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Dear Mayor, Council Members, and staff, ~49aj, -Div
These comments will recap and update my letter that's in your packet.
I believe for all the time and money invested, this restriping is a tradeoff of priorities that is, at best, temporary. 1 gather
from the final report that this is not a qualified success, despite the language it's couched in and statistics compared with
informal numbers collected before the trial began.
On page 16 of the Final Recommendation attachment, the consultant says to leave this in place but not make any
permanent changes. It infers that the road may not adequately serve emergencies, special events, and changes in traffic patterns.
It also notes that the average daily traffic, which will only increase in time, is at the high end of workability. It links its livability
standpoint to the city's multi-modal plan, not the experience of residents who live along the road. This has changed the character
of the town without a vote.
I live on Wittier Street and travel this corridor daily. 1 have been in contact with many neighbors and businesses since
January. Supporters of this are few and far between in North Ashland, and I haven't spoken with any business that sees it as a
benefit. I must remind the council that N. Main is state highway 99. It is the alternate route to Interstate 5, which is the most
traveled trucking route on the west coast. In case of emergency, accident, or disaster, this road bears the brunt of all that traffic.
I believe that any benefits ascribed to the narrowing, except the perception that bicycling is more safe, can be chalked up to the
sidewalks put in a few years ago and the realignment of Winter and Hersey independent of the restriping. And even that has a dubious
return. Crossing or accessing Wittier and Hersey have not improved for either vehicular traffic nor pedestrians. No crosswalks have
been added. I don't believe there has ever been an incident of a pedestrian on the sidewalk being struck by a car going over the
sidewalk. So this is an illusion for pedestrian safety. I have seen pedestrians give up trying to cross North Main anywhere but the two
traffic lights. Or they run across the street. For all the money spent on this, a pedestrian crosswalk probably could have been built over
the road.
My neighbors find it more difficult to access North Main. Left turns are virtually impossible during peak hours, and no
signage or signals were added to mitigate that. Turning right from our feeder streets is harrowing during those periods when
there is a steady flow of traffic on North Main. Previously, cars in the lane nearest the curb could move into the left lane to allow
traffic to turn right onto N Main. No more.
There is an eye hospital, general hospital, and doctors offices in this corridor. The elimination of passing lanes means there is
no way for slow vehicles to yield, which creates a stream of traffic behind them. Large vehicles must slow down when turning onto
Winter or Hersey, which are now more narrow than they were at the intersections. This has also taken neighborhood cars off a state
highway, in exchange for hoped-for bicyclists, and moved traffic to residential streets such as Scenic and Rock, adding danger to the
bicyclists, pedestrians, and children on those streets.
The number of bicyclists has not dramatically increased, and it is seasonal and weather-dependent. Cars, trucks, and buses
must operate all year and in all weather conditions, so the loss of two lanes has a much larger impact than the widening of bicycle
lanes. I've observed that many of the "new" bicyclists on N. Main don't even wear helmets; this means they do not conform to the
rules of the road, are increasing their own danger and the liability of motorists and the town.
As far as reducing the goal of travel speed on N. Main, a road engineered for 35 mph, Ashland has speed limit signs and plenty
of officers who do their job.
This idea has, in my experience created less safe conditions and increased congestion. This is not a vision of the future,
except in feel-good intentions. It attempts to constrict progress in a town hard-hit by the recession.
Please return North Main to its previous state, or modify it to add back vehicular lanes and research a five-lane solution or other
alternatives. Thank you.
Scott Calamar, 322 Wittier Street, 4541-482-4569 December 3, 2013 .