Instead, the consulting firm of W-Trans of Oakland says the recommendations included in the draft EIR "should sufficiently improve safety on Seacliff Drive..."
Those recommendations include narrowing Seacliff Drive to 11-foot travel lanes and installing speed limit and other signs. The development will add 1,400 vehicle trips per day to the road, according to the original traffic study.
W-Trans drew its conclusions by doing a 'peer review' of the data provided from the original traffic study presented Nov. 16.
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| Left-turn lane recommendation |
The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held the city council chambers, 440 Civic Center Plaza.
The presentation of the final EIR comes two months after the planning commission's public hearing on the draft EIR.
At that meeting, members of the public strongly urged the planning commission to consider three alternatives: a left-turn lane, a small 'roundabout' at the entrance - or requiring the developer New West of Las Vegas to create a driveway entrance off Canal Boulevard to avoid Seacliff Drive entirely for ingress and egress.
In rejecting the public-generated suggestions, W-Trans said:
• A left-turn pocket into the subdivision is not needed because few project trips are expected to turn left into the project driveway.
• A single lane mini-roundabout is not recommended as there are concerns due to speed, topography and required right of way.
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| Mini-roundabout recommendation |
Planning commissioners at the Nov. 16 meeting also voiced concerns about potential traffic safety issues on Seacliff Drive if the project is approved.
"I think we're all cognizant this is a serious issue and one that neighbors really want to get right," planning commissioner Andrew Butt said. "And I personally want to get it right as well."
Proponents of the three alternatives to improve traffic safety at the entrance of the development are expected to urge the planning commission to require the developer - New West of Las Vegas - to implement one of the three traffic measures, despite the W-Trans' peer review of data.
The full EIR - including a transcript of comments made by the planning commission regarding the need for more study of traffic safety on Seacliff Drive - can be found here:
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| Quarry project access from Canal Drive recommendation |
1 comment:
Thank you for this update!
Clearly the W-Trans "peer review" supports the developer's doing as little as possible. It is apparent to any driver or pedestrian or bicyclist who uses Canal regularly that:
a) the 40 mph posted speed limit is routinely ignored, even by big rigs going empty towards the port;
b) big rigs parking in the "middle lane" to wait for trains to pass both block view and distract drivers;
c) funneling an additional 1400 households onto Seacliff when there exists a very reasonable alternative - the Existing Road ! (duh).
d) The existing road is NOT controlled by EBRPD. EBRPD does not police it, does not clean it up, and it's not even part of the park, per their own maps of Miller-Knox.
e) adding an intersection "there" at the turnoff to East Brother Beer Co, Miller Knox and the new development is appropriate and would improve safety.
f) they claim people would not make a left turn into the development? So this assumes Brickyard Cove folks would not want to visit the new development? Anyone visiting the Richmond Yacht Club would surely not live in the new development?
g) nothing in this article mentioned the very real issue of speeders in brand new cars driving up and down Canal Fridays at 5pm.
Driving Seacliff late at night in the dark and no special set aside for a left turn? Some wise-*** newly minted college grad was assigned to this, I would bet money. I will attempt to attend the meeting.
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