Some changes may be on the way to Foothill Blvd. in San Luis Obispo.
Garrett Otto and his son, Owen, bike up and down the road every day.
“I’m just more connected to my surroundings and community and it’s more convenient,” Garrett Otto said.
Otto has been biking the streets of San Luis Obispo for more than 20 years, but says he doesn’t always feel safe.
“With no protection and just a painted bike lane, it's very scary not knowing what’s happening behind you and having a lot of faith that the drivers are doing what they’re supposed to be doing,” Otto said.
Foothill Boulevard currently has unprotected bike lanes. Luke Schwartz, the city’s transportation manager, says more than 2,000 people pass through that area each day.
“It’s one of our heaviest-traffic arterial streets,” Schwartz said.
With three deaths on this stretch of road since 2017, according to Schwartz, he says the city wants to make changes.
“It looks like a highway at certain points, so people drive fast, which makes it less safe for everyone,” Schwartz said.
He adds that the goal is to find designs that will improve safety and access for people walking, biking, and driving along Foothill Boulevard.
Schwartz says new crosswalks, medians, and physically protected bike lane areas are also being discussed as part of the project.
Otto feels changes are needed.
“Physically protected bike lanes along the whole route so we can have that additional separation and projection from vehicles out there,” Otto said.
The Foothill Complete Street project is in the early planning stages.
The city’s goal is to come back with a final design next year while looking for funding opportunities in 2026.
On June 27, the community is invited to join the first round of design ideas. The meeting will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Council Hearing Room, City Hall (990 Palm Street).
This fall, there will be a community meeting and neighborhood pop-up in the Foothill area and the project’s website will have more information on this as time gets closer.
Coming up in the spring of 2025, the project team will incorporate community feedback and prepare final project plans for approval by the active transportation committee and the city council.
