What do you think of SLO’s proposed bike boulevard? The city wants to know
Plans for San Luis Obispo’s Broad Street bicycle boulevard will be discussed Monday in a public meeting starting at 6 p.m. at the San Luis Obispo City/County Library.
Over the past year-and-a-half, the city has worked to design a “safe, low-stress through route for bicyclists and pedestrians, connecting the downtown with neighborhoods, schools and other points of interest to the north.”
An Aug. 15 City Council meeting on studies of the plan heard from public critics who say they fear losing critical parking space and are worried the neighborhood will become overly congested.
Supporters said safer bicycle routes are needed for kids on their way to school and students riding to Cal Poly, among others.
Monday’s meeting will take public input and evaluate alternatives for the most challenging segment of the proposed route — the middle portion between Lincoln Street and Ramona Drive.
The city is looking at two possible configurations:
▪ Preferred alternative: The route would follow Chorro Street (Lincoln to Mission), Mission Street (Chorro to Broad) and Broad Street (Mission to Ramona). It would eliminate on-street parking on one side of Chorro and Broad to provide width for dedicated protected/buffered bike lanes.
▪ Lower-impact alternative: The route would follow Lincoln Street (Chorro to Mission), Mission Street (Lincoln to Broad) and Broad Street (Mission to Ramona). The route would operate as bicycle boulevard (shared street) with markings, signage and low-impact traffic calming features to convey bicycle travel. The option includes no dedicated bike lanes or on-street parking removal.
The city Bicycle Advisory Committee will discuss the boulevard in January, and the City Council will address it in February in advance of a final plan.
Those who can’t attend Monday’s meeting can give input and get more information at www.peakdemocracy.com/3444.
This story was originally published December 6, 2017 at 2:30 PM with the headline "What do you think of SLO’s proposed bike boulevard? The city wants to know."