From: "Joanna Levine" To: Subject: Why the threats ?? Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2002 20:48:12 -0800 Hi, Until I saw some letters threatening lawsuits at this site, I felt pretty good about participating recently in neighborhood traffic planning. I've lived for 24 years on the corner of Russell/Hillegass. I do not recall being informed of meetings held by Benvenue neighbors to discuss the safety issues in the Ashby/College/South Berkeley area. Perhaps real efforts were made and I just didn't see the notices. Did the Benvenue folks try to involve residents from the other streets in the area? It was a surprise to me, when suddenly a No Right Turn showed up on Benvenue. I've been happy to accomodate my neighbors by taking the new route from Alcatraz to my home S. of Ashby. Also I've tolerated the resulting larger volume of traffic on my street. I hope it has made a difference in the rate of accidents at the Benvenue intersection. By the way, have accidents gone up on Hillegass since everyone now has to cross Ashby there ? Whatever you do on one street impacts all the surrounding streets. I was delighted to join with my neighbors recently, to object to the plan to "try" No Right Turn signs on Hillegass, & Regent. No one on these streets spoke up at the recent meeting to speak in favor of such a plan. Neighbors from Regent, Oregon,Russell, Hillegass, Derby, and Benvenue were in attendence, to try to get the traffic commision to 1) Explain what they had in mind 2) look at the area holistically ,not street by self-interested street. 3) to hear that lots of people in the area felt very much left out of the planning process. 4) to hear a range of new suggestions for safety and convenience of pedestrians, school children, cars and bikes. It is apparent that many folks have been working hard on this issue for years. I can understand the frustration some of you feel- and of course, the concern for safety at Benvenue/Ashby. How many cars currently cross Ashby going South on Benvenue? Since Benvenue is already blocked off one block South, many cars, I imagine, have quit that route. I guess I dont understand the level of anger that I see in letters threatening lawsuits. It's hard for one group to determine what should happen on other people's streets. The added strength of neighbors from surrounding streets should be welcome. Ashby is now basically a highway, a major link between 80 and 280 and 24. Unfortunately for Caltrans and the City, it was never meant to be a major thoroughfare. It is a narrow residential street for most of its length, our local street. We need to address this and other issues together, as a concerned neighborhood, not as a bunch of warring factions. I bet we could figure out a way to do that. Joanna Levine