Armed with a few cans of paint and a reformer’s zeal when it comes to City Hall’s new “Vision Zero” policy, Santa Barbara traffic engineers are hoping to take on what they see as a culture of complacency when it comes to the dangers associated with car travel. “The airline industry doesn’t accept death as an inevitable fact of life,” said transportation manager Rob Dayton. “We shouldn’t either.”
This Tuesday, Dayton and engineer Derrick Bailey secured unanimous council support for a road restriping project that will reduce a stretch of Las Positas Road from four lanes to three. By narrowing the road, the modest, low-budget change — of around $20,000 — is designed to increase road safety by reducing speed. The “missing” lane will be used to create a turn lane from McCaw Avenue to San Onofre Street.
A stretch along Cabrillo Boulevard was proposed to go from four lanes to two, but in deference to neighborhood concerns, city staff was directed to explore six different options. The cannibalized lane space was to be used to create new vertical backed-in parking spaces, but staff will also look at other ways to restructure Cabrillo to minimize collision patterns. Public workshops are upcoming to discuss the alternatives.