the Preferred Alternative is approved). We will support the Lincoln Street Alternative. Jim Dietze 482 Chorro St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405