Traffic Impact – Dittos Lane

posted in: Dittos Lane, Old News, Traffic | 0

The Traffic Studyin the Dittos Lane Environmental Impact Report (EIR) based on the ROEM proposal had serious flaws. The number of vehicles assumed entering and leaving the site at peak hours is unrealistically low.

The EIR computed pedestrian & bicycle counts at College Avenue/Main Street and Maple Lane. It did not count the much higher pedestrian traffic on Main during events like Music in the Park, Jazz in the Plaz, Farmers Market, and the Arts/Wine festival.  Furthermore, the traffic counts relied upon in the EIR were taken during Los Gatos High School Graduation Week resulting in lower than normal counts.

The Town’s Traffic Consultant,TJKM, prepared a traffic analysis for the proposed project which estimate that the 32 apartments will only generate 16 – 20 trips at peak traffic hours.  This estimate is unbelievably low.  A more likely figure is more in the range 64-80 based on 2-3 vehicles per two bedroom apartment and 2 per one bedroom apartment.  We are told that these residents will be working families.  Working families need two cars and, if a student of driving age is in the family,  three.

Traffic along Main St. near College Ave. is nearly gridlocked now due to High School and retail worker and shopper cars along with cars from College Ave. and Reservoir Rd. feeding into an intersection which is a disaster waiting to happen given the lack of enforcement.  The traffic study fails to accurately characterize the traffic situation.

The additional traffic to and from Dittos Lane will feed (via Maple Street into Main Street a short distance from the College Avenue intersection.  Vehicles entering Main will block traffic already headed toward College and will add to the already heavy traffic on Main Street.

During the Planning Commission meeting on Dittos Lane, the author of the Traffic Study was obviously embarrassed by questions from the Commissioners and citizen testimony. His excuse was that he had used standardized methods in calculating traffic impacts. The Commissioners weren’t buying it.

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