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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/28/2018 Item 1, Brooks June 24, 2018 From: Lea Brooks 1130 Islay St. San Luis Obispo To: Planning Commission Chair Fowler and Commissioners Stevenson, Dandekar, Jorgensen, McKenzie, Osterbur and Wulkan Re: San Luis Ranch Final SEIR mitigations totally inadequate for bicycle transportation I am reiterating concerns expressed in my comments on the San Luis Ranch Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (SEIR), which did not adequately address how people on bikes will cross Highway 101 without the Prado Road overcrossing. Without a connected and convenient crossing for people of all abilities who ride bikes, there will be a lack of transportation choice and the City’s goal of 20 percent trips by bike will not be achieved. During the numerous public hearings on the Environmental Impact Report for San Luis Ranch, I and many others expressed skepticism that the Prado Road overcrossing would be built with the project’s approved phasing because it was uncertain if the City has adequate funding for its share of the cost. Our concerns were dismissed and yet are fears are now a reality. The response in the Final SEIR to my comments are that the interchange project construction is currently scheduled to begin in 2021. I remain skeptical that the Prado Road overcrossing will be constructed in a timely basis. Without the Prado Road overcrossing, the added traffic from San Luis Ranch will result in numerous significant and unavoidable environmental impacts. Infill housing is a good idea, but connectivity for bicycling and walking beyond the project vicinity remains seriously lacking. A reminder that during the public hearings on the EIR, the bicycling community requested a crossing of Highway 101 near Marsh Street as mitigation. We were told that the Prado Road overcrossing was the connection for San Luis Ranch and a Marsh Street crossing was not within the purview of the developer. Without the Prado Road overcrossing, Madonna Road remains the primary connection between the Laguna Lake area and San Luis Ranch and downtown. The intersection of Madonna Road/Higuera Street/South Street is a challenge for people on bikes. Access to the Madonna bike path is so perilous at both ends, especially at Marsh Street, that experienced bicyclists avoid it and parents of Laguna Middle School students are reluctant to have their children use it. I encourage planning commissioners to ride their bikes through these intersections, especially during the morning and evening commutes, to understand why mitigations are needed. Note that traffic is lighter during the summer because schools, including Cal Poly, are on recess. The recommended mitigations in the SEIR include a Transportation Demand Management Plan that includes: -Implement a commute trip reduction program to reduce employee trips to the project’s commercial uses. -Create an on-site bike share program open to employees and residents of the project. -Provide on-site bike lockers and showers. -Create an on-site bike share program open to employees and residents of the project. These mitigations may be appropriate within the vicinity of San Luis Ranch on the west side of Highway 101. But they ignore the fact that few people will bicycle from the project site to downtown and to job sites and other destinations within bicycling distance on South Higuera and near the airport. Without the Prado Road overcrossing, it’s likely only “strong and fearless” bicyclists will brave Madonna and Los Osos Valley roads to cross Highway 101. In addition, undersized infrastructure, gaps in the bicycle transportation network and multiple turn lanes at intersections to accommodate the increase in motor vehicle traffic will discourage even the most experienced bicyclists. If you recommend that San Luis Ranch move forward with its added traffic impacts and uncertainty regarding the timing of the Prado Road overcrossing, some of these mitigations should be required at a minimum: -An emergency/temporary solution to the Madonna bike path access points at the Madonna Inn and Marsh Street. Without a Prado Road overcrossing, the lack of bicycle access is an emergency, especially for Laguna Middle School students. Providing safe routes to school should be a high priority for the City. -Buffered and green bike lanes on Madonna Road between Highway 101 and Higuera Street. -An agreement with the Pacific Coast Center at the intersection of Madonna Road and Higuera Street for a bicycle route through the center to South Street and to Bridge Street to avoid the Madonna/Higuera/South Street intersection. -Building a Prado Road overcrossing of Highway 101 for bicyclists and pedestrians only. -Improvements to Los Osos Valley Road between the Highway 101 interchange and Higuera Street, including green bike lanes and a bike box. -Funding for the Bob Jones Trail segment from Oceanaire Drive to Calle Joaquin above the San Luis Ranch fair share contribution so people on bikes can get closer to the Los Osos Valley Road/Higuera Street intersection without having to ride that segment of Los Osos Valley Road. Without the Prado Road overcrossing, construction of this segment needs to happen now.