Significant State Funding For Improving the Soquel Corridor, By Zach

FEATURED COLUMNIST

Significant State Funding For Improving the Soquel Corridor

By Zach Friend, Supervisor, Second District

The County recently held the first of two community meetings to discuss a significant investment into improvements toward improved bike, pedestrian and transit options along the Soquel corridor.

While these meetings are focusing specifically on the improvements planned to the Soquel Drive corridor, the funding provides for addi- tional improvements throughout the mid and south county areas.

The funding comes from an over $100 million grant from the California Transportation Commission for multi-modal improvements to our local transportation network.

The funding was due to a grant application from the local Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) and is a result of funding from Senate Bill 1: the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program and Local Partnership Competitive Program.

Our competitiveness for these programs was due in large part to our passage of Measure D, which provides a local match for these major transportation projects.

What challenges will the funding address?

The funding works to address a number of issues that are particularly acute in the mid and south county areas. First, Highway 1 congestion.

As many of you know, congestion on the highway impacts everyone including those simply trying to get to work or back home, emergency vehicles, buses and delivery vehicles.Thesecondissueiscut-throughtraffic.

As a result of the highway congestion, many vehicles exit the highway and create safety issues (including for bike and pedestrians) on Soquel and other side streets. The third issue is bike and pedestrian safety. Our area is the fifth worst in the state for bike collisions — there is a need to improve bike and pedestrian safety facilities and the increased vehicle usage of Soquel and other side streets is a contributing factor to these increased collisions.

What will be funded?

The meeting (and upcoming meeting — details are below) spoke about the significant improvement on Soquel, including 5 miles of buffered/protected bicycle lanes, 46 green bike boxes for left turn movements, new sidewalks (to connect to existing sidewalk facilities) ADA improvements, 96 crosswalk upgrades, crosswalk warning devices at 10-mid block locations, and adaptive traffic signal control with transit prioritization at 23 intersections (to improve bus transit time). A lot of these were requested by the community to improve access to local schools and major job centers. For example, near Mar Vista Elementary and Cabrillo College, new buffered bike lanes and sidewalks are planned that will connect to existing sidewalks to improve pedestrian access to schools. The project will also improve drainage and add retaining walls and/or hardscape where needed to improve safety in the area.

Three new sets of auxiliary lanes on Highway 1 between Soquel Drive and State Park Drive — in one of the most congested corridors in the County — are also planned. Additionally, it will allow for the first 5.75-miles of a 7.5-mile hybrid buson-shoulder/auxiliary lane facility, where transit buses can travel in the auxiliary lane between intersections and on the shoulders at intersections to bypass traffic.

Two new Highway 1 bicycle/pedestrian overcrossings (Chanticleer Avenue and the long-awaited Mar Vista Drive project). A bridge replacement at Capitola Avenue, with new pedestrian and bike facilities is also part of the funding.

What are the benefits of these projects?

As the CTC noted in their staff report, “the project will increase multimodal options, reduce vehicle miles traveled, reduce congestion, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

It will increase safety and reduce transportation times on this congested corridor with an innovative package of projects to improve and integrate transit, active transportation, and highway/local roadway modes of travel.

Transit buses can bypass traffic at intersections by traveling on the new Highway 1 shoulder and can also travel more efficiently on Soquel with signal prioritization. Safe routes to school will increase with new buffered bike lanes and new sidewalks and crosswalk improvements on Soquel as well as two new bike and pedestrian overcrossings to ensure connection between neighborhoods and new safer bike and pedestrian routes.

The highway improvements will mean less cut through traffic on side streets and Soquel improving neighborhood safety and congestion.

Overall, the projects will have equity and environmental benefits with a level of investment that hasn’t been seen in our county. Lower-income residents often are impacted the most by longer commutes and unreliable transit times and in many communities have higher rates of bike and pedestrian incidents.

These improvements will improve bike and pedestrian safety, reduce commute times and improve bus service — which, while this benefits the entire community — it has the greatest impact on those that often live the furthest from employment options due to affordable housing challenges and rely on major transit.

What are the next steps?

The County will be the lead agency in implementation of the multimodal improvements on Soquel. A second community meeting on the Soquel Drive proposal will be held (virtually) on Jan. 20 from 6-7:30 pm. You can register for it at: http://bit.ly/soquelzoom1

The Highway 1 improvements will be constructed by Caltrans with the RTC implementing environmental clearance and final design. The RTC anticipates that all components of this extensive project will be under construction by 2023 with some sooner.

For more information on the Watsonville-Santa Cruz Multimodal Corridor Program visit https://sccrtc.org/projects/ multi-modal/wsc-mc/.

If you’d like to review the specific proposals for the Soquel Drive corridor you can visit www.soqueldrivebufferedproject.com. n •••

As always, I appreciate any feedback you may have on this (or any other County issue). I’m maintaining regular updates on social media at www.facebook.com/supervisorfriend and you can always call me at 454-2200.

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Blonds Have More Fun!

Meet Canela, a sweet blonde Labrador Retriever mix who is just 3 years old and looking for her forever home!

This beauty is in an awesome foster home right now and her Foster Dad says she is a very sweet and loveable dog who enjoys spending time with her people.

Canela is house trained and likes to sleep on her bed with her special blanket. She is friendly with other dogs and always wants to play. She has even met cats with supervision and could coexist with cat friends if her family is patient and guides her through that transition. Canela will alert bark and try to chase or dig for squirrels and gophers, but this doesn’t change her love for walks!

Canela loves to get her wiggles out with a run in a big yard and on walks she will do a lot of sniffing. She will be happy to find a family who is ready to take her on some “sniffafaris” and work with her on positive reinforcement training.

Canela does well in the car and has been great with all the people she has met, including children and seniors. While she is very friendly, loves to snuggle, and get belly rubs from friends — she can take a few minutes to warm up to new people. But once she knows them, she loves them!

Canela is the perfect family dog and we cannot believe she has been at the Shelter for over a month!

•••

To encourage more animal adoptions, the price for all dogs over 50 lbs. will be $50 through Valentine’s Day, February 14!

There are so many reasons to adopt from the Shelter. One of the best is that shelter animals make great pets. Shelter animals are also quite a bargain since their fees include spay/neuter, microchip (including registration), age-appropriate vaccinations, routine treatment for fleas/worms, and a free pet wellness exam with local participating veterinarians.

Visit us today at 1001 Rodriguez St. in Santa Cruz or view adoptable animals on our website at www.scanimalshelter.org. n •••

Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter’s full-service, open-admission shelter:

Santa Cruz Location (Public Entrance): 1001 Rodriguez St., Santa Cruz, 95062

Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Watsonville Location: CURRENTLY CLOSED 580 Airport Blvd, Watsonville, CA 95076

SCCAS Main line: 831-454-7200. Animal Control: 831-454-7227. After-Hours Emergency: 831-471-1182 • After Hours: jillian.ganley@santacruzcounty.us

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ECO-FARM CONFERENCE

The 42nd EcoFarm Conference will be in person, Jan. 19-22 at the Asilomar State Beach & Conference Center in Pacific Grove. The theme is “Rooted in Resilience.”

This annual gathering of agriculturalists working to advance just and ecological farming and food systems will offer visionary keynote speakers, skill-building workshops, expo, seed swaps, networking, and farm tours. Register at https://eco-farm.org/conference Questions: 831-763-2111 • info@eco-farm.org

Thursday January 20

SOQUEL DR. BIKE LANES & CONGESTION WORKSHOPS

6-7:30 p.m., Online Seminars The Santa Cruz county Department of Public Works plans two virtual community workshops on plans to make Soquel Drive more walkable and bikeable and less congested.

The Jan. 13 workshop is designed for Aptos residents, while the Jan. 20 workshop is for Live Oak and Soquel residents.

Registers at bit.ly/soquelzoom1 for District 2 and bit.ly/soquelzoom1 for District 1.

The improvements currently planned for 5.6 miles of the busiest segment of Soquel Ave/Drive from La Fonda Ave to State Park Drive include buffered bike lanes, ADA-accessible ramps, and flashing sidewalk beacons.

Saturday January 22

TRAINING TO STOP SEX TRAFFICKING

Noon-2:30 p.m., Zoom Class The Santa Cruz County Branch of the American Association of University Women is hosting an antisex trafficking training session on Zoom Saturday, Jan. 22, from noon to 2:30 p.m. for groups and individuals who work with teens.

Titled “Mind Games: Understanding the Predator Psychological Methodolgy,” the session will teach participants the techniques traffickers use to gain the trust of children and teens and then manipulate and control them.

Speakers are: Dr. Deena Graves, an award-winning communicator, strategist and founder of M3 Transformations, an organization that designs solutions that bring children back from predators and trauma, and Derek Williams, a former trafficker who now works to stop human trafficking, explaining how traffickers work and what can be done.

“We invite all those who work with teens to this valuable session,” said AAUW President Phyllis Taylor.

Join the Zoom meeting at: https://tinyurl.com/ prevent-trafficking

For audio, find your local number: https://us02web. zoom.us/u/kbxNMcjKt For info, call AAUW at (831) 425-1306.

Monday January 24

TALK BY POET TRISH MELEHAN

4 p.m., Online Zoom meeting Scotts Valley Senior Life Association has scheduled three Senior Life Online presentations with local speakers in January, February and March.

Join a local group of friendly senior citizens for the first free seminar: “Senior Life Online” via Zoom.

Poet Trish Melehan talks about her journey in creating and publishing a new book of poetry, “Journey Fantastique” with the late, great Santa Cruz artist and muralist James Carl Aschbacher.

Participants are encouraged to ask questions during the Q&A session.

To participate, you need an Internet connection and a computer, tablet or smart phone. A 1-time preregistration is required at https://tinyurl.com/ SVSLA-6. Questions? Call George at (831) 334-7763.

Biweekly Senior Life Online presentations are sponsored by Scotts Valley Senior Life Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with mission to promote healthy living for senior citizens. See http://scottsvalleyseniorlife.org.

Wednesday January 26

WOMEN RUNNING FOR OFFICE FORUM

6:30 p.m., Online Discussion The Women in Leadership for Diverse Representation (WILDR) virtual forum is being coordinated by a diverse group of women in Santa Cruz County to encourage more women to run for elected positions, serve on appointed commissions, and support women running for office. Gail Pellerin and Christina Cuevas will be the moderators.

The topic will be developing the pipeline of diverse women candidates: Important considerations for making a decision to run, what are the positions that will be open, and to hear how women have made decisions in the past.

A panel of women will talk about supporting others who are running with endorsements, funding, and campaigning. The forum will be: • On Zoom. The link to register is https://bit.ly/

WILDRyou2022 • Open to the public, with pre-registration required • Simultaneously translated into Spanish.

Panelists include: Donna Zeil, Kristen Petersen, Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, Maria Orozco, Elaine Johnson, Lynn Renshaw and Angela Marshall.

Dorian Seamster coordinates the group and is the main point of contact at doseamster@gmail. com. She is working with Caitlin Brune, Chloe Magidoff, Christina Cuevas, Gail Pellerin, Gigi Kelbert, Jillian Ritter, Laura Cuadros, Lora Lee Martin, Jenni Veitch-Olson, Jennifer Schacher, Maria Cadenas, Mireya Gomez-Contreras, Sarah Marschall, Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Stephanie Barron Lu, Vanessa Quiroz-Carter, and Yvette Lopez Brooks.

Friday January 28 thru Sunday January 30

STARTUP WEEKEND MONTEREY BAY

CSU Monterey Bay, Seaside Do you have an idea for a new business? Are you curious about entrepreneurship? Do you want to start a business but don’t know where to begin? Do you have technical or creative skills and want to understand how the business side works?

At Startup Weekend at CSU Monterey Bay in Seaside, you will get experience with the process of starting a business, learn how to develop your idea, explain it to people, and meet coaches who will help you move your business ideas. Register at https://event.techstars.com/e/startupweekend_ mb/2022. If you have questions, email the organizing team at info@startupmontereybay.com.

Sunday February 6

VALENTINE’S POP-UP ARTISTS’ STANDS

9 a.m.-1 p.m., Izant Court, Soquel Valentine’s Pop-Up Event on Izant Court in Soquel features unique hand-made gifts from local artists, including:

Butterfly Dream Dyes: hand-tied and ice-dyed new and upcycled clothing, purses and home goods.

Coastal Candle Co.: hand-poured natural soy container candles with wood wicks and beeswax candles.

Lavender Ladies: Eye pillows, and lavender items. : Tiny succulent table-top gardens and sea glass treasures. n