Thursday, October 08, 2009

Streetscape Workshop #4 this Saturday

Workshop #4 – Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009; 9 am – 12 noon; Banquet Room, Encinitas Community & Senior Center


I cannot attend workshop #4 because I have a booth at the Sacred Craft Surfboard Expo in Del Mar this weekend. http://www.sacredcraftexpo.com/ (check my other blog Surfy Surfy to see what that is all about, http://www.surfysurfy.net/

Stray observations:

I am taking full credit for creating the streetscape movement. This blog was instrumental in defeating the Redevelopment Agency and all along I quacked that Leucadia should have a streetscape like downtown Encinitas had a streetscape. By taking full credit you can also blame me if you hate the idea.

I still believe that if we pass on the streetscape opportunity that in a few years we will either have an unstoppable  Redevelopment Agency rammed down our throats or, the city will just cut off downtown Leucadia from all funding, cut down all our trees and invest zero money in even basic infrastructure. Then we will truly see what "don't change a thing" means as we watch our coastal corridor crumble and decay. What will Leucadia look like then when my 2 year old son is my age?

When the streetscape movement began very few people knew about roundabouts. I have no idea who introduced this concept to Encinitas. Roundabouts have been the most controversial aspect of the streetscape. People seem to love them or hate them. Here is what I think, the roundabouts will do everything the believers promise they will IF  the Leucadia Blvd intersection is no longer a full stoplight. When the intersection is flashing red, as it has been quite a bit lately, traffic flows smoothly and quickly. When it is a normal stoplight traffic backs up and people get frustrated. I think that the roundabout concept is pointless if traffic is backing up at Leucadia Blvd which is currently the only part of the road you can realistically call a "choke point".

The second most controversial aspect of the streetscape is the single north bound lane. I hated this idea at first but have now warmed up to it, especially considering the hostile NCTD and the incredibly dangerous lack of a bike lane. I'm not buying the "evacuation suicide" scare tactic of a single lane.

If we can just choose a plan then we can have fun working on the details like what trees and flowers to plant, where the benches go, what kind of streetlamps to use and all that other stuff.

If we pick a plan then we will know how much it is going to cost. It is still unclear to me how we are funding this thing.

I support a streetscape for Leucadia. Do I worry about gentrification? A little bit. But I think Peltz & Assoc. grok our vibe down here in Leucadia. I am cautiously optimistic.

I await your destruction of my opinions in the comments section.

36 comments:

  1. ...and you were right.

    More importantly you are steeping up and offering your opinion on an important topic.

    Ok time to take my shot at J.P.

    Hey, run for council, you're a very gifted and natural leader.

    Modest too. (tounge in Cheek)

    a fan.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Insert witty criticism and hate here......

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ignore the naysayersOctober 08, 2009 8:32 PM

    Q-"What will Leucadia look like when my 2 year old son is my age?"
    A- A ghetto!!!

    Support the streetscape.
    Ignore the naysayers.
    Get in the face of council members and tell them you want a streetscape for Leucadia. NOW!!! Not in 20 years. NOW!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are WRONG and STUPID

    ReplyDelete
  5. A true LeucadianOctober 08, 2009 8:58 PM

    JP-


    Yu R Da Man!

    Run for council your logic and connection with the ocean and surf makes you a shoe in.

    Thanks for posting your thoughts.

    For that I will buy a Sweet Board from Surfy Surfy. I probably would have bought one anyway, but now I know you put your but and words on the line and I totally respect you!

    God and Encinitas bless Surfy Surfy. We are lucky to have a native with such integrity!

    ReplyDelete
  6. please remember the glory daysOctober 08, 2009 11:48 PM

    Surfboards don't work. Surfers are shit... anyone trying to ride a wave is weird.

    If you knew anything you would Know that Hwy101 was meant for Cars. and doing stupid things like trying to ride a wave is not what we want.


    Screw change and surfing. I wish people would just remember the past 20 years and quite thinking about the future.

    Get a life.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Supporting a design concept that answers the needs of our future is appropriate and wise.
    Don't compromise. One lane on portions of 101 and round abouts are the best solutions for our identified needs, with the only drawbacks being they are change, although good. I welcome this change.
    Thank you JP. You have provided a valuable forum for our community and, (in this case), I agree with you.
    .

    ReplyDelete
  8. I went to the library and viewed the plans for alternate four.
    Unless I am dazzled any other option that addresses our issues more effectively, I firmly believe that Atl. four will be the best design to hand down to our children.
    Support Four.
    oh, and thanks jp

    ReplyDelete
  9. You rock J.P. Without this forum, it would be difficult to have conversations about important CIty happenings. A big thank you- fade to black and role the credits:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Can we finally ALL work together to build a better more beautiful coastal community/streetscape 101?

    It's time to get on with it. As it it, this will take time. Don't ruin the effort over YOUR selfish and personal desires (e.g. "I don't like roundabouts", "I won't be able to get home with only one lane"...) Enough is enough.

    Be the Change YOU Want to See! If your preference is to live in a coastal community yet overloaded with cars, noise and unsafe to walk and bike in and is nothing more than an off-ramp for the freeway when it backs up, then I know a Realtor who can sell you a home flat dab on top of the I-5 with views of the traffic and aromas of exhaust. Maybe this is a better place for you?

    So now, let's get on with the business at hand and improve our impoverished 101 corridor! Resignation may be the key for you here and now. Thank you for your cooperation. The rest/most of us are in favor of this in case you did not notice. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Can we finally ALL work together to build a better more beautiful coastal community/streetscape 101?

    It's time to get on with it. As it it, this will take time. Don't ruin the effort over YOUR selfish and personal desires (e.g. "I don't like roundabouts", "I won't be able to get home with only one lane"...) Enough is enough.

    Be the Change YOU Want to See! If your preference is to live in a coastal community yet overloaded with cars, noise and unsafe to walk and bike in and is nothing more than an off-ramp for the freeway when it backs up, then I know a Realtor who can sell you a home flat dab on top of the I-5 with views of the traffic and aromas of exhaust. Maybe this is a better place for you?

    So now, let's get on with the business at hand and improve our impoverished 101 corridor! Resignation may be the key for you here and now. Thank you for your cooperation. The rest/most of us are in favor of this in case you did not notice. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. An illegal sign is posted at Beacon's beach instilling fear into locals about the Streetscape. (And of course not one word about restoring the canopy is in it.)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Can we finally ALL work together to build a better more beautiful coastal community/streetscape 101?

    People that usually say things like that really mean, Can we finally all agree with me and forget everyone else's opinion if it is different than mine.

    What are you willing to compromise? Willing to give up the trees? Willing to give up the bike lane? willing to give up roundabouts?

    Are you ready to compromise and work together. NO!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Peblo- Please take it down.

    ReplyDelete
  15. “A man does not plant a tree for himself; he plants it for posterity.”
    - Alexander Smith (1830-1867)

    ReplyDelete
  16. anon 10:21,

    Are you "afraid" of a sign. Don't let fear cause you to stifle public debate and democratic activity. Put up your own poster and do something to help your community.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am not afraid of much. I don't like Lies and Liars!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Are you a hater of liars? Do you fear lies will ruin the streetscape?

    ReplyDelete
  19. I like Alternative 4 because I want trees, a bike lane, wide sidewalks and slower traffic. It will be great for Leucadia, and will be change for the better.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm not a hater I just don't like them.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I like alternative 4 because it will make the area more safe, beautiful, and peaceful. Its all good!

    ReplyDelete
  22. There are in fact two signs posted at Beacons. I am not affiliated with the signs, and do not know who posted them.

    However, they don't instill fear in anyone except perhaps zyprexa users. They state that there are important changes under consideration. They list (some of) the potential changes, and encourage people to come to the workshops to express their views. They also include the time and location of the meetings.

    Lastly, if the signs would have been bias (in either direction), I would have removed them immediately.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Thanks Josh. I hope your going tomorrow. Its seems you have a level head.

    ReplyDelete
  24. The signs were also posted at Stonesteps and in front of Leucadia glass which is really in Old Encinitas. Wonder where they came from. Guess.

    ReplyDelete
  25. The signs are there for an important reason. Please come to any future workshops involving Beacons or Stonesteps. That is all I can say for now.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Very informative meeting this morning.
    It was apparent that Alt. 4 addressed All of the issues involved more effecively. The traffic study indicated there would be no negative impact with one lanes and round abouts, and would offer safer bike lanes, wider sidewalks, more parking, more trees and more efficient traffic and control speeds better.
    Sounds good to me.
    Go for Four.
    Ray and Rick were nice and joining the commuunity input civilly. Lynn was crossing out comments she did not like on the community input maps.

    ReplyDelete
  27. What impressed me, besides Alternative NO. 4 being more pedestrian and bicycle freindly, Its more effIcient for cars, and it costs relatively the same as alternative no. 5. Alternative No. 5 does very little to address the problems with the cooridor.

    Its a no brainer to go with Alternative No. 4.

    Great Job to Staff and the Design Team. You have designed a great project and make it an easy decision for City Council.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hmmmmm. Quite an exercise in irrelevance, ignorance, and selfishness. It's been a while since I've heard so many sentences with "me" and "I" in them. It's also been quite a while since I've been in a room with so many people who apparently have trouble crossing streets, parking in reverse, and more.

    Some of the commenters and questioners should be ashamed to call themselves "members" of the community. Here's a tip - your property taxes do not a community member make. Lastly, putting your wants over the needs of your community doesn't make you insightful, it's makes you selfish.

    With that being said, can we hurry up and do the damn thing already?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Roundabouts suck. Always will. 99.9% of those who think they are the gateway to the Garden of Eden are transplants AND have mental illness. Traffic on 1o1 is way down now that I5 is wider at Solana Beach. When they finish the next widening project to La Costa Ave we will have even less cut through traffic.
    There are a hundred other reasons not to install roundabouts, but your mental illness is not an excuse for them.
    Alternative 6 is leave it alone.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Good luck with that.

    ReplyDelete
  31. 753- Too funny. Your points make no sense. Stay in your world of darkness.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hey Josh.

    I don't understand your point. Of course people say I and me. When we post we only present our own opinion. We should never be so arrogant to think we know what other people think or want.

    Your points always seem rational to "me". Maybe "I" am missing something. Can you elaborate?

    With that said, "I" prefer to address the roads deficiencies and make the road support the surrounding community, not work against it. "I" support Alternative 4.

    Whats your thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
  33. I read into Josh's comments that the it was the folks at the workshop who were commenting on the I and Me and a self centered opinion but not on a best for the community way.

    anyway.

    4 is the plan.

    ReplyDelete
  34. My issue is that I could tell you where most of the (selfish) commeters live by the contrived comments they made. The people in question are doing a lot more thinking of their OWN interests than those of THEIR community. These are the same type of people that will bitch that their property values will drop (if god forbid someone puts in roundabouts), but will fail to mention their house is worth 40% less than it was 4 years ago.

    One gentleman commented that he lives on Hermes, and that traffic speeds increases on Hermes as traffic increases on Leucadia. I can sympathize with him, but let's address the issue a hand, people speeding on Hermes. WTF does that have to do with the streetscape? If we build 5, will that stop people from speeding on Hermes? Hell no.

    The same goes for the argument about increased traffic on Neptune. If the speed limits on Neptune were enforced, who would WANT to use it as a shortcut?

    Lastly, I'm a cyclist. To the non-cyclist commenting on the difficulty of "crossing" a roundabout.... So, you're the guy who rides on the sidewalk huh? Are you also the one who rides the bike lane backwards? If so, I WILL elbow check you. Now get back into the street where WE belong. I promise you the "suicide circles" aren't nearly as deadly as they seem.

    One woman said it best - "I won't die if they put in traffic lights, and he won't die if they put in roundabouts"

    Let's start the conversation where it starts - LEUCADIA...not on some arbitrary point that's relevant only to someone on YOUR street.

    ReplyDelete
  35. It seems that roundabouts can be found in almost every country outside the USA and get this...THEY WORK!!!

    Its odd that so many people have no faith in them around here.

    Sounds like some slack jawed republican shit to me.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for posting on the Leucadia Blog.
There is nothing more powerful on this Earth than an anonymous opinion on the Internet.
Have at it!!!