HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/5/2017 Item 12, Brooks
To: San Luis Obispo Mayor Heidi Harmon and Council Members Carlyn Christensen,
Aaron Gomez, Andy Pease and Dan Rivoire
emailcouncil@slocity.org
From: Lea Brooks
1130 Islay St.
San Luis Obispo
leabrooks332@gmail.com
July 5, 2017
Re: San Luis Ranch Project
The San Luis Ranch site is an ideal location for infill development because of its close
proximity to downtown, work sites, shopping areas, schools and other destinations. The
City needs a multi-modal transportation network, including a connected bicycle
transportation network designed for people of all abilities, to serve developments that
build affordable housing. Reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions,
providing transportation choice and maintaining our community’s high quality of life are
also high priorities.
As proposed, San Luis Ranch Phase I has no affordable housing units and future
phases have limited affordable units. It has excellent facilities for pedestrians and
people on bikes within the project boundaries. The Planning Commission has
appropriately recommended modifications at the intersection of Madonna Road and
Oceanaire Drive to improve bicycle and pedestrian crossing for children attending
Laguna Middle School and C.L. Smith Elementary School and access to Laguna Lake
Park.
However, existing gaps in bicycle connectivity to downtown San Luis Obispo – including
a safe route to Laguna Middle School, job sites in the airport area and other
destinations within bicycling distance will be exacerbated by a significant increase in
motor vehicle traffic generated by San Luis Ranch and other developments squeezing
into undersized infrastructure. Because some arterials lack adequate bicycle facilities,
and mitigation to add multiple turn lanes to intersections to accommodate the increase
in motor vehicle traffic, it’s likely that people will be discouraged from riding bikes to
these off-site destinations out of fear of being hit by impatient and distracted motorists.
Many of these gaps in the bicycle transportation network, including a safe and
convenient crossing of Highway 101 at Marsh Street, improvements to Tank Farm and
Buckley roads and the need for a multi-use path from the terminus of Prado Road to
Broad Street, are not the responsibility of the San Luis Ranch developer and most likely
will not be constructed for years.
San Luis Ranch has agreed to build a much-needed protected bike facility along the
north side of Madonna Road between the entrance to the Madonna Inn and the bike
trail terminus at the intersection of Oceanaire and Madonna prior to issuance of building
permits. Thankfully, the City’s newly adopted budget includes a feasibility study for a
safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian crossing of Highway 101 at Marsh Street to
fix the perilous access to the Madonna bike path at the on- and off-ramps. However, it’s
unknown when funding for the design and construction for the fix identified in the
feasibility study will be secured.
The Prado Road overpass/interchange at Highway 101, which will provide safe and
convenient bicycle connectivity to Higuera Street, is not scheduled for construction until
Phase I is completed. There will be no direct bicycle connectivity to Broad Street until
Prado Road is extended to Broad and/or the planned parallel multi-use path is built, also
years away.
Although traffic congestion will increase on Tank Farm Road, no safety improvements to
the shoulders in the unincorporated area are scheduled until Chevon completes its
property cleanup and moves forward with development plans. And if the Avila Ranch
project is approved, the developer is only responsible for adding Class II bike lanes on
Buckley Road from its extension to Higuera Street to the project’s eastern edge, leaving
an approximate one-mile gap in the unincorporated area to the airport and expanding
number of job sites on Highway 227.
Also of concern is the Planning Commission’s recommendation to override San Luis
Ranch Class I impacts related to achieving multi-modal objectives at Madonna Road
and Dalidio Drive, Los Osos Valley Road and Froom Ranch Way, certain segments of
Higuera Street and the Highway 101 mainline segments at Los Osos Valley Road and
Madonna Road because:
-People can walk to key locations within the San Luis Ranch island.
-There is a network of interconnected paths and trails with the San Luis Ranch island.
-There is a central transit stop, which is crucial for transit connectivity but doesn’t help
people who want to ride bicycles to off-site destinations but are afraid to do so because
of the gaps in the bicycle transportation network. Bike racks on the buses will help, but
space is limited.
The multi-modal-circulation-within-an-island theme continued when the Planning
Commission devoted much time to ensure that Froom Ranch Road within the San Luis
Ranch development island be constructed as a complete street for all transportation
choices. The recommendation to override the Class I impacts means the Planning
Commission signed off on the abrupt end of Froom Ranch Road as a complete street at
Los Osos Valley Road. If adopted by City Council, that means the existing segment of
Froom Ranch Road that serves big box and other stores and services will remain car-
centric with no bike lanes despite its close proximity and the increase in traffic
generated by the project. Not all trips to this shopping area result in massive purchases
and cargo and electric-assist bicycles can carry large loads.
Please do not sacrifice communitywide multi-modal connectivity to multi-modal
circulation within the San Luis Ranch island.
Also of concern is mitigation to improve motor vehicle traffic flow by adding multiple turn
lanes at intersections on Madonna Road, Los Osos Valley Road and Higuera Street.
The City Bicycle Transportation Plan notes that “intersections can be significant barriers
for bicyclists, depending on the bicyclist skill level and the complexity and volume of the
intersection traffic.”
City staff’s response to concerns about the impact of multiple turn lanes on bicyclists
include that they meet design standards and the following: “Bicycles can use the outside
of the left turn lane(s) to turn at signals in a safe and convenient manner while
signalizing. Bicycles could also be accommodated on parallel Class I facilities or
frontage roads or may use sidewalks and crosswalks if needed.”
It is illegal to ride on sidewalks in San Luis Obispo. People on bikes have to cross travel
lanes to reach the outside of the left turn lanes, which can be daunting. Class I bike
lanes are great, but they are limited and accessing them is not always convenient. The
City needs complete streets so people on bikes don’t ride on sidewalks and use
crosswalks because they are afraid of being hit by motorists.
Riding a bike on these arterials is already daunting because of multiple driveways and
intersections without stop signs or signals. The safety of people who ride bikes is
already at risk by impatient and distracted motorists who often cut off bicyclists by
turning right and left in front of them because they don’t want to wait.
Staff has stated that the specific designs of intersections and bike lanes to
accommodate bicyclists will be part of the Development Agreement. My concern is that
these negotiations will take place between staff and developers with little to no public
input and oversight to ensure that buffered or separated bike lanes and other safety
enhancements will be built specifically to protect people on bikes. The National
Association of City Transportation Officials has numerous designs, some more
protective than others. Please direct staff to make bicycle safety and connectivity the
highest priority and to work with the City Bicycle Advisory Committee.
As a League of American Bicyclists gold-level Bicycle Friendly City that has established
multi-modal transportation as a primary goal, we can and must do better to achieve the
City’s 20 percent trips-by-bike goal.
Please keep in mind a SLOCOG 2013 bicycle use survey that found that the majority of
County bicycle riders fall into three major categories:
-Strong and Fearless (14.6%): Defined as someone comfortable riding on almost any
road or intersection in the county regardless of road conditions, traffic speed and
volume.
-Enthused and Confident (31.3%): Defined as someone comfortable riding on certain
roads with wide shoulders, bicycle lanes and easy-to-navigate intersections.
-Interested but Concerned (27.9%): Defined as someone only comfortable riding away
from motor vehicles or on roads with bicycle lanes, neighborhood streets with low traffic
speed and volume, and on bicycle paths.
-The fourth group, No Way No How, was comprised of respondents who had no
interest in cycling. It was notable that the share of this type of respondent increased with
age.
It’s doubtful that the “Enthused and Confident” and “Interested but Concerned” category
of riders will bicycle on roads with significant increases in traffic generated by this and
other developments unless gaps in the bicycle transportation network are completed
and buffered or separated bike lanes and other safety enhancements are built
specifically to protect people on bikes. The full survey is posted at:
http://slocog.org/sites/default/files/SLOCOG-Bike-Barriers-Survey-Analysis-Report.pdf
Sincerely,
Lea Brooks
San Luis Obispo