Friday, January 18, 2013

Hot Slurry Action

30 comments:

  1. It seems they've been applying the slurry seal in the mornings, on the east side of highway, closing one lane northbound, in the afternoons, on the west side, closing one lane southbound.

    Heavy backup during lane closures, mornings and afternoons. Traffic can get congested anyway, but it's much worse, lasts longer with one lane closed . . .

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  2. We found ample parking behind your shop.
    Our horse ate all of your weeds and left you "a little gift"

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  5. Yes, southbound there is a significant difference in congestion with one lane closed, as it already is congested in the mornings with 2 lanes. (Let's not lose sight that the Streetscape retains 2 lanes south). Northbound traffic however does not get that congested either in the morning or afternoon even narrowed to one lane with all the slurry work, slower speeds and extra stopping. At one Streetscape meeting a man in the audience claimed that northbound traffic is backed up from the Marchetta stop signs all the way to Encinitas Blvd at least a few times a month. However, business owners at Encinitas Blvd say that is not so and have never seen that happen. Even once. The streetscape will also remove the north and south stop signs at Marchetta street, diminishing a lot of current and future congestion at that location.
    Also, 3 years ago when Del Mar and Solana Beach both added an extra lane to fwy 5, it cut southbound congestion on N. Coast Hwy 101 in half during morning rush hour. Think there's a connection? I do. Want more traffic? Make a road wider. The extra lane on the freeway for 5 miles now encourages southbound commuters to use 5 more and not cut through either our 101 district or our neighborhoods adjacent to it nearly as much as before. The lowered speed limit from 40 to 35 does that as well.

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  7. Streetscape, with 4 roundabouts in 3/4 mile, would force lane closure going southbound too, Fred. Because they are one lane faux roundabouts with very narrow diameters. Motorists will have to slow to 15 MPH to go through them, one after another, in single file for at least half a mile, SOUTHBOUND, too.
    When traffic backs up, there is more stopping and starting in the traffic circles, as people try to enter them from west of North 101, causing MORE collisions, and extending the length of the back up, gridlock.

    No one is asking anyone to make the road wider for motorists. In fact, if the lanes on the east side of the highway were narrowed, but keeping two, then a bicycle lane could run next to the dirt. The dedicated bicycle lane separated from the road by dirt is also scheduled to be maintained and extended all the way to La Costa along the rail trail. It would theoretically be for bicycles and pedestrians, but the pedestrians we've seen are walking on the West side of the highway, where the businesses are.

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  8. The fact is NORTHBOUND traffic was completely backed up during morning rush hour on Thursday and Friday morning due to one lane being closed, NORTHBOUND. This would be a good time for the City to monitor how heavy the traffic gets during peak hours, with one lane only!

    It's embarrassing that the City doesn't use more common sense. Closing one lane to motorists on a major roadway, a primary circulation element, without monitoring traffic during temporary lane closures, is absurd. It's absurd not to vet this before the Traffic and Environmental Commissions, as the Sharrows were.

    We have well qualified, concerned volunteers who are Commissioners. We should utilize their skills and their objectivity. Apparently, we cannot rely on staff. At Staff's recommendation, the City paid Peltz and Associates $75,000 additional to determine whether or not eliminating one lane northbound would "affect operational characteristic adequacy." This was after comments were received during public input from Carlsbad planners and CalTrans. That traffic analysis has not been completed. Staff has not done metering of how many bicyclists are driving northbound during peak hours, or how many motor vehicles. What is being done is the number of cars has been divided by 24 hours, which is also absurd.

    What should also be measured is how often and how long, and how far traffic is backed up during peak hours, when there's stoppage or blockage on the freeway, and when there's lane closure due to street repairs or slurry sealing.

    Remember the axiom, measure twice, cut once. Don't cut out a lane on Historic State Highway 101 without first measuring the current usage, and allowing the Traffic Commission to weigh the evidence as well as staff who is working toward a foregone conclusion, and has lost objectivity.

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  9. Fred, you can't speak for all the shop owners. We HAVE seen the traffic backed up going northbound. Also, it wasn't "one man from the audience" who said traffic was backed up between the stop sign at Marchetta and the light at Leucadia Blvd., The back=up was detailed in THE STAFF REPORT. It had been measured by staff.

    That's why it was recommended NOT to begin the lane closure going northbound until north of Leucadia Blvd. It would also be a stupid place to place the first faux roundabout.

    What time do you get up? The traffic was BACKED UP AT 8 A.M. last Thursday and Friday, due to the slurry sealing northbound lane closure in the morning.

    My understanding is that the stop sign at Marchetta WILL STAY. Please get your facts straight, Fred. Your misinformation is misleading people and dividing our neighborhood, which includes the beaches, a school zone, on Vulcan, and people living west of North Hwy 101, who would have even more trouble turning left, northbound, onto the highway, with far fewer breaks in traffic.

    You pay very low property taxes on your property, as does Charles Marvin. You want more angled parking; you think this plan will discourage cut through traffic from I-5, but people will still exit the freeway when traffic on it slows down and stops!

    Yet you want the City to risk our health and safety, with slower emergency response times, more cut through traffic racing through our neighborhoods. The highway is also a primary evacuation corridor, in case of disaster. The faux roundabouts would be a fiasco. But closing down one lane northbound absent any way for people to get out, would be a tragedy, would wall off our neighborhood and the beaches . . .

    Taking away a lane from motorists is unnecessary. Bicycle lanes, including sharrows, would be welcome on Vulcan and Neptune. We ride bikes; we like bicyclists. Taking away a lane from motorists could cause more bicycle accidents, as people, in frustration and rage, might lose it and veer into the bicycle lane, to speed ahead of a long line of backed up cars, particularly if they're late for work!

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  10. Anon @ 2:54 & 3:11
    Let's get a few things straight.
    1. We are not getting "Faux Roundabouts" or "Traffic Circles" as you insist. Roundabouts measure from 16' to 180' wide, while Traffic Circles measure between 300' and 600' wide. Click and learn:

    http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20090621/COLUMNIST/906211023

    Roundabouts do not congest traffic. Stop signs and stop lights do.

    3. Roundabouts do not create more collisions than intersections, they create far less. 1000 pedestrians died from being hit in intersections in the US last year. Not one pedestrian died from being hit in a US Roundabout. I would ask you to name one pedestrian killed but you will not because you can not.

    4. "...it wasn't "one man from the audience" who said traffic was backed up between the stop sign at Marchetta and the light at Leucadia Blvd., The back=up was detailed in THE STAFF REPORT. It had been measured by staff."
    Completely false. It was indeed one man at the Library meeting who misreported traffic congestion for N. 101 at Enc Blvd. "twice a month". I asked him how many times that happens while I was in front of everyone there and am not the only one who remembers his answer. Also, you are completely wrong about any STAFF REPORT instead saying that happens.

    I believe I can speak for most of the shop owners on N. 101 minus a few who were informed by obstructionists composing a false and misleading petition against the Streetscape. I have participated in 2 separate surveys of the merchants and know most of them personally. I'm not from Missouri but you'll have to SHOW ME a photo of cars backed up in the Northbound lane all the way from Encinitas Blvd. to Marcheta St. - which is a mere 3 blocks long btw. The merchants I spoke with have a front row seat to Enc Blvd and 101 and have never seen that happen.

    6.
    "My understanding is that the stop sign at Marchetta WILL STAY."
    Once again, you've misunderstood and misrepresented the Streetscape as well as me. Four stop signs will be removed at Marcheta St., creating less congestion on 101.

    Additionally, what could Prop 13 possibly have to do with the outcome for the neighborhood with angled parking for businesses on 101? You keep personally attaking people who've lived here over 30 years for buying their homes and businesses then.

    "Bicycle lanes, including sharrows, would be welcome on Vulcan and Neptune."
    You've got to be kidding. Bike lanes on Vulcan would and could not be welcome unless NCTD annexed 14' x 2 miles of their property to Encinitas. Fat chance. But Neptune welcoming 1000 bicyclists going 30 mph each weekend both directions next to all those pedestrians, skaters, dogs, joggers and car doors? Never.

    Your claims that the Leucadia Streetscape will create gridlock, more cut through traffic and more accidents are wholly inconsistent with facts collected from everywhere else that have installed these same improvements. Whatever your real motive is, have a nice day anyway!

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  11. Thanks for clearing that up Fred. I'll go with your information over the fear monger's version.

    I do think that taking a northbound lane is questionable and would perfer to put that bike lane on that useless easment that we can't seem to do anything with because of NCTD.

    It will be interesting to see how these two into one roundabouts work. I can't say I've ever seen one.

    Turning northbound from the west is difficult now and I don't see this one lane solution making it any easier to do.

    And thanks for forgetting to put out some detour signs...today was real fun turning left on 101!

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  12. Fred, look up neighborhood traffic circles. They are all traffic circles. They range from neighborhood traffic circles, to actual roundabouts, to monster traffic circles. The point is not what they're called, but that the ones that are on Leucadia Blvd., and four out of five designed for 101 have narrower diameters, can only accommodate one lane, BOTH DIRECTIONS, and have less safety features than "official roundabouts."

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  13. Fred, you haven't done your homework. Look up the 7/18/12 staff report. Because staff stated traffic backs up between Marchetta, the three way stop sign, and the signal at Leucadia and 101, the so-called "lane diet" (lane closure northbound) was not recommended, and was voted on NOT TO BEGIN until north of Leucadia Blvd. You are misinformed, and spreading more misinformation.

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  14. I could be wrong about the stop sign removal, but when I stated to staff that my understanding was that the stop sign would say, no one corrected me. Please share where you are getting that the THREE Marchetta stop signs will be removed?

    The one at Hygeia and Leucadia Blvd WAS scheduled to be removed, but that promise was broken, too. Phase II, which was to include more landscaping and sidewalks, and a third "roundabout" at Hygeia and Leucadia Blvd. I was informed by staff that the money was diverted to the North 101 Streetscape Project. Peltz and Associates has already been paid $557,900 to date. The L101MA has made an undisclosed amount in City subsidies, so much that membership dues constitute only 7% of its revenues. Why don't you post your financials, Fred?

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  15. The Bicycle Master Plan just approved by the Planning Commission, and to be approved by Council in February, shows plans for bicycle lanes on Vulcan, as well as a railway corridor pathway for pedestrians (who mainly are walking on the West side of the highway) and bicycles, all the way north, to La Costa, along the 101 Corridor, beginning at Chesterfield, I believe!

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  16. What your low property tax assessments have to "do with anything," is that you and others, paying very little, nothing compared to true market value, could still charge high rents, and were the "roundabouts" to be used as so-called "traffic calming" status (when they would increase gridlock) would make them into development tools, for mitigated negative environmental impact declarations . . . Rents and property value could again be raised. You want more parking and more business at the public's great monetary and quality of life expense.

    In Solana Beach, when the train was trenched, and a community linear park was formed, business owners and some property owners who benefitted more than the general public, had to pay special assessments on their property tax bills.

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  17. If you feel that number of bicyclists are going northbound each weekend, then why aren't you willing to allow the Traffic Commission to verify those numbers, by taking an actual count of bicyclists going northbound on Neptune, 101, from El Portal to La Costa, and on Vulcan as well? Additionally car traffic, and gridlock, back-up by motorists should be measured DURING PEAK PERIODS, not averaged as ADT's (average daily trips).

    I have never seen 10,000 bicycles going either direction during the weekend. I have noticed more "training" going south, for some reason, perhaps because I live west of the highway. I would like to see verified findings to clarify this, just as Engineering staff did verify the back-up between Marchetta and Lecuadia Blvd., in the 7/18/12 report for City Council.

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  18. Fred, you have a nice day too, with your little closed mind!

    Where are all the numbers, all the metering and measurements that collaborate your theories? The BMP (Bicycle Masterplan) says nothing, SPECIFICALLY about closing one lane northbound for motorists on North 101.

    Lanes, in the city, could theoretically be closed, but a primary circulation element, an arterial, Major Roadway, requires amendments to our General Plan, our 101 Corridor Specific Plan, our Local Coastal Program, and a verified, quantified and qualified (my time of day and location of data collection) survey of how many motorists are using North 101 per day, going northbound, how many bicyclists, per day, and during peak periods.

    Measure twice, cut once!

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  19. Your claims that the Leucadia Streetscape will NOT create gridlock, MORE cut through traffic and MORE accidents are wholly inconsistent with facts collected from everywhere else, including our eyewitness experience, during the recent slurry sealing, when back up was terrible.

    Birdrock has a real roundabout(s), NOT with only three way interesections, not boardering a railway crossing. There, a legitimate neighborhood needs assessment was performed, not here.

    The workshops were slanted, were "pro roundabout, "lane-diet" from the beginning. These so-called "improvements should be vetted before the Traffic, Planning and Environmental Commissions. What are you afraid of? That your "figures" wouldn't pan out, that people would vote down roundabouts, if given the opportunity as happened in the City of Del Mar, and Cotati, in Northern California?

    Whatever your real motive is, have a nice day anyway, Fred. Keep rationalizing your own lack of care for the residents living adjacent to North 101? Do you drive again, Fred? It's fine if you stopped, again, I'm sorry you got broadsided, that time.

    The stop sign was put up at Marchetta after a nun was struck down there many years ago, on her way to Saint John's church, I've been told. She was probably crossing the tracks, there, if she was coming from Paul Ecke Central School.

    I have never seen any official paperwork, as I said that that stop sign was to be removed. It's a good place for people living west of the highway to come out, turning left or right, when traffic is clogged.

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  20. Ok you got me. Nuns being run down on 101? Really??

    That's a good one!

    How long have you lived here?

    As a 30 plus year local I have never ever seen backups northbound on 101 anywhere near Marcheta. Maybe Royal liquor at best.

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  21. My bad meant to say Leucadia Liquor. There goes my discount!

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  22. 8:14
    Of course traffic backs up some at Marchetta St Northbound and the traffic report reflects that correctly. What the report did not say is what the man in the audience did say - the it backs up for three blocks all the way to Encinitas Blvd. Can you discern the difference?

    There are currently stop signs at Marcheta St, that block FIVE flows of traffic. FOUR stops at Marchetta will be removed, not just THREE as you suggested I said. Two Northbound and two southbound. As a Roundabout is not planned for Marcheta St. the one stop sign entering the highway will remain.

    I review our financials monthly at L-101 as does our entire board. There's nothing to hide in our financials at L-101. I don't have authority to post them and wouldn't without permission.

    If what you say about a bicycle master plan being approved for Vulcan Ave and San Elijo Ave that's great news too. I didn't say Vulcan was impossible for that, just Neptune. Still think its a fat chance though.

    I haven't seen 10,000 bikes on weekends here either. Notice how you changed what I said again, but this time by ten times. You've also misrepresented Staff if their report does not say traffic backs up twice a month between Marcheta St. and Enc. Blvd. Now you're saying their report regards Marcheta to Leucadia Blvd.

    Believe it or not, the Nun story is true, LL, and that's why the stop sign was placed there at Marchetta when the Catholic Church was present and had so many people crossing there.

    Yes, I've been driving gas guzzlers again since my last heart surgery 4 years ago. I wasn't broadsided at El Portal without a lot of steel in betweem me and the person running the stop sign. A more avoidable event at any Roundabout.

    I think that covers everything Lynn, so now I'll take your advice along with my little closed mind and have a nice day.












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  23. One more thing I should add for LL, there was a Catholic elemnetary school one block west of the Hwy just adjacent to the church, so it was a daily march across the highway for many with Nuns themselves as crossing guards holding stop signs if I recall correctly.

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  24. I stand corrected and thanks for the education Fred.

    I do remember that catholic school vaguely but was just a grom back then and only cared about the surfing and did not always pay attention to civic issues back then.

    Lynn where can I find this bicycle master plan?

    Why is there a plan for sharrows if there is a plan to use the easment for a bike/walk path from Cardiff to Leucadia?

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  25. Fred- Let it go.... responding to Anon (the L-word) is like banging your head against the wall. You can do it all day long. You get a headache and the wall feels no pain or learns nothing.

    The L-Word and that sycho LA fireman David Smith must have brains the size of peas.

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  26. At least Lynn aknowleged she speaks too many times and for too long on some issues at the last Council meeting. A little bit of hope there. We will see if it lasts. By the way Lynn... How many last names do you have?

    As for Drama Dave... I don't think there is much hope for him. Fire Marshall Dave is bound to end up in a looney bin someday.

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  27. Lynn and I have something in common. Neither of us have the gift of brevity. But when there's as much carnage on this highway as there is and it's all because of the poorly designed road, I can't help but respond when someone misrepresents things like calling our roundabouts "psuedo-roundabouts" and "traffic circles", or claims that roundabouts make an area unsafe when the opposite is true - even if I have to keep banging my small closed mind on a wall. Was that a long sentence, or what?

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  28. I have to believe that the portion of Coast Highway 101 that runs through Leucadia gets as much bicylcle traffic as any road in America. I ride on this road 5 or 6 days per week, and I see hundreds and hundreds of bikes on this popular road every weekend. I was very excited when the city decided to rip up the old road and put down a new surface. I waited with great anticipation for what I assumed would be a nice smooth road that would replace that road that has been riddled with potholes for years..........

    Well the new road surface is down and what a disappointment! I had really looked forward to having a nice and smooth surface - but this surface is terrible! Did the contractor blow it, or is this what the city contracted and paid for??

    I also noticed that the north bound bike lane has been pushed off the road and onto the little sidewalk / old bike lane that runs parallel to the road. This is equally disappointing as that little trail is even worse and it is always loaded with thorns that cause the worst flat-threat in North County.

    After all of the publicity that the city issued for making this road "biker friendly" I find this to be hugely disappointing. It's not like this is a city street buried in the heart of San Diego. This is one of the most highly ridden bike routes in all Southern CA.

    What a shame!

    Neil

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  29. Neil what did you expect... Orange County?

    Get use to disappointment.

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