Sidewalks Now Open to Bikes

Sidewalks are about to get a little more crowded.  The City Council voted and unanimously approved to allow bike riders to use the sidewalks in Santa Clarita. 

I always cringe when I see cyclists riding next to speeding traffic.  I’m kinda glad they are allowing them to get in a safer zone where are they have to worry about are joggers with headphones that can’t hear them coming, stroller brigades that consume the entire path of the sidewalk and cracks in the sidewalks.

Still much better than driving alone with speeding traffic.

Nice job council.

Downtown Newhall – More Upgrades to Main Street

Prepare for more construction through the streets of Old Town Newhall.  Starting March 16th workers will begin construction that is hoped to be completed by July 3rd. (Before the annual July 4th parade)

Image Source www.cityofvancouver.us

The construction will focus on streetscaping.  Basically that means they will be tearing up the sidewalks between 6th St and 8th St and adding landscaping, benches, trash cans, lamp posts, etc.  One major change will be bulb-outs in the sidewalks.  At intersections the sidewalk will stick out a bit and curve.  Supposedly this ‘calms down’ traffic.  Anyone remember the brilliant “back in parking”?  Let’s hope the bulb-outs are done in a way that won’t freak everybody out.  Sometimes too much change is just not a good thing.

At ant rate, businesses WILL BE OPEN, so support the businesses in Newhall so they are still around after this major upgrade which is costing about 2.5 million dollars.

Traffic eService

The city has added a great service on their website.  Have you ever been driving through town and noticed a pot hole or street light out?  Maybe you’ve been sitting at a signal for 10 minutes because it is just too short?  Well, now you can submit your complaints or comments to the city and it will be forwarded to the appropriate department.

I just submitted one about the left turn lane by the post office and the process was quick and easy.

All you have to do is go to this site and voila.  If you don’t have a user account, they will create one for you and email you the log in information.  It takes about a week to get a reply.

Santa Clarita - Traffic Awareness Month

Santa Clarita is focusing on traffic awareness this month, so if you can take a minute to contribute to the cause, remind yourself of a few things while driving.

Please pull over to the side if you hear/see an ambulance or emergency vehicle.  If you’re driving around the hospital, you can almost expect to hear them, so use caution.

Teenagers can not have another person in the car (except parent or sibling) during the first year of their provisional license.  To report dangerous teen drivers you can call 877-310-STOP.

With all the construction going on in the west side of town, it’s good to know that tickets are usually doubled in construction zones, so keep it slow and be careful.

Stay safe, pay attention, stay off the phone while driving if you can.  This law will go into effect in July anyway, so may as well get used to it now. 

Traffic on Old Rd / Magic Mountain Pkwy

The next Phase of this project on the Old Rd at magic Mountain will begin Saturday 1/19/2008.  If you will be traveling around this area, expect delays.  Traffic will be reduced down to one lane and there will be no curbside parking available.

The exit from the 5 north at magic Mountain will remain either closed or detoured through mid February as well.

Basically, try and avoid the area completely!  I know I will. 

Newhall Metrolink Station Selected as Metro Survey Site

Metro and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) will be conducting a survey on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at the City of Santa Clarita Newhall Metrolink Station.

The Newhall Station, which was selected because of its high transit use for the area, is one of several select Metro Rail and Metrolink stations chosen to help identify improvements for station access for bicycles and pedestrians.

The survey, in English and Spanish, is part of a comprehensive study of existing conditions and recommendations for improvements at all of the selected rail stations and is funded by a Caltrans Environmental Justice Planning Grant.

As part of the survey questions, Metro and LACBC will be handing out bicycle tire patch kits, small reflectors, and information cards to encourage safe bicycling and pedestrian traffic.

The results of these interviews will be incorporated into a final report of recommendations to be completed in the fall of 2008.  These reports can be used by cities to apply for grant funds to improve access to the stations.
 

Magic Mountain Exit Closed for 5 Weeks

The Magic Mountain exit off the 5 north will be closed for 5 weeks starting mid January.  Cars will be detoured through Wayne Mills, then Tourney Rd and back to Magic Mountain.   

In addition in January, the traffic flow on The Old Road may be diverted from the west side to the east side.  This needs to happen so they can add the ‘new road’ to The Old Road.

Please call the project hotline (661) 290-2297, for any extended major lane closures, detours, or news associated with this project.