Members of the community came forward during the item to ask council to include 5th Street among the projects that they would seek money for.
There are three categories including one that include “federal-aid eligible “Complete Streets” projects seeking $2 million to $7 million. These projects seek improvements within transportation corridors into more pedestrian and transit-friendly environments with associated land use changes.”
Staff recommended against inclusion of the Fifth Street project due to the fact that they deemed it controversial.
“Likewise, any project that does not have a well defined scope, or is potentially very controversial could take a long time to gain approval of a detailed scope which might make it difficult to make the project completion deadline, or result in a changed scope that might not be consistent enough with the original scope approved by SACOG and thereby jeopardize receiving the grant funds. For these reasons, staff does not recommend the Fifth Street Corridor project for this cycle of the grant program.”
The DDBA sent a letter to council signed by a number of downtown businesses urging the council not to proceed with the project believing that it would harm their business. Presentations from the spring however argued the opposite, that complete street programs have often augmented business by making the corridors more accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists, and even vehicles.
Davis Enterprise Columnist Bob Dunning weighed in a few weeks ago that he avoids the Fifth Street problem altogether by avoiding Fifth Street. He also doubted that this would hurt business.
“Now, the downtown folks are afraid that any change to Fifth might make it more difficult for people to come downtown , thus hurting business … I doubt it … downtown Davis has so much going for it that people are going to find it no matter what … it can be improved, sure, but a little realignment on Fifth won’t affect downtown business one way or the other … “
I actually would go further than Mr. Dunning here and suggest it might help the downtown by making it more accessible. The people trying to steam through Fifth Street are not the people who are stopping in the downtown anyway.
As residents of Old North Davis wrote:
“We are shocked that the business owners are so entrenched in their opposition, in spite of all the evidence that this design works. We are their best customers. Many of us are downtown every day spending money. We don’t clog up the streets, and we don’t take up parking spaces. We just want to get there safely.”
Davis Bicycles members also spoke in favor of the project. They have launched a Facebook page in support of the following goals:
- Improve car, bicycle and pedestrian safety
- Reduce vehicle emissions
- Enhance access to Downtown Davis
- Promote alternative transportation
- Make downtown Davis more people friendly by making Fifth Street bike and pedestrian friendly
As they point out, while opponents worry that dropping four lanes into two will slow this road, we do not really have a four lane road as it is.
“Currently, we do not have a four-lane road on 5th Street. We have a two-lane road with two left turn lanes. Because the cross streets come at frequent intervals (every 320 feet) and 5th Street provides access to densely populated residential neighborhoods and our thriving downtown, drivers make a lot of left turns off of 5th. As they sit at the intersection waiting for oncoming traffic to clear, they completely block traffic flow in the left lane.”
They continue:
“The solution is to provide a place for turning vehicles to wait in a shared center left turn lane. This leaves two through lanes on the street, one in each direction. The remaining roadway space can then be striped for bike lanes on each side of 5th Street.
This exact design is in the adopted Davis General Plan. It all fits on the existing asphalt between the existing curbs. It can be done with just paint and a few new traffic signal heads for left turn arrows at the F and G Street intersections.
Unfortunately, efforts to get this design painted on the street over the past few years have all been stalled by indecision and a failure to understand how successful this design concept has been in hundreds of similar situations all over the country. If you believe in what we are trying to accomplish, please show your support by joining this group, attending city council meetings, and writing letters to the editor.”
Councilmember Lamar Heystek said that he has been on the record for the Fifth Street Project.
“If we do not include Fifth Street in this proposal, I think we will have been remiss in the direction that we have taken and the direction that we are going to take. Not just exploring community support and sketching the scope of work but just in general, we have put hundreds of thousands of dollars of city resources into it, I think to turn back on the project now would be a mistake. I think we need to follow through with it.”
Mayor Pro Tem Don Saylor also recommended Fifth Street be included in the proposal. He then moved that the city include Fifth Street in a three project package that also included a campus campus community connection (1st, 3rd, B) and Olive Drive. The motion passed 4-0. Councilmember Sue Greenwald was conflicted out of the discussion due to the B Street component’s proximity to her home.
—David M. Greenwald reporting
This is a no brainer. THe absence of bicycle lanes on 5th is foolhardy, and always has been. Here we are, going to host the Bicycle Hall of Fame in our “bicycle friendly” city, yet 5th is not bike friendly as the rest of the town is. Why not? There is no good explanation for the stalling tactics that have occurred to make 5th Street safer for bicyclists. If SACOG foots the bill, then there is no earthly reason to oppose trying the road diet with bicycle lanes on 5th as a solution. If it doesn’t work (which is highly doubtful), it is always easy and cheap to change it back to the way it was.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out why the DDBA is opposed to this plan. Are they just stupid, or what? This plan makes it safer for everyone including pedestrians and cars, so will encourage more people to come downtown. Now it appears as if the DDBA doesn’t care one fig about its shoppers’ safety. Why would the DDBA want to project such an uncaring image? I don’t get it…
The DDBA is led by Jennifer Anderson who is leading the charge against the re-design. She went so far as to recommend that the City remove all of the trees along 5th between B and L Street to keep the 4 lane configuration and allow bike lanes along side. Crazy!
She is worried about her business. With Target coming online, this is a real concern. But, she is alienating her customers with her drive against this project.
Scientific analyses of effects on similar streets throughout the USA and the world show that after road diets
a. the street throughput doesn’t change,
b. the street is safer to use and cross for pedestrians, cyclists and automobile drivers, and
c. the street becomes more liveable and able to draw and support wholesome economic activity in and near its corridor.
Doesn’t Jennifer Anderson realize that she is advocating for a high-speed street whose main purpose may be to spirit west Davis residents right past the downtown to Target while preventing north Davis residents from even reaching the downtown safely? She’s not only alienating her customers, she’s actively supporting a status quo that prevents her nearby customers from reaching her business. Curious! I don’t get it either.
I am all for the road diet for 5th St. I just hope the city doesn’t use the same design they used on Poleline between Loyola and Covell, with the traffic islands BLOCKING left turns!
Correction: Poleline does not block left turns, but the islands do block what could otherwise be left turn lanes at the intersections.
It’s an attractive design that works well. Bike lanes are long overdue. SACOG is paying for it. Seems like making the trip easier and pleasant has the potential to increase downtown business. Time to say yes.
I support Old North and Steve Tracy’s proposals.
I home Jennifer Anderson reads and ponders the question posed by Science says.
correction: I HOPE Ms Anderson reads and ponders Science says’ question.
If we can’t have a bike lane on fifth, then we should be able to ride the side walks. it’s a ridiculous and a no brainer. I mean who the hell decided to keep the most accessible street in town without a bike lane. Really it defies all logic. Sometimes this is the amazing paradox of Davis itself.
i’m so ferklumped