FAIR OAKS BLVD. IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (MARCONI AVENUE TO ENGLE ROAD) SUMMARY OF WORKSHOP COMMENTS December 11, 2002 INTRODUCTION: The Sacramento County Department of Transportation held a community workshop on December 11, 2002. The purpose of the workshop was to evaluate opportunities and constraints and solicit community feedback regarding the potential widening of Fair Oaks Blvd. between Marconi Ave. and Engle Road. During the workshop, participants were asked to write comments on maps of the project site. The comments that were generated are summarized on the following pages. OPPORTUNITIES: Increased Lane Widths • Increase width • Increased width is an invitation to speed through them • Camera at Grant/Fair Oaks intersection Street Landscaping • Not any good if not maintained for long term Community Entry • Greater emphasis on community rather than people passing through New Median • Median divides 2 sides • And divides the town • Medians need better maintenance and funding Bike Lanes • Need one-way arrows • No drain grates • One-way arrows needed Right of Way Widening • Clear sidewalk of poles, benches, etc. • Underground power poles - screening is no good Lighting and Streetscape Furniture • Please: no poles in sidewalks • One crosswalk per light Take Advantage of Park • Get new mural Fair Oaks Blvd. and Marconi • Fix broken sprinkler Encourage People to Stop • 3 lanes each encourage speeding through, not stopping • Amen CONSTRAINTS: Bike Lane • Should be isolated with the sidewalk allowing a safe passage for pedestrians and bikers. (lane, beautification, bike lane, sidewalk- do not add extra lane.) Fair Oaks Blvd. Divides Community • That happens anyway with the normal widening of a road! So either way, the community would be disrupted. Difficult for Pedestrians to Cross Street • If we add another lane, then pedestrians will not want to walk on Fair Oaks Blvd. Even if you add a bike lane and sidewalks! If you want to cross easily, with 6 lanes it takes too long and is too hard anyway. • Serious need for expedited crossings; consider underpass or overpass at Grant and another at/near Marconi. • Should accommodate both bikes and pedestrians. FAIR OAKS BLVD. GENERAL COMMENTS: Area between Robertson Ave. and Angelina on Fair Oaks Blvd. • Drainage problems • No room for parking if right of way is expanded • P.G.& E. trench still there, years after construction • Length of yellow light causes traffic problems • Street flooding occurs in this area. Area between Angelina and N. Ave. on West side of Fair Oaks Blvd. • Limited Parking • All of Fair Oaks Blvd. put utilities under ground • Prohibit billboards/standards for signage!! • Be consistent with themes developed by design guidelines • Think about traffic calming instead of increasing speed for passing through • Put turnouts for the bus; they stop traffic for several minutes with each stop • Time lights on Fair Oaks Blvd. then we wouldn't have the need for more lanes • Carmichael shuttle bus • Obtain funding from Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission for artistic beautification along Blvd. • Instead of 4 major lanes, use 2 lanes on either side to be the frontage roads supplying through ways/access to our future town centers, main streets, etc. With the county possessing some of these lands and businesses, the improvements to commerce, etc., would be easier and more profitable. SUGGESTIONS: • Overpass at Fair Oaks Blvd. and Marconi to allow pedestrians and bikes to proceed to Ancil Hoffman Park/ the jewel of Carmichael • Planters/flower baskets/banners to designate Carmichael "sense of place" • Sidewalks need to be wider, safer for pedestrians • Take park west plaza sign down • Did you consider school bus stops on street? • Existing signage is out of control, cap issue • Change Fair Oaks Blvd. street name to Carmichael Blvd. • Make sidewalks wider than 5.5'! • Need to do traffic models that consider unaligned intersections • If building on the Northeast corner of Fair Oaks Blvd. and Robertson is removed will the zoning change? • At post office entrance, don't eliminate left turns here OFFSITE COMMENTS: • Engle St. nightmare- stop lights too close to Fair Oaks (left turn into dentist) • Engle St. traffic increased a lot in past year • (L) turn into Manzanita to eastbound Fair Oaks - lights have to cycle twice - long wait Area between Grant Ave. and Landis Ave. on Fair Oaks Blvd. • Congestion occurs only at 5:00 p.m. Other times of day are not problematic. • Solve congestion by synchronizing signals Landis Ave. and Fair Oaks Blvd. Intersection • Signal needed left turn out, right turn out • Problem intersection Landis Ave. across Fair Oaks Blvd. • Straighten intersection (align roadway) Places for People to Sit around Carmichael Park • Passive main entrance to Carmichael Park • Alignment problems with Angelina Ave. and Stanley