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12 Attachment 2 - Public Comments Received 1101 am 9-26-19 through 1100 am 9-30-19From: Ted Farrell <ted@tsfarrell.com> Sent: Monday, September 30, 2019 10:49 AM To: Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: One way street pilot feedback Dear Council Members, I cannot make the meeting but wanted to voice my opposition for the North Santa Cruz project. In my opinion having the diagonal parking and extra streets signs have totally changed the look and vibe of the downtown street for the worse. While I think parklets could be nice if they were connected to a restaurant and nicer looking (more like Lexington house, less like highway construction), I don't think the one-way traffic and diagonal parking have a place in our main downtown street. Rather than driving through and seeing the shops and people walking down the sidewalks, we now see a parking lot. It has also made University (where we lived for 14 years) a constant traffic issue. Just walking down University has lost its charm with all the cars, beeping and ignoring pedestrians to try to get out of the maze. We could try to add some parklets while limiting the number of parallel spaces we loose. But please restore the vibe and look of our downtown back to what it was and what draws people to it!! thanks for reading. -ted ATTACHMENT 2 From: noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Sent: Monday, September 30, 2019 9:38 AM To: Town PPW <ppw@losgatosca.gov>; Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Online Form Submittal: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback The following form was submitted via your website: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback First Name: Janet Last Name: Wolf Email: Wolfjanet@yahoo.com Los Gatos Resident?: Yes Please leave your comments here:: I’m a very long time resident of los Gatos. I like seeing out of the box thinking. In terms of the Parklet pilot I think that the Parklets are a good idea and have seen people using them. I think that will improve if they are better constructed when businesses get involved. In terms of the One way street I really believe that has been a detriment to the town. It looks like a parking lot rather than a welcoming downtown. Are you see is the back of cars as you drive down the street and it obstructs the view of the store fronts on this side of the angle parking. You have a hard time seeing them if you were walking down the street on the opposite side. I would love to see the parking problem addressed with possibly some parking garages. The most thriving downtowns provide visitors a place to park that is easy and Convenient. I see that both in Willow Glen and especially in Campbell where parking was added or exists in parking garages. I would love to have the town consider parking and make it a high-priority. It has been talked about for a long time and it’s time to come to some reasonable solutions! Thank you From: noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2019 6:58 PM To: Town PPW <ppw@losgatosca.gov>; Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Online Form Submittal: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback The following form was submitted via your website: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback First Name: Lou Last Name: Albert Email: lou.albert@yahoo.com Los Gatos Resident?: Yes Please leave your comments here:: I am strongly in favor of the Parklets concept. I would encourage the planning department to emphasize parklets that can be incorporated into restaurants and are expansive, treed and comfortable. I believe we could live with much fewer parallel parking spots. I know local businesses are concerned that few parking spots equal fewer customers but a more walkable, bike friendly and vibrant downtown will be a more modern downtown in the decades to come. That type of downtown will equal more customers. Real bike lanes that don't just end "into oblivion", are safe and separated from traffic will greatly help. Encouraging a bicycle shop to open up a check in/out bike storage/parking lot will also help encourage people to leave their cars at home. There are a number of issues holding back the downtown. I believe parklets are one action that can help. From: noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2019 6:14 PM To: Town PPW <ppw@losgatosca.gov>; Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Online Form Submittal: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback The following form was submitted via your website: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback First Name: Karen Last Name: Kurtz Email: kurtzk@comcast.net Los Gatos Resident?: Yes Please leave your comments here:: I want to thank the town, the council and the business owners for the experiment for NSC Ave. the past few months. I like that traffic has been less when walking downtown. Along with the bike lane it made being on the Avenue much safer with fewer cars. I hope it helped bring more business to our shops. I loved the idea of the piano parklet & hope that it can somehow remain. Most of all I am looking forward to new decorative parklets coming in the future with more outdoor dining in our town. I did not experience any problem ever in getting in and out of the downtown area. I encourage more of the same... More parklets, fewer cars. Thanks again for all the work. From: noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2019 5:12 PM To: Town PPW <ppw@losgatosca.gov>; Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Online Form Submittal: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback The following form was submitted via your website: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback First Name: John Last Name: Connolly Email: jpc3md@yahoo.com Los Gatos Resident?: Yes Please leave your comments here:: I live in Almond Grove area and frequent downtown by foot daily. The new traffic pattern with the one way street has been bad for downtown. It looks awful. Driving down the street, it is difficult to see any of the store fronts on the east side of the street because there are too many cars blocking the view. Traffic has been thrust out onto the surrounding streets, which has brought a host of problems, including safety issues due to unsafe drivers and road rage. Beach traffic is the real issue and until a real solution for that has been concocted, nothing else really matters. Downtown businesses struggled mightily this summer and the one way did nothing to help it. On the weekends, stores were empty but there were tons of cars on N Santa Cruz. Also, lots of empty parking spaces despite all the traffic. Parking is not the issue and having the diagonal parking is obviously not a necessity when there were so many parking spots open. Why not put a gate at the Wood Rd entrance to Hwy 17 that you can close a few hours on weekend days in the summer? the ramp into town can still stay open but just close the other one for a few hours, That is not a "closure" of the ramp, which Caltran opposes. It is simply traffic control a few hours each summer weekend. The parklets have not been successful either. Rarely see anyone using them. They would make sense in front of restaurants or coffee shops. The one way has also caused downtown to lose much of its charm. It was a good try, but extraordinarily unsuccessful. Please put N Santa Cruz back to a 2-way street. From: Jill Levy <jillmeryllevy@sbcglobal.net> Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2019 8:16 PM To: Matt Morley <MMorley@losgatosca.gov> Cc: Robert Schultz <RSchultz@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Re: Los Gatos Downtown One-Way Pilot Project Dear Mr. Morley, Thank you for your email. I do not wish to waste my time at the Town Council meeting. However, I do wish to provide additional input. I am very much against the Downtown One-Way Project. I believe it was ill-conceived, with blatant disregard for life safety and ease of commuting through downtown Los Gatos. I was a volunteer firefighter for 28 years. I’ve been through earthquakes, fires, floods, gas leaks, and other emergencies in downtown Los Gatos that made it necessary to reroute traffic. By turning North Santa Cruz Avenue into a one-way street, you have created what will become a nightmare for drivers should there be an incident on University Avenue or any of the other parallel streets. I’ve seen near-miss collisions on North Santa Cruz Avenue because drivers going southbound now have worry about motorists parked on both sides of the street moving into the lane of travel. I’ve seen near-miss collisions at the intersection of North Santa Cruz Avenue and Bachman because of bicyclists going the wrong way. (It’s easy for drivers to think they no longer have to watch for vehicles coming northbound at that intersection. Pedestrians yes. Vehicles no. So when a bicyclist comes through going the wrong way, it catches drivers off-guard.) It’s pure idiocy to have seating in the street, even with the barricades. Doesn’t the Town Council watch the news? It takes only one terrorist or one person with a grudge to drive through a barricade like that and murder anyone sitting in the street. The Town has made those people sitting ducks. For liability reasons alone, I can’t believe the Town approved such a thing. It is now more difficult for drivers to turn onto northbound University Avenue due to the increased traffic resulting from closing northbound North Santa Cruz Avenue. And more drivers are cutting through the parking lots instead. Downtown Los Gatos was never a welcoming area for shoppers due to the miserable parking situation. It is even less welcoming now. If I didn’t work in the Eureka Building, I wouldn’t visit downtown Los Gatos. And I’ve not been any further south than my workplace since the Town converted North Santa Cruz Avenue into a one-way street. I have no desire to deal with the more difficult drive downtown. I’m sure I had other complaints that I can’t think of at the moment. But I wanted to respond promptly. Jill Levy From: noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Sent: Monday, September 30, 2019 10:23 AM To: Town PPW <ppw@losgatosca.gov>; Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Online Form Submittal: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback The following form was submitted via your website: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback First Name: Linda Last Name: Bernal Email: lbernal79@gmail.com Los Gatos Resident?: Yes Please leave your comments here:: The one-way and parklets seemed to have caused major congestion on University Ave. I live on Edelen Ave and trying to make a left on University anytime during the day is extremely dangerous. I cannot see oncoming traffic and so far I've avoided incidents, but it's only a matter of time before accidents start piling up. There has to be a better compromise than what is now. This new change has the town flipped up-side down. From: noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Sent: Friday, September 27, 2019 9:34 AM To: Town PPW <ppw@losgatosca.gov>; Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Online Form Submittal: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback The following form was submitted via your website: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback First Name: Bryan Last Name: Foertsch Email: bfoertsch@omninow.com Los Gatos Resident?: Yes Please leave your comments here:: The changes to Santa Cruz Avenue are a disaster. It has disrupted morning traffic causing backups on University, Bascom/Los Gatos boulevard, Los Gatos-Saratoga Main Street and more. I have yet to see anyone sitting in those blocked off areas on the street that take up precious parking and are candidly and eye sore. Please consider this test as a failure and return Santa Cruz Avenue to its former free flowing street Bryan Foertsch From: noreply@civicplus.com <noreply@civicplus.com> Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019 12:08 PM To: Town PPW <ppw@losgatosca.gov>; Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Online Form Submittal: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback The following form was submitted via your website: Experience LG & One-Way Pilot Feedback First Name: Vladimir Last Name: Troy Email: vtroy@yahoo.com Los Gatos Resident?: Yes Please leave your comments here:: I am strongly against the current North Santa Cruz Pilot design. The street now looks like a parking lot with cheap looking sitting spaces that customers poorly use and when I tried with my wife I did not enjoy sitting next to cars driving by and smelling their exhaust versus seeing people stroll by. The design is poorly done and I hope is taken down as soon as possible. I would love for N. Santa Cruz to be a destination for families to walk and enjoy. The previous design while not perfect was much better. Please think about other designs. I also now have to drive through residential area to get back to my house and assume the increased traffic in those neighborhoods is not welcome to them. I am very disappointed with the current design. I am happy to answer any questions and can be reached at 408-242-6618. I've lived in Los Gatos for 15- years and first time I am giving my feedback since very disappointed and hope my input is taken seriously. Best regards, Vladimir From: Lynn Kennedy <lynnk@mac.com> Sent: Friday, September 27, 2019 4:24 PM To: Matt Morley <MMorley@losgatosca.gov> Cc: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov>; Town Manager <Manager@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Re: Los Gatos Downtown One-Way Pilot Project Matt, Page 1 of 3 of my letter is page 230 of your PDF. Pages 2 and 3 are not included. Can you please add my complete letter as a desk item. Thank you, Lynn Kennedy Lynn Kennedy P.O. Box 2143 Los Gatos, CA 95031 September 24, 2019 Lot Gatos Town Council 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 Re: One-way pilot program on North Santa Cruz Avenue Dear Council Members: It’s hard to describe how badly you erred approving a poorly conceived experiment with little or no residential community input. This pilot program is an utter failure and there is no reason to have it continue any longer. Just admit the mistake, drop any thought of making this permanent, and undertake a far more thoughtful approach to solutions that will actually enhance the business district – solutions that will benefit residents, visitors and merchants alike, will not negatively impact any stakeholders, or further pit factions against each another. The one-way scheme does not make downtown more attractive. Quite the contrary – the sea of diagonally-parked cars obscures pedestrians and businesses making North Santa Cruz feel like a parking lot. Furthermore, visitors now have a harder time departing downtown, navigating at a crawl onto over-crowded residential streets. They leave Los Gatos with a terrible first and last impression, and many don’t come back. The pilot has made it difficult for many residents to get around town, has increased commute times, and has made life miserable for residents of University Avenue and possibly other streets that bear new traffic loads. Failing to consider the negative impact on residents is completely unacceptable. The longer you wait to restore two-way traffic on N. Santa Cruz, the worse the impact will be on the neighborhoods, as temporary habits quickly become permanent. We need to immediately get the late-night bar traffic back onto North Santa Cruz and off of neighborhood streets. We need to immediately get the early morning commercial delivery traffic back onto North Santa Cruz, etc. We need to put an immediate stop to the any-time-of-day-or-night lines of stop-and-go traffic on University that is polluting our homes and threatening our safety. The longer you wait, the more we suffer, and the harder it will be to reroute the traffic without going to the other extreme and having a barrier on University Avenue between Old Town and nearby homes like the barrier on Edelen Avenue near Old Town. I have not had a good night’s sleep since early July. When we turn off the lights there’s stop-and-go traffic just outside. We’re now awakened regularly by drunks and delivery drivers at all hours – something that did not occur previously. I’m also having respiratory problems and have developed a cough I can’t shake. Our old home has no central air conditioning – we MUST open the windows for ventilation cooling. We’re breathing far more particulates than we used to, and it simply must stop. For some inexplicable reason Town staff has not performed any traffic studies that actually counted the cars on University Avenue in any of the blocks that are parallel to the one-way section of North Santa Cruz. Why on earth would you spend money on a pilot and fail to adequately study the consequences – can it be that someone with an agenda does not really want all the facts? We don’t need parklets to make downtown more inviting. I know no one who wants to sit in the street with inadequate shade breathing exhaust fumes. There are many sections of North Santa Cruz with wide sidewalks that are sadly underutilized. Town and businesses could cooperate to make this existing space compelling. Some property owners might want their own designs. Others might be happy to host commemorative benches and gardens matching those already gracing the street. Some of these areas could include interactive elements making town more playful. But never forget – town residents have invested heavily in the existing sidewalk seating and Lynn Kennedy September 24, 2019 2 beautification. It is embarrassing that their contributions, sweat equity, memorials and dedications are now being belittled by proponents of trendy for the sake of trendy. I walk downtown regularly and have seen only a few people sitting in parklets, but I often see folks enjoying time both on the green benches and in well-designed private spaces as evidenced below. Visitors choose green bench away from traffic over nearby empty parklet even when parklet is shaded. Thinking longer term, Town must build the long-promised parking structure behind Mountain Charlie’s. As part of that plan it may make sense to remove a few parallel parking spots, widening sidewalks at key locations. However, the design must preserve most of the parallel street parking within each block since on-street parking is clearly the first choice of shoppers. In the meantime, why not schedule regular sidewalk steam cleaning and add more trash and recycling bins to make downtown more attractive right now in addition to improving underutilized existing space. Lynn Kennedy September 24, 2019 3 We value Los Gatos’ many unique shops and restaurants and are pleased that restaurants are mostly busy; it’s retail that appears to be suffering as evidenced by the vast majority of the closed businesses. In this era of chain stores and online commerce Town needs to encourage unique, engaging retail options that residents want and will frequent, encourage fair rents, and encourage residents to shop locally. Residents are and should be the key customer base. A Shop Los Gatos educational campaign and discounts for residents might be the place to begin. The Chamber of Commerce could focus on helping businesses learn to connect with customers and foster a climate of mutual support among business and residents that will help downtown flourish. Instead the Chamber focuses primarily on events benefitting only selected restaurants rather than retail, and that pit business against neighbors. Do NOT allow amplified music outside any downtown business – it is not permitted in Town for good reason! Do NOT approve street closures other than the community-oriented Christmas Parade – surprise closures breed frustration that discourages customers! Do NOT permit events masquerading as community events. I learned recently that my neighbors refer to the Chamber “block parties” as the “Loma parties” which is pretty telling. We need to rebuild community, and the Chamber, staff and Council don’t seem to grasp this basic concept. I hope you will take this and other input presented to date and invite Los Gatos’ many smart, creative residents to participate in a series of design charrettes. A genuine exchange of ideas could yield a win-win concept that actually supports business and does not do so at the expense of residents. Remember, unhappy residents are already avoiding the unattractive and hard-to-navigate downtown, negatively impacting business. Don’t risk making this situation worse. Restore two-way traffic flow now, as promised, and refrain from any further trials until after you have successfully engaged all stakeholders and developed a plan worthy of a trial. Sincerely, From: Guy Gummow <acorn@acorn-property.com> Sent: Friday, September 27, 2019 4:49 PM To: Council Subject: Santa Cruz Ave one way Dear Council member, I am writing to let you know that my wife and I are not happy with the one way traffic on Santa Cruz ave. We have lived in Los Gatos for over 30 years. It puts too much northbound traffic on University, Tait and Bayview. My mother lives on Bayview, and has commented that now she gets traffic coming and going. Beach traffic in the morning and school traffic in the afternoon and mornings Our daughter lives on Edelen and has commented how hard it is now to leave her area, as frustrated drivers don’t want to let autos onto University from the side streets. We think the parklets could work out, but please remove the one way. Thank you, Todd & Gwen Gummow From: Linda Loew <lloew@comcast.net> Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019 6:10 PM To: Steven Leonardis <SLeonardis@losgatosca.gov> Cc: Marcia Jensen <MJensen@losgatosca.gov> Subject: input regarding downtown one way etc Hello Steve, I do not know whom to send this to so if you are not the right person- please forward this. This is just a quick email stating I love the changes made on Santa Cruz Ave!! I live on Tait so daily I walk & drive on Santa Cruz. I love how the cars have slowed down. I don’t feel like I am risking my life crossing the street anymore. I love how I always see people in the parklets. The parklets have brought vitality to the side walks. I see all ages gathering. Sometime reading a book solo and sometimes a couple playing chess AND families eating ice cream. (Oh and the piano was a great idea!) I think all the parked cars show “strangers” that stores are open and this is an exciting place to be. I hope the stores sales reflect improvement. Of course I am hoping the design for the permanent parklets is much prettier. I grew up in an affluent part of Los Angeles where the diagonal parking was the norm so this feels very natural to me. I feel like our beach traffic during the study was just like the previous years. It did not throw noticeably more cars on our street. Thank you to whomever thought of the ideas, Linda Loew 139 Tait Ave Homeowner since 1985 From: Michael Burke <mrburke@mac.com> Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2019 6:21 PM To: Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov>; Council <Council@losgatosca.gov>; Town Manager <Manager@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Please add the following to desk items for the one-way pilot agenda item. Mr. Mayor and Council Members, After meeting with a couple of you this past week, I felt it was appropriate to include my beach traffic mitigation plan as part of your discussion on the one-way pilot. Thank you for your consideration. Michael Burke September 29, 2019 Mr. Mayor and Council Members, As you are currently considering downtown traffic as it relates to the one-way pilot, I felt it important to present my plan to mitigate some of the effects of summer beach traffic to benefit both residents and merchants. I recommend implementing time-based restrictions to limit turning movements from east/west streets south of Highway 9 onto southbound North & South Santa Cruz Avenues between 10am and 4pm on summer weekends. This idea has precedent. The Town currently uses time-based restrictions of turning movements in various locations, as example “No Right Turn 4:00pm-6:00pm.” This prohibition would eliminate beach traffic entering Santa Cruz Avenue (North and South) from Main Street, University Avenue and the Almond Grove streets. It would reduce or eliminate the gridlock at the intersection of Main Street and Santa Cruz Avenue because southbound traffic on North Santa Cruz Avenue would no longer need to compete with cars turning off on Main Street. With the gridlock at that intersection removed, southbound traffic on North Santa Cruz should actually flow better. Removing the beach traffic from Main and University would allow those street to service the downtown and the Town’s downtown parking lots as well as allowing emergency vehicles access when needed. The cost to implement this plan is very low, and while 100% enforcement would be difficult, spot enforcement and targeted enforcement at Main and Santa Cruz Ave should be sufficiently effective. These restrictions are rules that can be communicated to the “map apps” to ensure that they do not route drivers to make prohibited turns. As a result, neighborhoods should see less cut through traffic. I have attached two annotated maps that provide a visualizing on my plan. If the council feels my plan has merit ,at least for further study, I would be happy to make a formal presentation to the Council at a later date. I can be reached at 408-268-0644 or mrburke@mac.com for comments or questions. Sincerely yours, Michael Burke P.O. Box 2143 Los Gatos, CA 95031 Weekends 10am to 4pm Weekends 10am to 4pm Seasonal Turning Restrictions Michael Burke No Beach Traffic No Beach Traffic No Beach Traffic Beach Traffic Control Michael Burke From: drdresti@aol.com <drdresti@aol.com> Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2019 12:34 PM To: Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Feedback/ Traffic in Los Gatos Dear Town Council of Los Gatos: I read the article today in the Los Gatos Magazine and wanted to write to you for some feedback about the traffic situation both on North Santa Cruz Avenue and Los Gatos Blvd. This is a dire situation. I have lived in Los Gatos for 65 years and although I understand the importance of growth I don’t find that the one way dividers work well down town on N. Santa Cruz Avenue. I’ve spoken to many of the store owners and it is hurting their business where some have mentioned they will have to either close or close on weekends. From a resident perspective the down town is a mess with barriers and traffic backed up everywhere. Although I am supposed to be writing about some solutions, I may not have any but do know that we need to try something else. I know there are traffic flow experts that may shed some light on the subject-find them! Los Gatos Blvd is a living nightmare for those of us that live on this side of downtown. I personally can not get anywhere during the weekdays as school is being let out and on the weekend there is no way I can get out of my house unless I take all back streets. This is a major congestion. What is going to happen when buildings go up where the Artisan Wine is currently? Parents pick up their kids there currently as another outlet from RJ Fisher. Foreseeable accidents will happen- there are kids everywhere and it’s a mess. My son was actually hit in the cross walk in front of Van Meter when he was in 5th grade. It is worse now. The beach traffic needs to be dealt with on weekends. The GPS systems need to monitored or reprogramed. I would think that folks would have learned by now that it isn’t any faster to crawl through Los Gatos Blvd to get onto Highway 17. I am hoping that you can find some engineers to get us some solutions. The word out there is that more people just go to Campbell because it is easier to get to and park. The restaurants are thriving and they are building up their social life with young folks. Los Gatos has always been a great destination and quaint town and it has become a mess. PLEASE understand that I realize you have heard my comments from others and you are looking for solutions but I think that the problem goes beyond your council. Hire some experts and get some subject expertise to fix these problems! We pay way too much to live in this wonderful place to watch it fail… Thanks for listening! Deanna Dresti drdresti@aol.com From: Gayle <ghbloomer@aol.com> Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2019 10:25 AM To: Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: One way on N. Santa Cruz We live on University and have been negativity impacted with the pilot program on N. Santa Cruz. It’s unacceptable that we have to feel the brunt of the one way change. I’m glad it’s only a pilot program and will change back the end of October. Our street has become unsafe and unhealthy with the amount of traffic. It’s bad enough to have to deal with the beach traffic and then the school traffic, were in gridlock! The town council will have to figure out something else if they want to keep the park-lets. Gayle Bloom 122 University Ave. From: Dianne Rhudy <rootrhudy@aol.com> Sent: Saturday, September 28, 2019 9:56 AM To: Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Traffic experiment My home is at 122 University. I have lived here for 45 years. I may be the oldest and longest continual resident on the street. The experiment has seriously affected my quality of life. It has turned my residential street into a boulevard. Traffic backs up many times a day with the ensuing exhaust very troublesome. I can no longer open my windows due to noise and bad air. Unsafe exit from my driveway is a worry. I have to jut out in traffic to get on the road. I do appreciate that we were trying to improve the quality of our downtown experience but it is very detrimental to us on University Avenue. I am very concerned about an escape route in the case of fire or other emergency. Please do not proceed with this becoming permanent. Dianne Rhudy Sent from my iPad From: Jim Foley <jimfoley@lacanadainvestments.com> Sent: Friday, September 27, 2019 3:58 PM To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov> Cc: Robert Schultz <RSchultz@losgatosca.gov>; Monica Renn <mrenn@losgatosca.gov>; Clerk <Clerk@losgatosca.gov>; Matt Morley <MMorley@losgatosca.gov>; Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>; Laurel Prevetti <LPrevetti@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Letter regarding Policy Changes and One Way Pilot Please find attached a letter for these subjects scheduled to be discussed at next week’s Town Council meeting. Thank you, Jim Foley (408) 813-7490 From: Rudy Rucker, Sr. <rudy@rudyrucker.com> Sent: Friday, September 27, 2019 8:54 AM To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Against the Change to Santa Cruz Ave I’m writing to oppose the new traffic configuration on Santa Cruz Avenue. (1) Instead of having four traffic lanes on Santa Cruz Avenue and University Avenue we now have three. Therefore north-bound traffic on University Ave is now jammed. And it’s tedious to maneuver on and off Santa Cruz Ave. (2) Santa Cruz Ave now has less traffic and less life. The diagonally parked cars block a driver’s view of the stores. Where the avenue felt vibrant and lively , it now feels like a small town off an Interstate in a rural area. (3) It’s hard to maneuver one’s way to a store if you have to drive past the store’s block on University, go over to Santa Cruz, and drive south. (4) Although the street parks are nice, they’re not worth the price of ruining the avenue. Why not keep a few of the street parks and sacrifice a few parking spaces. Thanks for considering my input, Rudy Rucker 50 Kimble Ave Los Gatos CA From: Sylvia Rucker <sylvia@monkeybrains.net> Sent: Friday, September 27, 2019 9:16 AM To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov> Subject: Downtown one-way pilot To the Los Gatos council members: As a long-time (33 years) resident of Los Gatos, I have seen our town grow in many positive ways. But along with growth and development, traffic in and near downtown has become more and more problematic, due in no small part to internet apps that reroute commuters onto our main streets. This summer, the town decided to make Santa Cruz Avenue one-way and to add parklets along several blocks. This was a disastrous decision that has resulted in even more traffic tie-ups and impassable streets downtown. Living as I do very near downtown, just above the library, I worry about being unable to drive into or out of my neighborhood safely in case of fire or other emergency. On my side of town, traffic along Main St, University Ave, and Los Gatos Blvd is at a standstill at way too many times each weekday and even more so on weekends. This problem has grown tremendously since Santa Cruz Ave has become one-way. And who needs those unsightly parklets?! I have seen very few people using them. Judging from the large number of empty storefronts downtown, the town’s decision has not helped merchants either. I urge the council to bring two-way circulation back to Santa Cruz Ave, to get rid of the unnecessary parklets, and to reinstitute parallel parking, which allows better visibility of curbside businesses. Sincerely, Sylvia Rucker Sylvia@monkeybrains.net From: L Force <ll302651@gmail.com> Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019 1:48 PM To: Experience LG <ExperienceLG@losgatosca.gov> Subject: LG N SC Pilot Program Summer 2019 Dear LG “Experience” Team, Not only did this “experience” destroy the look and charm of N Santa Cruz Avenue, it also wreaked havoc on residential streets that had to support the northbound traffic primarily on University, Tait and Massol. It also did nothing to alleviate southbound/beach traffic gridlock this summer. It has only been the past two weeks that I’ve noticed hoses to take some traffic measurements. You did not do it prior to the Pilot, or at the height of summer time. The data that you gather will not be a complete, whole picture. A child was hit by a car in August because Waze directed the driver onto Tait due to the closure of northbound N SC. YOU are partly responsible for her fractured pelvis, broken nose, multiple abrasions and bruising. When I heard about the Pilot, I vowed to boycott all independent businesses and Restaurants on N SC during the Pilot and now will boycott through the end of 2019. I will expect to “experience” mimes/street performers/beggars - a la Pier 39 in SF -. The people sitting in the Parklets were not shopping, were not dining, were not spending money, they were sitting next to traffic breathing pollution. This Pilot was a Failure, Disaster, Not Good. L. Force Homeowner on Tait Avenue