Busy, busy here - hence not a lot of time to B L O G, but I did want to quickly post our letter we sent to SANDAG earlier this month. In it we followed up on our desire for full closure of the University ramps at Ibis/Washington.
Our community has wanted these ramps closed for decades, and the Mission Hills Town Council has been actively talking about it for at least 10 years. We feel we finally have a way to do it, given the needs of the bike project.
What is not stated in the letter below is that more than 80% of the traffic on these ramps is cut-through traffic! EIGHTY PERCENT!
Here is our letter:
November
20, 2014
Mr.
Muggs Stoll
Department
Director (Land Use and Transportation Planning)
SANDAG
401
B Street, Suite 800
San
Diego, CA 92101
RE:
Updated Information on Uptown Regional Bikeway and Mission Hills Town Council
Recommendation for Full Closure of University Avenue at Ibis
Dear
Muggs:
Thank
you for copying the Mission Hills Town Council (MHTC) on your Washington Street
Analysis completed at the request of the Hillcrest Community Collaborative
(November 4, 2014).
This
work completes a request the MHTC made to SANDAG on March 17th, 2014 (letter
attached-item#2), that additional analysis be completed on shifting traffic
from University to Washington. We concur with the analysis and are on record as
supporting the University alignment.
The
second part of the request was to review whether partial or full closure of
University would be preferable for the bike project. After reviewing traffic
data provided by SANDAG over several meetings with various groups the MHTC
voted on November 13, 2014 to recommend
to SANDAG full closure of University Avenue at Ibis.
We
support the full closure based on the following:
1. Washington Avenue can accommodate, with minimal
impact, the added traffic from the University ramp closure at Ibis.
2. The remaining local level of traffic from
Albatross to Ibis (less than 3000 ADT) is more compatible with the SANDAG
target bike population (people interested in biking, but concerned about
safety).
3. Historically, it brings the section of University
from Albatross to Ibis back to a neighborhood street (formerly called Douglas)
as it existed pre-1946.
We
appreciate SANDAG’s continued transparency on this project, the many public
outreach meetings and willingness to review the J.T. Frost Placemaking
concepts. The Town Council looks forward to an early implementation of this
important alternative transportation project.
Sincerely,
Mike
Zdon
Mike
Zdon
President
MHTC
707
738-9984
Attachement:
Mission Hills Town Council SANDAG/City of San Diego Letter March 17, 2014
cc: Hon. Jack Dale (Chair SANDAG)
Hon. Todd Gloria (Council President)
Beth Robrahn (SANDAG)
Adriana Martinez (City of San Diego)
Susan McNeil Schreyer (MH BID)
Barry Hager (MHH)
Marlon Pangilinan (City of San Diego
Planning Department)
Elizabeth Hannon (Uptown Parking
District)
Leo Wilson (Uptown Planners)