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Anholm Bikeway Design Charrette

The Anholm Bikeway Design Charrette takes place this Thursday May 10th from 6:00PM to 8:00PM at the City/County Library, 995 Palm Street in SLO. (Lingo alert! A charette is an intensive planning session where citizens, designers and others collaborate on a vision for development. It provides a forum for ideas and offers the unique advantage of giving immediate feedback to the planners/designers/etc.)

 

SLO City Council asked staff to reach out to the community to develop plans which include diverters on Broad Street and traffic calming devices along the peripheral streets in an effort to shift vehicle traffic out of the neighborhood and onto Santa Rosa. This is your opportunity to suggest concepts to be considered in the Anholm Bikeway Plan.

Bike SLO County is asking for members in the bike community to come join in the workshop and provide a voice in support of safe routes for vulnerable roadway users and to increase ridership within our city. We anticipate many vocal residents who are opposed to any significant change to the roadways to show up and argue against any diverters, changes to circulation, or removal of parking. Bike SLO County needs you to come out and provide constructive suggestions that align with the City’s modal shift goal, climate action plan, and bike master plan. We believe that the best way to attract new riders is to provide more bicycle facilities like bike boulevards and protected bike lanes. Protected bike lanes have been discussed thoroughly and are considered the backup option if the bike boulevard approach is not received well or not likely to meet the city’s goals. This workshop will only focus on developing ideas for a bike boulevard with traffic calming and we want your to help shape that into something the bike community can support. 
 
The staff will take the suggestions developed during the workshop to the Active Transpiration Committee (formally Bike Advisory Committee) on May 17th. This will be another opportunity to voice your support. Staff will then continue to refine the plans for approval from the Planning Commission in July and from SLO City Council in August. 

 

Support the Preferred Alternative

On the evening of Tuesday, February 6 the San Luis Obispo City Council will have the opportunity to adopt the “Preferred Alternative” for the Anholm Bikeway plan (previously the Broad St. Bike Blvd). The Preferred Alternative includes protected bike lanes along Chorro St. while the less desirable Lincoln St. alternative relies heavily on sharrows. Both connect to the planned Safe Routes to School crossing on Foothill Blvd. Bike SLO County believes that the Lincoln St. alternative won’t do enough to raise ridership or increase safety for riders. You can learn more about the two alternatives at  https://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/189/Issue_3444

Bike SLO County urges you to consider taking one or more of the following timely actions before Tuesday’s meeting. See below for email template and attached for additional points to consider for both written and spoken comments):

1. Write an email to the city council (emailcouncil@slocity.org) supporting the Preferred Alternative. To ensure that City Council receives and reads your email, submit no later than noon on TuesdayFebruary 6th.
2. Submit your letter and comments here: https://www.peakdemocracy.com/portals/189/Issue_3444/
3. Write a letter to the editor and send via email to the Tribune (letters@thetribunenews.com) and the New Times (letters@newtimesslo.com)

At Tuesday’s meeting:

1. Attend to show your support and raise your hand when comments are made supporting the Preferred Alternative. Meeting takes place at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chamber, City Hall, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, California 93401.
2. Speak on behalf of the project.
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Email Template 

SUBJECT: Regarding Anholm Bikeway (Broad St. Bike Blvd)

Honorable Mayor and Council Members,

I’m writing to encourage the City Council of the City of San Luis Obispo to adopt the Preferred Alternative of the Anholm Bikeway (Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard) proposal. The Preferred Alternative creates safer streets for everyone — people who drive cars, people who ride bikes and people who walk. The Lincoln St. Alternative doesn’t do enough to raise ridership or increase safety for riders.

Additionally, the Preferred Alternative will play a major role in providing Safe Routes to School for students attending Bishop’s Peak and Pacheco Elementary schools.

Thank you for working to make SLO a better place to live,

YOUR NAME

Stand up for the Broad St Bicycle Boulevard

Tell the SLO City Council what you want

Monday, December 11, 2017

On Monday, Dec. 11th, there will be another community session to review the plans for bicycle improvements in the Chorro/Broad street corridor. Bike SLO County encourages you to attend the meeting to support safer bike and pedestrian facilities. If you are not able to attend, please spend a few minutes to send an email to the city council (emailcouncil@slocity.org) regarding the importance of this connector and safe route for all members of our community. Your email and/or attendance at the meeting will make a real difference.  There are people who don’t want to see the Broad St Bicycle Boulevard get built in any form and they have been very vocal about their opposition. Please take a few minutes to write to City Council or to attend the meeting on December 11th or both.

As it mentions in the information from the City of SLO below, you can read more about the project and past meetings here: (http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3444)
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Over the past year-and-a-half, the City has conducted numerous public engagement activities for the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan—a proposed transportation improvement plan with the goal of establishing a safe, low-stress through route for bicyclists and pedestrians connecting the downtown with neighborhoods, schools and other points of interest to the north. Most recently, a City Council Study Session was conducted on August 15th, 2017 to invite public input and evaluate potential alternatives for the most challenging segment of the proposed corridor—the middle portion between Lincoln Street and Ramona Drive.  The Study Session concluded with Council directing staff to complete the technical studies and concept designs for the corridor with the following alternatives:

• Preferred Alternative – Route alignment follows Chorro Street (Lincoln to Mission), Mission Street (Chorro to Broad) and Broad Street (Mission to Ramona). Eliminate on-street parking on one side of Chorro and Broad to provide width for dedicated protected/buffered bike lanes.
• Low-Impact Alternative – Route alignment follows Lincoln Street (Chorro to Mission), Mission Street (Lincoln to Broad) and Broad Street (Mission to Ramona). Route operates as bicycle boulevard (shared street) with markings, signage and low-impact traffic calming features to convey bicycle travel. Option includes no dedicated bike lanes or on-street parking removal.

Over the course of the project planning process, the City has conducted three community meetings to encourage neighborhood engagement to guide development of the Plan. A fourth community meeting will be held at the City/County Library on Monday, December 11th, 2017 at 6:00 PM to present the latest project materials. The agenda for this meeting includes:

1. Review of project background, Council Study Session, and other work completed to date
2. Staff presentation of refined concept designs and analysis:
a. Middle Segment (Lincoln to Ramona)
– Recommended Alternative: Broad & Chorro Protected/Buffered Bikeway
– Low-Impact Alternative: Lincoln Street Bike Boulevard Alignment
b. Southern Segment (Downtown to Lincoln)
c. Northern Segment (Ramona to Foothill)
3. Project Implementation (Phasing) & Performance Monitoring Strategies
4. Upcoming meetings and next steps

The goal of this upcoming meeting is to invite public input on the recommended project concept designs and implementation strategies prior to returning to the City Bicycle Advisory Committee (January 2018) and City Council (February 2018) for submittal of the Final Plan for consideration. Two weeks prior to the December 11th meeting, direct notifications will be mailed to all properties along Broad Street, Chorro Street and along cross streets within the vicinity of the corridor. City-wide notification of the meeting will be provided by advertisement in the Tribune, the City’s website and social media platforms approximately one week before the meeting.

Those whom cannot attend the meeting are encouraged to visit the project website (http://www.peakdemocracy.com/3444) to review meeting summaries, project materials, provide comments, and subscribe to project updates.

If you have any questions, please contact Project Managers Jennifer Rice and Luke Schwartz via phone or email as follows:

Jennifer Rice
Transportation Planner/Engineer
(805) 781-7058
jrice@slocity.org

Luke Schwartz
Transportation Planner/Engineer
(805) 781-7190
lschwartz@slocity.org

Advocacy Alert

San Luis Obispo Advocacy Alert

Stand up for the Broad St. Bike Boulevard and Safe Routes to School

The San Luis Obispo City Council will be meeting on Tuesday, August 15 to discuss three proposed concept plans for making the Broad/Chorro/Lincoln Street corridor safer for bicyclists. This project ties into the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) connections that will make our children safer. Your help is needed to help make sure that the streets of our community are safe for people who ride bikes, people who walk and people who drive cars – everyone.

How can you support Safe Routes to School and the Broad St. Bike Boulevard project?

1. Write a letter of support (see template below for a sample – please add your own personalization).
2. Attend the city council meeting (Tuesday, August 15. Items 15 and 17 on the agenda) — your simple attendance at the meeting and indication of your support will send a needed message to the City Council.
There are some residents of the neighborhood that want no change. The City Council is listening – let’s make sure we voice our support for safe riding for cyclists of all ages.
Sample  Letter Template (you can email it to the Mayor and City Council Members by clicking this email address:  emailcouncil@slocity.org )
Dear Mayor Harmon and City Council Members

On August 15, you will be asked to consider plans for a Broad Street Bike Blvd and other Safe Routes to Schools Plan improvements proposed for the Bishops Peak/Pacheco Elementary School area of town.  These plans are important to the long term residents and homeowners of the immediate area surrounding the two schools, Broad and Chorro Streets, as well as to people throughout SLO seeking to access the Foothill area from downtown and beyond. The Broad Street area and the SRTS Plan (which includes safe crossing options for Foothill Blvd. at Ferrini) should accommodate cyclists and pedestrians safely.

Through your leadership, this area can become safer for residents, cyclists, and pedestrians and help meet many City goals, including Vision Zero and those in the Climate Action Plan.  The planning has continued long enough and staff have done a great job of creating a thoughtful and participatory process. Now is the time to act on their work. If the City is serious about increasing multi-modal transportation and reducing car trips by 20%, we must connect downtown and the Foothill area with more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly routes.

Thank you

(Your Name)
(City of Residence)

SLO City Council Meeting
Tuesday August 15th Meeting begins at 6 PM
City Council Chamber, City Hall, 990 Palm Street, SLO (map)

Bicycle Boulevard

Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan Meeting #2

Ready for the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard?

On June 9th, 2016, the City of San Luis Obispo will hold the second community meeting to discuss the process of developing the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan, which improves bike options along Broad Street from Ramona Street south to Monterey Street.

The meeting takes place on Thursday June 9th, 2016 from 6-8 PM at the SLO County Public Library, 995 Palm St, SLO, CA 93403 (mapand is a great opportunity to provide your input to City staff in person. If you can’t make the meeting in person but would still like to convey your thoughts/concerns/enthusiasm you can do so online at this link:

 http://www.slocity.org/government/open-government/open-city-hall

According to the City of SLO’s press release:

The City of San Luis Obispo invites the public to attend the second neighborhood meeting for the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan. The meeting will take place on Thursday, June 9th, 2016, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the City/County Library, 995 Palm Street. As listed in the City’s Bicycle Transportation Plan, the project is intended to provide a through route for bicyclists and pedestrians serving the downtown core and neighborhoods to the north—along Broad Street from Monterey Street to Foothill Boulevard. The agenda for the second project meeting includes:

1. Staff presentation on work completed to date
2. Staff presentation on their preliminary design concepts
3. Design charrette, attendees develop & present their own concepts
4. Group discussion and critique of concepts

At the first meeting, the project was introduced and staff gained feedback on issues to be addressed and the type of bike boulevard that was desired. The goal of the 2nd meeting is to explore a range of design concepts and begin to narrow those concepts into a plan for the bike boulevard.

If you have any questions, please contact Project Managers Jennifer Rice (805) 781-7058 and Luke Schwartz (805) 781-7190

Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan Kick Off

In late March of 2016, the City of San Luis Obispo will hold an initial community meeting to begin the process of developing the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan, which improves bike options along Broad Street from Ramona Street south to Monterey Street.

The meeting takes place on March 24, 2016 from 6-8 PM at the SLO County Public Library, 995 Palm St, SLO, CA 93403 (map)

According to the City of SLO’s Press Release:

SLO emblem_rgb_for dk bkgd_sm“The City of San Luis Obispo invites you to a neighborhood meeting on Thursday, March 24, 2016, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at the City/County Library, 995 Palm Street, to kick of the process for developing the Broad Street Bicycle Boulevard Plan. The project is intended to provide a through route for bicyclists and pedestrians serving the downtown core and neighborhoods to the north. The Plan will look at Broad Street from Ramona Street toMonterey Street, including a future bicycle/pedestrian overcrossing of Highway 101. Your participation at this meeting is valuable and appreciated. To subscribe to project updates and/or provide feedback on the project, visit the City’s online forum at https://www.peakdemocracy.com/3444.

Project Managers Jennifer Rice and Luke Schwartz are also available and can be reached at JRice@slocity.org and LSchwartz@slocity.org, or via phone at (805) 781-7190.