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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCorrespondence - #20 Orozco, Norma From: Emilio Ramirez <eframirez.2012@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2022 4:47 PM To: eComment Subject: Item # 20 Authorize a Purchase Agreement... Hello, I oppose Item #20. Street widening and higher street speeds lead to more pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicular accidents and deaths. This item would go in opposition to the Vision Zero Plan. Furthermore, the scope in question already has enough street lanes, given that it has right turn lanes and a wide right lane on the Southbound side of the street. Emilio Ramirez Emilio Ramirez i 1 M3 SANTA ANA ACTIVE STREETS 04/05/2022 Kristopher Fortin, Project Director Santa Ana Active Streets 450 W 4th St, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Re: Item # 20 Authorize a Purchase Agreement in the Amount of$980,000 for Real Property Acquisition for Fairview Bridge Replacement and Street Improvements (Property Owners: Sergio De Leon and Laura De Leon) (Project No. 15-6827) (Non-General Fund) Dear Santa Ana Mayor and City Council, Santa Ana Active Streets (SAAS) respectfully opposes Item 20. We understand the premise of the Fairview Bridge Replacement and Street Improvements, however, addressing these needs should not be at the cost of residents losing housing stability. SAAS believes that the Fairview Corridor can accomplish its upgrades without expanding the number of lanes. The City of Santa Ana's own Active Transportation Plan already proposes a roadway that is limited to two lanes in both directions and a Multi-Use Path. On page 106-107 of the Active Transportation Plan, the street type proposed shows four general-purpose lanes, a center turn lane, a 10-foot multiuse path on the west side of the street, and a 5-foot sidewalk and 5-foot greenway on the east side of the street. This would maintain the street at 82 ft, and that is even with maintaining most general-purpose lanes at 11 ft and one lane at 15 ft. To propose an even better street, we would include the reduction of lane widths to 10 feet in order to limit vehicle speeds and reduce further need to acquire land for the project. 10 ft lanes have been done on other City streets, including on Bristol. While the City's staff report states that the proposed project would adhere to OCTA's Master Plan of Arterial Highways, no mention of the City's Active Transportation Plan is mentioned in the City staff report. When the City Council voted for the Active Transportation Plan, it was incorporated into the City's Circulation Element, which we understand has not been fully updated. So the question rests on whether the City chooses a project that adheres to an outdated general plan or our future general plan and circulation element. We believe the most recent ideas put forward take precedence, and we support the Fairview project included in the Active Transportation Plan, not what is included in this agenda item today. This would maintain the property as is and not require eminent domain. Concerning the Master Plan of Arterial Highways, the MPAH is a planning document that the OCTA administrates and is connected to Measure M2, which funds substantial transportation capital projects in the county, this project included. A city's circulation element has to be consistent with the MPAH, otherwise the OCTA can pull M2 funding away from cities as punishment. This is unique to Orange County, as no other transportation sales tax in California Santa Ana Active Streets 14S0 W 4th St, I Santa Ana,CA 92701 1 Tel.(6S7)20S-7306 I www.saascoalition.org I generaI@saascoaIition.org M3 SANTA ANA ACTIVE STREETS CHAPTER 18 PRIORITY PROJECTS Potential Street Configuration Street Constraint Locations Center turn Lane y+ I Adequate street Lighting Drought-toLera nt trees to shade - sidewaLk Pedestrian crossing at Warner Avenue Multi-use path Sidewalk with parkway N Fairview Street experiences high vehicular speeds Potential Class!multi-use path along North Fairview Street SANTAANA ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN 107 Image: City of Santa Ana Active Transportation Plan has similar regulations or restrictions to our knowledge..Yet, the city de-classified its streets as arterials or made a maneuver that allows the city to receive M2 funds without having to adhere to the MPAH. The City's MPAH ordinance allows a city to negotiate with the OCTA and potentially affected spill over cities to declassify an arterial and still receive Measure M2 funds. If funds are needed to upgrade this road, the City can still tap into them without increasing roadway capacity. If this item moves forward, studies have shown that increasing street widths and speeding up vehicle speeds are the leading contributors to dangerous road conditions. According to the City's Safe Mobility Plan, arterial streets, which Fairview Street is defined as, constitute only 20% of our roadway network, but 60% of all pedestrian-involved collisions and 68% of the Santa Ana Active Streets 14S0 W 4th St, I Santa Ana,CA 92701 1 Tel.(6S7)20S-7306 I www.saascoalition.ora I generaI@saascoaIition.org SANTA ANA ACTIVE STREETS collisions involving people on bicycles occur on them. The City's own study also states that the number of lanes in an intersection is associated with an increase in the number of pedestrian and bicycle collisions. Increasing the roadway capacity would add another street to a street network of already increasing speeds and increasing danger to motorists, but also our most vulnerable movers being bicyclists and pedestrians. The City has a moral obligation to ensure safety for all residents; including safety from traffic related incidents. Solutions to this are not to expand streets to center automobiles, but to rectify high traffic speeds and volumes, especially when the city has the highest bicyclists/pedestrian deaths in the county, primarily vehicular deaths. Arterial streets account for just 21% of the street network, but 60% of all pedestrian collisions = and 68% of all bicycle collisions occur on them. 480 total miles of roadway 60% �' 68% of all pedestrian of all bicycle collisions c011lston5 Arterial streets f Image: Safe Mobility Plan. If the Council wishes to add multiple lanes of travel to this section of roadway, it can also be done without the acquisition and demolition of homes. Look below for the following exhibits explaining such. Santa Ana Active Streets 1450 W 4th St, I Santa Ana,CA 92701 Tel.(657)20S-7306 I www.saascoalition.org I generaI@saascoaIition.org M3 SANTA ANA ACTIVE STREETS <Va amii4 �. Exhibit A: This portion of Fairview currently has a right turn lane, a left turn lane and through general purpose lanes. The left turn lane can be switched to accommodate another lane of traffic. House on left corner is one of the properties aimed to be purchased by the city through Item 20. ..r �r Santa Ana Active Streets 4S0 W 4th St, Santa Ana,CA 92701 Tel.(6S7)20S-7306 I www.saascoalition.org generaI@saascoaIition.org 1 -43 SANTA ANA ACTIVE STREETS Exhibit 8: Fairview Street north of project area. The left turn lane ends but the space is maintained until the bridge heading over the Santa Ana River Trail. I III T Y � y Exhibit C: Fairview Street north of project area, directly south of Santa Ana River Trail. Area maintain space for an additional travel lane if right turn lane is modified to general purpose lane. We are asking you, Mayor and City Council, if your priority is the quality of life for all of your constituents? If so, is it sustainable to keep demolishing homes for traffic engineering? If this project is truly about increasing safety we should acknowledge that large intersections and wide streets are and continue to be dangerous for our communities, especially youth, the disabled, and the elderly and we should create designs that put safety in a complete way, forward. And according to city documents like the active transportation plan, they have already been designed, and we hope they have just been overlooked. SAAS asks the council to direct city staff to adopt/study what is in the active transportation plan and adhere to what is proposed in that document. We would like to thank the City for being leaders in a safe active transportation movement in Santa Ana. We welcome a meeting to further discuss Complete Streets and alternative street designs to ensure the safety of all people. Santa Ana Active Streets 14S0 W 4th St, I Santa Ana,CA 92701 Tel.(6S7)20S-7306 I www.saascoalition.ora I generaI@saascoaIition.org SANTA ANA ACTIVE STREETS Sincerely, ;;11� Kristopher Fortin Project Director Santa Ana Active Streets 14S0 W 4th St, I Santa Ana,CA 92701 Tel.(6S7)20S-7306 I www.saascoalition.org I generaI@saascoaIition.org Orozco, Norma From: Maria Ceja <ceja.maria95@gmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2022 12:15 PM To: eComment Subject: Item 20 Dear Mayor and City Council Members, I respectfully oppose item 20. As a born and raised Santanera, I have a grounded understanding of why the Fairview Corridor and Bridge desperately need necessary improvements to ensure safety. However, I do not support using city funds to forcefully remove residents,the majority tenants, from their homes as the only way to make these improvements happen. An alternative to street widening needs to be considered and evaluated, given that studies have demonstrated that street widenings increase the number of pedestrian/bicyclist fatalities. Your duty is to adhere to Vision Zero, the goal to reduce pedestrian/bicyclist fatalities to zero! The objective should be to make the Fairview corridor more accessible and pedestrian/bicyclist centered; not centering automobiles knowing that adding lanes fails to reduce traffic. Please consider looking for other alternatives rather than displacing community members to widen a street that essentially would not resolve traffic congestion-related issues. Thank you, Maria Ceja i