Misleading commentary
Lynn and Russell Marr’s Community Commentary contains numerous false, misleading and nonsensical statements regarding the already-approved improvements to N. Highway 101. Cyclists are not “primarily riding in packs” or “mostly southbound” or “on weekends, not so much during the week.”
Yes, there are cyclists who ride with others, and more on the weekends, but plenty of individual riders seven days a week, including commuters and students, as well as recreational cyclists and those riding for athletic training. Wherever they’re going, they also come back, so the northbound and southbound numbers are similar. The Marrs mentioned that the northbound lane diet won’t effect pedestrians on the west side or slow southbound traffic (they stated this twice). Duh! The speed limit has recently been lowered to 35 mph. If cars are going faster it’s a law enforcement issue. They also mentioned traffic circles, which are not even part of this project! It’s just resurfacing the road and painting lines. I am looking forward to the improvements.
Gerry Rahill,
Leucadia
Lawsuit filed against Del Mar
Did you know that a commercial property owner in Del Mar has filed a $14,762,000-plus attorneys and legal costs lawsuit against the City of Del Mar? You won’t believe what it is all about!
After the city adopted an over-whelming volume of Zoning Code regulations for developers and residents to abide by, this commercial property owner has produced a very extensive list of commercial property developments that have been approved, and allowed to proceed, over the years in alleged violation of adopted zoning code regulations. Looking at the list, it would appear the property owner has a legitimate case against the city, but it will be up to the court.
We are beginning a New Year with two new Council members who have not been involved with any of these alleged violations. Let’s hope that henceforth the City Council, with accurate advice from the City Attorney, will make sure future developments will only be approved per the adopted regulations of the city and state, as interpreted by the ordinary and customary use of the English language.
Please, no more twisting of the rules and language, which may lead to expensive lawsuits.
Ralph Peck,
Del Mar
Dwindling open space in Carlsbad
Tried to get to the freeway lately or drive at the interface between Oceanside and Carlsbad on College? Traffic is about to get a whole lot worse with the HUGE housing development being proposed behind Kohls. The developer, “McVillian” has submitted a plan to the City of Carlsbad for 656 home units — more than twice what it’s zoned for. This development called “Quarry Creek” would like to have homes on the hilltop directly facing the Historic Marron Adobe and wrapped around the (not yet opened to the public) Buena Vista Valley Ecological Reserve.
To visualize the effects of this monstrosity please come to the West end of Haymar Dr. (off College) at 10 a.m. Jan 26, where you can see the extent of what we are about to loose and take a stroll into the Reserve. With a large public outpouring of all North County Residents this can be scaled back. Call the Mayor and Council at (760) 434.2808 or email them at [email protected] and ask them to keep development off the panhandle and follow existing zoning.
Take 5 minutes to view this video about the loss of open space in Carlsbad: http://youtu.be/OzvLHIxl7Ks
Yours in Conservation,
Kasey Cinciarelli,
Carlsbad
A day at the museum
A date requested a visit to the Oceanside Museum of Art. I had not gone there for a while. Three exhibits blew our minds. The Quilt Exhibit was so real in technique, that unless you stood close you would think they were paintings.
The abstract exhibit was for true contemplation. The monster exhibit over-powered me and I asked my date if we could leave. I would say the exhibits have something for every member of the family. I’m not sure how long each will be there, but go see them. You won’t regret doing so.
William Hart,
Carlsbad
6 comments
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Thanks for your fabulous comments, Augie Moondoggie Alvarez. Love your name; you’ve offered insightful, well spoken, and logical, compassionate reasons why this issue of lane closure, and down the line, “roundabouts” should be vetted before the Traffic, Environmental and Planning Commissions. This would allow for more public participation and input, as well as careful consideration at open hearings before more objective Commissioners, who are typically quite expert in their fields.
I am with the Marrs on this one. I lived on both Vulcan at Jupiter and on Neptune at Leucadia Blvd for years and I’m very familiar with the traffic situations, foot-traffic, skateboard-traffic, bicycle-traffic and auto-traffic. I now live in South Oceanside near Hwy 101 and Cassidy St. My experience with Leucadia and Encinitas goes back as far as 1969 when I was 7 years old. In 1970 I was riding shotgun with my aunt as she tried to turn left onto Hwy 101 eastbound from Pheobe St and got T-boned by a speeding car traveling south. Fast forward 43 years and the speed limits have just now been reduced to 35 mph in the business district of Leucadia. The stretch of highway between La Costa Ave and Encinitas Blvd has a total of 3 cross walks; north side of Leucadia Blvd, Marcheta St at Juanitas, and Encinitas Blvd. Notice I didn’t include La Costa Ave. There is only 1 stop sign (Marcheta) and one stop light within this stretch of highway.
Where are all the stop signs and cross walks? Just because you can only cross the train tracks (legally) at Leucadia Blvd, doesn’t mean that it’s not dangerous!!. You often see elderly ladies as well as surfers, young yuppies with puppies and hippies cross the tracks to get to the beach access. When I lived on Vulcan, I did it myself, illegal as it is, just as illegal as all the team cyclists that run stop signs and speed southbound on “One-Way” northbound Neptune Ave. The locals use the sidewalks to ride beach-cruisers, as do the skateboarders and pedestrians, usually slowly passing each other quite courteously.
yeah, riding skateboards and beach cruisers on the sidewalk is not legal, but there are as many sheriffs around to enforce that as there are to cite the cyclists wizzing past stop signs. The sheriff are all over Hwy 101 in Leucadia, however, at closing time at the Leucadian. Now onto the subject of “special interests” trying to rush through the traffic circles, they obviously have never tried to walk across the ped-crossings on Leucadia Blvd. you never know if someone’s gonna turn in front of you since their turn signals to turn right, are seldom flashing as the steering wheel is held to the left to navigate around them. Have you ever tried to turn left while holding your blinker onto the opposite direction…while trying to text or hold your cell to your ear. Hmmmm, maybe a traffic study should hold this into consideration. Oh and by the way, if you ever wonder why you always see cycle teams mostly heading south in big clumps, but not so much going north? Just take the metro rail north into Orange County and you’ll for sure be sitting within earshot of some sweaty doctors and lawyers in very revealing lycra shorts and uncomfortable shoes with their $3000 bikes. A lovely trip indeed. As I said, i live in So. O right now, but my heart still lives in Leucadia, and if my higher power wills it, my body will soon follow, as well as my big mouth and my BFO. In South O, the cyclists are a bit less brazen on the hwy, they generally ride on Pacific and along the rail trail, By the way, Solana Beach has a very nice, albeit very expensive and over the top, rail-trail. Leucadia has room on the east side of the Hwy by the tracks, if it wouldn’t be such an inconvenience for the cyclists (not locals on beach cruisers) ride in throngs safely. What a concept, pave the mud traps. Who knows what the answer is? I just know that locals need to be heard in volume and that Lynn Marr has an excellent point to refer to Traffic, Environment (duh, Leucadia is original home of hippies) and Planning Commissions to do their due diligence. the city seems to give plenty of greif to anybody trying to add onto their home, well unless you wanna build 20 “Executive Homes” on 1 lot.
cheers dudes.
I am with the Marrs on this one. I lived on both Vulcan at Jupiter and on Neptune at Leucadia Blvd for years and I’m very familiar with the traffic situations, foot-traffic, skateboard-traffic, bicycle-traffic and atou-traffic. I now live in South Oceanside near Hwy 101 and Cassidy St. My experience with Leucadia and Encinitas goes back as far as 1969 when I was 7 years old. In 1970 I was riding shotgun with my aunt as she tried to turn left onto Hwy 101 eastbound from Daphne St and got T-boned by a speeding car travelling south. Fast forward 43 years and the speed limits have just now been reduced to 35 mph in the business district of Leucadia. the stretch of highway between La Costa Ave and Encinitas Blvd has a total of 3 cross walks; north side of Leucadia Blvd and Marcheta St at Juanitas, and Encinitas Blvd. Notice I didn’t include La Costa Ave. There is only 1 stop sign (Marcheta) and one stop light within this stretch of highway.
Where are all the stop signs and cross walks? Just because you can only cross the train tracks (legally) at Leucadia Blvd, doesn’t mean that it’s not dangerous!!. You often see elderly ladies as well surfers, young yuppies with puppies and hippies cross the tracks to get to the beach access. When I lived on Vulcan, I did it myself, illegal as it is, just as illegal as all the team cyclists that run stop signs and speed southbound on “One-Way” northbound Neptune Ave. The locals use the sidewalks to ride beach-cruisers, as do the skateboarders and pedestrians, usually slowly passing each pother quite courteously.
yeah, riding skateboards and beach cruisers on the sidewalk is not legal, but there are as many sheriffs around to enforce that as there are to cite the cyclists wizzing past stop signs. The sheriff are all over Hwy 101 in Leucadia, however, at closing time at the Leucadian.
oops, I wasn’t finished…read the next entry please for the full opinion
What is misleading is Gerry Rahill’s untrue opinion that my husband’s and my commentary “contains numerous false, misleading and nonsensical statements.” Gerry provides no facts to back up his contentions against us. That is why we advocate that the Traffic Commission, Environmental Commission and Planning Commission should get involved with actually quantifying, qualifying and analyzing the statistics, that is COUNTING the number of bicyclists riding both northbound and southbound, and on both Neptune and North Highway 101 during the week and on weekends. The same should be done for motor vehicle traffic, with the exception that motor vehicles can only travel northbound on Neptune.
Why would anyone oppose making an accurate count so that, as mandated by California Environmental Quality Act law, the City can make a finding that operational characteristic adequacy would, or would not be negatively impacted by lane elimination, for motorists on Historic State Highway North 101?
The reason I brought up pedestrians is because it has been maintained to the City by Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association and by “lobbyists/workshop facilitators Peltz and Associates that northbound lane elimination for motorists, as part of the North 101 Streetscape Project would enhance, walkability and bicycle ride-ability, when this has not been demonstrated to be the case.
We doubt that Gerry Rahill lives west of North Highway 101. If he did, he would understand the huge challenges residents trying to turn left onto the highway, to go Northbound, already experience. If all cars were funneled into one lane, the back ups that already occur would take twice as long to clear, and resident motorists would have an almost impossible task trying to go north. We would be further walled in. Also, more traffic slowing on the highway and gridlock, would lead to more cut through traffic racing on our residential streets adjacent to North 101, including on Vulcan, a school zone, and along Neptune, which is used daily by people going to and from the beaches, pedestrians of all types, including people walking dogs, pushing baby strollers, many BICYCLISTS, skaters, skateboarders and kids playing in front of their homes. All of us would also be negatively impacted by slower emergency response times in area already subpar according to City and Fire Dept. industry standards!
Why would Gerry Rahill or anyone else be afraid of ascertaining the true facts by having Council refer this to the Traffic Commission, the Environmental Commission and the Planning Commission for further consideration and actual, verifiable collection and analyzation of pertinent data? I look forward to Council’s reviewing the lane diet and the North 101 Streetscape to make sure they are “doing the correct thing,” as is now set for an agenda item. Maybe Mr. Rahill can explain then why he feels that his opinions as a bicyclist should come before our concerns as adjacent residents. The needs of the bicycling community are important, but must be balanced with the needs of the community and the neighborhood, as a whole, including the elderly and the disabled.
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