HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/17/2011, C8 - PISMO/BUCHON NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURE Y PROJECT SPECIFICATION NO. 91084 council Ma6,4Dak May 17,L�11
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CITY OF SAN LUIS OBISPO
FROM: Jay D. Walter, Director of Public Works
Prepared By: Chris Overby, Engineer H-Traffic
SUBJECT: PismoBuchon Neighborhood Traffic Management Measure Y project
Specification No. 91084
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Approve plans and specifications for construction of the PismoBuchon Neighborhood
Traffic Management project, Specification No. 91084.
2. Authorize staff to advertise for bids and the City Manager to award the contract if the
lowest responsible bidder is under the Engineer's Estimate of$463,800.
DISCUSSION
Background
The City's NTM program is a community-based consensus building process through which
residents and City staff develop and implement solutions to neighborhood traffic issues. In 2005,
the residents of Pismo Street, Buchon Street and Johnson Avenue requested that a Neighborhood
Traffic Management (NTM) Program be developed for their neighborhood to address concerns of
excessive traffic speeds and cut-through traffic. Due to multiple conflicting requests competing
for limited staff time with the Downtown neighborhood parking district, and the Mitchell Park
Senior Center parking lot, further work on the NTM was postponed. In 2009, initial traffic
studies were conducted and confirmed that neighborhood traffic volumes and speeds exceeded
the City's Circulation Element desired maximums and the NTM was formally initiated.
Throughout 2010, City staff worked with neighborhood representatives to develop an action plan
for traffic calming measures within the neighborhood. The neighborhood residents voted to
approve the action plan in April 2010, and at its June 2010 meeting, the City Council adopted the
NTM Action Plan and directed staff to proceed with engineering and design. The NTM Action
Plan detailing these improvements is provided as Attachment 2. In February 2011, speed tables
(Action Plan Projects I & 7) were installed in the neighborhood. Construction documents for the
remaining Action Plan projects are now complete and ready to advertise for bids.
CONCURRENCES
Neighborhood Approval
City staff worked closely with neighborhood representatives and held approximately eight public
meetings over the course of the NTM Action Plan development. The neighborhood voted for
each of the Action Plan elements as part of the NTM process.
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Pismo/Buchon NTM Measure Y project. Specification No. 91084 _ Page 2
Public Safety
The Fire Department and Police Department have both reviewed the traffic calming measures in
the recommended NTM Action Plan and concur with their implementation. Public Works staff
worked closely with both public safety departments in the design of each NTM Action Plan
element so as to minimize impacts to emergency vehicle response times and to maintain
emergency vehicle access.
It is important to note that the nature of any traffic calming measure will likely cause some
reduction in fire response times, however based on studies done as part of the action plan
adoption Fire response times to the neighborhood will still be under the four minute response
time objective for both primary and secondary response from Stations I, II, & III. These specific
traffic calming measures may impact Fire Department operations in the neighborhood, however
the Fire Department concurs with the recommended plan in order to respond to the other safety
needs of the neighborhood.
FISCAL IMPACT
The current estimate for the NTM Action Plan project is approximately $254,000. As identified
as part of the Council's adoption of the NTM Action Plan in June 2010, the Action Plan elements
will be funded from various transportation related project accounts. The original scope of the
Action Plan project only included neighborhood traffic calming elements and improvements to
the intersection of Johnson and Buchon. However, in order to provide an overall cost savings
through coordinating construction efforts, portions of the 2010 Street.Reconstruction project and
necessary utility modifications in this area were deferred, and have been consolidated into this
single project.
The total Engineer's Estimate for the entire project is $562,600. Funding for the project is
provided by the Neighborhood Traffic Management account ($149,400), the Johnson/Buchon
Intersection Improvements project account ($100,000), the Master Street Rehabilitation and
Resurfacing (R&R) project account ($302,300), and the Water & Wastewater System Master
Accounts ($10,900).
City Staff recommends the transfer of the necessary funding from various transportation-related
projects as identified in the table below to the PismoBuchon NTM project account for
construction. The respective accounts, as identified above, are provided in detail in the following
table. Funding for this project will be transferred to the project account at time of contract
award.
C8-2
PismoBuchon NTM Measure Y project, Specification No.91084 Page 3
PROJECT BUDGET (SPEC#91084)-
_._ _ _,. _ __ PROPOSED BUDGET
Engineer's Estimate $ 463,800
Contigency (20%). $ 92,800
Misc. (Permits, Printing, Etc.) $ 1,000
Material Testing $ 5,000
Total Project Estimate $ 562,600
RECOMMENDED
PROJECT FUNDING SOURCE AVAILABLE FUNDING FUNDING TRANSFERS
Neighborhood Traffic Management (99501) $ 153,600 $ 149,400
Johnson/Buchon Intersection Improvements (907 31) $ 100,000 $ 100,000
St Reconstruction Main Account (90346) $ 1,055,700 $ 30.2,300
Water Distribution System Improvements (90227) $ 385,729 $ 7,900
Wastewater Collection System Improvements (90239) $ 1.8.7,641 $ 3,000
Total $ 552,600
Sufficient funding is available for the street maintenance component of this project, with a
current available budget of $1,055,700 in the Master Street Rehabilitation and Resurfacing
(R&R) project account. The cost of this project has been accounted for in establishing the project
scope and Engineer's Estimate for the Summer 2011 Street Reconstruction and Resurfacing
prof ect.
Sufficient funding is available for the water and wastewater component, with a current available
budget of $385,729 in the Water Distribution System Improvements Master Account, and
$187,641 currently available in the Wastewater Collection System Improvements Master
Account.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Deny the project The City Council could deny the project. However, staff does not
recommend this because a significant amount of neighborhood resident time and input
has gone into the development of this Action Plan which was also adopted by Council in
June 2010. Traffic conditions exceeding desired Circulation Element maximums will
likely persist until this project is completed.
2. Defer the project The City Council could direct staff to defer the project until a later
date. However, staff does not recommend this because of similar impacts to the project
being denied. Staff recommends proceeding with the project now because the funding is
available now and the construction market is currently very competitive. Furthermore, the
expectations of the neighborhood are that construction will begin summer 2011.
C8-3
Pismo/Buchon NTM Measure Y project, Specification No.91084 Page 4
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity Map
2. Pismo& Buchon NTM Action Plan
AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW IN THE COUNCIL OFFICE
Plans and Specifications
T:\Council Agenda ReportsTublic Works CAR\201 I\Transportation\Pismo&Buchon Neighborhood Action Plan\91084 CAR Advertise.doc
C&4
ATTACHMENT 1
Pismo/Buchon NTM Measure Y project,Specification No. 91084 Page 5
ATTACHMENT A
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C8-5
ATTACHMENT 2
PismolBuchon NTM Measure.Y project.Specification No.91084 Page 6
ATTACHMENT B
Pismo/Buchon Neighborhood Traffic Management
Draft Action Plan (June, 2010)
Background
In the Fall of 2005, residents in the Pismo/Buchon neighborhood submitted a petition asking the
City of San Luis Obispo to address concerns about excessive traffic speeds,volumes,and collisions
in the neighborhood.
On April 21, 2008, the City of San Luis Obispo Public Works Department held a community
meeting for neighborhood residents to discuss their traffic concerns. Based on interest expressed at
the meeting, a Neighborhood Action Team comprised of residents representing the entire
neighborhood was formed. Four neighborhood representatives attended the first Neighborhood
Action Team meeting in May 2008.At this initial meeting the Action Team members reviewed and
specified issues that they felt should be addressed as part of this Neighborhood Tmffic Management
(NTM)effort.Public Works staff discussed with the Action Team the types of traffic studies that
would measure the volume,speed and travel pattems of traffic in the neighborhood and that traffic
studies would begin in the Fall once all schools were in session.
The traffic studies were conducted from September 2008 to May 2009. Five Action Team members
subsequently met with Public Works Staff in May 2009 to discuss the results of the traffic studies
and develop a cost effective solution to resolve the traffic concerns identified by the residents.
Development of the Action Plan continued as City staff met with the Action Team throughout 2009
and 2010.
Traffic Study Results
The results of the traffic studies confirmed the neighborhood concerns about traffic speeds and
volumes.As summarized in Table I,speed surveys conducted on Johnson Avenue indicate that the
85th percentile speed ranged between 35-38 mph with a posted speed of 30 mph; Pismo Street
ranged from 30-32 mph while Buchon Street ranged from 31-33 mph,both with a posted speed of
25 mph. A license plate survey during the peak traffic hours confirmed that 74%of the traffic on
Buchon and 56%of the traffic on Pismo did not have a destination within the neighborhood.Traffic
volume counts indicated that the average daily volume of vehicles on Buchon(3,570)exceed the
Circulation Element desired maximum volume(3,000 for a Residential Collector)by 20%.Traffic
volume counts indicated that the average daily volume of vehicles on Pismo (3;650)exceed the
Circulation Elcment desired maximum volume by 22%.
Table 1-Traffic Volumes and Speeds
Traffic speeds Traffic Volumes
Observed Speed.Umit Observed circulation Element Desired
Predominant Speed
Buchon 31-33 MPH 25 MPH 3,570 3,000
Pismo 3432 MPH 25 MPH 3,650 3,000
Johnson 35.38 MPH 30 MPH 12,931. N/A
C8-6
ATTACHMENT 2
Pismo/Buchon NTM Measure Y project. Specification No.91084 Parte 7
ATTACHMENT B
PME'Buchnn Nerghh"hoad Trarrr Management LIMRAetlan Plan Mar 2010
Study Area
The study area,shown in Figure 1,was established by Public Works staff and the Action Team.The
study area boundary is based on traffic conditions in the neighborhood and the effect the proposed
traffic calming measures could have on adjacent streets.
t
SAN LUS OBISPO
HIGH SCHOOL
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RK
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NTM Boundary
Figure 1-NTM Study Area
Statement of Objectives
The objective of this Action Plan is to improve the quality of life and the personal safety for the
residents of the Pismo/Buchon neighborhood by reducing vehicle speeds,reducing non-local traffic
volumes, and improving pedestrian safety. The Action Team agreed upon goals forth the basis of
this Neighborhood Traffic Management Action Plan.These goals include:
Table 2-Action Plan Objectives
Current NTM Objectives
Johnson Speeds 36.7 MPH 32.5 MPH
Pismo Speeds 31.0 MPH 27.5 MPH
Buchon Speeds 31.7 MPH 27.5 MPH
Pismo Volume 3,650 ADT 3,300 ADT
Buchon Volume 31570 AOT 3,300 ADT
C8-7
ATTACHMENT 2
Pismo/Buchon NTM.Measure.Y Project. Specification No. 91084 Page 8
ATTACHMENT B
Pic a ftchon Neiehhorhoad TmMe Manaeentent Draft Aetion Plan Mar 2070
Trac Calming Improvements
Basal on the traffic study and neighborhood voting results,This Action Plan was developed to
address the observed traffic issues.Based on a neighborhood wide vote the following projects have
been identified as the neighborhood's preferred solution to address these traffic issues.These
projects are depicted in Tables 3 and 4 with the locations of each of the projects shown in the map
below.
FOGH scHo
5 3 4
2
4 / 1
6 -
RK �\
RK
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7 �°NTM Boundary e " f
Figure 2-Location of Proposed NTM Devices
Table 3-Traffic Calming Projects (51%Response&2/3rds Support)
PROTECT, DESCRIPTION LOCATION
1 Speed Feedback Signs Johnson @Railroad Overpass
2 Reconfigure Travel Lanes Johnson(San Luis Drive to Pismo)
3 Road Diet(striping reconfiguration) Pismo (Johnson to Santa Rosa)
4 Speed Humps(3) 1126,1176,1240 Pismo
5 Bulbouts and Raised Crosswalk Pismo&Toro
6 Raised Crosswalk Buchon @ Toro
7 Speed Humps (1) 1034 Islay
C8-8
ATTACHMENT 2
Pismo/Buchon NTM Measure Y project.Specification No. 91084 Page 9
ATTACHMENT B
PLcmaBuchoa Neiehhmhaad TmfTc.Afana¢ement Draft Action Plait Afay 2010
Table 4-Traffic Calming Projects
Pro ects Description Example
Electronic speed display
Reminds drivers of their speed
May reduce vehicle speed an
Johnson Avenue: average of 1.0%
1 Speed Feedback o Replacement often needed after 5-
Signs 7 years t
• Sign reliability and maintenance
concerns
New Lane configuration with a two-
way left turn lane and one thru lane ,•
Will allow northbound motorists to
merge into one lane prior to Pismo 7. --�
• May reduce tendency for motorists .......
to be trapped into turning on Pismo u
I and driving thru the neighborhood _
Johnson Ave: Will provide residents easier access
Reconfigure into/out of their driveways
2 Striping Will provide additional capacity for a a;
(San Luis Drive to the left tum lane onto San Luis Drive
Pismo Street)
Concern that motorists may use the
two-way left tum as a through lane
\,\`, _
Example drawings at right include
intersections improvements at
Johnson/guchon that will be _
constructed outside of the Action
Plan approval process.
• Existing 2 vehicle lanes will be
reduced to one vehicle lane
• New lane configuration will allow
for one vehicle lane,2 parking lanes rmrosmavhsrcrtx —•r-•
Pismo Street: and one bike lane.
3 "Road Diet" • May reduce vehicle speeds
(Johnson Avenue's Expected to reduce tendency for
to Santa Rosa St.) motorists to pass each other
• Will improve pedestrian access
• Similar to lane configuration on
Pismo west of Broad
C8-9
ATTACHMENT 2
Pismo/Buchon NTM Measure.Y oroied, Specification No..91084 Page 10
�ATTACHMENT B
PlrmaBuchon Ae bnrhaod Traffic Management Draft Actino Plan '' may 2010
Rounded,raised area of pavement
14 feet in length;3 inches in height _ -May reduce vehicle speeds an
average of 18% � .
PISMO Street: a Most effective at overall speed
4 Speed Humps reductions if installed in a series a F•°
1240,1176,1126• Speed reductions based on the ' e'
number and spacing of devices c `
Possible increase In traffic noise a t
• Concern over Jarring of vehicles
Raised Crosswalk:
• Raised flat-topped area of
pavement with crosswalk markings
• 22 feet in length,3 inches in height
• May reduce vehicle speeds by an
average of 18%
• Improved pedestrian access -
• Possible increasein traffic noise - - -
r
Pismo Street • Concern over jarring of vehicles
(although less than speed humps)
At Toro Street:
5 Bulhouts: Pismo
SmOi`
Raised Crosswalk An extension of the sidewalk
and Bulbouts
Will serve to physically narrow the
street and correct the wide offset of
the Intersection
• Will diminish tendency for vehicles - ,
to pass each other.
• Shorten the crossing distance for
pedestrians
• May reduce vehicle speed by an
average of 4%
- a
Installed on the east side of the n
intersection
Raised flat-topped area of
pavement with crosswalk markings
Buehon Street at * 22 feet in length,3 inches in height
• May reduce vehicle speeds by an
6 Toro Street: average of 18%
Raised Crosswalk a Improved pedestrian access
• Possible increase.in traffic noise - _ -
• Concern over jarring of vehicles -
(although less than speed humps)
C8-1®
ATTACHMENT 2
Pismo/Buchon NTM Measure Y project, Specification No. 91084 Page 11
ATTACHMENT B
Pwn&Ru hon Neigkb ood Traffic Management Drag Action Plan Alar 2010
• Rounded,raised area of pavement
• 14 feet in length,3 inches in height
• May reduce vehicle speeds an ,.-
Islay Street: average of 18%
• May reduce the tendency for
7 Speed Hump motorists to use Islay as an alternatE
1034. to Buchon 4
• Possible increase in traffic noise
• Concern over jarring of vehicles
Implementation&Performance Monitoring
If the City Council approves the Action Plan, City staff will immediately begin engineering and
design of the improvements, which should take:approximately 4-6 months to complete. Following
design,City staff will advertise for construction bids&award a construction contract,which should
take approximately 1-2 months.Construction should take approximately 2-3 months to complete.
Once construction is completed,City staff will conduct ongoing performance monitoring of traffic
volumes,speeds,and collisions for a period of 12 months.
It is the NTM policy that the application of NTM devices should not divert traffic onto other
Residential Collector or Residential Local street that exceeds the diversion standards shown in
Figure 3 of the NTM guidelines. Therefore if after a period of 6 or 12 months staff determines the
diversion standards are exceeded staff will install three: additional speed tables and painted edge
lines on Buchon street. If it is determined that any of the improvements have imposed any undue
secondary impacts,the Director of Public Works may order modification,addition,and/or removal
of NTM devices installed as part of this action plan.
CQ-11
Pismo/Buchon NTM-Measure.Y project. Specification No. 91084 Page.12
ATTACHMENT B
Ni olBuchon NeiWarhaad TraB7e Mawrement Draft Action Plan bray 1010
Cost Estimates&Funding
The Action Plan proposes to construct a series of traffic calming measures on Johnson Ave,Pismo
St,and Buchon St. as described in Table 3 and 4. If these measures fail to meet the goals of die
project as listed in Table I, the Action Plan includes the option of installing additional traffic
calming devices.The total cost of the Action Plan is estimated at$270,000.The proposed funding
strategy is to allocate S172,900 of available City Neighborhood Traffic Management funding to the
Action Plan.This funding will be allocated to Action Plan projects I through 7. if after one year
performance monitoring determines that there has been an increase of traffic on Buchon,additional
traffic calming devices may be installed depending on City staff and funding resources.
Table S-Project Funding
Action Plan Projects
I Speed Feedback Signs(2) $18,000
2 Reconfigure Johnson Avenue $8,000
3 Pismo Road Diet $6,500
4 Pismo Speed Humps(3) $12,000
5 Pismo/Toro Bulbouts-Raised Crosswalk $85,000
6 Buchon/Toro Raised Crosswalk $5,000
7 Islay Speed Hump(1) $4,000
Total: $138,500
Approved Projects
I Johnson&Buchon Intersection Improvements $65,000
Total: $65,000
Contingency Followup Projects
1 Edge Lines 52,000
2 Buchon Speed Tables(3) $12,000
Total: $14,000
Engineering Total: $21,750
Construction Total: $217,500
Contingency Total: $32,625
Misc.Total: $1,000
Project Total: $272,875
C8-12
council memoRanbum
,rIoV4L
Date: June 9, 2011 X-r6l" err
TO: City Council 'uAPY 17. ,901f CC-
-re.'
C7p:aft Asx 0,C: k)ALr4 L
VIA: Katie Lichtig, City Manager Qssrcery 4yoe 0"0(
�o wC.-t bluaSo�J
FROM: Jake Hudson, Traffic Operations Manager C4"0-
SUBJECT: Johnson Avenue Underpass Correspondence Tde-; Couvut- A-L4-
The Council has received several emails regarding the proposed configuration of
Johnson Avenue which was approved for construction bidding at.its May 17th meeting.
Staff has responded to each of the emails; a copy of the response is attached.
Also as part of this correspondence some have expressed concern about the level of
public noticing for this project. Our records indicate there have been five public
notification mailings of the NTM project dating back to 2008. Each mailing followed
standard City practice with approximately 600 notices sent per each mailing totaling
about 3,000 notices. This project is part of implementation of the Neighborhood Traffic
Management plan approved by Council at its June 1St, 2010 meeting, for further
information on the action plan and public review process please refer the associated
staff report.
Page 1 of 2
Hudson,Jake
From: Hudson,Jake
Sent: Tuesday,June 07,2011 11:29 AM
Subject: Johnson Avenue Underpass
Attachments:JohnsonStriping.pdf
Thank you for your email to the Council regarding Johnson Avenue. We understand that there are
concerns about what the new configuration of Johnson under the railroad bridge is going to look like and
how it will operate. We are providing the attached striping plans to help show what is proposed and
providing the following information regarding the studies that have lead to this recommendation.
The plans call for moving the current transition (from two lanes to one) on Johnson Ave. from the west
side of the UPRR railroad bridge to the east side of the bridge at the San Luis Drive intersection. The
perception that reducing lanes on Johnson from two to one lane will cause congestion is certainly
understandable; however it's more complicated than that. Our traffic models and studies indicate that
even with moving this merge location congestion levels will remain similar to what they are today for two
primary reasons:
1. Currently the second lanes in both directions of Johnson are not being fully utilized. This is
primarily due to the current lane reductions on Johnson occurring just one to two blocks away
from where the plans propose to move them. For the transition heading into downtown the
merging of vehicles is currently occurring under the UPRR bridge where visibility and road
curvature are problematic.
2. Converting San Luis Drive from a single to a dual left turn as part of the project allows us to
increase the amount of signal green time allocated to Johnson by approximately 20%-25%
which our signal timing models indicate will offset the traffic that does utilize the second lanes
on Johnson and any additional queues that may occur. More importantly, the modified lane
and change in signal timing will allow us to reduce the left turn queue and significant
congestion that occurs on San Luis Drive when the high school is in session.
Because these changes can be very sensitive to congestion we asked that an independent traffic
engineering firm review our data and models;they concurred with our recommendations.
Currently there is a significant congestion spike before school and after school which will remain,however
our models are indicating that because of the two conditions mentioned above congestion should not be
any worse than it is currently. So why make the changes?Overall this new lane configuration allows us
to among other things:
1. Reduce conflicts within the downhill curve merge area under the bridge
2. Reduce lane blocking from school traffic spilling out of the left turn pocket waiting to tum
onto San Luis Drive
3. Reduce excessive speeding under the bridge
4. Reduce unintended vehicle trapping into the Pismo neighborhood
5. Allow left tum refuge for residence along Johnson to no longer wait in thru traffic to turn
left
6. Improve sight distance for vehicles exiting Buchon from the Housing Authority location
7. Provide for along needed WB bike lane for safety purposes under the railroad bridge
As with most things related to traffic there is no absolute answer because we are working with individual
driver behaviors and there are always trade offs from one user group to another. In this particular case we
believe the proposed changes better balances the needs of the various users of the roadway and
provides a higher safety margin without overly effecting congestion. After the improvements are installed
we will be closely monitoring traffic and making adjustments as necessary. What is most important to
understand is if traffic conditions differ from what is projected that there are no hard improvements on
Johnson being proposed (only paint) that would preclude us from modifying the striping in the future or
returning to the current two lane configuration at a relatively low cost by just changing the paint Based on
what our studies have shown, the potential benefits of this new configuration (with the low cost of
6/7/2011
Page 2 of 2
returning to two lanes) exceeds the drawbacks of not proceeding due to a low potential risk of temporarily
increased congestion.
If youhavetrouble opening the attached.pdf please respond and I will be happy to provide the plans in a different
format_ We also have screen capture video clips of the traffic models available on request;I have not provided
them with this email because they would exceed most email file size limits. Also if you have any questions I would
be happy to answer them, my contact information is below.
Thank You,
Jake Hudson
Traffic Operations Manager
City of San Luis Obispo,Traffic Engineering Division
919 Palm Street,San Luis Obispo,Ca
Phone:805.781.7255
Fax:805.781.7198
6/7/2011
g:lstaR+eportsagendas-minutesl_cm*Mm1 l lNohrron ave underpass red file.doc
Name: Mike/Caroline Botwin
Address: 2566 Santa Clara
City: SLO
State:
zip: 93401 nj _ �G2 1 CL.
Phone: 543-1200
Fax: � 0 . W*Tzdt,
email from: botwin@att.net2 OV&"N
Message: L°GC%P� 14UP56^1
It's our understanding that the decision to reduce Johnson Ave to two
lanes at the RR underpass was made by the City Council without
consultation with the citizens of S10. Please revisit this issue but
seek local opinions this time.
From: Jean Reno[SMTP:JEAN@FORDENS.COM]
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 20119:21:27 AM AAA � �l f �u �
To: Council, SloCity I
Subject:johnson avenue overpass �A-
Auto forwarded by a Rule �� : elrnj 2_ .( oiccd�cC,
/kw-cat /fag-
Dear Mayor& Council Members, AWPIAZ`f
ce
I was shocked to read in the Tribune of your decision to modify traffic striping oon I
Johnson Avenue. This is ridiculous! I can't believe you would even consider such an idea.Why MMS
would you make such a decision?What is wrong with the current striping (besides the fact that it
needs to be painted?). AUPS°A)
Reducing the traffic to one lane in each direction would be a nightmare for the 1000's of motorists
who travel that route daily. I use the route many, many times a week and have never seen any
problems there. Drivers should reduce their speed in that area but besides that it is working fine.
There should have been much more publicity about the possibility of this idea before it ever came
to a vote for the council.Why weren't area residents notified of such a drastic idea?
Please, please, please re-consider this idea.
With great concern,
Jean Reno
1255 Orcutt Rd. Space A14
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
805-440-9223
From: RChris534@aol.com[SMTP:RCHRIS534@AOL.COM]
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2011 1:03:01 PM
To: Council, SloCity
Subject: Johnson Avenue underpass
Auto forwarded by a Rule
I read mayor Romero's "Tribune" Letter to the Editor yesterday and I must say I
was mystified! We have lived on Johnson Avenue (2462) since 1986 and use
the street (both auto and bike) all the time. The lane set aside for turning onto
Pismo when headed downtown and the lane allowing turns from Buchon onto
Johnson when returning home are most convenient.
Would one of the Council members or staff please let us know what is the plan
for lanes in the underpass and reason for any proposed changes.
Thank you and sincerely,
Mary and Robert Christenson
543-3703
From: Rhonda Riggins-Pimentel [SMTP:RHORIGG@CHARTER.NET]
Sent: Thursday, June 02, 2011 1:14:32 PM
To: Council, S1oCity
Subject: Reducing Johnson Avenue to two lanes Auto forwarded by a Rule
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
NOT A WISE IDEA, reducing Johnson Avenue to two lanes at the underpass.
Dave Romero is correct. This will create more confusion and
congestion.
Those of us who use Johnson Avenue as our most direct route downtown
have witnessed many near- collisions and unsafe driving by drivers
trying to avoid or access San Luis Drive and Pismo Street. A lane
reduction would make such incidents more frequent.
I suggest that you check the area out yourselves and soon,
particularly during the rush hours of the high school traffic.
Rhonda Riggins-Pimentel 2457 Leona Ave. SLO.
From: Ray Miklas[SMTP:RMIKLAS@PACBELL.NET]
Sent: Friday, June 03,20119:25:20 AM
To: Council, S1oCity
Subject: Johnson Ave. RR underpass
Auto forwarded by a Rule
Dear Members,
Please reconsider the change to the Johnson Ave. RR udeipass lane changes. We live on
Leona Ave. and use that route very much and we don't want you to chage the current
arrangement.
Respectfully,
Ramutis and Sandra Miklas
From: Susan Piel[SMTP:SPIEL@CHARTER.NET]
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 10:33:40 AM
To: Council, SloCity
Subject: Johnson Avenue
Auto forwarded by a Rule
As stated by Dave Romero in the June 1st Tribune's Letters to the
Editor, "C8 Pismo/ Buchon Neighborhood Traffic Management" was
approved with no plans presented at the meeting and no special notice
to Johnson Avenue residents. I think this is an unwise decision and do
not understand how this will help traffic in any way.
Susan Piel
From: Raanan Doron[SMTP:PRDORON@GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Friday, June 03, 2011 11:12:13 AM
To: Council, S1oCity
Subject: Johnson Ave Changes
Auto forwarded by a Rule
As a concerned citizen who lives near French Hospital, I was dismayed
to read Dave Romero's letter in the Tribune about the vote you took
without any input from the affected community to reduce Johnson Ave to
2 lanes at the RR underpass choke point.
It is already difficult to go from our area to downtown and to the
Madonna St. area. Making this 2 lanes is not only inconvenient but
will cause major traffic jams especially when the students at SLO High
come and go. It is also a danger to public safety to choke off the
entire neighborhood.
Please reconsider your vote and at the very least have hearings so
affected neighbors can hear the reasoning behind this ill advised move
and register our dismay at the high handed way the city council is
playing with people's lives here.
R. Doron
From: Dawnna McDougall[SMTP:DAWNNAMAC@GMAIL.COM]
Sent: Saturday, June 04, 2011 4:11:07 PM
To: Council, S1oCity
Subject: Johnson Avenue
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Ladies and Gentlemen of the Council,
Please reconsider the proposed reduction of lanes on Johnson Avenue as
it passes under the railroad overpass. Do not create another bottleneck
for those of us who live in the neighborhoods linked to Johnson Avenue
south of this overpass. I say "another" bottleneck because of the
congestion brought about by lane reduction going south on Johnson as
it intersects with Laurel Lane.
• 1
From this part of town, Johnson Avenue is the major link to the heart
of the downtown. A dangerous and congested situation in and around the
railway underpass already exists, brought on by drivers making last
minute lane changes to and from the one way streets of Pismo and
Buchon. In addition, the intersections bracketing French Hospital,
Ella and Lizzie Streets, as well as the traffic to and from San Luis
Drive (skirting the high school) , make for an already heavily
trafficked area.
Whatever could the rationale be for narrowing Johnson Avenue at this
critical location?
You must allow the residents of of these neighborhoods to contribute to
the conversation before any changes are implemented.
Sincerely,
Dawnna McDougall
3040 Johnson Avenue
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
From: Gary Corsiglia[SMTP:1466262@THEGRID.NET]
Sent: Monday, June 06, 2011 9:07:12 AM
To: Council, SloCity
Subject: Johnson Ave railroad undercrossing
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Dear City Council Members,
Thanks to a Letter To The Editor by former Mayor Dave Romero published in The Tribune, I
learned that the City Council had approved a plan to reduce the through traffic lanes at the
Johnson Ave. railroad undercrossing to just two lanes. I understand that this plan was approved
under the cover of an agenda item concerning Bucheon, Pismo streets traffic improvement.
Without a title correctly indicating that Johnson Ave. was involved there were no speakers against
this proposal. I meet Dave Romero at the Beth David open house over the weekend and thanked
him for his letter and asked how to object to the plan. He advised to write to the City Council. I
believe that an agenda item correctly indicating "Johnson Ave. traffic changes"should appear on
a future City Council meeting so that residents who drive on Johnson Ave. on a daily basis may
become informed and speak about this proposed change.
Sincerely,
Gary Corsiglia
2707 Johnson Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA
93401
(805)544-0890
June 2, 2011
To: City Council of San Luis Obispo
From: Rolf Railey
Mary Lou Railey
2115 Florence Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Subject: Modification of-traffic striping under Johnson Street RR Overpass.
1. As residents of the neighborhood fed by Johnson Street,we strongly protest the
modification of traffic lanes from the existing four lanes to two lanes under the
Railroad Overpass. We also protest that there has been minimal if any notification
given the residents in the affected area.
2. There is a great deal of traffic congestion in the mornings due to High School and
Jr. High Schools being fed by Johnson Street. This is added to by the normal
business day commute. There is no conceivable way that narrowing the four lanes
is going to help this already congested situation.
3. We are not traffic engineers but we are daily users of the street in question.
Creating a further bottle neck is not the answer to this problem. Ignoring the
advice of someone who has been a traffic engineer and is responsible for
converting the area being discussed from two lanes to four lanes originally is not
the answer to this problem either.
Thank you for our attention to this matter,
Rolf Rail '
Mary Lou Railey �o Q�
From: Leslie Stanley [lesliel4w@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 20119:18 AM
To: Marx,Jan; Ashbaugh, John; Carter, Andrew; Smith, Kathy; dcarpent@slocity.or
Subject: Proposed Johnson Ave. Narrowing
Dear Sirs and Madams,
This is to let you know that I agree with Dave Romero that Johnson Ave. should NOT be
made into a two lane road below the overpass. . As Mr. Romero notes,Johnson is a
major thoroughfare, and causing it to funnel into only two lanes is not good or safe traffic
management.
I do believe that there should be earlier and clearer notification of the fact that
(northbound)Johnson Ave becomes a'Left Tum Only lane shortly after the underpass.
Sincerely,
Leslie Stanley
San Luis Obispo, CA
CotOA LTJ&,�