GPS, Google Maps, and Waze have made State Route 154 a
freeway for Highway 101 travelers cutting through the heart of our community. Those
of who live on the east side of highway 154 have daily heart-wrenching moments
as we attempt to find a gap between traffic approaching from both directions at
70 mph. A four-way stop has alleviated the problem at Baseline, but the
junctions at Roblar and Grand Avenue in Los Olivos are truly terrifying. With
two fatalities and multiple crashes at the Roblar junction, we have been trying
to get a message to Caltrans that a four-way stop there is mandatory and a much
higher priority than its committed plan to put a roundabout at Baseline. But
who to speak to in the bureacracy?
Joan Hartmann has addressed this issue by championing the
Traffic Safety and Circulation Study, which identifies system-wide improvements,
including reducing accidents and congestion at the Highway 101/154/246 triangle.
Further, Joan and the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments held the
Highway 154 Safety Forum (which Joan chairs).
Joan understands that Santa Ynez Valley residents deserve to
have input, rather than being at the mercy of decisions made unilaterally by
governmental bodies such as Caltrans. That’s why she has worked so hard on a
process that includes us.