City to Host Oct. 5 Public Workshop on Manchester Avenue Speedway

City staff will host a public workshop on the proposed plan to widen and straighten Manchester Avenue will be held Wednesday, October 5, from 6-8 pm at the Encinitas Community & Senior Center.

The public notice is here. A study to widen and straighten a scenic stretch of Manchester Avenue in Olivenhain continues to make its way through City Council (see my ). 

We know that widening and straightening roads leads to increased vehicle speed, and increased vehicle speed leads to more, not less, accidents. Manchester Avenue is currently posted 40 MPH. Higher speeds are kept in check by its non-linear, rural nature and gentle curves. There have been zero fatalities on the stretch of road in question. This study contemplates a much straighter, flatter, 10 ft. wider road yet with an unchanged design speed of 40 MPH. Common sense dictates cars will go far faster if this road is straightened. The danger is clear. 

Could Manchester Avenue be made safer for all users, including bicyclists? Of course. But increasing vehicle speed is counter-intuitive to this aim. 

Preliminary maps and other exhibits will be available for viewing at the workshop, and city and project specialists in engineering, environmental studies, and traffic operations will be available to answer questions. Let's hope the pretty artist renderings focus on improving real problems, not increasing vehicle speed. 

This critical workshop on one of Olivenhain's primary roadways was inexplicably scheduled at the same time as the Olivenhain Town Council meeting. Please note that you can still attend both meetings, as the Manchester workshop is planned as an 'open house' format with no presentations, so you can show up anytime between 6 and 8 p.m. to provide comments and ask questions. (There will be no opportunity for public speaking, apparently.) If you can't make the meeting, the City will accept written comments up to October 19, 2011. Written comments should be addressed to: Kip Hefner, City of Encinitas, 505 South Vulcan, Encinitas, CA 92024.

For some pre-workshop inspiration, visit Streets as Places, a campaign from the nonprofit Project for Public Spaces. A short blurb:

"To date, transportation engineering, design and planning in the United States has focused mainly on the efficient and safe movement of vehicles. While these are serious concerns, this single-minded focus has had crippling social, community, and environmental impacts, without adequately addressing congestion and cost. Car-centric planning has encouraged sprawling development and adverse human health conditions such as asthma and obesity. By failing to take into consideration the character of communities or the needs of an entire spectrum of users (including bicyclists, pedestrians, and neighbors such as residents and local businesses) this capital-intensive approach has missed the opportunity to use transportation design to shape communities, not just connect them."

We are Encinitas! We can do better.

See you at the workshop!