Background The Neighborhood Traffic Management Program is a partnership between the City of Santa Barbara and local neighborhoods to “Take Back the Streets” by developing a plan to address particular mobility or traffic issues. Developing a traffic plan can be a unifying process that will introduce business owners and residents to one another and create a spirit of community while cooperatively working together to make their neighborhood more livable and user friendly.
The Neighborhood Traffic Management Program begins with a community-led process that requires a high level of participation by neighbors who have a desire to solve common neighborhood traffic problems. This program is bound to be successful if the participants have a willingness to lend ideas and energy to the process in partnership with the City.
Why Oak Park? The Neighborhood Traffic Management Program is especially helpful in a heavily mixed-use area like the Oak Park neighborhood where numerous businesses, a popular park, major medical facilities, single and multi-unit housing all share the streets for driving, parking, walking and biking. What are the Oak Park Program Boundaries?
The Program is designed to serve the people living and working in the neighborhood bounded by Mission Street, Highway 101, Las Positas Road and State Street. | 
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What has the process been? A two year long process that led to the development of Mobility Plan recommendations included multiple invitations to the Oak Park and Samarkand residents to participate in community meetings. Concerns were identified through the meetings and surveys. Quick fixes were initiated during this information gathering stage. Subsequently, in the “Before Traffic Calming” phase, neighborhood based initiatives were developed and their successes evaluated. Finally, a charrette was held to consider improvements to meet sustained neighborhood objectives, and a traffic calming plan was developed. All of this work was guided by a committed group of residents who comprised the “Core Group” from the neighborhoods. Please click here to learn more about how the program works. During the week of June 20th 2005, a newsletter was distributed to all residents, business tenants and property owners in the Oak Park Neighborhood. The newsletter described the progress of the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program to date, and included a postage paid petition that residents could return to indicate their opposition or support to the main elements of the Mobility Plan. There was some confusion expressed by the Core Group to staff regarding the ballot, especially which elements of the plan were under consideration, and which elements were components of the Conditions of Approval for the Cottage Hospital Modernization Plan. As a result of this finding, and the low response rate to the ballot, the Core Group from the Oak Park Neighborhood provided recommendations for a revised plan, ballot and informational newsletter, which is scheduled for distribution in early December. What was new in the December 2005 ballot? The Core group decided to remove a mini-traffic circle from the Mobility Plan, which was not supported by many residents. Also, the revised ballot does not include changes that will be constructed as a part of the Cottage Hospital Modernization Project, as those have already been required as Conditions of Approval by the City of Santa Barbara Planning Commission. Click here to view the December ballot. If you live in this neighborhood but did not receive a ballot, please email us using the contact information below. Your neighborhood needs you. The program depends on your participation. Click here to view the draft of the Mobility Plan. (This does not include revisions described above and in December Ballot) Click here to view the graphics in the Traffic Calming plan of the Mobility Plan, as presented at the November 16th 2004 meeting! What were the results of the December ballot? Transportation staff has completed the tabulation of the ballots. The accumulation of ballots individually received and those dropped off in two groups by advocates show that there is not 65% support for the neighborhood plan among the respondents. Therefore, staff must recommend that the Plan not be adopted. If this recommendation is supported, the $300,000 allocated for Plan implementation in this neighborhood will be transferred to another transportation project. Detailed ballot summary (Adobe ® pdf file) can be found by clicking here. Notably, several Capital Improvement Projects which were not subject to the vote on the Plan will proceed as separate Public Works projects and projects of the Cottage Hospital Modernization Project. These include modifications to the intersection of State Street and De La Vina Street, resurfacing of Chapala Street, and sidewalk along the Mackenzie Park side of Las Positas Road. What’s next? The Transportation and Circulation Committee heard a report from staff on the results of the Mobility Plan balloting on March 23rd and April 27th. Public comment was heard. The Staff Recommendation for the Oak Park Mobility Plan item was to discontinue further work on the Oak Park Neighborhood Traffic Management Program The item was continued from the March meeting to the April meeting. At the April meeting, the Transportation and Circulation Committee recommended to Council that the December ballots be removed from further consideration and that staff be directed to gather opinions again using a mail-out/mail-back strategy that would consider only the opinions of those who live closest to the proposed traffic calming devices and those who would, by virtue of their residence, have to utilize those streets where the devices were proposed. Staff has been given direction not to pursue this further at this time, and the item is not currently scheduled for City Council. At the March meeting, the Committee also heard a request from Chapala Street residents to consider restriping Chapala Street to one vehicle lane and one bike lane separately from the Mobility Plan, as a part of the resurfacing project. This item was later heard at City Council and approved.
Contact Us
The City of Santa Barbara’s Transportation Planning Staff Are Here To Help!
For more information, please call us at (805) 564-5544.
Para más información: (805) 564-5385.
email: NTMP@SantaBarbaraCA.gov
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