Regarding Tuesday’s Santa Barbara City Council agenda item on the Las Positas Road and Cliff Drive intersection, Cars Are Basic has reviewed the options for both a) long-term traffic management, and b) expense and ease of installation. The following are easily recognized justifications for our recommendations.
1) Most of the current congestion occurs at rush hour or holidays (going to the beach).
2) There was an effective and safe right turn lane off Cliff onto Las Positas, destroyed at the insistence of the City of Santa Barbara (George Gerth). This needs to be reinstated.
3) There were no traffic accident statistics to justify closing the right turn lane, and the removal immediately started more congestion that has built over the years of increased car use. The argument that there is not enough room is flat wrong. The free right turn was there for years, and worked exceeding well.
4) With little effort the city can put in a second, ocean-bound lane on Las Positas, providing two lanes at the intersection. The added lane would have the option of a left turn onto Cliff Drive. This will allow both lanes to act as a funnel for rush-hour traffic going up Cliff, greatly diminishing afternoon congestion. It will increase the holding capacity for afternoon rush hour. The right lane also will act as an outlet for right turns headed to the beach and Hope Ranch.
5) The stop light can easily be programmed for four-hour activity (rush hour), with blinking red the rest of the time. It allows for easy access onto and from Cliff, and to the beach.
Create two lanes onto Cliff Drive, rebuild the unrestricted right turn off Cliff Drive, and a four-hour working stop light is the long term, simple and rational choice.
Scott Wenz, president
Cars Are Basic
Carpinteria