HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/19/2017 Item 15, Flickinger (3)
Christian, Kevin
From:Sarah Flickinger <sarah@flickimc.com>
Sent:Tuesday, September
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Personal Comments_Flickinger 2_Avila Ranch Agenda Item
Attachments:AR FEIR Council Personal Comments 2.pdf
Good afternoon,
Attached, please find the second in a series of personal comments I will be providing on the Avila Ranch Development
being considered at tonight’s City Council meeting.
Sincerely,
Sarah Flickinger
1
Sarah Flickinger
79 Del Oro Court
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
805.215.2561
September 19, 2017
To City of San Luis Obispo Councilmembers:
This letter concerns specific improvements in the vicinity of Avila Ranch to preserve safety for bicyclists
in light of the mitigation measures and impacts being considered as part of tonight’s discussions. I am a
League Certified Instructor (LCI) with the League of American Bicyclists, trained for advocacy and
education in safe cycling practices. I am also a daily rider in the vicinity of this project—often
accompanied by a 7-year-old companion rider (on my bike or her own).
As many are aware, the City’s current bicycle plan is lacking in accommodations for cyclists in the
vicinities of Los Osos Valley Road, Suburban Road and S. Higuera in the area around this project. This
makes it difficult to grow ridership, particularly as the City continues to accept mitigations that put
cyclists directly in harm’s way in the absence of bicycle planning for this area. I recognize improvements
to Buckley Road beyond the boundaries of this development are highly constrained and outside of the
City’s ability to control.
There are several residential neighborhoods in the area, the neighborhood commercial area with Trader
Joes and Food 4 Less is thriving, as are neighborhood commercial areas further north on South Higuera,
and many businesses with large employee counts. These locations are frequented by residents and
those employed in the area on foot, bicycle and in cars. As traffic continues to grow, more and more
people are turning to walking and biking as a means of moving between these neighborhood
destinations. The City recently added bus service to distant commercial as well, and there is existing
public transit into downtown and destinations beyond. Those stops are accessed and used by pedestrian
and bicycle traffic.
Additionally, the portions of South Higuera Street (Tank Farm to Octagon Barn) and Los Osos Valley Road
(S. Higuera Street to Oceanaire) fall within our and our friends’ safe route to school at our neighborhood
school, CL Smith. There are no alternative routes to S. Higuera or for portions of Los Osos Valley Road
between South Higuera and Froom Ranch Way. Many others use the entirety of S. Higuera as a safe
route to Hawthorne Elementary, Buckley Road and 227 as a safe route to our former neighborhood
school Los Ranchos, and these and additional streets to reach the Middle School and High School. There
are two district school bus stops on Los Osos Valley Road in the vicinity.
We are a multimodal neighborhood, with more people desiring to make the change to bicycling and
walking if it were safer to do so. I became an LCI to teach safe cycling skills and help others include
bicycling in their everyday transportation.
Based on precedents set with similar developments as well as my experience as a regular rider and LCI, I
would suggest the following specific improvements be incorporated into the development agreement or
other planning documents as a condition of proceeding in order to keep cycling safe and encourage it as
a viable alternative to motor vehicle use in the vicinity of the project, for both existing and future Avila
Ranch neighborhood residents:
1. Create protected intersections for cyclists at these intersections:
a. Los Osos Valley Road / South Higuera
b. Suburban Road / South Higuera
c. Tank Farm Road / South Higuera
d. Buckley Road Extension / South Higuera
e. Prado Road
This can be achieved with bike boxes or standard protected intersections, as were
incorporated during the San Luis Ranch Project.
2. Include green lanes throughout the vicinity that provide visibility and direction for cyclists
(especially novice ones) and drivers who may or may not be used to driving around bicycles.
Specifically, areas of concern would be:
a. On approach to any multi-lane movement at an intersection, as existing or called for as
part of project mitigations
b. On Suburban Road
c. Along both sides of South Higuera Street
d. Along both sides of Los Osos Valley Road from the US 101 interchange intersection to
the intersection with South Higuera Street
e. On Tank Farm Road on approach to the intersections of Long Street and South Higuera
Street.
3. Incorporate bicycle and pedestrian signal cycles for safety and visibility at signalized
intersections. Pedestrian cycles are currently being used in portions of downtown, and bicycle
cycles can be seen at the Bob Jones Trail on Los Osos Valley Road and at the Railroad Station on
Santa Barbara Street. A version that gives a 5-10 second head start to pedestrians and cyclists
enhances their visibility to drivers as well as driver awareness.
4. Add HAWK or HAWK/PED signalization to the following intersections:
a. Los Verdes Drive and Los Osos Valley Road
b. Las Pradreras Drive and South Higuera Street
This was suggested by City staff for the intersection of Los Verdes Drive and Los Osos Valley
Road during a meeting with representatives from the Los Verdes Parks 1 & 2 HOAs, and I’ve
heard from many residents of the Las Pradreras neighborhood that they would like safe
bicycle access to and from their neighborhood as well.
I recognize that these improvements can have minimal negative impact to traffic flow during peak
commute hours, but that is outweighed by the significantly improved safety—a major barrier to
adoption for would-be riders—and access to existing and future residents and businesses in the
neighborhood. It may even encourage commuters to park and ride once they reach the City limits.
Sincerely,
Sarah Flickinger