HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/19/2017 Item 15, Brooks
Christian, Kevin
From:Lea Brooks <leabrooks332@gmail.com>
Sent:Sunday,
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Avila Ranch and Buckley Road
Attachments:BAC and Avila Ranch.docx
Please distribute this letter to Mayor Harmon and City Council Members for their Sept. 19 meeting on Avila
Ranch.
Thank you.
Lea Brooks, Chair
Bicycle Advisory Committee
1
To: Mayor Harmon and Council Members Christianson, Gomez, Pease and Rivoire
From: Lea Brooks, Chair of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, on behalf of the BAC
Re: The BAC’s Concerns about Avila Ranch’s Significant Bicycle Connectivity Gap and
Safety
Sept. 17, 2017
The stated intent of the San Luis Obispo 2013 Bicycle Transportation Plan’s Buckley
Road Bikeway Network is: “Connect existing and future bicycle facilities along Buckley
Road to preserve and enhance this popular cycling route as traffic volume and speeds
increase.” The plan describes Class II bike lanes on both sides of Buckley from Vachell
to Broad to “provide space for both bicyclists and motorists.”
At its Dec. 1, 2016, meeting the BAC unanimously found the Avila Ranch project
inconsistent with the Bicycle Transportation Plan because it will not widen the Buckley
Road Bridge across Tank Farm Creek so that continuous Class II bike lanes can extend
the length of Buckley Road.
The project proposes to terminate the Class II bike lanes on Buckley Road
approximately 200 feet short of the Tank Farm Creek Bridge and reroute eastbound
people on bikes to a separate bridge across the creek. Westbound people on bikes
would be diverted to a Class I path. BAC members expressed concern that diverting
bicyclists off Buckley Road to a separate bridge and separate bike path will create
additional intersections and challenges, especially for those riding tandems, adult
tricycles, bikes designed to carry children and heavy loads or pulling trailers. It’s unclear
if bicyclists will be expected to stop before re-entering Buckley Road. Commuting and
recreational bicyclists who do not want to slow down or be inconvenienced by detours
may choose not to divert and stay on Buckley Road, slowing motorists who are
expected to comply with the 3-foot-for-safety law or not ride at all because of safety
concerns.
BAC members also expressed deep concern that the Class II bike lanes on Buckley
Road will terminate at the eastern boundary of Avila Ranch because completing the
bike lanes is beyond the responsibility of the developer. The result is a significant gap in
the regional bicycle network. The BAC voted 4-2 to encourage the project applicant to
extend the Class II bike lanes eastbound to Broad Street to reinforce the goals of the
Bicycle Transportation Plan.
The BAC supports implementation of the Bicycle Transportation Plan that shows
continuous Class II bike lanes on Buckley Road in both directions as does the 2015-16
County Bikeways Plan. The Land Use and Circulation Elements and Climate Action
Plan set a 20 percent trips-by-bike goal. The City’s commitment to bicycling was
recognized with a Gold Level Bicycle Friendly Designation by the League of American
Bicyclists.
Without continuous Class II bike lanes to serve thousands of new Avila Ranch residents
and additional traffic generated by the extension of Buckley Road to Higuera Street, it’s
highly unlikely that people will ride bicycles on Buckley Road between Higuera Street
and Highway 227 to reach numerous destinations within easily rideable distances
because of significant risks to their safety.
Sincerely,
Lea Brooks, Chair
Bicycle Advisory Committee
Buckley Road is a narrow, poorly maintained rural road with cracks and crumbling
edges.