Safety along Highway 154 was the topic of a community meeting in Solvang on Wednesday night.
The focus was Highway 154 through the Los Olivos area including crash-prone intersections with Foxen Canyon Road and Figueroa Mountain Road.
The two-lane highway cuts through the middle of Los Olivos and people who live there say it’s becoming too dangerous to cross the highway.
“We’re not traffic engineers but we do know that pulling out on that road is life or death,” said Los Olivos Resident Mar Herthel. “It’s amazing that statistics look the way they do because there’s a lot of near-misses.”
He saw the aftermath of a crash that happened at the intersection of Highway 154 and Foxen Canyon Road just last week.
“There was a rollover at the crossing last week. My wife and I drove by. We saw some of our neighbors pulling two high school girls out of a rolled-over car,” recalled Herthel.
A motorcyclist was killed in a crash at the same intersection back in April.
Eric Shepard lives off Foxen Canyon Road just blocks from where the crash happened.
“I quickly walked down the street to the sight and sound of multiple sirens and helicopters. The first thing I saw was a motorcycle laying on the ground,” recalled Shepard, who says that a neighbor quickly rushed in to try to save the man’s life.
“He found the driver of the motorcycle laying on the street and administered CPR. Unfortunately, Ryan’s efforts and those of the EMTs proved fruitless. The driver sustained serious injuries in the accident and died.”
residents are hoping to see stop signs or stoplights added along Highway 154 at the two intersections.
“Maybe some stop signs. You’ve done a lot of improvements to 154 as a whole. It’s a much safer road than when I was a kid,” said Herthel to a panel of representatives at Wednesday night’s State Route 154 Committee Meeting.
Highway 154 has become busier through Los Olivos in recent years.
One reason is that a majority of drivers on the 101 are now taking Highway 154 as a shortcut.
“For drivers traveling north or south on the 101, the apps typically direct drivers over the 154 since it shortens the commute by a few minutes and a few miles,” explained Shepard.
Authorities say they are considering adding stop signs, stop lights, or roundabouts on Highway 154 through Los Olivos.
