The Forest Ave Promenade IV

 

Illustration courtesy Ailustrar.com

The LB Independent Newspaper disapproval rating for the downtown Promenade Project is 90.3%. Here's what Laguna Beach City should have done in 2021 to prepare for a project of this magnitude. YAWN! 

OK, but without knowing where a project is going and WHY, you'll end-up somewhere else.

Laguna Beach PROMENADE PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
Requirements answer what function the project performs, what are the objectives achieved and WHY;

- who are the project stakeholders
- what problems does a Promenade solve
- who benefits, who looses
- what does it cost
- who pays for it.

Promenade Functional Requirements, the Project shall:

- increase foot traffic and reduce car traffic
- remain consistent with Vision 2030 Promenade
     MO4 Downtown Pedestrian Enhancement Mobility page 29
     AC2 Arts and Culture page 49
- remain consistent with Feb 9, 2021 RFP for a Design Consultant
- "promenade" "pedestrian zone" is not addressed in LB General Plan
- plan consistent with General Plan (update the LB GP)
- provide community space where once was parking space
- provide shared space for public gatherings
- design-in alternative to car transport with walking, biking, transit
- revitalize local retail business, make economic sense
- open to both LB Residents and Visitors
- remain accessible to LBFD and LBPD
- satisfy Cal Coastal Commission Replacement Parking Exemption
- financial: business receipts before and after Promenade interventions
- financial: reinvest business profits into local infrastructure
- financial: pool business profits into local business district
- metrics: measure traffic counts before and after interventions
- identify cost estimates, construction, maintenance, enforcement, services
- identify funding sources; grants, taxes, parking fund, GoFundMe


The Promenade Design Requirements, the Project shall:

- preserve look and feel downtown village, preserve trees
- enhance visitor experience by sharing community space
- develop a multi-modal access plan
- provide access to cyclists, provide bike parking throughout
- provide amenities to walkers with wash station
- provide amenities for walkers with pets
- take traffic counts for multi-modal use: walkers, cyclists, transit
- ensure Coastal Commission exemption is met
- reroute transit stops
- place benches for seniors at entrance and middle of Promenade
- provide audible  music
- provide a performance stage
- provide entertainment for children
- enhance public bathrooms, add bathrooms
- provide furniture for outdoor dining and public meeting (tables)
- address replacement parking in the project RFP (Feb 9, 2021)
- ensure Coastal Commission Replacement Parking Exemption is met
- develop connectivity between downtown, transit stops, Forest alley
- address flood control drainage
- provide permeable surfacing with storm drainage
- provide utility power and lighting for events
- allow a hybrid design for seasonal variation in traffic
- allow a hybrid design for emergency vehicle access
 

-LS

LB City Expenditures for Animal Limosines

From the 28 January 2025 Agenda Bill here a city purchase of three vehicles for animal carriers:

(1) Authorize the City Manager to purchase one 2025 VW Buzz electric van for the Animal Shelter, at a cost not to exceed $75,000 from the Animal Shelter Estate Donation Fund, which includes the van, electric charging equipment, installation, and necessary vehicle modifications;

(2) Authorize the City Manager to purchase two 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning electric trucks from Tuttle-Click Ford of Irvine for $102,000, and allocate $98,000 for custom-built animal containers with air conditioning, light bars, computers, radio communication equipment, and other necessary modifications, for a total cost of $200,000; and

(3) Appropriate $30,000 from the Capital Improvement fund for the purchase and installation of a charging station for the Animal Services Trucks, as well as required electrical work in the City Hall rear parking lot.

AUTHORIZATION TO PURCHASE THREE ELECTRIC VEHICLES FOR THE ANIMAL SHELTER AND ANIMAL SERVICES OFFICERS AND CHARGING STATION

That's a total of 305,000 of Electric Vehicles to chauffeur animals?

-LS

Park Avenue Bike Lanes: Ascent

On 6 December the LB Department of Public Works completed bike-lanes on Park Avenue, from Wendt Terrace to Alta Laguna Blvd. The project was completed on request from the school district to manage eBikes and bicycles near Thurston Intermediate School. 

It is noteworthy of this project that 

• the posted speed limits were not reduced
• on-street parking retained even where nobody parks
  
• the motorist lane width was greatly reduced
• Sharrows were considered inappropriate
• no traffic counts (measurements) were taken
  

 These are photos taken from a cyclists perspective ascending Park Avenue from Wendt Terrace to Alta Laguna Blvd.

How could LB Public Works improve projects like this ?

1. Reduce posted roadway speeds and differentials
   
2. Employ traffic calming devices
3. Prioritize roadway users to on-street parking
4. Consult street users who actually ride bikes
5. Take traffic counts: Peds, Bikes, Bus, Cars
6. Consult cycling organizations: BikeLA, CABO
7. Utilize Sharrows on descent, bike-lanes on ascent

-LS

Park Avenue Bike Lanes: Descent

On 6 December the LB Department of Public Works completed bike-lanes on Park Avenue, from Wendt Terrace to Alta Laguna Blvd. The project was completed on request from the school district to manage eBikes and bicycles near Thurston Intermediate School. 

It is noteworthy of this project that 

• the posted speed limits were not reduced
• on-street parking retained
  
• the motorist lane width was greatly reduced
• Sharrows were considered inappropriate
• no traffic counts (measurements) were taken
  

No cyclist advocacy nor bicycle retailers nor cycling organizations were consulted for this project.

LB Public Works said:

"This project was initiated at the request of the School District and City Council, with the primary goal of improving safety for bicyclists. The Class II Bike Lane was designed by the City’s consultant Traffic Engineer, under the guidance of the City Engineer. Given the posted speed limits on Park Avenue, sharrows were not considered as they are not recommended for roads with higher speeds. Therefore, buffer zones were incorporated into the design to provide an additional layer of safety for cyclists (emphasis LS).

The project underwent extensive public review and was discussed in four public meetings, offering ample opportunities for public feedback; however, the individuals mentioned in your email were not directly consulted during the process. The Planning Commission conditionally approved the project at its February 7, 2024, meeting, and subsequently approved modified conditions at the August 21, 2024, meeting. "

 

Motorists and cyclists may decide for themselves whether the bike-safety objective was met. Join me on a gutter-bunny descent of Park Avenue from Alta Laguna to Santa's Beach Shack with a stop at Thurston  Intermediate School

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When the automobile remains king-of-the-road then killer traffic engineers hand us roadway designs like this one.  Next week the ascent of Park Avenue.

-

LS