CITY COUNCIL MEETING
AUGUST 15, 2023
DOCUMENTS RECEIVED AFTER
PUBLISHED AGENDA
PUBLIC COMMENTS
14 August 2023
To: Mayor and City Council
City of Hayward
From: John Ostarello – Hayward Resident
Re: Droughts and Roundabouts
Droughts.
I have read that the drought we have experienced for the last five years is over. I am sure that I am not saying anything new when I tell you we have another drought on the way.
In the past years I have heard repeatedly that the powers that be are “studying the problem.” I would like to suggest that the time for studying is over and that provisions for handling the next drought begin now.
The City has had some interesting ways of having the residents reduce water consumption during past droughts. The most popular was to allocate water to each residence based on the previous year’s usage.
I would like to suggest that this is NOT a good way to handle this problem. Why? It favors those who use the most water and penalizes those who conserve. In this scheme owners of swimming pools benefit with a water larger allotment and xeric believers are penalized.
The county of Alameda had a good solution during the drought of the early ‘70’s. They allocated a fixed number of gallons of water per day for each individual. Not only was this equitable, but it eliminated almost all enforcement measures. People had a choice. Water the lawn, take a long shower, fill the swimming pool, or drink it.
The City of Hayward is capable of doing this. The smart meters measure every flush of the toilet and every run of the dishwasher so it would be relatively easy to monitor water use.
Of course, there will be some mitigating. circumstances. Increase in family size or medical needs are examples.
I encourage the Council to establish policies now and at the same time encourage water conservation so that there will be no hand wringing and sleepless nights when the next drought arrives.
Roundabouts.
I would encourage you to exam the advantages of increasing the number of roundabouts in the City. Roundabouts have been shown to slow traffic at intersections and speed up traffic flow overall. Not only that, but roundabouts markedly decrease air pollution caused by automobiles idling. I know of two very good roundabouts in the County of Alameda and one good and one very poor roundabout in the City of Hayward. Take a look at the good ones: The intersection of Fairview and 5 Canyons Park Way, and the one at the intersection of Fairview and the Lone Tree Cemetery. In the city the intersection of Fairview and Hayward Blvd works well and looks good. One to avoid would be, again on Fairview, at Woodstock Rd. It's too small so that trucks, including fire trucks, have difficulty negotiating the turn. And, it has three stop signs. Who knows why.
Roundabouts are probably not for every intersection, but strategically placed roundabouts could be good for traffic and the environment. (Don’t confuse Roundabouts with Rotaries.)