HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/4/2018 Item 15, Lopes
Purrington, Teresa
From:James Lopes <jameslopes@charter.net>
Sent:Monday, September 3, 2018 3:02 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Cc:Hudson, Jake
Subject:Comments about the Anholm Neighborhood Bikeway Proposals
September 3, 2018
TO: City Council
FROM: James Lopes, Candidate for San Luis Obispo City Council
RE: City Council Hearing Item 15 - Anholm Bikeway; September 3, 2018
I am a candidate for election to the San Luis Obispo City Council partly because neighborhoods need more
voices for protection. Due to pressure group politics, separated bike track proposals threaten the Anholm
neighborhood around Chorro and Broad Streets. The bike track proposal is not safe for bicyclists and
motorists on these narrow streets, which have frequent driveways and very close, adjacent traffic. Such
separated bikeways are deemed by experts to be safer on wide streets without these problems, such as
Foothill Boulevard and Santa Rosa Street.
I want to commend the Public Works staff for conducting a neighborhood workshop, which gave opportunities
for dialogue without the pressure of a public hearing. The City should base more recommendations on
workshops and other input which can involve residents. Residents cannot easily organize into special groups
to counter the pressures from special interest organizations. The City needs to create resident-based
recommendations to protect our neighborhoods from further erosion of their livability.
We need to gain more refinement of staff’s proposals for safe bicycling and other traffic within and through
the Anholm neighborhood. The City cannot fairly spend over $1 million on bike tracks and then find that they
create more problems than warranted, especially if the neighborhood is warning of these now. So, I am in
support of the staff’s recommendation to develop various traffic calming installations, but with another
workshop to refine traffic diversions and calming measures. These measures will probably increase bicyclist
and pedestrian safety more economically and fairly than the proposed bike tracks.
Furthermore, I support the City Council ordering a study of potential bike track installations on Foothill
Boulevard and on Santa Rosa Streets, which would attract far greater numbers of bicyclists. These streets may
be very suitable because they do not have frequent driveways, and they have wide traffic lanes. In addition,
the City could investigate whether traffic speeds on these arterials could be reduced, by lowering speed limits
and installing traffic calming measures, such as crossing tables for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
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