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Council Members Mari Rodin and Doug Crane
City of Ukiah Civic Center
300 Seminary Avenue Ukiah, CA 95482
Dear Ms. Rodin and Mr. Crane,
I am writing to express my opposition to the street design plan you and two other council members approved on July 19, 2023.
I have explained the reasons for my opposition in articles that have been published in the Anderson Valley Advertiser and Mendofever. I have attached an updated version of those articles to this message, and I hope you will read it.
I have also started a petition to offer those who oppose this plan the opportunity to have a voice.
While the article and petition offer plenty of detail to which I hope you will respond, I would especially like to know your views on the following:
- Do you think five days was an adequate time frame for the city to notify the public and achieve maximum community participation prior to a council vote that may have a dramatic and long-lasting impact on the streets of Ukiah?
- Are you aware of any reliable data that indicates traffic circles are needed in Ukiah, due to traffic congestion or any other reason? If so, are you willing to share that data and its source with the public?
- Are you aware of any reliable sources that indicate traffic circles are safer for both pedestrians and bicyclists? If you are, are you willing to share those sources with the public?
- Do you or anyone you know regularly ride a bicycle on the streets of Ukiah? What active steps have you taken to learn how bicyclists in our community feel about traffic circles?
- Given the evidence I have provided that traffic circles add risk for bicyclists, how do you explain moving forward with this plan under the auspices of ‘complete streets’– i.e. designing streets to benefit all users? If you conclude as most experts have that traffic circles do not benefit bicyclists, will you withdraw your support for the Perkins and Gobbi traffic circle plan and move for the City to terminate the consulting agreement with the contractor who created this plan?
- Have you consulted with Neil Davis, the head of Walk & Bike Mendocino and current head of the City of Ukiah Parks Department, who clearly expressed in a 2016 Planning Commission meeting that traffic circles are not appropriate anywhere in Ukiah? Since he is currently a member of Ukiah city staff, are you willing to share his input with the public?
- How do you justify your support for entrusting a lifestyle brand– purchased by Adventist Health in 2021 for $78 million– to design our streets? Can you explain why the city opted not to seek the services of a well-established, reputable design firm?
- Are you aware of the $10,450 invoice (dated 11/30/23) issued by Blue Zones LLC to the City of Ukiah? Can you describe the exact services this contractor is claiming to have provided for that amount? Do you know why, four months from its issue date, the City of Ukiah has not paid this invoice?
I hope you will share your thoughts about these important questions. Thank you for working on behalf of everyone who uses our streets.
Sincerely,
Andrew Lutsky
I’m a pedestrian, bicyclist and motorist and I think that design looks great and support a traffic circle.
If this roundabout is smaller than the two on Hwy 20 in Lake County there will be problems for big rigs making deliveries in Ukiah. And myself being a truck driver I would drive to the right outside of the circle to clear my trailer from going over the center of the circle. So that will put trucks in the bike lane a BIG safely issue. Pedestrian traffic is another safety issue in roundabouts. A lot of trucks are 65 feet long think about that for a minute. What will happen at Gobbi & State St. or Perkins and State St.?
Both have small intersections. Today a 65 foot simi truck can drive from either end of Ukiah on State St. without any problems. And also there will be car accidents in the roundabouts also. Which will stop traffic until vehicles are moved out of the lane. Years ago there was an article about Orchard Ave. being extended out to Lake Mendocino Drive for a truck route. Is this still in the works? Because trucks will need something other than State St. to get around if the roundabouts happen.
There are I believe 6-7 roundabouts the city wants. One on Low Gap Rd. & State St. Trucks make deliveries on Bush. This is a small intersection. Perkins Street the city wants four roundabouts. That is CRAZY.
The city needs to build the truck route before installing the roundabouts if that is the plan.
The people making future decisions for Ukiah do this. Drive over to Lake County check out the roundabouts. Watch how different size trucks get around the circle. Ask Caltrans for the measurements of these roundabouts. And compare it to the roundabouts for Ukiah.
Do you know what a truck apron is and is used for?
I dare you to ride your bicycle around the existing ones on Highway 20 and see how safe they are. Or walk across the things.
We don’t have bicycle jams though, we have traffic jams. You’re gonna be ok.
That particular intersection would SO benefit from a traffic circle. I cannot wait!
I hope KUKI lane and State Street intersection is next, and I cannot believe East Talmage Road still has no side walk. Someone needs to do something about that.
Whoever is passing out reflective shirts to the street people, thank you!
Sounds like an entitled motorist to me. People ride bikes to be healthy. People drive because they are lazy. Just because a car is more expensive, doesn’t give them the right to do what they want on the road.
Merkin. Go put your wig on.
This is the most idiotic place to have a roundabout!!! It’s not just bicyclists that are in danger, it’s the children and pedestrians that have to navigate that intersection to attend the various schools. HELLO! What about the people who own homes next to it? How in the heck are they supposed to navigate getting in and out of their driveways with people speeding up to and thru the dumbabout?? The people already speed up to the stop signs. I bet they weren’t thinking about that! Of course not, I’m sure they don’t live near this intersection. This is definitely not the place for this!! Of course I’m sure the grant money for this can only be spent on this. This is a disaster for whomever gets injured, the homeowners who live near it, and clearly, just another disaster decision made. Find a better solution.
Everyone that is in support of these proposed traffic circles need to take a trip over to Lake county and park a chair at either the one by 3 brothers plaza or by sentry in Nice and see how truly so called “safe” these are. Everyone that uses them lacks the knowledge to use them properly, they are extremely unsafe to walk near or cross not only that people always wreck around them. The one by 3 brothers is like a green light going one way.
Drivers in Ukiah are incapable of using a 4 way stop when a traffic light is out. A traffic circle jerk will be the absolute worst idea City council has had since the down town street scape crap, when I drive through Ukiah I now avoid state street like the plague, which I’m sure a lot of people do now. The back streets are now flooded with traffic they weren’t built or zoned for, just imagine what type of strain this traffic circle crap will put on local businesses located near these intersections.
As a cyclist who has ridden and driven through round abouts in other town/cities Im stoked. Having traffic moving in one directional flow makes merging into traffic way easier and way less sketchy on a bike in my experience. Theres also no more cross traffic blind spots. It’s easier to know who has the right of way. (something much needed for the average Ukiah 4 way stop folks) There’s literally only one right of way rule to track instead of trying to reset the flow when nobody knows who’s turn it is. A huge advantage for cyclists is you dont have to merge over and through traffic to make a proper left on a bike.
It puts the pedestrians further from the intersection and only concerned with two potential lanes of cars instead of the entire intersection that cant figure out right of way and flow to save their lives.
Theres a reason they are literally all around the world and finally being adopted here. They just plain work, especially for integrating cyclists safely in the flow of traffic.
To the detractors noting hwy 20 roundabout intersections, thats a whole diff thing. There’s no denying that the flow of traffic for all those intersections on the 20 are better for their intended design purpose to speed up cross street traffic flow and decrease wait times that lead to higher speed accidents from cross traffic.
As for driveways on bush, its already a pain anyway because drivers in Ukiah think they are more important than they are and haul ass from intersection to intersection even though there are schools on both sides of bush m logap.
I use the roundabouts in Lake County daily. Not sure what you are referring too, but traffic flows far more smoothly with them than before they were installed.
People also lack knowledge on how to drive, should we take away streets?
What we should do is implement a relearn course for all pre-existing and new drivers, every time we have to renew our driver’s license a harder more advanced course should be implemented. Also if they made the traffic laws a bit stricter on tickets that would weed out a majority of the “bad drivers” a large majority of bad drivers are either young or past the age of retirement, or unlicenced. Maybe even an ability test should be implemented.
Anyone who drives through the intersection at Low Gap and Brush around the time the highschool begins or end everyday knows we have a traffic problem there. I don’t think a light would fix the issue because it would bring traffic to a stop and not keep traffic flowing. A roundabout is a good solution to keep traffic moving through the intersection. I also ride my bike in Ukiah regularly (almost daily) and I appreciate people being concerned about our biking community. That being said, I think the roundabout is a good idea. A roundabout might be a slight inconvenience while I’m riding my bike in one intersection, but will benefit a larger portion of the community who is trying to get to the highschool everyday. If designed correctly it can work for bikes too. Also a better flow of traffic in the intersection could be beneficial for riding bike riders too.
A round about isn’t the answer. You need to go ride your bicycle across one that’s pre-existing. See how fast someone will smack into you, people drive around them carelessly, especially a teenage driver. Healdsburg has one and it’s insanely dangerous for anyone. People don’t yield when they are supposed to.
Ive ridden round abouts loads of times. They work great at slower speeds in towns used to cyclists. People not yielding and driving terribly doesnt mean they dont work. Thats a failure of skill and attention, not the feature in the roadway. Would I feel safe cycling through the hwy 20 roundies, hell no! They are not designed for that purpose. Are all round about successful in execution, Not at all. I think in this very specific intersection thats spitting distance from my place its a great solution to the increased traffic flow from parents picking up their kids.
Here here! We need to stop catering to the lowest denominator. Maybe this would be a good opportunity for some Ukiah PD Traffic enforcement at the roundabout. Betcha that the VAST majority of drivers who don’t know how to handle a roundabout don’t even have a license.
Driving is a privilege, not a right!
Gosh, a progress hater in Ukiah…
What Ukiah really needs is a 15mph speed limit and speed bumps every 15 feet…
Never have I ever seen a town so out of control, or a county so in need of remediation…
I know, mandatory inpatient rehab for all High Schoolers, and hire a few more CHP officers just for Mendo, a place so unsafe to drive it’s actually worse than Lake County…
The average American can’t understand or deal with a “traffic circle” while DUI, but it might slow things down without another traffic light…
Traffic circles work great in my opinion. Much, much smoother than a 4 way stop. I support the traffic circle.
I walk almost everywhere I go and it’s dangerous to walk on the sidewalk now this town wants to put in a roundabout? Common sense and Ukiah does not match. Sorry for the honesty
With regard to safety, Per the Federal Highway Administration roundabouts “…The net result of lower speeds and reduced conflicts at roundabouts is an environment where crashes that cause injury or fatality are substantially reduced…”
With regard to pedestrians and cyclist safety: “…Roundabouts are not only a safer type of intersection; they are also efficient in terms of keeping people moving. Even while calming traffic, they can reduce delay and queuing when compared to other intersection alternatives. Furthermore, the lower vehicular speeds and reduced conflict environment can create a more suitable environment for walking and bicycling….”
To add: Again, Per the Federal Highway Administration, roundabouts compared to a 2-way stop sign intersection reduces accidents causing injury and fatalities by 82%. Compared to a stoplight intersection, accidents and fatalities are reduced by 78%.
The people of Ukiah against round a bouts have no voice anymore. The council has become married to their cement God…of perpetual large cement usage. Follow the money….the answers become obvious. While all this perpetual work keeps Ukiah as ugly to tourist as possible. Beauty isn’t in cement and perpetual roadwork. It’s in a peaceful and quaint downtown that brings tourists be backs. That no longer exist because way too much time has gone by…with cement Gods in charge. What they are claiming to do for tourist and the citizens….has been lost in the almost obsessive need to keep cementing things.
Not only was I almost hit by a vehicle but my CHILD was almost hit in this crosswalk with a crossing guard present! It is absolutely ridiculous the way people drive there. I truly don’t know if it’s safer to walk or drive to school. What I do know, is that drivers need to STOP and wait for PEOPLE TO CROSS THE STREET!! These drivers do not pay attention and it makes it extremely dangerous. I think one of the light up crossing signs would help significantly. Maybe a roundabout could help, maybe not. Whatever it is, lets just make sure pedestrian safety is thought of. Especially, since there are 3 different schools within walking distance of it.
The author of the op-ed misrepresents the study he cites and takes it out of context.
The study referenced does claim that some roundabouts are more dangerous to pedestrians and cyclists but that same study also goes on to explain that the dangerous ones have common characteristics that do not apply to the ones Ukiah has in mind.
The dangerous ones in the study have:
Multiple lanes
and/or
Were not designed to slow traffic down before entering the roundabout
and/or
Did not redirect pedestrian and cyclist traffic to outside the main circle.
Bottom line is that those risk factors appear to be mitigated in the proposed Ukiah roundabouts.
Dear Mr. Anonymous Commenter, if you have information to support your claim that “those risk factors appear to be mitigated in the proposed Ukiah roundabouts,” please share it with us. Tell us how you know that all the planned traffic circles will “redirect pedestrian and cyclist traffic to outside the main circle.” The city council’s 7/19/23 workshop did not include that level of detail, I’ve listened to it more times than I care to admit.
The injury and fatality data you reference in your previous comment applies to motorists, not to cyclists. If you wish to argue that traffic circles are safer for motorists, I would agree. That does not mean they are safer for bicyclists.
I absolutely do not assume that the planned traffic circles will include adequate infrastructure for bicyclists, so my reference to the study you mention is not “out of context.” As you know in my op-ed I stated: “If the city wants to promote infrastructure that improves safety for bicyclists and pedestrians there are proven models to do so: Paved dedicated (no motor vehicle) walking and biking paths; buffered bike lanes; elevated walkways for pedestrians and cyclists.”
If you choose to reply, how about you share with us your full real name? I’m curious, there’s a personal injury lawyer in Ukiah named “Thomas R. Kim” … that wouldn’t be you, would it? Either way it’s fun to contemplate a personal injury lawyer arguing (semi-anonymously) in favor of a street plan which will likely lead to more incidents of … personal injury 🙂
Most roundabouts have a rounded curb so technically it’s really just a speed bump if you choose not to follow the street.
city needs to update to include the Dutch ring on the outer perimeter for bikes