West King, Escalona,
Traffic Concerns
(Please
scroll down to view plan)
Prepared
by:
Concerned Citizens
for the Safety and
Improvement of
our Neighborhood
July 2007- modified October 2007
andrews@mail.com
www.soul-jazz.com/trafficplan
The Majority
of West King, Escalona and
What this plan covers:
1. Overview of Current Issues and Concerns
2. Prediction of Future Traffic Issues based on the new light
3. Traffic Calming which includes Reduction and Traffic Flow improvements
4. Traffic Solutions for the entire Neighborhood
5. Bicycle Traffic
6. Emergency Vehicle exceptions and provisions
7. Summary
Current
Issues and Concerns
On July 5, 2007,
the city Planning Commission approved the Safeway project at
The installment of
this new traffic light will induce new cut-through
traffic throughout the neighborhood and add noise and safety problems for all streets west of Bay:
Using the Master
Transportation Study as a guideline, the neighborhood wants the City Council to
protect us from the impact of this project and future growth which, cumulatively,
will degrade the quality of life on the West Side of Santa Cruz.
The Master
Transportation Study includes a chapter that defines “Livable Streets.” The
following is an excerpt from the study: (Note the full report can be found at
the following location: http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pw/MST2003/index.htm).
From the Master
Transportation Study
VI-6. Livable Streets:
Streets are the
organizing structure and identity of a city. To be a great, livable city,
commercial streets need to be celebrated as vibrant, memorable and identifiable
public places where people choose to walk and cycle rather than drive to meet
their daily needs, to socialize, hold civic events and enjoy community life.
Residential streets are to be safe, attractive places for family life, where
cars are quiet guests, children freely play and parents enjoy time saved by
sharing child-oriented car trips. The key to creating a vital, livable city is
ensuring a high-quality environment for the public street realm.
Key Recommendations:
The following key
livable street recommendations can create great, safe streets and
pedestrian-oriented places, paths and routes:
· Adopt livable
street design guidelines for key street types in
· Connect activity
centers with pedestrian paths and connections. Figure 10 maps the key
pedestrian connections and linkages.
· Develop urban
design plans for each area, tailored to the specific land use and
public-right-of-way conditions.
· Update the city's
zoning code to create priority pedestrian frontage areas, including design
guidelines, requirements and incentives to create attractive public
pedestrian-oriented areas.
· Develop an
educational outreach and promotion program to encourage walking in
MTS Vision: The MTS goals for
· Offer residents
and visitors access to goods, services, jobs and recreation that is convenient,
comfortable, efficient and cost-effective for travel without a car.
· Complete an
interconnected, safe and efficient bicycle and pedestrian network that is a
safe, fun and desirable choice.
· Provide a
five-minute to ten-minute walk to transit stops with seamless transfers.
· Manage and reduce auto congestion with minimal impact to residential
neighborhoods.
· Encourage drivers to travel at safe speeds (the
speed limit in the city of
Today’s Traffic Issues
Long-time
residents of this neighborhood have seen significant increases in traffic
volume and speed over the past 10 years. Several “Traffic Calming” attempts
have been made without success. These attempts have included speed bumps,
roundabouts and stop-signs. None of these have worked to scientifically slow
traffic or reduce volume.
The following
image shows the current major “cut-through” high volume traffic routes.
Traffic Issues Due To New Traffic Light
Traffic Issues which will occur when the Miramar Traffic Light is installed (if no neighborhood traffic is calming applied).
The following is based on input from a member of the Traffic Commission in response to the Fehr & Peers traffic report sponsored by Safeway.
The West King, Escalona and
The
following King/Miramar/Escalona (West of Bay and North of Mission) neighborhood
traffic plan is designed to neutralize the impact of the currently planned
Traffic Light at
Traffic Calming Improvements:
The Following will help slow traffic as well as add
additional cut-through deterrent:
1. Keep existing calming plans for
2. Add a Speed Hump on
3. Remove the Existing Round-about at King
and Baldwin (replace with Stop-sign)
4. Add Speed Humps on King between
5. Add One Speed Hump on King between Ladera
and
6. Add Speed Humps on Escalona between
Baldwin and
7. Add Speed Humps on Baldwin between King
and
8. Add a Stop sign at
(change from a two to a four-way stop)
Traffic Reduction and Traffic Flow Improvements:
The
following changes are designed to keep traffic limited to neighborhood
destinations and to limit traffic flow from Bay and
1. Keep the existing “Do Not Enter Signs” at Baldwin and
2. Add additional “Do Not Enter” sign at Bay and Anthony Streets
3. Add additional “Do Not Enter” sign at Bay and Kenneth Streets
4. Add additional “Do Not Enter” sign at
5. Keep the existing One-Way Street on Olive between
6. Add Four One-Way Streets:
a.
b.
c. Escalona between Anthony and Olive – One Way going
North (North/East)
Bicycle Traffic:
This plan encourages Bicycle traffic and provides easy access to areas designed to limit automobile traffic.
1.“Do Not Enter” areas: Currently there is an exception on the
existing Baldwin and
2. One-way Streets: Bicycle traffic would be allowed to travel in both directions on all one-way streets (on the street, bicycle signs with arrows in both directions)
3. Paint new bicycle lanes on King and
4. One-Way Street will encourage increased Bicycle use throughout the neighborhood.
Emergency Vehicles:
It is important that all Fire, Ambulance and Police vehicles have full access to all streets, regardless of One-Way or “Do Not Enter” sign posts. The over-all design keeps this need in mind.
1. One-Way Streets – Emergency Vehicles would be exempt from One-Way streets. No One-Way street is more than a few hundred feet and should allow for easy pull-over by traffic on these streets if encountering an Emergency Vehicle.
2. “Do Not Enter” signs can be ignored by emergency vehicles (as they
are now on Baldwin and
3. The elimination of the roundabout on King, improves Emergency Vehicle access.
4. Speed-humps should be spaced and be of such height not to impede Emergency Vehicle traffic.
New Information Since The
Initial Proposal
·
The cost of implementing this plan is approximately $30,000.
·
Safeway as indicated a willingness to contribute to this
effort.
·
The traffic consultants for Safeway (Fehr & Peers)
agree that:
1. Our plan
would reduce cut-through traffic in the neighborhood.
2. Would not impact the Safeway
project.
·
The City Public Works department saw no non-conforming or
un-safe elements to the plan and agreed with
the estimated cost figures.
·
We have removed two of the one-way streets to reduce the impact
on Escalona.
·
Alta Vista neighbors have contributed their traffic
solutions to this plan.
Summary:
This
plan takes the entire neighborhood’s traffic needs into account, provides
improvements to bicycle traffic, and addresses Emergency Vehicle concerns.
Together the Traffic Flow and Traffic Calming will neutralize the traffic
issues created by the approved Traffic Light. Further, it addresses
We are requesting the one-way street
section of this plan be installed for a nine to twelve month trial period at
the end of which time its effectiveness and acceptance will be determined.
Addendum:
In response to concerns in the Alta Vista neighborhood up the hill, we have
incorporated a Do Not Enter Sign at
© 2007 Concerned Citizens for the
Safety and Improvement of Our Neighborhood