From: Robin B. < >
Sent: Monday, September 9, 2024 9:01 PM
To: Laura Sparks <[email protected]>
Cc: Ben Ford <[email protected]>; Susan Harvey <[email protected]>; Kay Rivers <[email protected]>; Sylvia Lemus <[email protected]>; Kevin Patterson <[email protected]>
Subject: Rte 116 pedestrian crossing need
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Dear Mayor and Council Members,
Being unable to attend this Tuesday's session, I am instead sending an email to add my voice on behalf of pedestrians, cyclists and the disabled, all users of Walkable Cotati.
This business of the new pedestrian crossing on 116 is a test of our ability to see ahead even further than we might be doing. This is an opportunity for Cotati to continue its smart outlook for future times that include a housing development right nearby that will include, no doubt, walking people who want to take advantage of Walkable Cotati, that can easily include common sense practices - and buildouts in this case - that honor how we wish to keep recreation and safety in proper balance to the car population.
Speaking as a senior with disabilities who uses walking as an exercise, speaking as a proponent of safe bicycling and all around safety, which resulted in the very good crossing of East Cotati avenue at Charles Street where I live, along with bicycle lanes back about a dozen years ago, I can see no good and proper reason why this safety feature for this new and rather dangerous crossing on 116 just as cars barrel in from the west especially, can't be the safest possible way to go, and with very little variation from the plan that apparently lacks what amounts to a rather easy addition extension - for the safety of people on their two feet, for people in wheelchairs, for people crossing - walking with their bikes.
If this is some kind of a political log jam or a power problem, let's resolve it in the direction of smart safety. Thank you. Add in the nose/bulb part. Move forward for the citizens you represent. Appreciating your service,
Robin Birdfeather, citizen here for 23 years Charles Street, Cotati