With plans in place to improve access for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers along Pier Avenue, Community Reporter Eduardo Huijon, Jr. looked into what’s in store for the community of Oceano.
“Pier Avenue is one of the top requested streets in the South County area for improvements,” said Jake Hudson, transportation supervisor for the County of San Luis Obispo Department of Public Works.
Hudson met with the Vitality Advisory Council of Oceano on Wednesday to discuss the Pier Avenue Corridor Plan.
According to the County, after examining Pier Avenue under both peak and off-peak seasons, it was determined improvements were needed to enhance access for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists.
“We're essentially proposing... to reconfigure the roadway to match what's actually happening. And that being at the beach, if there's only one window open, met, that our roadway is dynamic and flexible so that the road would only function as one lane,” Hudson said. “But if two windows were open, it could be easily adjusted through traffic control for those peak seasons when state parks does operate both windows.”
KSBY looked into the development’s draft and discovered county officials are looking into enhancing the line leading into the Oceano State Vehicular Recreational area, adding parking and pedestrian crosswalks.
“The number one comment that we had for the corridor proper were pedestrian and bicycle access and connections and the gaps for, for those types of modes between Highway 1, the state park and in the beach,” Hudson said.
While some people aren’t in favor of the changes, others agree something needs to be done.
“My thoughts are still, I mean, they're, they're short term,” said Mark McGuire of Oceano. “It's just a couple of parking lanes or a couple of stripes where they want to walk across the street, which becomes my sand. If you're there, you stay there and you'll start blowing the window, start blowing and then you won't see this, the park, the parkways.”
“It needs lots of improvement,” said Sue Dean, a visitor from Sacarmento. “We come here every year and it gets more and more tore up.”
County officials are planning on modifying Pier Avenue through a set of phases, with the final phase adding a roundabout between Air Park Drive and Lakeside Avenue.
The short-term will be to add marked crosswalks, strip a bike lane and reduce the current four lanes to three lanes with a center turn lane.
The mid-term phase will include the plans from the short-term phase and will add curb extensions at key intersections and provide bicycle parking.
The long-term phase will include the short and mid-term phases and a roundabout between Air Park Drive and Lakeside Avenue along Pier Avenue.
Hudson says his department is conducting their last round of public comments.
The County Board of Supervisors will have the final say on whether the Pier Avenue Corridor plan can move forward. That could happen in July.
