Road Rage by Dorian Hargrove
excerpt,
Some believe the project has gone too far beyond simply beautifying the surrounding area with landscaping, benches, sidewalks, and lighting; others believe the plan should include traffic calming and additional parking, making businesses more accessible to the public.
To get things rolling again -- after a year of listening to the public and devising a plan -- at Wednesday’s council meeting, city staff recommended an additional public workshop and an additional traffic study by MW Peltz. The cost: nearly $86,000.
“You’ve got the whole community upset. You should just stop the whole project now,” said one Leucadia resident during the public comment portion of the meeting.
Another Leucadian, a retired firefighter, told the council the five roundabouts and reduced lane size would be an emergency-response worker’s nightmare and would put substantial delays in response time to area residents.
“I don’t understand where you guys are coming from,” said the resident.
While some residents opposed the project (mainly the roundabouts), others supported holding an additional workshop to see the project proceed. Some residents were chastised for using scare tactics to convince residents to oppose the project.
Who is it really for? Land owners that will benefit from improvements they don't pay for? What kind of taxes do they pay. Maybe someone could look up the property taxes paid each year by the owners of those parcels on 101. I'll bet it isn't much and the state gets most of that leaving the city with about 10%. Most of these Prop 13 low tax base parcels pay in the neighborhood of 800 to 2000 dollars a year. 10% of that is the city's take. Seems like a good deal for the rest us. Not!
ReplyDeleteI just drove down 101 (8:30 pm) tonight and what a happening place. Just like downtown. Not! The gas station had a customer, a few cars at the Leucadian, no one else till Papagayo and a few the rest of the way. No traffic the entire way. No need for roundabouts or single lanes. I just don't think your streetscape is going to morph Auggie's House of Crabs into Trattoria I Trulli or Leucadia Donut into St Tropez.
The rest of us are not drinking the Kool-Aid so stop with the madness and forget making Leucadia into something it will never be.
I love Leucadia just the way it is with the shops, stores and restaraunts. I patronize lots of them regularlly. This is the way it is, if you like roundabouts in Bird Rock or Oregon or Spain or England then go there. But leave this great town the way it is and has been for longer than most of you could find California on a map, let alone Encinitas.
9:04
ReplyDeleteagree. roundabouts are not historic and if there is an historic designation for Leucadia 101 then that settles that in my book. roundabouts are functional where appropriate for traffic calming, not for generation of business. birdrock crapped out big time. the only benefit of constructing those roundabouts was for the development team who was paid mucho money. besides, that look is uber ugly urban gross, aka UUUG. or as Dr. Suess would say BLECH!
Streetscape yes. Roundabouts no.
ReplyDelete3 friggin crybabies always trying to put down Leucadia and keep it junky!!! I own property on 101 and I pay plenty of taxes!! Taxes that the city uses for your stupid ass library or senior center but NOT FOR LUECADIA!! I want my share of this pie. I want landscaped center medians, I want sidewalks, I want trees!!!
ReplyDeleteYou idiots want to keep Leucadia ugly and junky.
Did you attend even one workshop about 101??
I went to all 4 workshops and also the bias, stupid, and hosebagger chamber of commerce lynching of the streetscape.( Oh It's gonna be interesting how the chamber wiggles out of the mess they have created for themselves, I hear the white collar crime division of the FBI might be asking to see some of the chambers......)Sad to see that they duped so many Leucadians into believing their crap. Good business people had the wool pulled over their eyes by Andreen and company. They are paying the price now.....
Roundabouts work just fine. I attended the city council meeting and listened to the ex LA firefighter moan and groan. Gee to think Leucadians taking advice from someone from LA. I thought you dopes hated LA people?? Oh yeah only if they come here to surf, but if they agree with you about roundabouts well then I guess that makes you...a hypocrite!!!
ROUND-ABOUTS WILL NOT WORK ON 101, they can't for one simple reason: merging is involved ! They work in Rome and Tijuana because it's multiple lane, a free-for-all, a picadilly circus. Two lanes merging into one is called a bottleneck, think Caltrans, orange cones, blinking fwy arrows... and what does it do to the flow of traffic? Add uncontrollable flow of cars from the 5 fwy, and wow, this would be ugly, add one pedestrian's right-of-way and the whole thing would stop/crawl, tempers...
ReplyDeleteReally, those who live within the 101, trapped by it, they need the biggest voice. Meanwhile, what a waste of money.
You know the best part of 101 in Carlsbad is Ponto but it is being taken by the city of Carlsbad using eminent domain because of the low tax base. They are giving it to investors for maximum development causing property taxes to skyrocket. Think this won't happen in Leucadia, think again. The Funky will be gone.
ReplyDeletePeople with no vision of the improvements that Leucadia needs and long deserves and waited for will hamper the process. The petition was negatively bias and stated untruths. The chamber position was the same. Leave things alone and the existing situation of deterioration of our area will continue and that is what we will hand down to our children.
ReplyDeleteThe vast majority of people who cared enough to attend all the workshops and became informed agree that the proposals deal with the needs of the area.
"Leave it the way it is"...Four lanes and stop signs will not address these needs and will not recreate the tree canopy, not provide safe bike lanes, not create a pleasant and safe pedestrian and business environment. Is that what you want?
I hoped that these were items that all wanted.
Roundabouts are safer for pedestrians and cars. You can get more volume of traffic through at a slower speed. This is traffic science not some whim. There are more opportunity for landscape beatification and art with roundabout, too. Not wanting change for that reason makes no sense.
The workshops that you ill logical nathsayers missed are recorded and available at the libraries and the city and at L101 Mainstreet office.
Get informed. There are so many examples of the positive change that intelligent streetscape design has offered other communities and examples of what doing nothing accomplishes.
Why are you so afraid of change?
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/apr/15/1m15budget2234543-3-unions-mayor-set-tentative-wor/?zIndex=82570
ReplyDeleteNot in Encinitas. We give our employees all 15% pay increases and 50% pension increase. Its great to be an Encinitas employees.
Thanks taxpayers for the cushy job that will enable me to retire at 55 at 90% of my highest year pay!!!
Its so obvious the first 3 posts are from roundabout hater L_nn B____.
ReplyDeleteOf course roundabouts work well on Hwy101 in Birdrock, and are planned in Oceanside and Solana Beach.
The streetscape is about much more than roundabouts. The issue with the intersections is what is the best way to control traffic at an unsafe intersection- Traffic Signals, All Way Stops, or Roundabouts?
I favor Roundabouts. For all you people speaking about against the streetscape and making our community safer, beautiful, and better for our "mainstreet", what type of intersection control do you favor?
Leucadia needs road improvements, more parking, attractive drought resistant plants in center medians, sidewalks, benches and other streetscape improvements but not roundabouts. The Encinitas streetscape was awesome and they don't have roundabouts. The Leucadia merchant groups need to ask themselves if obession with roundabouts is worth derailing the entire project over.
ReplyDeletePlease
ReplyDeleteWhat do you not like about roundabouts?
Not safer far cars and peds?
Not more efficient?
Not more ecologically?
Not more attractive?
Please offer a reason.
This obsessive obstruction of the roundabout concept is really baffling. I agree that a real, factual argument must be offered or the criticism has no validity. The roundabout concept is a sustainable element for traffic calming. No mechanical or technical parts to purchase, maintain, repair or replace and no law enforcement required to catch speeders. The path and shape of the roadway is as self sustaining as the straightaways.
ReplyDeleteIt would also be refreshing to only hear voices who have attended the workshops or read the findings and discussions. Otherwise, it is just more hot air.
Anon 8:21-
ReplyDeleteFrom your comments, you appear to be absolutely backwards thinking. Your points are the complete opposite of the truth. I hope you can learn some real facts to help you out in this life.
I feel sorry for people living in a upside down world were nothing makes sense.
Can your brain think of suggestions or does it only reject any input received about reality?
Once again, no suggestions for their preferred intersection control only negative comments with no constructive comments. In your world, what type of intersection control is the best for Hwy101 in Leucadia or is that too complex of a question?
Birdrock is not 101, and it's one lane into round-abouts. Problem with 101 idea is it's 2 LANES into ONE LANE into a round-about: called a bottleneck. Study bottlenecks, then post.
ReplyDeletePeople that oppose the streetscape have deep seated opposition to improvement in their lives and have garages full of junk. They can not imagine a world of a nice aesthetic 101 that functions with grace.
ReplyDeletePlease contact Dr.Lorri and get your lives fixed. If you can't see and understand the problems on 101 then you aren't paying attention.
Get to the facts, lessen the emotion, those who do not want change, look at your watch, it just happened....
ReplyDeleteChange, improve, clean-up, plant trees, add sidewalks, bike lane down a protected middle-through the trees median, keep it two lanes, reduce the speed, no need for round-abouts.
11:11- Clearly you have never driven roundabouts, go to TJ and drive them and see how they work. If Mexicans can negotiate them with ease then you can also. Or maybe you can't. If you can't then give up your license and leave the community.
ReplyDeleteThe streetscape works.
The roundabouts work.
Build it.
Stop the personal attacks, name calling. I post and I'm a man, I have a big stick, my name is not L.B.
ReplyDeleteNo need to go to TJ, we have 3 that work great in Encinitas, and they are all over the coast. Birdrock, San Clemente, Sante Barbara. Soon to be Oceanside and Solana Beach.
ReplyDeleteRoundabouts work great. What would work better?
To poster Mike
ReplyDeleteIf you want credability say you are not the Mike Andreen Mike with his misinformation big schtick.
Actually, it's stop signs and stop lights that are not historic if you want to go back a while. Roundabouts on the other hand keep traffic rolling as highways were intended to be.
ReplyDeleteOur corridor needs the amenities normal towns have. Safe sidewalks, streetlights, landscaping and adequate parking (not to mention our green cathedral of trees). If no one has noticed the migration of great businesse going north they must not have been here long.
Try to park at Calypso some evening. What used to be a very quite business district at night is doing very well -especially for restaurants in our recession. Keno's, Bird House Grill, Juanita's, Pannikin, La Especial Norte, Calypso, Mozy's, Sub Palace, Kotija Jr., Karina's, Leucadia Sushi, Le Papagayo, Roberto's, and now the Sake House are packed to the gills much of the time. Our small businesses are much to be admired, adding credibility to the old addage "The bigger they are, the harder they fall" like Circuit City. We deserve a beautiful, safe and accomidatable atmosphere despite some propaganda that a few people promote.
I thought roundabouts were indigenidt to Leucadia
ReplyDeleteGood point (if you meant indiginous)
ReplyDeleteindigenous?
ReplyDeleteIndigenous?
ReplyDeleteWell said Fred.
ReplyDeleteVOTE NO ON ALL THE TAX INCREASES IN THE NEXT ELECTION!!! NO ON 1A AND ALL THE 1B-F!!
ReplyDeleteIf downtown Encinitas is safe and beautiful without roundabouts, why would Leucadia be any different. I am not opposed to roundabouts per se, but if Leucadia has an historic designation for 101, then isn't there a duty to maintain an historic roadway? Sure, it can be cleaned up, landscaped, sidewalked, and traffic calming installed. Roundabouts are not historic to our heritage, sorry. It's hard to appreciate a tree canopy while negotiating roundabouts. Leucadia's asset, a tree canopy and a beautiful vista, should be preserved. Businesses come and go. I don't know any businesses with an historic designation on 101. That said, I am sure someone will post I am anti-business, afraid of change, have a garage full of junk, and need psycho analysis. Limbaughian groupies unite. Also, I am Zak, and those who don't know what that mean should refresh their knowledge of Dr. Suess. P.S. I am not a man and don't have a big stick either.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't the long light at L blvd make rounabouts pointless?
ReplyDeleteHow about those who have property on 101 and want round abouts post how much they pay in property taxes and sales tax. Then compute how much the city receives of that amount to see if they will pay their fair share for the improvements. Fred, Charlie, and the rest?
ReplyDeleteBonddi (Aka Ly_n).... you already posted those exact words. Man you are redundantly wrong and twisted.
ReplyDeleteAll those comments you knew we would say are accurate and you obviously live in a world closer to Dr. Suess's land with Zacks then Leucadia.
Enjoy you twisted world.
If the roundabouts on Leucadia were replaced by lights, your trips down Leucadia Blvd. would take minutes longer.
Still no explanation on why a signal or all way stop are better than a roundabout. Only bitch and complain with no solution.
What is the oposite of a "Limbaughian groupie"? I want to be that. I love the term bbondi, I just don't like Rush Limbaugh. I prefer Al Franken. I guess I could be a Frankenite groupie. Also, has this blog been hijacked by Kevin? Where is J.P.? He is funnier. No offense Kevin.
ReplyDelete8:23
ReplyDeleteOh I see. Only certain parts of our city deserve a beautiful, safe and accomidatable atmosphere. Thanks for hipping me to that, dude.
Anon 8:34
ReplyDeleteaka N__on ..:4:
Dude, call me Lynn Braun anytime. Free speech is the foundation of our nation. I am not Lynn Braun, and have no problem with any association with her. She has an opinion and voices it. What is wrong with that? Marginalize by polarizing. Limbaugh spawn feeding on flea bitten hides. Nuhf said.
juss wanna share my late night reverie of cars speeding down one of the only roundabouts, the one on Santa Fe, here it is my bedtime and witnessed a car driving 40 mph on our 25 mph street to meet up with the roundabout. Well, really calmed traffic in my hood.
ReplyDelete"It's hard to appreciate a tree canopy while negotiating roundabouts. Leucadia's asset, a tree canopy and a beautiful vista, should be preserved."
ReplyDeleteThree lanes and roundabouts would allow the space to renew the canopy. Four would not. NCTD is not going to plant trees in there right of way.
Bondii= Lynn Braun. One of her many cult of personalities.
ReplyDeleteNow I know why so many nuts live in Leucadia. They missed both the plane to Guyana and the Hale-Bopp.
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't a plane to Hale-Bopp I missed, silly. It was a space ship.
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked at or posted on this blog in days. This is the first time I've posted on this thread, Charles Marvin and Morgan Mollory.
ReplyDeleteYou are the hypocrite for calling Mike Andreen and the Chamber of Commerce liars on the roundabout issue.
You would like to ignore the surveys, taken at the third workshop. I attended two out of three workshops and went to one open house at the library, where no suggestions were taken, no suggestion box.
There was not any kind of overwhelming support for roundabouts at the first workshop. What got MOST votes was keeping Leucadia Funky, and a walkable Leucadia. The sidewalks have helped. Fixing some of the potholes would help.
Leucadia 101 Business Association was fine with cutting down eleven more trees from our canopy without allowing a public hearing or review by the Environmental Commission.
Those in the "know" realize that Peltz and Associates had a pro-roundabout agenda, and that is why we have paid them over$400,000 to hold three workshops and design only from A street to North Court.
I did not make the first three posts. It is obvious that you are obsessed with me, and your focusing this on personalities and attacking me as a "hater," when you know you are, shows the weakness in your argurment.
I was one of the over 1,000 people who read and signed the petition. It is libelous hearsay for you to incorrectly say that Mike Andreen and the Chamber lied about the petitions . . . In fact, the petitions had been started before the Chamber ever got involved. The Chamber was way to political through Encinitas First, promoting Jerome Stocks, but it did the right thing in reflecting business owners and residents opinions regarding the Leucadia Streetscape.
The Chamber should never have moved downtown, but that's another story. The volunteers didn't want to, but it did get pushed through. We all know that a few business owners, including you, Charles Marvin, a former attorney with a mouth and ear into Council chambers, have inordinate influence with and connections through the City.
This is another boondoggle, like the pedestrian underpasses, where we have NO FUNDING for the actual construction. We could have replaced MANY TREES, we could plant the medians, watering them with reclaimed water from water trucks, as is done in Mexico during the dry season. We could have repaired potholes and installed a couple of uturn lanes, maybe one or two more stopsigns, changing Leucadia Blvd to flashing red, a stop sign, so people don't speed trying to catch the light.
We could have had our well reimbursed staff conduct one workshop, the last one. We could have allowed this to go to the Planning and Traffic Commissions for further opportunities for public hearings. We did not need to pay a boatload of money for snazzy "Hollywood productions," that are designed to sell us on what a few people want.
The minutes for the 4/8/09 meeting should reflect that most of the 20 public speakers were against five roundabouts, or any roundabouts on Historic 101, and were against reducing to only one lane northbound.
Charles Marvin, you are a property owner since 1978, as you said at the meeting. You are paying low property taxes. Your business tenants pay sales tax, but you, yourself, only pay "plenty of taxes," by virtue of the fact that you own several commercial and residential properties, and have for years and years. Good for you, but we will not subsidize your additional parking, or your vision of a "Gucci" neighborhood, or another La Jolla Bird Rock, with our tax dollars. You would have to pay a STEEP assessment for any kind of municipal improvements that benefited you more than the residents or other businesses, whose property would be encroached upon, such as Leucadia Glass.
Don't call people liars and hypocrites behind the cowardice of your anonymity. You are just projecting what you are, and your perspective is paranoid, with respect to me, and selfish, with respect to Leucadia, our community character, and our ability to get from Point A to Point B, and our quality of life.
The firefighter who spoke was completely against roundabouts with that small of a radius. Most of the speakers were against the roundabouts. This isn't about me, Charley. It's about integrity and doing the right thing for the majority, not a privileged few who want to manipulate the common good for selfish gain.
I love Leucadia, too, and was very sad when the additional trees were axed without proper notice, without Environmental review, and knowing that way Peltz could falsely claim that over 90% of "existing" trees could be saved with alternative four.
Google has this on of page 1 when you google, "are roundabouts choke points"
ReplyDeleteIn reading this, it appears factual and not intentionally slanted either way. I can see why some would say that the chamber and the petition is at the very, very least negatively biased.
Http://www.leucadia101.com/Streetscape%20FAQ%20website.doc
http://www.leucadia101.com/Streetscape%20FAQs%20for%20website.doc
ReplyDelete