Take Back the Streets

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Editor,

It is well within the means of Laguna Beach to improve the transport safety record for pedestrians, cyclists and all roadway users on Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road. We can begin by taking responsibility for these arterials and stop pointing fingers at state agencies.

At best Laguna takes possession from Caltrans and manages Coast Highway and Laguna Canyon Road ourselves, then the finger pointing will stop. At worst this city will rely on more technical gadgets to alert drivers of pedestrians sharing our high-speed arterials, like the yellow blinking chicken strips at Oak Street, Jasmine, or measures at Laguna College of Art & Design.

Instead Laguna can lead in a cooperative role between Caltrans and all roadway users by implementing these measures:

  • Take steps to traffic calm the arterial highways
  • Force Caltrans to implement it’s own Complete Streets mandate, Deputy Directive 64.
  • Reduce speeds at dangerous locations, increase sight distance, improve reaction times.
  • Write, adopt and implement a congestion management plan.
  • Write, adopt and implement a bicycle and pedestrian master plan like Newport‘s (or adopt our current draft)
  • Embrace measures adopted by other OC cites, offered at the Active Transportation Forums
  • Cooperate with the OCTA Regional Bikeways
  • Send a city staff member to attend transportation forums and learn something new.

The notion that Laguna Beach practices Vision Zero through bicycle rodeos and traffic enforcement is not only disingenuous but a cruel hoax. Check the OTS record; it speaks for itself. Laguna remains the most dangerous city in 105 cities for roadway safety.  Despite many years of meetings between council members and city staff about our roadway safety record, Laguna’s city leadership shows a consistent disregard for implementing traffic safety measures that matter. It’s time for new city management.

Les Miklosy, Laguna Beach

 

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