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Attachment 6STATE QF CALIFORNIA—CALIFORNIA STATE TRANSPORTATION AGENCY EDMUND G. BROWN Jr.. Governor DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT 4 P.O. BOX 23660 OAKLAND, CA 94623-0660 PHONE (510) 286-5900 FAX (510) 286-5903 TTY 711 www.dot.ca.gov August 11, 2017 Ms. Kathy Kroesche 111 Atwood Court Los Gatos, CA 95032 Dear Ms, Kroesche: Making Conservation a California Way of Life. This is in response to your recent letter to Director Malcolm Dougherty describing your observations on traffic congestion pattern during the summer months in the Town of Los Gatos. In your letter, you also suggested deploying an electronic system to discourage cut -through traffic, diverting from State Route (SR) 17 onto Los Gatos surface streets, by imposing a high amount toll on motorists who enter and leave the Town in less than two hours. First, I want to assure you that California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is aware of this perennial summer traffic congestion on SR 17 due to significant traffic demand headed for Santa Cruz, or "beach traffic" commonly referred to by Los Gatos residents. Caltrans has long been working with the Town staff to mitigate traffic impacts on local streets and the community. During the 2015 Labor Day weekend, September 5 through 7, Caltrans assisted with traffic control measures aimed at discouraging cut -through traffic on local streets. Electronic Changeable Message Signs (CMS) were activated on the freeway approaches in the vicinity, advising motorists to remain on the freeway. The CMS strategy was effective for only one day and became ineffective in the ensuing days as motorists started to ignore CMS messages. In the summer of 2016, Los Gatos Town Council voted to implement a more aggressive traffic management plan which closed a section of South Santa Cruz Avenue, rendering the southbound SR 17 on -ramp from Los Gatos downtown inaccessible to cut -through traffic. Caltrans provided assistance with planning and a public information campaign to ensure traffic safety and to minimize public inconvenience. There was some success in reducing downtown and residential neighborhood traffic intrusion by the closure of South Santa Cruz Avenue, although there were other unintended impacts to other residential neighborhoods and the business community. SR 17 is the main corridor for commute, freight, and recreational traffic between the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County. The currently experienced traffic pattern is the confluence of several factors including population growth, thriving economy, attractive recreational destinations in Santa Cruz, and the inability to provide additional traffic carrying capacity on SR 17 due to environmental and physical constraints. Impacts on Los Gatos neighborhoods have also been exacerbated in recent years by proliferation of mobile navigation devices and cellular phone "Provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation .system to enhance California:s economy and livability" Ms. Kathy Kroesche August 11, 2017 Page 2 applications. Ordinarily, a multi -facet approach would be needed to lessen impacts, including alternative public transportation services; enhanced traveler information services; optimization of the existing transportation system performance through ramp metering and enhanced incident management; and strategic capacity enhancements that may be feasible within the area. In your letter you suggested imposing tolls on cut -through traffic, There have been various undertakings and proposals for cordon tolling in larger metropolitan areas, which is very elaborate tracking cars enter and exit a defined zone. These generally require much effort and very costly which begin with obtaining legislative authority. Further additional effort will be required for planning, public engagement, and funding. Notwithstanding, given the short-term, weekend -only, and seasonal nature of the cut -through traffic congestion in Los Gatos, the respective effort for implementation of a tolling system as you suggest will not be justifiable nor cost-effective. I appreciate your insight and taking the time to share your concerns and suggestion. Caltrans strives to provide a safe, sustainable, integrated, and efficient transportation system for all users, and is committed to collaborating with local and regional agencies to enhance quality of life for all in our communities. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Sean Nozzari, Deputy District Director, Traffic Operations, via email sean.nozzari@dot.ca.gov, or telephone at 510-286-6345. Sincer ', BIJANISAIPI Distri D' ector c: Matt Morley, Director, Parks and Public Works Department, Town of Los Gatos "Provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California's economy and livability" July 25, 2017 Malcom Doughtery Director of Cal Trans - California Department of Transportation 1120 N Street MS49 Sacramento CA 95814 Mr. Dougherty: 1 am a resident of the town of Los Gatos. I am writing to you, copying our mayor Marico Sayoc. The subject concerns the challenge of the horrendous traffic we have faced during summertime, with folks from the Bay area heading south for the beaches. No doubt you have heard of the problem, and apparently there is no answer in sight. From what I have read, the application WAZE is rerouting people along side streets to avoid heavy traffic on Highway 17. The closing of the on ramp to Highway 17 at the end our downtown area has not helped enough. It is very annoying for residents to get caught in this traffic. The weekends are the only time many families have to run errands. Last Saturday it took me 30 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic. This drive is normally no more than ten minutes! But the reason I am taking the time to write this letter goes beyond an inconvenience to me in commuting to my home in Los Gatos. A friend relayed a story of a restaurant he and his family enjoy. It is a long standing restaurant in downtown Los Gatos and is a small business. My friend said that he was surprised when he recently took his family in over the weekend, because there was hardly a customer there. He asked the owner about this and she became emotional, her eyes filling with tears. The current traffic situation has resulted in significantly reducing the numbers of diners willing to fight the traffic and visit this restaurant. Someone's livelihood is being severely affected by the traffic predicament. I hope she and others can survive the summer, but SOMEBODY who is in a position to do SOMETHING must act immediately. There are other businesses that are being hurt financially and it is appalling that a solution has not been found. This is a critical challenge which could affect many small business owners and their families and the health of our charming town. I hope you will look into this and act. Sincerely, Carolyn DuClos 100 Spring Street Los Gatos CA 95030 RECEIVED DIRECTOR'S OFFICE STATE OF CALIFORNIA—CALIFORNIA STATE TRANSPORTATION AGENCY EDMUND G. BROWN Jr. Governor DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT 4 P.O. BOX 23660 OAKLAND, CA 94623-0660 PHONE (510) 286-5900 FAX (510) 286-5903 TTY 711 www.dot.ca.gov August 10, 2017 Ms. Carolyn DuClos 100 Spring Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 Dear Ms. DuClos: Making Conservation a California Way of Life. This is in response to your recent letter to Director Malcolm Dougherty describing your concerns regarding cut -through traffic congestion diverting from State Route (SR)-17 onto Los Gatos surface streets during the summer season, and the respective economic impacts to local businesses. SR-17 is the main freeway corridor for commute, freight, and recreational traffic between the Bay Area and Santa Cruz County. The currently experienced traffic pattern is the confluence of several factors including population growth, thriving economy, attractive recreational destinations in Santa Cruz. Impacts on Los Gatos neighborhoods have also been exacerbated in recent years by proliferation of mobile navigation devices and cellular phone applications. In general, a multi -facet approach would be needed to lessen impacts, including alternative public transportation services; enhanced traveler information services; optimization of the existing transportation system performance through ramp metering and enhanced incident management; and strategic capacity enhancements that may be feasible within the area. However, the particular inability to provide additional traffic carrying capacity on SR-17 due to environmental and physical constraints renders these strategies ineffective. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Town staff have long cooperatively worked to address the weekend congestion. During the 2015 Labor Day weekend, September 5 through 7, Caltrans assisted with traffic control measures aimed at discouraging cut - through traffic on local streets. Electronic Changeable Message Signs (CMS) were activated on the freeway approaches in the vicinity, advising motorists to remain on the freeway. The CMS strategy was effective for only one day and became ineffective in the ensuing days as motorists started to ignore CMS messages. In the summer of 2016, Los Gatos Town Council voted to implement a more aggressive traffic management plan which closed a section of South Santa Cruz Avenue, rendering the southbound SR 17 on -ramp from Los Gatos downtown inaccessible to cut -through traffic. Caltrans provided assistance with planning and a public information campaign to ensure traffic safety and to minimize public inconvenience. There was some success in reducing downtown and residential neighborhood traffic intrusion by the closure of "Provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California's economy and livability" Ms. Carolyn DuClos August 10, 2017 Page 2 South Santa Cruz Avenue, although there were other unintended impacts to other residential neighborhoods and the business community. The loss of business at the downtown restaurant you shared in your letter is perhaps an example of such unintended consequences. I understand Los Gatos Town Council plans to review the South Santa Cruz Avenue closure in September upon further input from residents and businesses. Caltrans remains committed to collaborate with the Town to help enhance quality of life for all highway users. I appreciate your taking the time to share your insight. If you would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Sean Nozzari, Deputy District Director, Traffic Operations, via email sean.nozzari@dot.ca.gov, or telephone at 510-286-6345. Sincerely, 4Th / G, BIJAIISARTIPI Distr$ t p'irector c: The Honorable Marico Sayoc, Mayor, Town of Los Gatos Matt Morley, Director, Parks and Public Works Department, Town of Los Gatos "Provide a safe, sustainable, integrated and efficient transportation system to enhance California's economy and livability" Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2017 10:45 AM To: Town Manager Subject: Online Form Submittal: Customer Feedback Form Contact Information Name: Michael Knapp Address: Oleander Avenue City: Los Gatos State: California Zip: 95032 Please let us know how we are doing or what we can do for you! I have written once to date with not even the courtesy ofa response. The traffic situation you have created by illegally closing off access to HWY 17 is nuts. My daughter works in downtown at a recently opened store that is considering closing after less than a year, because no one can reach the downtown area. Has anyone even bothered to study what you have done? You have relocated the traffic problem, but done nothing to assist the downtown retail. Since you believe you have the legal right to close any street you like, why don't you also close the entrance at Highway 9? Closing both entrances to Hwy 17 in Los Gatos might accomplish your goal. As usual, I do not expect a response. Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2017 8:10 PM To: Janette Judd Subject: Hwy 17 weekend traffic. Dear Ms. Judd Since the beach traffic is so bad during the summer and has a big negative effect on Los Gatos there needs to be more done on Cal Trans part. One idea I would request of CalTrans is to study the effect of a zipper lane installed at some point prior to where the three lanes goes into two lanes on southbound 17. Determine how far it can go toward the city on/off ramps and study what impact this could have on traffic patterns and flow. I'm not sure if allowing three lanes extending closer to town would be of benefit to us or not. There is a significant amount of space between south & northbound 17 for quite a way before you reach the ramps. Unfortunately at the bridge area we loose most of that space although there is a possibility to reconfigure the ramps to allow for more space. CalTrans should look into this for us and those traveling to the beach. This problem is only going to get worse so we should share ideas on ways to make it better. There are only a few ways to get to the beach and Hwy 17 is probably the most popular. CalTrans should spend some significant funds on solutions to improve flow and lesson the impact on our town since the Hwy goes right through it. On another note I have written CalTrans a couple of letters to install a button at the offramp cross walk areas to cause one or two signal lights to go on and warn people driving that there is someone crossing ahead. The crosswalks are short but at the speeds people exit it is still quite unsafe. I received no reply. I also mentioned that they need to keep the plants significantly cut down to allow cars to see the crosswalk easier. They kind of do it but not good enough or frequent enough. Also there is a sign that actually blocks the cross walk so the driver coming off has less of a view of a walker. There is some improvement to be done that I would insist CalTrans does for public safety. Thanks for your help. Brad Martin. From: Tom Liolios Sent: Monday, July 31, 2017 4:14 PM To: Town Manager Subject: Question/Suggestion Hi Laurel It was another crazy traffic weekend in Los Gatos last weekend as I am sure you experienced or have heard about. I am not sure that the closing of the southbound on ramp in town has had the impact anyone anticipated yet but I am sure we will have a report at the end of the summer. Maybe the answer will be that it could have been worse. I know there are no easy fixes because Caltrans is in the middle of it but I had one small suggestion that might help. It would require work on the part of Caltrans. Has anyone asked them if they would install metering lights for southbound 17 at both Highway 9 on ramps? I know that metering lights work on Highway 85 while the absence of them at 280 and Sand Hill Road causes real slow downs. It is not a total solution but if we could move the Highway 17 traffic at a slightly higher speed the impacts on Los Gatos would be positively impacted. I am not sure that labeling roads like they did in Los Altos will work as Waze is now sending drives to Kennedy Road via HiLow which is a local's short cut. We have more potential ways to route people in Los Gatos than Los Altos does. Thanks for listening, Tom Liolios From: noreply@civicplus.com Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2017 10:08 PM To: Town Manager Subject: Online Form Submittal: Customer Feedback Form Name: Andrea Romano Address: Blueberry Hill Drive City: Los Gatos State: CA Zip: 95032 Please let us know how we are doing or what we can do for you! You HAVE GOT to do something about the beach traffic that is now spilling into local neighborhoods during the weekends. It's time for you to stop burying your heads in the beach sand and do SOMETHING. Today, Saturday July 29th, I couldn't even get down Kennedy road to Los Gatos Blvd. Traffic was being diverted UP Kennedy Road to to Englewood and the neighborhoods in the area. I was trying to reach our businesses in downtown and had to take the back way through Loma Alta and across the parking lots between University and N. Santa Cruz to reach Village Lane. My businesses were DEAD because no one could get to downtown. I wasn't the only one suffering. Many businesses had SUPER light traffic because NO ONE was stopping in town. I have never seen so many open parking spots. This is just stupid. There are plenty of reports of towns using restricted access with Google Maps and Waves which stops traffic from coming onto local streets. Why hasn't Los Gatos done this too? It's stupid and irresponsible that you haven't done ANYTHING to fix this problem. Closing the on ramp at Highway 9 is a start but COME ON..the local neighborhoods are suffering. Wake UP. Do something. Stop delaying meetings AND ACT. We are suffering because of this. Businesses in Los Gatos are Dying and we are turning into Saratoga. DO SOMETHING NOW!!! From: On Behalf Of Christine Cipriano Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2017 7:48 PM To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Beach Traffic Thought I have been thinking about the beach traffic and grateful that I don't live downtown. I had a thought and wondering if there could be a one way traffic loop on the weekend. It could go from University and Highway 9, turn right on Main Street and then turn right on North Santa Cruz. The other lane could be open for emergency vehicles. Perhaps, the loop could be used in another part of town such as Los Gatos Boulevard. I am not entirely sure where the trouble spots are, since I only see what is on Nextdoor. Occasionally, I will get to Los Gatos Boulevard, see the traffic and head back. Of course, this influences my desire to shop downtown. Thank you for everything you do for the town. Christine Cipriano From: Todd Kvamme Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2017 2:36 PM To: BSpector Subject: Traffic Dear Council member Spector, I suspect you are getting a number of emails this weekend regarding the traffic on Los Gatos Blvd. and surrounding surface streets. I live on Johnson Avenue, and after having to pick up my son at Camden and Union, it took me over 40 minutes to get back home (and that included "surrendering" and going all the way over Shannon, to Kennedy and then to Johnson). This situation is out of control. I urge you and the council to make this problem a top priority (if not, THE TOP priority) of your meetings from now until it is solved. I realize it is a tough nut to crack. But it needs to be fixed, or our town will start to suffer more serious economic impacts. Regards, Todd Kvamme Johnson Avenue Los Gatos From: David Maxwell Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2017 2:06 PM To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Traffic The weekend traffic on Los Gatos Blvd, University Avenue, Santa Cruz Avenue and several other streets have become impossible beginning Friday and ending Sunday. I am able to go to the grocery store, but might be 40+ minutes before the traffic allows me to return home. I'm not sure what needs to be done, but something has to give. We are trapped in our homes every weekend to accommodate the traffic on its way to the Santa Cruz area. If there was an emergency and an ambulance or fire dept was needed, some areas might be out of luck. As a resident of Los Gatos for the last 49 yrs, I look forward to you as our elected officials to come up with a way to keep our town safe and come up with a way to eliminate the summer weekend traffic jams. Thank you for listening, Shirley Maxwell Wheeler Avenue Los Gatos, CA 95030 From: noreply©civicplus.com [mailto:noreply@civicplus.com] Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2017 11:18 AM To: Town Manager Subject: Online Form Submittal: Customer Feedback Form Name: Sara Singer-Ettus Address: Serena Vista Court City: Monte Seteno State: CA Zip: 95030 Please let us know how we are doing or what we can do for you! Hello, My family lives on a small street off of Highway (Serena Vista Court). We frequently sit in traffic trying to get to down town, to Highway 17 or even just to get to our street when coming from Saratoga. In the many hours of sitting in this traffic I have noticed that the timing of the lights at Santa Cruz and University is a major contributor to the problem. There is a significant delay between when the Santa Cruz light turns green and when the University light also turns green. When there is a high volume of traffic, this causes traffic to back up well beyond our street as far back as Daves and even Quito on really bad days. This is not just beach traffic on weekends. It happens every afternoon starting around 3pm. Have the city and police department considered changing the timing on these lights? Pm not sure if this is the right email address for addressing this concern, but do hope you can forward it along to the right people in town government. Thank you, Sara Singer-Ettus From: Georgina Van Horn Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2017 1:25 PM To: Council Subject: Frustrated!! Dear Los Gatos Council, Yesterday, Saturday, it took me 40 minutes to get to our library...I live on Winchester Blvd. near Blossom Hill... should have taken me 6-7 minutes! We face constant gridlock no matter where we turn...blocked intersections...sitting in traffic in the hot sun and not moving for 10-15 minutes at a time. Cars keep coming in from side streets and those of us on Winchester, University, Los Gatos Blvd, N. Santa Cruz can't move. It has helped to have the on ramp closed at N. Santa Cruz but much more needs to be done...this is completely unacceptable!! Please, please keep working to find solutions. Sincerely, Georgina Van Horn Winchester Blvd. LG 95030 From: noreply@civicplus.com [mailto:noreply@civicplus.com] Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2017 11:36 AM To: Town Manager Subject: (beach traffic) Online Form Submittal: Customer Feedback Form Name: Ali dacher Address: las miradas dr City: Los gatos State: Ca Please let us know how we are doing or what we can do for you! Could someone please come up with a better traffic plan for weekend beach traffic. It takes almost 30 minutes to drive from my home off lark to downtown any given weekend. We usually ride bikes to avoid the gridlock but that isn't always possible. We are completely cutoff from accessing downtown. There has to be a better solution. Totally frustrated. From: noreply@civicplus.com [mailto:noreply@civicplus.com] Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2017 1:50 PM To: Town Manager Subject: Online Form Submittal: Customer Feedback Form Name: James Murphy Address: roberts Rd City: los gatos State: ca Zip: 95030 Please let us know how we are doing or what we can do for you! Nice job ruining Los Gatos with the new "traffic plan." Plenty of parking on Santa Cruz Ave and plenty of available retail space. So not to be confused my my sarcasm, the traffic I witnessed today reeks of incompetence. From: noreply@civicplus.com [mailto:noreply@civicplus.com] Sent: Saturday, July 08, 2017 11:56 AM To: Town Manager Subject: Online Form Submittal: Customer Feedback Form Name: Melody Lewis Address: E. Vineland Avenue City: Los Gatos State: CA Zip: 95030 Please let us know how we are doing or what we can do for you! Okay, I've had enough!! The traffic on Winchester through town Friday -Sunday is gridlock. I cannot get off of my own street. What happened to the sign at Hwy 17/Lark Ave that says 'NO BEACH TRAFFIC"? Another one at Lark and Winchester? It's the Town's responsibility to help with this nonsense. The gridlock has pushed us over the edge and you do nothing to stop it. Closing off ramp at the post office is NOT ENOUGH!! GET THOSE FLASHING SIGNS UP!!! This is beyond ridiculous. Public Records Request SUBMITTER Clerk Department Dr Bomi Joseph 1 654 N Santa Cruz Ave Suite E Clerk Town Los Gatos, CA 95030-4360 #1768 View Request Submitted: 7/29/2017 1:48 PM CONTACT Source: Website 173.193.145.134 joseph@peakhealth.center 8315783820 REQUEST DETAILS Description It took me 40 minutes to get home from Los Gatos Blvd and Blossom Hill. Mainly because "beach traffic" had blocked the intersections of N Santa Cruz -Blossom Hill - University Ave -Roberts Ave etc. While we seem to be helpless limiting out-of-towners from coming into town, we should be able to regulate traffic when they are within town. Also clearer signs BEFORE entry points into Los Gatos that warns people that entry into Hwy 17 from Hwy 9 is restricted is restricted may also help. Your Information Name Dr Bomi Joseph From: Monica Kaitz Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2017 1:00 PM To: Council; Monica Kaitz; Marico Sayoc Subject: possible solution for Waze Traffic diverted through Los Gatos - "No Through Traffic" signs respected by Waze Hello Esteemed Mayor and Council Members, We are a couple who just moved to Los Gatos and noticed this past weekend the incredible traffic jam right outside our door and down Santa Cruz Ave at Blossom Hill Rd, among other streets, all day this past weekend (6/17/17) despite the closure of the downtown CA-17 on -ramp. It seems there is still a real problem with Santa Cruz beach traffic diverting through the Los Gatos streets as evidenced by this news reel: http://www.nbcbayarea .com/news/local/Highway-17-Santa-Cruz-Los-Gatos-Shortcut-Closed-Backup- Neighborhoods-429156483.html I am sure you are working on further solutions but we thought it would be helpful to bring up the option of "No Through Traffic" signs which apparently Waze and Google Maps algorithms will respect and not direct traffic through. This has been done in other communities in the U.S. it appears. Please see this article for more details: http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2017/06/16/suburbs finally figured out a way to get rid o f pesky drivers on waze short.html Perhaps this may become at least part of the ultimate solution and thank you for continuing to work on this issue on our community's behalf. Warmly, Monica Kaitz Tilly From: Alayna Aghazarian Sent: Saturday, June 17, 2017 10:29 PM To: Council Subject: Summer Traffic Hello to all Town Council members - Thank you for working to mitigate the summer traffic that is swamping our town every weekend. I hope the trial of closing the southbound 17 ramp downtown is making a difference. I believe it must be making a change because there is now so much traffic in the Vista neighborhood. I live on Vista Del Monte and all the streets here have seen an increased amount of traffic on the hot weekend such as this one, Saturday June 17th. Vista Del Monte, Fillmer, Harding, Gem are all being immensely impacted. I know the Town is aware of this as I saw 3 Los Gatos police cars in the area. Although their presence slowed traffic and deterred speeding, they were not able to help in the amount of traffic infiltrating our neighborhood streets. This type of traffic should not be in our neighborhood streets. These are not thorough -fares, these are residential streets where people walk, kids bike and play. Something needs to be done to stop the traffic apps from routing people through our neighborhoods. I have been monitoring much of the communication of neighbors on Next -door and I have finally seen an option that I think would work and I want to bring it to your attention. Los Altos has been in a similar situation as our town and has much of the same issues with Waze not accepting requests to alter routing from their streets. So the Town of Los Altos have installed "No Thru Traffic" signs - which legally changed the status of the street and made Waze change/update their maps to reflect these changes. I sincerely request that you consider this as an option, to allow our neighborhoods to revert back to the safe and peaceful places they should be for the residents of Los Gatos. Many thanks for your consideration, Alayna Aghazarian From: Laura Hamilton Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2017 7:16 AM To: Town Manager <Manager@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Los Gatos traffic and parking Hello Town Manager, I am writing to you today to voice my concern regarding the traffic and parking situation in Los Gatos. My husband and I have been residents of Los Gatos for the past 15 years. The first few years we loved visiting the downtown area for a night out to dinner or shopping. However in recent years it has been almost impossible to travel the short 3 miles to downtown. On a recent Sunday we tried to take our grandchildren to the library but had turn around as it was gridlock starting at Winchester and Lark. Every road was a parking lot. Speaking of parking....we also run errands downtown. When I visit my hair dresser I have to book the very first appointment of the day to make sure I can find parking. And even at 9AM on a Saturday the parking in front of the shop full. The shop is on Main Street and people park here to access the walking trail. This is not fair to those of us who run errands in town. When I have to stop bringing my business to downtown LG because I cannot get there, it means there are issues that need to be addressed. I'm sure I am not the only resident who feels this way. I hope as town manager you will look into this situation. Downtown Los Gatos is a very pleasant place to visit, walk, have a meal etc but it is becoming less and less appealing to us. And we live in town and pay taxes in town. This is a situation that needs to be addressed. I hope you read my email and I hope you can send me a response. It would be much appreciated. Thank you in advance Laura and Luke Hamilton From: Diane Spiteri Sent: Monday, May 29, 2017 9:35 AM To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Bad Traffic issues in town Dear Mayor, Vice -Mayor & Council Members, Los Gatos needs to take a stand and take back our streets! The traffic is getting out of control. Yesterday as I was out on my daily walks, in my normally quite residential neighborhood, I almost got run over by 15-20 cars consecutively cutting through my street going 40+ mph. As if Winchester BI, University Av, Lark Av & LG Blvd wasn't bad enough....now outside traffic is spilling over by going down Blossom Hill Rd --> Hillbrook Dr --> Eastridge Dr --> Lansberry Ct --> Shannon Rd. They are coming in from Short Rd as well. People are cutting through to get to Shannon Rd/Englewood to avoid the jam up on LG Blvd. I could not even get out of my street to do errands in town. What don't they get? Side tracking makes the traffic jam worse. They need to just stay on 17 and bear it out. That is the consequence of wanting to go to Santa Cruz. Declining people at Wood Rd. is obviously not working. It makes the jam up in town worse. They need to be stopped before they get into town. Like at Lark Av. and major side streets. When people get off at Lark, unless a local resident, make it their only option to go back via NB on 17, Winchester or LG BL. Or get back on SB 17. Block off Winchester, University & LG BI south bound into town. Also block LG Almaden Rd, Blossom Hill Rd, Camden Av, Short Rd. Those are alternative routes into town they would sneak through. There has to be a better effort. Sincerely, Diane Spiteri From: noreply@civicplus.com [mailto:noreply@civicplus.com] Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2017 6:05 PM To: Town Manager <Manager@losgatosca.gov> Subject: (traffic) Online Form Submittal: Customer Feedback Form Name: Janie Jensen Address: Riva Ridge Rd. City: Los Gatos State: Ca. Zip: 95033 Please let us know how we are doing or what we can do for you! We SC Mountain residents understand your desire to keep Hwy 17 travels from cutting through town however you failed to consider that when we come into town to shop or go to the Farmer's Market you penalize us by now allowing us to take the Santa Cruz on -ramp back to Hwy 17 to return home. How about some type ofresident sticker (such as the CHP used after the earthquake of 89 or some type of token that we could get when we come into town and then use it to exit. We too feel like we are part of Los Gatos as this is where we shop and take advantages of the services and restaurants. You have inconvenienced all ofus as well as are hurting merchants who benefit from our purchases. From: eodekirk Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2017 4:15 PM To: Town Manager <Manager@losgatosca.gov> Cc: Matt Morley <MMorley@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Mountain resident patronage Greetings! I'm a resident of Redwood Estates and like to frequent downtown Los Gatos for a variety of reasons. My latest reason was to buy a latex ("$1600) mattress for my daughter. Since I knew you'd be blocking the Santa Cruz Ave on ramp to 17, I looked instead for a mattress supplier in Scotts Valley or Santa Cruz; it's further away, but it's less time and frustration when that onramp is closed. The times I have braved the closure, I was surprised by the steady (but crawling) stream of cars trying to get on it which then became a steady steam of cars going back through downtown when they are forced to turn around. Is the closure helping? Maybe the duplicate stream of cars is still less than the single stream before the closure? Regardless, I won't go to the farmers market, I don't do Music Together with my daughter in the summer (nor the post MT brunch with friends), I won't eat breakfast or lunch or shop any of the stores. It's easier to go to Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz or even Campbell. If the barricade could be placed in such a way that I could come into town, park on the offramp side of the barricade, and walk to the various businesses, then turn around and go home, I'd happily come into town. I completely understand why you're doing this. What a nightmare for the downtown residents! I truly hope it's helping. I also hope you'll consider a way to accommodate your mountain residents, whether it's letting those with Mountain Resident stickers through, some sort of offramp token that can be used to get back on, or parking on the offramp side of the barrier that allows us back onto the onramp (my personal favorite). Thank you for your time and service. Warm Regards, Esther Odekirk From: Kathy Kroesche Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2017 3:39 PM To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov>; Town Manager <Manager@losgatosca.gov>; Matt Morley <MMorley@losgatosca.gov>; jjudd@losgatos.ca.gov Subject: beach traffic Dear Los Gatos Town Council and Manager, I know you are aware that the beach traffic continues to worsen and expand despite Town efforts to mitigate the issue. This is my 4th annual suggestion to turn the tide (previous emails below). Thank you, Janette Judd for replying to my 2016 email and suggesting I reach out the Matt Morley. Beach Traffic Mitigating Proposal Overview: Implement summer weekend electronic fee for non-residents who pass through Los Gatos in less than 2 hours. Details: • Los Gatos employees and residents who register their license plates are exempt. • Electronic fees are ONLY applicable on weekends and holidays from Memorial Day to Labor Day. • Cars that stop in Los Gatos (staying a minimum of 2 hours from freeway offramp to freeway onramp) are NOT charged. This addresses the concern businesses might have over losing customers. • Cars that arrive from North 17 and depart South 17 or arrive from South 17 and depart to North 17 are NOT charged as they are returning "home" and not cutting through town. This also addresses the concern businesses might have over losing customers. • Only vehicles that pass through Los Gatos in the same direction on beach traffic days will be charged. • License plate readers must be installed at every on and off ramp. • Pass -through beach traffic would be charged a fee significant enough to deter cut through traffic (eg. $90. TBD). • Add fee alert to WAZE and other GPS/driving map apps, along with physical signage. • Allow the use of FAST TRAK if legally allowable. Current failure to mitigate impacts threatens the health and safety of our community. This is more than an inconvenience for people with disabilities and those who depend on cars for transportation. Emergency vehicles are blocked and lives are endangered. Take Care, Kathy Kroesche Past emails to you: 7/17/16 Dear Town Council, I wrote the following letter to you almost exactly one year ago in 2015 and a previous letter in 2014. I would like to hear back from you regarding your plans to alleviate beach traffic. While traveling this summer I noticed another automatic system that reads license plates and charges non-resident cars for traveling through the town (photo from Obidos, Portugal). I would imagine this type of fee for use could be imposed selectively, only on summer weekends and limited to non-resident / non -employees or otherwise exempt cars that pass through the town within 60 minutes. People who stop in Los Gatosand shop or visit would naturally stay longer than 60 minutes and would not be charged on these restricted weekends. Have you found that closing off and on ramps or posting directional signs are effective in reducing beach traffic? What other solutions do you have? What is your opinion on charging pass through cars that choke our streets on beach days? Excepto Transito Local corn distico 7/30/15 Thank you for taking measures to alleviate Los Gatos streets from cut through beach traffic. I saw your press release posted on Nextdoor Neighbor. I was reminded of a Nextdoor conversation on this same subject starting July 2014 (https://kennedynorth.nextdoor.com/news feed/?post=5831609). 8/6/14 I am so thankful for this flow of positive ideas for alleviating cut through traffic. We just returned from two months in Europe so we missed the congestion, but I want to share some ideas from our experience. Similar to Don's idea about a timed fee, Bellagio on Lake Como electronically charges about $90 to non-residents or those without a pass to drive through town between 11am and 4pm (or something like that). Having a system like this for the heaviest beach traffic times might help Los Gatos. There could be multiple meter locations so that those who stop over in Los Gatos for more than 2 hours don't pay the fee (to benefit those who shop or visit friends in LG). All LG employees and residents would have an annual pass or registered license plate. The other idea that I've shared before is to improve bike routes and encourage cycling. I cycle to work in Saratoga and around LG for errands and outings whenever I can. It's refreshing and relaxing to be outdoors, get exercise, and help the environment. I know this isn't possible for everyone and some days are just too hot or wet, but if places like rainy Portland and all the towns and cities I visited in Europe this summer can have a strong biking culture, it must be possible in sunny, beautiful Los Gatos. From: Greg Marrone Sent: Saturday, May 27, 2017 11:28 AM To: Town Manager <Manager@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Traffic control What an incredibly stupid bit of traffic control you have forced upon us! This is ridiculous. Come on get serious