Fred's case for the Leucadia Streetscape

Fred Caldwell presented a slideshow at the council meeting but that was off the cuff and a lot of fun. But the video we saw at the meeting did not have the actual audio. Watch the above video and listen to Fred's amazing commentary.

The Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse

A black muslim president who was really born in Kenya,

Dudes getting married,

Roundabouts in Leucadia.

HOW DID IT COME TO THIS???

Streetscape council meeting reactions

Did you attend the big city council streetscape meeting or watch it on tv or watch the live webcast?

What is your reaction? Please post your thoughts in the comments section.

(please be respectful to people with opposing opinions)

*The NCT has already posted it's story online click to read.

Leucadia Mornings Networking, Thurs Jan 14 8am

Leucadia Mornings Networking: Tomorrow, Jan. 14th at 8 am is the new Thursday morning networking meeting at Auggie's House of Crab, located at 1468 N. Coast Hwy 101. If you want to meet and chat with your fellow fascinating Leucadians.

Streetscape meeting on Ch 19 right now

Streetscape plans 4A vs 5

It's the battle of the streetscape plans.

Plan 4A contains all the bells and whistles. Roundabouts, sidewalks, tree planting, bike lanes, reverse angle parking and a reduction of the north bound lane.

Plan 5 is more minimalist with no roundabouts and basic beautification of the 101 Leucadia corridor.
EDIT-Plan 5 calls for adding new traffic signals at El Portal and Grandview.

City councilman Jerome Stocks suggested there may be another plan that combines elements of both 4A and 5.

From the North County Times, The council's expected to tell city planners which of the two it prefers so that the project can move into the final design stages. Construction work is expected to occur over several years.

"If I had to predict anything, I would predict that the council will likely come up with yet another alternative that somehow blends various elements of 4A and 5," Stocks said Thursday. "That would be consistent with what I've experienced over the years."

Check out the different streetscape plans on the city website.

What plan do you prefer? 4A or 5?

Let's count the dog poop at Orpheus Park

Video by Steve Meiche.
Leucadia Blog: Letter of Complaint to the City of Encinitas

Surfrider-Washed

Jim Moriarty the CEO of Surfrider made a cameo appearance at Swamis today.

Jim looked super stoked. The weather was perfect, the waves head high with clean lines. I was wondering if Jim was thinking, "This is why we love North County, but I sure wish there was a contest today." Surfrider folks have said some zany things over the years.

So, I did an impromptu interview with Jim. I appears that the promoters of the surf contest are leading sponsors to believe that Surfrider is on board with the contest. Jim said that Surfrider has not taken a position to back the surf contest at Swamis. That squares with Surfrider's #2 mission.

2. SURFRIDER promotes the right of low-impact, free and open access to the world's waves and beaches for all people. SURFRIDER acts to preserve this right of access.

Jim said that when the community sees the restricted access that contests require as a negative, Surfrider supports the community. I was surprised to hear this.

There are people who support "the" contest. I've not heard anyone say that, in principle, that the lack of Swamis contests is bad. They like the promoter and in the case of one council member, the promoter has been here longer than any of you, so we should give her the contest.

The City should decide if, and how many contests we should have each year, and under what conditions. Then slots for the contests should be competitively granted and the contest operators on the hook for living up their promises. Why is that a bad idea?

The contest promoter has claimed that the contest is not even the main part of the event (that's weird). We should decide how many street fairs we are going to have each year. If the contest has a big street fair, should there be another street fair several weeks later? Recall: this will be the biggest thing ever to happen to Encinitas.

Boycott the LA Fire Dept

Traffic plans will interfere with fire safety, by David Smith

The city of Encinitas must be held responsible and accountable for its plans to “improve,” or change, Coast Highway.

Our community has been unsuccessful in getting the city to agree to make the changes in a such a way that they will not negatively affect Fire Department access to our homes west of the highway.

This is a time-critical issue as the Encinitas City Council will be voting on the plan at its regular meeting Wednesday.

The plan, called “North Coast Highway 101 Streetscape Project,” is an outline that will likely change Coast Highway in a way that not only will fail to meet, but will fall significantly below, Encinitas Fire Code specifications, Encinitas General Plan specifications and Encinitas Road Standards specifications.

These changes will certainly impede and delay the potential emergency response times to the community of about 1,000 homes west of Coast Highway between Encinitas Boulevard and La Costa Avenue and the three dedicated beach accesses in the area.

There are two options in consideration and up for City Council review on Wednesday.

One is “option 4A” and the other “option 5.” They both implement “traffic calming measures” that will significantly delay Fire Department response abilities.

The most drastic is option 4A. This option will incorporate multiple one-lane roundabouts that are below U.S. Department of Transportation size specifications for a four-lane major arterial right-of-way such as Coast Highway, and a complete elimination of a northbound lane for approximately two miles. The new planned northbound lane will have an overall improved width of 20 feet, curb to curb, with roundabout entrances at 16 feet.

Currently, the Encinitas Fire Department does not meet its response time goal of five minutes or less 80 percent of the time to the 1,000 homes in the area of the mentioned above.

According to records provided to me by Encinitas Fire Department, in the last three years it has met the response goal of five minutes or less only 45 percent of the time. Also, it cannot provide any precedent for a major arterial right-of-way like Coast Highway being changed as proposed in the leading options.

I have been employed by the Los Angeles Fire Department for the past 23 years as a firefighter/paramedic and a firefighter/engineer, and I have been driving fire engines and ambulances for the city of Los Angeles for the past 20 years. I have a firsthand working knowledge of how road design and traffic conditions can potentially delay response times, and how these potential delays can negatively affect the overall outcomes for people and property that need the service of a fire department.

Since April, we have made multiple attempts to contact and inform our City Council and city management of our concerns via letters, phone calls, community petitions, e-mails and attendance at council meetings and project workshops. We have received minimal to no response from the city.

What we would like see from the city is a serious response to our concerns and some investigation into what other municipalities have done to accommodate both walking paths and bike paths near railroad tracks, as has been done in San Clemente, instead of compromising a major arterial right-of-way like Coast Highway as the current plans will do.

Smith is an Encinitas resident.

Are these Walkable?

No auto traffic. Next to bus routes.

Good Lighting

Plaza like

Art by Encinitas Resident

Hush Puppy "Mall Walkers"

Definitions of Walkable

Fred's: Leucadia's business district means just about any flat surface that doesn't trip you, or make you wade through quagmire.

Anon's: True walkable communities you step out your door in the nice open air and walk or ride your bike to your destination while enjoying the outdoors, sun, moon, breeze, other animals, neighbors, and all local the community.

Anon 1139: Walkable is a touchy, feel good marketing term to get people to take mass (or group) transit.

Leucadia 101 and the long dark winter

Now that the holidays are over and the festive lights are coming down we are entering several months of the long dark. Driving down the 101 and entering Leucadia in the winter is dismal and depressing. The street lighting is terrible to non-existent and most of the businesses close early and do not have any ambient lighting to make the coast highway a cool place to cruise or walk at night.

Once the town settles on a streetscape design I would really like to see some lighting elements installed, especially in the center median. I want old timey streetlamps to line the coast highway like in downtown Encinitas (not the tall imposing streetlights that actually create a creepy vibe).

At the very least our Leucadia sign should be lighted. Sheesh.

However, the streetscape is still a long way off. Are there any temporary lighting measures we can do so that our winters are a little more cheery? What is the most energy efficient and environmental way to achieve this?

Streetscape on City Council Agenda, Wed Jan 13 !!!

A City Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, the 13th of January 2010 at 6:00 p.m., to review and discuss the plan alternatives, 4a and 5, of the North Coast Highway 101 Streetscape Project. The City Council meeting will be held in the Council Chambers; Encinitas Civic Center; 505 S. Vulcan Avenue; Encinitas, CA 92024.

In early 2008, the City initiated a streetscape project to enhance the North Coast Highway 101 corridor. Community input has been heavily utilized to create design concepts for beautification, landscape, pedestrian, circulation, and parking improvements for an approximate two mile stretch from A Street to La Costa Avenue. To date, four community workshops and additional public meetings and presentations have been held to receive citizen input in developing the project design. To allow for additional public input related to project alternatives, the City conducted a fourth Community Workshop at which time two plan alternatives, 4a & 5 were presented along with the results of additional traffic analysis. Following the workshop, the plan alternatives were on display at City Hall and available for review to allow for additional public input.

The January 13th meeting is being held to receive public comment and to allow City Council to review and discuss the plan alternatives. An overview of the design & community participation process, the project plan alternatives, workshop results, design and traffic calming concepts and traffic analysis will be presented by the project consultants. Additionally, staff will be seeking Council direction on which plan alternative, Plan 4a or 5, the City should pursue.

more info on the City of Encinitas website

Medicine Man

Lane Ends

Guest Editorial

As a longtime Leucadia resident, I am profoundly concerned about the prospect of losing one lane of northbound traffic on Highway 101. Sometimes experts and citizens alike can’t predict the consequences of changing traffic patterns. In the mid-90s the city of Solana Beach, urged on by nearby residents and consultants, erected a stop sign at Ocean St. and Highway 101. The result was nothing less than disastrous. Southbound traffic backed up in the morning past Chesterfield Ave. Residents soon discovered the noise, exhaust and traffic levels increased to the point that the stop sign was thankfully removed. Fortunately, for Solana Beach the fix was quick, cheap and easy.

My concern is the possible traffic nightmare resulting from shutting down one lane of traffic will be too costly to reverse. Coming home from the south in the late afternoon could be the most unpleasant part of the day. That, however, is not my biggest concern. Has anyone considered the prospect of an emergency evacuation from the south? We saw this scenario unfold in Texas with residents attempting to evacuate urban areas. Restricting traffic flow without the ability to temporarily restore the disabled traffic lane in the event of an emergency seems shortsighted and possibly dangerous.

R. Young