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