THE UNION Articles on
Traffic -- October-November
How do we keep that hometown charm?, Brittany Retherford, November 30, 2005
Traffic is topic of town meeting, Brittany Retherford, November 29, 2005
Doolittle asked for $9.5 million for Dorsey interchange, B. Retherford, Nov. 18, 2005
Country roads often pose tough obstacles, Trina Kleist, November 4, 2005
...relief from traffic congestion, Grant Cattaneo, October 1, 2005
How do we keep that hometown charm?
Residents gather to talk traffic at town hall meeting
Brittany Retherford
November 30, 2005Major traffic improvements such as the Dorsey Drive interchange might still be a ways off for Grass Valley, but residents are talking now about how to keep the quality of life high and full of charm in this rural mountain town.
Ideas emerged following presentations made by a panelist of traffic experts during a town hall meeting Tuesday evening. Mayor Gerard Tassone roved around the chambers with microphone in hand, "Donahue-style," sharing thoughts and fielding suggestions. Numerous questions were also submitted by people unable to attend and the latter part of the meeting was dedicated to answering these, which were mostly about specific projects.
Among those who showed, however, many rallied around the idea of finding out-of-the box solutions instead of relying on the millions of dollars that isn't even in the city and county coffers for proposed improvements.
For several residents, a change of attitude from designing streets for cars to designing for foot and bike travel is the key.
"I think we have a wonderful city and we have great charm and we have to be careful we don't ruin it. If we design for pedestrians and bicycles, we will get pedestrians and bicyclists," said Phil Carville, developer of the proposed Loma Rica project.
This means truly understanding the implications of certain types of improvements, which may be great for cars, but tough on those on foot or bike, some said. For example, many of the proposed projects include plans to widen sections of streets or highways - such as a plan to widen a mile-long strip of Highway 49 around La Barr Meadows Road - and which may not always be pedestrian-friendly.
"(One of the things) I don't see is stepping way back and more or less taking your eyes out of focus and seeing what widening does to the quality of life on those streets. When you widen a street, you don't necessarily want to live on that street anymore. How do you make those improvements, but not be deleterious to the quality of life?" said another county resident, Chuck Durrett, who is an expert on cohousing-style living.
He also later asked whether the city had a vision on traffic, which it doesn't, according to the mayor.
Former city councilman Steve Enos challenged the current council to take a walk from the Reibe's Auto Parts on Idaho-Maryland Road to the Staples in the Glenbrook basin.
"There are areas where there is absolutely no shoulder, you have to cross the road three different times. Experience what it's like, do something (for the) pedestrians," he said. Enos also called the traffic situation in downtown like a "duck arcade" for those who walk.
But not all residents agree that traffic is even a problem, which could make it easier to put cars last and people first.
"I'd like to make the point that nobody seems to be recognizing that we don't really have much of a traffic problem here, our roads work fine 24-hours a day. I'd like to suggest we have a conversation (about) lowering our expectations," said builder Keoni Allen. Allen did agree with keeping streets slimmer, however, saying "(the current traffic situation) is part of the charm of our city, we will lose the value of our city if we widen the streets."
Others, such as Howard Levine, the executive director of the Grass Valley Downtown Association, is trying to take a proactive approach keeping the beloved charm.
"In the early months of next year we hope to launch a couple programs to use the Gold Country Stage and increase the ridership. One of the great things about downtown was that it was built for not having cars and that is why we love it. I would hope that we move to finding a different way of moving people around," he said.
This comes as good news to the transportation experts, who have limited funds with which to make any improvements in the county.
"I am in a box, I have to work with the dollars that I have," said Dan Landon, executive director of the Nevada County Transportation Commission, which is involved with several Grass Valley projects. The total price tag for all current proposed improvements is $17 million, with the Dorsey Drive interchange project eating up a huge lump of that. But with no money coming in from the state the past few years because of a budget crisis, the burden rests mostly on Nevada County taxpayers.
Landon said the commission is currently exploring the possibility of implementing a sales tax to raise money for traffic solutions and will be looking to the public for feedback on whether that is something they'd be willing to pay for.
Ultimately, no decisions were made Tuesday evening, but many expressed thanks for the feedback.
"The ability for people to walk around Grass Valley wherever it may be is very important. Keep coming to these meetings and keep telling us what you want to see in Grass Valley," said Councilwoman Lisa Swarthout.
To contact staff writer Brittany Retherford, e-mail brittanyr@theunion.com or call 477-4247.
Traffic is topic of town meeting
Public invited to comment, ask questions of panel
By Brittany Retherford
Staff writer
November 29, 2005
Curious to know what's up with the Dorsey Drive interchange project? What about new bike trails in Grass Valley? How about whether you might soon pay more in traffic fees when building a new home?
Well, tonight you can.
The city of Grass Valley is hosting a town hall meeting that will be devoted entirely to the issue of traffic. Commencing at 6 p.m., the meeting is slated to last three hours - more than half of which will be for public comment.
And, along with the entire City Council, a panel of city and county officials will be on hand to supply answers.
"The difference (about this meeting) will be that people can offer comments, ask questions and get responses right there on the spot," said one of the panelists, Dan Landon, who is the executive director of the Nevada County Transportation Commission.
Other panelists will include John Foster, the police chief; Tim Kiser, the city engineer; Grant Johnson, the city's traffic engineer; Tom Wood, the area's Caltrans representative; and John Rumsey, the county's traffic engineer.
The agenda for the evening includes a series of short presentations by the panelists on topics such as traffic safety, planning, funding and current projects, but most of the evening will be opened up to the public to ask questions.
Mayor Gerard Tassone said that it is a chance for the city to bring all the bits and pieces about traffic together in one meeting. He said he expects to hear questions on a wide range of topics, including those about traffic fees and how the city plans to make the area more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly.
No decisions will be made; the meeting will also be broadcast live on Comcast Channel 14 and recorded on audio tape.
To contact staff writer Brittany Retherford, e-mail brittanyr@theunion.com or call 477-4247.
Doolittle asked for $9.5 million for Dorsey interchange
- copy of letter to Doolittle included
Brittany Retherford
Staff writer
November 18, 2005
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors are asking for help from the federal government to build the long-awaited and costly Dorsey Drive interchange project in Grass Valley.
During its Tuesday morning meeting, the board unanimously approved sending a letter to Congressman John Doolittle (R-Rocklin), the county’s representative asking for $9.5 million.
The project, which has been identified as the county’s top priority traffic problem, is estimated to cost $28 million.
Money has been scarce for the massive project and costs have risen as a result of delays, says the letter. The hope is that the Nevada County project will be considered in a federal 2007 appropriations bill. To read this letter, or to view an overview of this year’s traffic fees collected by the county that was presented Tuesday to the Board, visit The Union’s Web site at www.theunion.com.Nevada County Board of Supervisors' letter to Rep. Doolittle
Country roads often pose tough obstacles
By Trina Kleist, trinak@theunion.com
November 4, 2005
Two recent accidents have raised concerns about the safety of Nevada County's roads.
Sunday's single-car wreck on Lower Colfax Road resulted in the death Wednesday of an 18-year-old San Juan Ridge man. The vehicle had struck an oak tree growing at the edge of the pavement, prompting friends of the victim to call for the tree's removal or other safety measures.
On Sept. 25, a 74-year-old woman speeding on Ridge Road near Zion Street took a curve too fast, hit a guard rail and collided with several trees before landing upside down in a private yard. She suffered moderate internal injuries and fractured ribs, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Residents later called the road a "speedway" and complained of frequent congestion.
Concerns about road hazards and suggestions for improving them can be taken to the Nevada County Department of Transportation, Civil Engineer John Rumsey said. A citizen service request can be made at the county's Web site, www.mynevadacounty.com, or by calling 265-1411.
On many roads, however, the county has little room to work. "For many of our roads, we have no physical right-of-way," Rumsey said.
Narrow roads, trees, curves and hills are a fact of life in the countryside, and underscore the need for drivers to focus on driving.
"Modern life has so many distractions," said officer Randall Corbett of the CHP. "Driving requires constant vigilance, your eyes forward, looking to the rear, using your peripheral vision. There's no room for anything else."
That includes hands-free cellular telephones, grabbing a compact disc and even changing stations on the radio, Corbett said.
To contact staff writer Trina Kleist, e-mail trinak@theunion.com or call 477-4231.
Time for look at relief from traffic congestion
October 1, 2005
Kudos to Mayor Tassone for bringing us up-to-date on traffic issues in his The Union article on Sept. 24. The last time the mayor wrote about traffic, it was in reaction to the public outcry about the traffic snarls at the Post Office intersection. This intersection still has problems even after the City has spent more than $2 million and is scheduled to spend even more trying to fix it again.
At long last it seems now that the City has acknowledged there is traffic congestion. The City even has a formal "Traffic Congestion Relief " program - notice the operative word, congestion. In August the Council approved several quick fixes, the majority of which were recommendations provided to the City by Citizens Concerned About Traffic (CCAT).
Let's look at some facts not covered by the Mayor:
Fact: Although the Grass Valley Corridor Improvement Project and the Dorsey Interchange are referenced by the Mayor, it needs to be clearly understood that there are no final approved plans for either project, no construction funds in place for either project nor any starting dates for construction.
Fact: The City is not collecting sufficient traffic mitigation fees from new development projects. The City has failed to take action to resolve this problem, despite the facts that: a) the City's General Plan says these fees are to be regularly reviewed; b) the City's own approved Street System Master Plan says the fees are too low; and c) the City's own consultant, Maximus, says the fees are too low.
Yet the City has not adjusted the traffic mitigation fees since 2001 nor completed a study to determine whether adjustments are necessary. On Sept. 22, The Union compared traffic fees for the development of a house - Grass Valley is $366.02; Nevada City is $3,073.98 and North San Juan (Nevada County jurisdiction) is $667.00. Thus, Grass Valley's rates are 1/9th of that of Nevada City's, 1/2 of Nevada County's.
Fact: Even with the fees the City collects, there are problems, such as: a) the City has insufficient accounting processes to clearly identify revenues and expenses of the collected fees (confirmed by Council Members of the Street System Master Plan Subcommittee and corroborated by the Nevada County Contractors' Association); and b) when traffic monies are spent, they may not be managed well. The final cost of six completed traffic projects cited in the City's Street System Master Plan was 2.78 times greater than their original budgets.
Fact: The City does not have sufficient funds to cover its needed traffic projects. On June 16, the City identified 11 needed projects at a cost more than $9 million but could only identify about $600,000 available for those projects.
Fact: Yet with all the above problems, the City Council instructed its staff to draft lower standards for reviewing traffic caused by new projects; and will be reviewing the draft at its Council Meeting of Oct. 11. If approved, this action will result in possibly fewer mitigation fees, but certainly less traffic improvements.
Why do some of the City Councilors want to lower the traffic standards and make things worse?
All of the facts presented above can be found in the City's own documents. To learn more about traffic issues read "CCAT's Report on Grass Valley's Current and Impending Traffic Conditions" on CCAT's Web site, www.ccatnc.com. Whatever the reasons for our Mayor's rhetoric, the citizens of Grass Valley deserve a more sober assessment of the traffic issues, as well as better representation and management regarding the issues facing our community.
What's next?
First, the community should attend the City Council Meeting of Oct. 11, and speak against the Council lowering the standards for reviewing the traffic impacts of proposed development projects.
Second, CCAT challenges Mayor Tassone to a public debate on the facts regarding traffic issues. CCAT would be pleased to arrange the debate between the Mayor and CCAT's leadership at a neutral location. Mr. Mayor, please let us know when you are available.
ooo
Grant Cattaneo lives in Grass Valley and is a member of CCAT.