From: TheFx Person <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 3, 2024 9:56 AM
To: City Clerk Group
Subject: 09/03/2024 City Council Meeting Comments
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I have two comments on tonight's agenda:
Old Town Goleta Restriping
I want to thank the city council for the restriping of Hollister through Old Town Goleta. Since living in Goleta, I have actively avoided travelling to Old Town by bicycle. Two lanes of traffic in each direction, narrow bike lanes, and views of side streets obstructed by parked cars made me fearful to bike through the corridor. Further, I did not drive to Old Town often either; driving through was stressful, and it was challenging to find parking to visit local businesses. Since the restriping, Old Town is much more pleasant for me to visit. I feel safer cycling on Hollister through Old Town. As a driver, it is less stressful to navigate because there are fewer lanes of traffic, and it is much easier for me to find parking. I am very pleased that Old Town Goleta is becoming a safer and more pleasant place to live and visit.
Lowering Speed Limits
I encourage the city council to adopt the ordinance lowering speed limits on critical corridors throughout Goleta. Lowering speed limits on roads with high volumes of bicycle and pedestrian traffic is critical to ensure the safety of all road users.
However, simply changing speed limit signs will not completely lower speeds without extensive and costly enforcement. Changing a sign does not change the design of the road, and Goleta's wide lanes and open roads, much like a freeway, visually tell a driver that it is safe to drive fast on these roads. When funding is available, I highly encourage that the city implements changes to make these roads feel slower to drivers in a way that matches the speed limit. For instance, narrowing driving lanes where appropriate, and reallocating the space to create a protected buffer for bike lanes. If a road is being completely reworked, right-size the road to eliminate additional pavement maintenance costs, or expand planted medians to make our town safer and more beautiful.
Thank you for your consideration,
Parker Carlson