Pedestrian mall is no traffic solution...
Pedestrian mall is no traffic solution
Regarding the editorial, “Increasing Downtown parking is not the
answer.” (Coastline Pilot, Aug. 16) You clearly have no idea of what
you are writing. You don’t know what you are talking about.
I have owned a business on Forest Avenue for more than 13 years.
Myself, my business partner and all of my employees are able to
find parking daily at all times during the day right behind us on
Ocean Avenue.
There are four lots there and there is usually parking. I would be
shocked if anyone spent more than five minutes finding parking in
town anywhere.
Also, all of the employees and business owners park on or around
Forest Avenue. There is no extra place for these employees and
perhaps additional parking in other areas would be beneficial.
There are not hordes and hordes of people flocking to shop on
Forest Avenue and many of those businesses will tell you (or they
won’t) that their businesses are down because of the economy and more
so perhaps from lack of tourism.
You might also notice, that the trams that you speak so kindly of
are usually empty -- or have very few riders at all.
One complaint I have from my customers is that there is no shuttle
comfortable for them from the hotels -- mainly, the Ritz Carlton.
They think there will be taxi service like New York, and they are
quite surprised there is very little of that.
Blocking off Forest Avenue is a stupid idea. The most traffic in
Laguna is for the very few short weeks during the festival season. I
am not sure, but I think the festivals only run maybe six weeks? The
rest of the year and during most of the days, Laguna is very quiet.
Visit our lovely Forest Avenue during October, November,
December, January, February, March and April -- there are not hordes
of people flocking to park. Traffic congestion that you mention
etc., it simply isn’t true. The town in fact is very quiet all over
during most of the year.
You block off Forest Avenue and you will kill even more of the
businesses. But fortunately, there are many business owners and
business investors who have tons of money and they will laugh and
never let you close off Forest Avenue. All I would have to do is walk
to each and every merchant on Forest Avenue and I could have
signatures from all of them within one hour petitioning or boycotting
any such action of closing off Forest Avenue. This would include
surrounding business on peripheral side streets, Ocean, Beach etc.
and onto Coast Highway.
Close off Forest Avenue? Do you even know how small those
already-tiny streets are? I even read previously that a city planner
recommend closing off Mermaid at Third Street. She complained of
delivery trucks blocking her car behind Madison Square Garden & Cafe.
She wrote that she had to wait a whole five minutes for the delivery
truck to move.
Well, I would like to ask that city planner, “How do you think the
merchandise and junk get to these stores so that you can sit and
enjoy your little outdoor morning tea and crumpets?” The toll roads
and all of the other roads in Orange County have already eliminated
tons of traffic out of Laguna.
The only real traffic you see is coming into the Laguna Canyon
Road during peak times (weekends during July and August) and perhaps
all the traffic you see heading northbound trying to get out of town
(beach people) all go through Coast Highway via Downtown, Forest
area, where there are tons of stop lights.
If any of those people sitting in traffic had half a brain they
would venture one street over to Glenneyre where there is almost no
traffic and all of the locals zip up and down that street every
day, all day and evenings too.
Now why is it myself and all of my employees and other business
people all find parking daily? Let’s face it: Everywhere you go, all
of the popular areas are crowded. Leave early and you won’t have so
many problems. In case you haven’t noticed all of the Southland is
crowded.
Maybe you ought to listen to Ken Frank. He at least lives here
and knows what he is talking about as a city manager. He at least
comprehends business.
STEVE HOUGH
Laguna Beach
Walkway, peripheral parking good goals
We would like to applaud your editorial on Aug. 16, “Increasing
downtown parking not the answer” as well as Don Knapp’s article,
“Pedestrian mall can work for downtown.”
Both The Vision process and the Downtown Specific plan support
these ideas, which we feel go hand in hand. We need to encourage our
city officials (City Council, city manager and city staff) to adopt
and plan for these concepts of a pedestrian area in the Downtown and
peripheral parking.
It’s up to us to make our city officials aware that we, the
people, would like our tax dollars spent on creating such a reality.
Do we have to travel to Europe, or Santa Monica or Huntington Beach
to sit in a car-free piazza? Would you rather hear the voices of
children and adults or the grinding of cars and motorcycles?
Since the Vision Process began we have collected more than 180
signatures of Laguna Beach citizens who would support a Pedestrian
Plaza on Forest Avenue.
Please call write or e-mail us if you would like a copy of this
petition to sign or have any ideas about moving forward with these
concepts before it’s too late, before we have polka-dotted our
Downtown with parking lots and clogged our streets with cars looking
for spaces.
Also if you disagree, let us know why so your fears can be
addressed. Write to the paper, call our city officials. Let’s imitate
Jim Dilley and make our dreams of a pedestrian-friendly,
bicycle-friendly Downtown come true. Let’s create some beauty and
peace in our Downtown. Let us hear from you pro or con.
BARBARA and MICHAEL HOAG
Laguna Beach
I was delighted to read your excellent editorial last week on the
folly of trying to squeeze even more cars into our congested
Downtown.
Transportation planners have known since the ‘60s that traditional
towns like ours cannot be adapted to the automobile without
destroying their essential character.
Our Downtown has the potential for considerable improvement, but
only if we accept the fact that more pavement will only lead to more
cars, more congestion and further erosion of the qualities that
attracted most of us to here in the first place.
Scott Sebastian
Laguna Beach
Trams are nice way to treat visitors
My wife and I were very pleased to use the free shuttle service
last Sunday to go to the Laguna Playhouse and then to dinner. Thank
you city of Laguna for providing this service. There will always be
summer congestion, but this is one great way to lessen the traffic.
PAT AND JUDI FLORENTINE
Monarch Beach
Really necessary to mark re-paved streets?
The newly re-paved streets in North Laguna look great ... or at
least they did! It only took two weeks before the spray-can painters
were back at work on the fresh asphalt. Graffiti? Well, not exactly.
It’s the utility companies with their red, orange, blue and white
markings. White paint spells out “USA-G” in front of our house. Blue
paint marks water meters as if we didn’t know what they were already.
Are all these markings necessary? Do they mean our brand new
streets are about to be torn up? Can’t the utility companies use
chalk or paint that will eventually wash off? I guess I just don’t
understand and am frustrated.
OTIS HEALY
Laguna Beach
Pageant is always worth the wait
I did it again this morning.
I was up at 6 a.m. and in line for tickets for the Pageant of the
Masters at 7:15.
I have seen the Pageant 33 times and tonight will be No. 34. The
ticket-line experience has always been enjoyable and memorable,
despite the early hour, the cool weather, the uncomfortable concrete
and the worry about ticket availability.
It’s the people who make the difference -- all friendly art
enthusiasts! Today they included many who had never seen the Pageant
and lots of old-timers like me.
A young girl was surprising her mother as a treat. A couple were
celebrating their third anniversary. A man was visiting from
Washington D.C. and had heard about the show for years. One family
drove to Laguna in the dark, before the sun, to be first in line.
Most of us were able to purchase tickets. All of us, I think, were
happy to try to be a tiny part of an event, to look forward to a very
special evening.
I can’t wait to see my 34th Pageant.
DORIS SPIVACK
Laguna Beach
It’s still red light, green light
It was interesting to hear a new perspective on the new traffic
lights that have been sweeping the southland in the past two years.
(“Red light, turquoise light?” Coastline Pilot, Aug. 2)
The new lights are still red, yellow, and yes green not
aquamarine. True the green is much richer than that we have grown
accustomed to seeing, but it is still green in accordance with State
and Federal standards.
The new traffic lights deploy an entirely different technology.
The “old” traffic signals lights used a colored lens (red, yellow,
green) with a light bulb not too unlike those used in a household
lamp.
The larger signal indications (12-inch diameter) used 135-to
165-watt incandescent bulbs while the smaller signal indications
(8-inch diameter) used a 67-watt incandescent bulb.
The “new” traffic signal lights are use a light emitting diode,
which isn’t a “light bulb” at all. This diode technology uses a gas
called aluminum galium phosphide to produce light. These individual
“lights” are clustered in bunches of approximately 200 diodes to
produce the proper light levels necessary for traffic signal
purposes.
This is the reason the new traffic signals have a “pixilated” look
to them. The true beauty, in addition to brighter color, of the
diodes is in their energy consumption.
While the “old” lights consumed 135-165 watts for 12 inches and 67 watts for 8 inches, the new ones consume only 10% of the energy.
That’s right, 10%.
This tremendous reduction in energy consumption is not only
environmentally conscious by conserving precious energy resources but
it is fiscally responsible as the financial savings realized by the
use of the new lights is significant.
While the new signals represent “change” from days of old, I
believe it is change for the better. The new lights save energy, save
money, and are, in many people’s opinion, brighter, which may reap
ancillary benefits of reducing traffic accidents. Who knows?
While those of us who drive have noticed a “new” green, our kids
can still enjoy a good old fashioned game of “red light, green light”
and rest assured that this is still the national and international
standard.
MARK LEWIS
Registered civil and
traffic engineer
Fountain Valley City Engineer
Laguna Beach
It’s time for gay union announcements
Gay union announcements. It’s about time. My congratulations to
the editors and management of the New York Times for their recent
policy decision to include gay union “celebrations” in the paper,
where such announcements belong, right alongside traditional union
announcements.
I would be extremely pleased to learn that the Coastline Pilot and
its parent, the Los Angeles Times, adopted a similar policy.
The decision, which has apparently become an issue for those who
cannot accept that gay people have a valid place in society worthy of
respect, is to me a perfect example of the kind of equal rights and
treatment that gays are fighting for.
Clearly, the new policy grants equal treatment to a major event in
the lives of gay couples, not special or superior treatment as is so
often the false accusation of detractors to the “gay cause.”
JAMES DORF
Laguna Beach
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