HomeMy WebLinkAboutSB 127- LTR of Support
05 September 2019
The Honorable Jordan Cunningham
State Capitol, Room 4102
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: (916) 319-2135
RE: SB 127 (Wiener D) Transportation funding: active transportation: complete streets.
(Amended: 7/1/2019)
Dear Assembly Member Cunningham:
The City of San Luis Obispo supports Senate Bill 127, by Senator Wiener. This bill
would establish an Active Transportation Asset Branch within the Transportation Asset
Management Office of the department and require the Transportation Asset Management Plan
program manager to develop and meaningfully integrate performance measures into the asset
management plan and to establish interim goals, objectives, and actions to meet the department’s
transportation mode shift goals, as specified.
The Complete Streets for Active Living bill, SB 127, will mandate that whenever
Caltrans repaves or expands a state-owned surface street that passes through urban neighborhoods,
they must create safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit
riders of all ages and abilities. Critical provisions of this bill include:
requiring safety improvements with every repaving project on most state-owned roads,
elevating safety considerations in setting the priority of repaving and rehabilitation projects
and involving community organizations and local governments when a project is planned.
State Route 1 (Santa Rosa Street) extends through San Luis Obispo. It is a regional route linking
the north coast of San Luis Obispo County to US 101 and the downtown of San Luis Obispo. It
also serves local commercial uses as well as local multimodal transportation needs between the
downtown and Cal Poly University. State Route 1 through San Luis Obispo also rates consistently
among the top 5 high collision areas in the City for bicycling and walking. SB 127 would mandate
that, when Santa Rosa Street is identified for repaving, upgrades to pedestrian and bicycle
improvements also be considered that are proportional to the need and within the overall budget
of the pavement upgrade. Considerations of these improvements at the time of pavement upgrade
is an efficient way to save costs by lumping improvements together in a single bid package. This
is how the City operates its pavement program and it would be efficient for Caltrans to consider
the same.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo supports Senate Bill 127.
Sincerely,
Heidi Harmon
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
cc. San Luis Obispo City Council