Los Gatos Weekly-Times

LG Boulevard effort shouldn't be derailed

By Mark Brodsky

Los Gatos has over 28,000 citizens. On May 28, less than 10 vocal critics nearly derailed 18 months of work to redesign and improve Los Gatos Boulevard. The entire concept of a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly boulevard with quality amenities was challenged as a wasteful, grandiose exercise destined to flood the town with transients.

Owners of three auto dealerships present were clear in their opposition of bike lanes and wide sidewalks in the fear their customers might run over pedestrians. Others felt narrowing auto-lane width from their freeway dimensions would be unfair to commuters rushing home. And others were certain that providing benches and attractive transit stops would be nesting places for the vilest bunch of car-smashing thieves this side of the Pecos. Oh yes, everyone hated the Dome!

Who are these people in dissent? Were they rabble-rousers? No. Actually, they were some of our most prominent citizens and businesspeople. They asked probing questions. Did this group represent the majority of businesses on the boulevard? I don't think so.

The reason I know is that I asked 10 business owners, from McDonald's to The Wherehouse, from Gremic to George Brown, McWhorter's, Motor Cellular, and others, and nine out of 10 want a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly boulevard with benches, better transit access, slower traffic, and bike lanes. (The actual questionnaires and responses were submitted to the Los Gatos Weekly-Times with this commentary.)

Eighty percent expect pedestrian traffic to generate customers. Ninety percent have employees or customers who use bicycles. Some, like the Wherehouse, depend on kids on bikes for business, while the proprietor of George Brown Fitness believes that better bike and transit use will ease his parking crunch. Eighty percent of those I questioned have at least one employee who uses public transit, and about the same group would like a boulevard connection to the Highway 17 Express or a shuttle to light rail.

The manager of McDonald's is not naive. In addition to using many onsite benches, her customers use the grass areas for picnics; yet she supports building an architectural node structure with benches because it would attract more customers than bums.

The owner of Boulevard Coffee would like to see perhaps a fountain there; she is joined by seven others in wanting the street speed reduced by lane narrowing instead of speed traps.

The manager of McWhorter's would like to see traffic slowed; besides making it easier to see business signs, he hates dodging high-speed traffic just to get to his bank across the street. No one wants pre-Highway 85 congestion, but the current lane widths invite motorists to speed, especially when traffic is light, as on Sunday mornings.

Not everyone agreed with improving the Boulevard. Folks at one automobile-related business felt that no recreational biking should be allowed on streets: streets belong for cars, architectural review boards are B.S., and transit access is wasted money with no effect.

Other opinions have value. No one wants another park-and-ride at the end of Los Gatos Boulevard, but good transit access and connections will allow us to use the park-and-ride planned at the Vasona terminus at Winchester. What auto dealerships need is important. After all, they represent about 25 percent of the town's sales tax revenue. Maybe developing pedestrian pockets would be a way to satisfy the needs of the auto dealers as well as those businesses who would benefit from a pedestrian-friendly boulevard. Maybe the town can finally fund some drawings of one of these pedestrian pockets. This would span from the old Carousel Restaurant to the closed Burger Pit with narrowed lanes and a nice node in the center. It won't hurt the auto dealerships and it helps all the other businesses.

So should a detailed survey of businesses hold more weight than the business owners and citizens who showed up to a meeting to complain? Maybe more people need to be asked scientifically. Are a McDonald's and Wherehouse as economically important to the town as auto dealerships? That depends on who is expected to be here 30 years from now. One thing is certain. More citizens and businesspeople are needed now. If you're a bicyclist or like to jog or walk, you're needed now. And if you really want to live in a beautiful neighborhood, we need you to support the Los Gatos Boulevard Plan.

Mark Brodsky is secretary of The Los Gatos Boulevard Community Alliance.

The General Plan Committee, which is developing policy guidelines for Los Gatos Boulevard, meets the second Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Written comments to the Planning Department will be forwarded to the committee. For more information, call the Planning Department, 354-6872.