Comments

[Lane Sharman]

Dear CAFE Members,

Jack Hegenauer and I attended the Caltrans hearing at La Jolla Country
Day on Wed night. Thursday night is at Carlsbad. You should go if you
can and submit testimony against this $6B boondoggle. Here is the
logistics: Thursday, April 4 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Carlsbad
Senior Center at 799 Pine Avenue in Carlsbad.

When all is finished and $6B + overruns are expended, I-5 will have four
more lanes dedicated to HOV. A very wide freeway will be wider.
Significant slush monies will have been distributed.

These funds should be put on hold or redirected to improving the local
rail line. For example, there is a plan to underground the segment
running along the Del Mar Bluffs. When is that scheduled? 2040 and
beyond! Electrification of this line to reduce combustion? Not planned.

Jack tells me that SANDAG intends to spend $40M in Public Relations
money to "sell" the plan. You will see some of this expenditure in the
many 4-color flyers in Carlsbad.

This is OUR money. It belongs to us. The RTP plan was ruled illegal and
is now under appeal. This is the right moment in time to exercise your
voice and your wallet.

The folks at CALTRANs and SANDAG are doing what they think is right.
They are good people. However, their assumptions are grounded in the
realities of the 50s and the 60s. This is the wrong use of significant
funds when we need to combat freeway and GHG expansion, not fund it.

--
Kindest Regards,
Lane Sharman 858-755-2868
Solana Energy. Planning, Engineering & Finance.

[Lane Sharman]

Got it ... Will make these points on future interviews.

Kindest Regards,

Lane Sharman

+1.858.755.2868

http://www.solanaenergy.com

On Apr 4, 2013, at 12:34 PM, Douglas Alden <dal...@ucsd.edu> wrote:

Lane,

There is much hidden in the details of the Public Works Plan (PWP) presented by Caltrans.   They are not just adding four more HOV lanes.

The full width of the freeway will be as much as 16 lanes wide.  The 8+4 alternative is veiled language.  In addition to the 8 travel lanes and the four carpool lanes there will be one or two auxiliary lanes on each side (Section 4.2.3 Page 4-11).  Caltrans does not include these in the press releases.  The bridge widths (Table 4-4, Page 4-13) at various lagoons are almost a football field wide or more give an indication of what can be expected at the surface street crossings:  San Elijo Lagoon (303-388 ft), Batiquitos (254 ft + 19.2ft gap), Agua Hedionda (269 ft.), Buena Vista (310 ft.).

The scale of this freeway will have a adverse impact on the ability of bicyclists and pedestrians to negotiate the interchanges.  The freeway interchange here is Solana Beach has created a barrier for the residents who choose to walk or bike across the great divide.  Most adults are hesitant to walk or bike through it, and most will not allow their children to even attempt to cross it.

Our neighbors to the north will face even greater obstacles.  Look at the extra lanes required for the ramp and interchange improvements in Table 4-6, page 4-17 (source: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist11/Env_docs/I-5PWP/5PWPDraft.html).  For example, the Santa Fe Drive on ramp to northbound I-5 currently is 1 lane.  This will increase to 3 lanes after construction.  Each lane is 12 feet wide, which means a bicyclist/ped will have to cover an additional 24 feet just on that one on-ramp.  There is no comment on whether additional capacity will be added to the off ramp.  Having multiple turn lanes to the freeway on ramps is a major conflict area for cyclists as evidenced by the design of the various interchanges on the I-15 corridor.  These interchanges are going to be a huge barrier to pedestrians and bicyclists.

BikeWalkSolana, Bike Walk Encinitas and the Oceanside Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee met with Caltrans a few weeks ago.  This was our second meeting about the PWP.  Caltrans is pitching this to the Coastal Commission with part of the intent that it will provide better access to our coast: "Enhancing public access to coastal and recreational areas in the corridor is a high priority of the NCC Program" (source: http://www.keepsandiegomoving.com/Libraries/Transnet-doc/SAN_I5_FS_PWP_TREP_022813_FINAL.sflb.ashx).  In this light the PWP considers bicycling and walking to be for the most part recreational activities.   While they do make much of adding missing east-west bike/ped connections those connections will be difficult for the most competent to make.  Bike/ped transportation issues need to be considered on an equal footing with vehicle traffic as bike/ped modes offer strong reductions in greenhouse gases, particularly for local trips.

Douglas

-- 
Douglas Alden  |  dal...@ucsd.edu

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