High hopes for Sharrows
I recently tried out the new sharrows and bike lane on northbound Highway 101 and congratulate the Encinitas City Council and the Traffic Engineering department on a job well done. I have high hopes for the upcoming corresponding sharrows project on the southbound side of the road.
All the best,
John Eldon,
Encinitas
Yes, let’s get the facts straight on the Streetscape plan
Despite my writing the explicit headline “Streetscape: The wrong plan for north Highway 101” and following it with about 700 explanatory words in my Jan. 25 Coast News commentary, Patricia Bell got it wrong and misrepresented my views in her Feb. 8 commentary.
I stand by my Jan. 25 commentary.
Doug Fiske
Leucadia
1 comment
Sharrows should help to slow traffic, and they should improve bicycle safety. Lane elimination for motorists ONLY on the north side of North 101 through Leucadia is uncalled for. Safety statistics do not support the need. The one bicyclist tragedy that was repeated OVER AND OVER at the Jan. 30 Council Meeting, involved a drunk driver drifting over to lane two, at 1 IN THE MORNING!
Having a bicycle lane there, would not have prevented the accident. Council didn’t ask the bicyclists present on Jan. 30 where the accidents they described took place, or when, or even from what city the bicyclist had been induced, to attend the council meeting, through a rally held at Dudek the day before, Jan 29, or the rally promoted on Facebook by L101MA for the day of the Council Meeting. The FB page urged bicyclists to attend, in numbers, from cities outside of Encinitas. Council did not ask where, exactly, the problems were experienced. The Sharrows aren’t in contention by the CCC, only lane elimination.
Bicyclists reported issues with being doored, which was only applicable to SOUTHBOUND bicyclists, on the west side of the highway. There is no “nexus” between issues with being doored and eliminating a lane for motorists going northbound. Council was swayed by hubris and hyperbole to do the wrong thing.
With respect to Doug Fiske’s letter to the editor and his previous Community Commentary, he’s “right on the money!” Council is catering to special interests, not to the needs and desires of our community, and not to the requirements of the Coastal Act and our Local Coastal program. Patricia Bell’s commentary, negatively referring to Doug Fiske’s accurate Jan 25 commentary, was itself false and misleading in saying that the Leucadia 101 Streetscape has been “thoroughly vetted.” It clearly hasn’t, hence the fact that the Coastal Commission, ITSELF is appealing Council’s unwise decision to “short-cut” the traffic analysis required to complete environmental review.
In fact, why couldn’t this question be added to the special election ballot, which we will probably have, due to right to vote on upzoning initiative? If L101MA and the bicyclist clubs are so sure the “community” is behind the Leucadia 101 Streetscape project, we should be able to vote at the special election, or at the general election in 2014.
The results would show that most Encinitas residents aren’t in favor of it! Roundabouts were voted down during the last General Election in Del Mar and in Cotati California. They were installed, then had to be removed in Santa Rosa, California!
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