The Goleta City Council on Tuesday considered three restriping options to improve conditions on Cathedral Oaks Road between Paseo del Pinon and Northgate Drive as part of the 2023 Pavement Maintenance Project.
The 2023 Pavement Maintenance Project will repave Cathedral Oaks Road between Winchester Canyon Road and Northgate Drive.
Three alternatives were considered on Tuesday to improve road conditions for cyclists and drivers.
The first option included keeping the road’s existing configuration with painted bike lane buffers and relocating 20 on-street parking spaces on the south side of Cathedral Oaks Road, closest to Paseo del Pinon to east of the bus stop at Brandon Drive.
That option would add 14 on-street spaces to the south side of Cathedral Oaks Road.
The second option includes moving the bike lane to be adjacent to the curb and buffer it from traffic with parallel on-street parking. Like in the first option, parking would be relocated to the south side of Cathedral Oaks Road.
That option would mean the loss of 10 on-street parking spaces because of sight obstructions created by moving parking spaces away from the curb.
Option three is similar to option two but would include angled parking instead of parallel parking where there is space to do so.
In general, option three was the option most preferred by the council and by residents who spoke during public comment. However, there were concerns that vehicle maneuvers in and out of angled parking spaces would conflict with through traffic.
Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte said she tested both parallel parking and angled parking in the area and had some safety concerns with pulling out of the angled parking space.
“It seemed a little bit dangerous for me pulling out of the angled parking. Maybe it was my car, but there was definitely a blind spot,” Perotte said. “Cars are gonna have to really watch. That street screams speed because it’s so wide.”
During public comment, Goleta resident Richard Foster said the project seemed like a lot of work for an area that has very few accidents, but he did express support for the third option because he said it seemed like it provided more safety than the other options.
“If we really want to do something about bicycle safety, I would suggest we start ticketing bicyclists that run red lights and stop signs, which I saw three people today doing,” Foster said. “Bicyclists have to take their own safety into consideration and be responsible as they bike around our community.”
Other members spoke during public comment about the high speed of electric bikes in the area, the number of bicyclists riding through stop signs, and the number of bicyclists not wearing helmets.
Councilman Kyle Richards said he preferred the third option but shared concerns over drivers having to pull out of angled parking spaces onto the road where vehicles speed by.
“I do have a preference for alternative three, and that is the safest way by bicyclists to maneuver through this area,” Richards said. “Even if it’s just only for a smaller portion of Cathedral Oaks, every portion that we improve and increase safety helps the entire corridor.”
Perotte said that as the city gets ready for repavement, it is the perfect time to improve bicycle safety and make necessary changes but said she did not want to see the project held up.
“That road is horrible. It’s just unbelievable, and it’s getting worse,” Perotte said.
City staff will return to the City Council on July 16 with the third option for final feedback and approval. The public also will be able to provide their feedback about the restriping during this time.
