Bike Boulevard Petition Circulates
People Power drums up support for bike friendly improvements to the King Street neighborhood
BY STEVE HAHN
The normally peaceful King Street neighborhood has been transformed into a hotbed of local political activism. Bicycle advocates from People Power have been going door to door in this westside bedroom community to see if residents would be willing to make the street friendlier for bicycles. So far the activists have received a lukewarm reception, with around 100 residents signing a petition calling for bike-friendly improvements to King, but about twice as many declining to sign.
People Power is trying to gather support for two different bike-friendly proposals, although neither will go forward without more study and public input this fall. The first idea is to eliminate parking on one side of the street, which would leave room for two bike lanes. The second option, which is more appealing to bike enthusiasts, is to install traffic diverters at the intersections of Escalona and Laurent, Van Ness and King and Miramar and King. This plan would discourage motorists from using King or Escalona to bypass Mission Street traffic on their way to Bay Street or the Almar Avenue Safeway. People Power founder Micah Posner believes both of these proposals, but especially the diverter idea, could be a win-win for neighbors and bicyclists.
“I think too often in Santa Cruz politics there is a perception of different special interest groups pitted against each other – like bicyclists vs. neighbors. The fact is that making King Street safer for bicyclists is something that will be good for the neighborhood as a whole,” says Posner. “The neighbors end up with a street they can go out and play basketball on, kids can be safe playing around and they can walk across the street easily. It will be much more pleasant to drive, walk or bike.”
Signatories so far bode well for the proposal’s future. They include former Planning Director Greg Larson, who lives on Escalona and current Planning Commissioner David Foster, who lives on Miles Street, which runs perpendicular to King. However, not everyone in the neighborhood is thrilled about the possibility of fewer parking spaces or a more congested Mission Street commute, according to Posner.
“Some people are very focused on their day-to-day existence,” says Posner. “But I thiink everyone agrees that having more people ride down King rather than drive down it would create a better society for everyone.”
The next step in transforming King Street into some kind of a bike boulevard is to conduct an origin-destination study, which will measure where people who drive down King Street are really headed. That will have to wait until school gets in next fall. “It’s going to take some careful study,” admits Posner. “But we’re starting with the neighbors because they’re the ones who are going to have to change their habits.”
