Staff Report
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians are hosting a Traffic Circulation and Safety virtual (online) community meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, to discuss potential improvements to key traffic corridors in Santa Ynez Valley. This virtual meeting is the culmination of the 18-month long Traffic Circulation and Safety Study that will feature results from public input and technical analysis on various improvements being considered. The Study report can be viewed on Santa Barbara County Association of Government’s website.
The meeting will be available for viewing live and on demand through May 26 online at publicinput.com/t728 and will also be available on-demand on Santa Barbara County Association of Governments website within two days after the May 19 meeting. Questions and public comments on the project may be submitted before, during, and after the meeting through May 26 at publicinput.com/t728.
The Santa Ynez Traffic Circulation and Safety Study is intended to comprehensively assess and identify needed current and future circulation and safety improvements. The overarching goal is to achieve a better quality of life for the community and those who use the roadways – pedestrians, motorists, cyclists.
“My vision for the Traffic Safety and Circulation Study is one where improvements are shaped by local Santa Ynez Valley residents who understand the issues first-hand,” said Supervisor Joan Hartmann, SBCAG Director who represents Valley residents. “We received suggestions from over 100 participants who took the time to attend the bus tour in spring 2019, and the community meeting last fall. We encourage all community members to attend the online community meeting from the comfort and safety of your home and share your views. Engaging our local stakeholders is at the heart of this process. While we can’t come together in person, we look forward to broad community participation online.”
Discussion about potential improvements to be considered will include:
- Installation of either a roundabout, traffic signal, or all-way stop-control at the Roblar Avenue/SR-154 intersection as a traffic calming/speed reduction measure, to replace the current two-way stop-controlled operation.
- Addition of a pedestrian scramble crosswalk operation at the Alisal Drive/SR-246 (Mission Drive) intersection, which would allow pedestrians to cross in all directions (including diagonally) within an exclusive phase (vehicle traffic would stop in all directions for that phase).
The Santa Ynez Valley is primarily served by a series of state highways: SR 154, SR 246 and US 101. These state highways handle an increased demand of regional, tourist, and local trips, and also serve as a “main street” for several of the cities and communities in the Santa Ynez Valley. As such, there are competing demands on the highway network from passenger vehicles, transit, trucks, cyclists, and pedestrians. Santa Ynez Valley Traffic Circulation & Safety Study kicked off with a bus tour of the study area in February 2019 and a public workshop in September 2019. The May 19, 2020 community meeting will be the final public workshop before the study is completed in June 2020.
Public input throughout the process has been essential to establish a vision for traffic and safety projects. The public is encouraged to join this important discussion online.
What: Santa Ynez Valley Traffic Circulation & Safety Study Virtual Community Meeting
When: 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Where: Join us live online at publicinput.com/t728
Or view the meeting on-demand at publicinput.com/t728 or at
www.sbcag.org/syvprojects within two days after the May 19 meeting
Agenda and presentation materials will be posted on the virtual community meeting at publicinput.com/t728. Questions and public comments on the project may be submitted on the public input website before, during, and after the meeting through May 26. The study is made possible through a Caltrans Sustainable Communities Planning grant, as well as funding from the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments.
For more information or questions about the upcoming virtual community meeting, the public can contact Katherine Padilla, Community Relations Consultant, at kpadilla@katherinepadilla.com.
