On at least one block, Santa Barbara will have one fewer one-way street.
The city plans to change the 400 block of Anacapa Street from a one-way street to a two-way street this fall.
Derrick Bailey, the city’s principal traffic engineer, said the change will improve public safety and traffic circulation.
“Currently, the way the one-way streets are configured, traffic in this area is forced to go through the State Street/Gutierrez Street intersection,” Bailey said. “By changing the 400 block of Anacapa Street to two-way, it provides an additional outlet for this neighborhood and will reduce traffic volumes on State Street.”
Currently, people headed toward State Street on Gutierrez Street have no option to turn onto Anacapa Street because it is one-way. Under the new plan, they can turn on Anacapa and then make a right on Haley Street to head toward the Eastside.
Bailey said traffic patterns indicate that many vehicles use Gutierrez Street, turn right on State Street and then make another right on Haley Street. Turning Anacapa into a two-way removes some of the tension among pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers on State Street.
The change also is expected to result in a one- to two-minute reduction in travel time and 114 fewer vehicle miles traveled per day on average, Bailey said. In addition to improved circulation during normal operations, the two-way street will provide an alternative route when there is a special event or an incident restricting traffic flow at the State Street and Gutierrez Street intersection, Bailey said.
The change was approved as part of the city’s Five-Year Capital Improvement Program.
The City Council approved the change on its consent calender in May, and at least one member of the public objected.
“Changing the single block of Anacapa doesn’t really make sense to me,” Jed Hazard said. “Some of the businesses will be negatively impacted and no longer will be able to have full shipments to their location.”
Hazard, who has a lease on a commercial building on the street, said parking for large tractor-trailers and tow trucks on the block is needed.
“If it’s changed to both lanes, I don’t see where they will be able to stop, load and unload,” Hazard said. “Trucks will keep coming, and I have to imagine we will end up with some accidents.”
He also noted that the next block over, Santa Barbara Street, is two-way so people can use that street if they want to turn toward Haley.
“I don’t understand what we will gain from this,” he said.
The city’s Public Works also plans to repave the street when it turns it into a two-way. The project will cost about $11,000 for the striping, paving, signs and traffic light.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
