Laguna names 4 to traffic task force for canyon road
One month after a city-hired consultant unveiled a list of proposals to alleviate traffic on Laguna Canyon Road, the Laguna Beach City Council on Tuesday appointed four members of a task force to develop plans.
The task force, led by Mayor Pro Tem Bob Whalen and Councilwoman Toni Iseman, will meet monthly to determine two or three possible solutions and take them to the council. Whalen and Iseman are co-chairs of the group but not voting members. They also will not vote on any recommendations that go before the council.
“The solutions are not just the ones on paper,” Iseman said. “There are some very talented people coming to the table, and the more information you have, the better the project.”
Council members Tuesday selected four residents for the committee: Louis Longi, an artist and proponent of an artist work/live project on Laguna Canyon Road; Lorene Auger, a canyon homeowner representing commuters; John Hamil, a retired veterinarian; and Ruth Stafford, treasurer for the nonprofit Canyon Club, which sees 9,600 visitors each month.
“I want to come to the task force with an open mind. It affects everyone, not just me,” Longi said.
The process of selecting a plan could take as long as a year, Iseman said.
Officials from the California Department of Transportation, which manages Laguna Canyon Road (State Route 133), have been reluctant to discuss changes to the congested two-lane road unless they have broad community support, City Manager John Pietig said.
“If we as a community can’t come together to identify what the better options are, then we can’t expect a state agency to come in and make progress,” Pietig said. “If we can’t reach a consensus, then hunker down, because it’s going to get worse.”
Los Angeles-based RBF Consulting has worked up five possible solutions to deal with congestion, including creating a three- or four-lane highway and replacing traffic signals with a roundabout at Canyon Acres Drive and El Toro Road. All the ideas include placing utilities underground and creating an 8-foot-wide bike lane.
Costs of contracting with RBF for the project have totaled more than $50,000 since May 2013.
The company spent the past year working with Caltrans, OC Parks and the Orange County Transportation Authority to develop ideas for Laguna Canyon Road, which carries 38,000 to 42,000 cars a day.
Roadways with similar characteristics should carry no more than 30,000 cars a day, said Bob Matsen, vice president of transportation and planning for RBF Consulting.
The task force is slated to meet Oct. 15 for a televised session at the City Hall council chambers. It will report to the council in January.