Saturday, November 23, 2019

Keywords FINAL Draft 2019 LB Downtown Specific Plan

Here is a summary of mobility keywords found in the FINAL Draft 2019 LB Downtown Specific Plan (yes that's the title, ten years to update, 177pages, 79MB): 

  • Afford housing:  14
  • Bicycle: 5
  • Bike: 1
  • Blended parking: 0
  • Bus: 4
  • Circulation: 36
  • Complete Streets:0
  • Cycling: 0
  • DownTn housing: 4
  • Flexible parking: 1
  • Housing: 85
  • Increasing density:0
  • Lightrail: 0
  • Market-rate:0
  • Multi-story:1
  • Park:102
  • Parking requirements: 11
  • Parking structure:13
  • Pedestrians: 29
  • Enhanced Mobility and Complete Streets Transition Plan:1
  • Rail: 0
  • Relaxed parking: 0
  • Scooter: 1
  • Shuttle: 5
  • Single formula: 0
  • Skateboard: 1
  • Transit Center: 7
  • Transit: 29
  • Trolley: 17
  • Walking: 3
  • Parking: 412 


The intent of our 2019 DSP is clear. Once again our Laguna Beach Planning Commission denies solutions to Laguna's mobility crisis by preserving a reliance on car transportation (circa 1950). The LBPC denies mobility planning altogether, Laguna will remain a parking lot. 
-LS

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

SUV Shame

"SUVskam" in Swedish means "SUV Shame". Most appropriate when considering these facts posted by the International Energy Agency in France.
  • Today, almost half of all cars sold in the United States and one-third of the cars sold in Europe are SUVs.
  • The global fleet of SUVs has seen its emissions growing by nearly 0.55 Gt CO2 during the last decade to roughly 0.7 Gt CO2
  • As a consequence, SUVs were the second-largest contributor to the increase in global CO2 emissions since 2010 after the power sector (see chart)
Gt = Gigga Tonne means a Billion metric tonnes or 2,200,000,000,000 pounds.

Credit IEA story
"SUV's are killing the planet" - StreetsBlog.
FORD's new PC Mustang is an Electric S.U.V.  plugged into the coal driven electric grid. Feel better?

-LS

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Summit Meeting Laguna Residents First

Wednesday November 13 2019 Laguna Residents First held their second Summit meeting open to invited guests. LRF objected to the blended parking requirements proposed in the newly drafted Laguna Downtown Specific Plan. The requirements presented were:

Old Requirements:
   10 spaces per 1000 square feet
   4 spaces per 1000 square feet

Blended Requirement:
   3 spaces per 1000 square feet

Here are some modern intensified parking requirements like angle-in parking, in-lieu parking, automated parking, robot valet parking and China parking.  Choose the best one for Laguna Beach and let Laguna city planners and LRF know your choice.  Website: Laguna Residents First.




 -LS



Monday, November 4, 2019

Lyft Replaces San Clemente Bus


Reimagining Transit Convenience in San Clemente

Our beach towns experience large surges in traffic due to out-of-town visitors, in San Clemente they arrive by car and train from origins far away as Fresno. When convenience is king a rideshare may fill the intervals between bus rides on a fixed schedule.

Image result for SCRIDES map lyft"
Click for Lyft Details
Lyft rideshare has done just that. In a historic move Lyft has partnered with the City of San Clemente to replace the fixed ride service previously offered by OCTA routes 191 and 193. In a new program Lyft is the City's rideshare parther offering convenience and efficiency for residents and visitors providing trips around the city on demand, quickly and affordably for carfree visitors and residents alike. Is Laguna next?


To get started download the Lyft App and enter SCRIDES in the "Payment" section. To be eligible, rides must be taken between 6 AM-6 PM, boardings are along corridors of the 191 and 193 bus routes. To make sure you’re at the right space, look for signs at participating bus stops.

-LS