Taking on Traffic | Traffic Report | Holman Highway Expansion
Reeside & Dickman Traffic Changes | Safety Tips
Coastal Trail Widens | Uses for State Theater Under Review

Taking on Traffic – Getting You Around the Community
Cars, trucks, buses and rv’s … fire engines, ambulances, squad cars, motorcycles. You name the vehicle: it shares all the same streets in our City. Last year, improving the City’s traffic
management program was named a top community priority by 61% of the respondents to our survey. And we are listening.

As part of our efforts to address citywide traffic concerns and deal with the effects of
a closed Presidio of Monterey, we are making changes and enhancements to several key roadways and major arteries.

• Lighthouse Avenue – Left-turns are now prohibited on Lighthouse, and other changes are in the works for the street network in the New Monterey and Cannery Row areas.
• Holman Highway/Hwy. 68 – Plans are on the table to widen the road from two lanes to four from Highway 1 to just past the hospital entrance.
• Del Monte Avenue – We have “un-developed” the coast land along Del Monte Avenue over the years to make way for traffic safety improvements.
• Coastal Trail Widening at Presidio Curve – Increasing the width of the Coastal Trail at Presidio Curve will improve safety for both pedestrians and bicyclists. The Pacific Street entrance to Lighthouse Avenue is closed during construction.

Our traffic program is geared to improve traffic flow; ensure that emergency vehicles have quick access to residences and businesses; decrease wait times and congestion; and maintain the safety of streets and traffic devices.

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Traffic Report
Traffic patterns have changed over the last few years. Since the closing of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center & Presidio of Monterey to through vehicle traffic,
we have adjusted the flow of traffic to and from New Monterey and Pacific Grove to relieve congestion and ensure public safety. As part of the update to the City’s General Plan, currently underway, we looked at current traffic issues and projected concerns as they relate to growth and development.

This issue of City Focus highlights some of the ways the City is addressing city-wide traffic concerns. For more info on traffic management or projects, call our Traffic Division at 646.3473 or email Rich Deal.      Traffic updates

No Left Turns Off Lighthouse Avenue
Free Sailing on Hawthorne, Foam
Motorists are no longer allowed to turn left off Lighthouse Avenue in the City – except at David Avenue. Left turns are now prohibited in both directions along this major thoroughfare in order to increase traffic safety, reduce collisions (about 100 each year) and improve vehicle flow.
Travelers are encouraged to use Hawthorne and Foam streets to access New Monterey and Cannery Row destinations.

If you’re “inbound” on Lighthouse and going to Cannery Row and you don’t turn at David Avenue, then take a right on any side street along Lighthouse and travel around the block via Hawthorne. You can safely cross back toward the Row at one of the stoplights. Additional signs now guide visitors to their destinations.

Coming from downtown and you want to get to New Monterey? Take a ride on Foam Street, a one-way street designed to accommodate commuter traffic. Take a left at any cross street.
For more detailed collision and traffic data relating to Lighthouse Avenue, visit the City’s Web site at www.monterey.org/http://www.monterey.org/traffic/.

Collision Data
From April 1999 thru March 2003 (four years), 407 collisions were reported on Lighthouse Avenue. Injuries were reported in 114 or 28% of the accidents. The highest total number of collisions were recorded at the Lighthouse/Prescott intersection. The same intersection also had the highest number of head-on and broadside collisions as a result of left turns.

Traffic Volume Data
Vehicles that traveled each day on Lighthouse for May 2002:

• between David and Irving Aves – 31,588

• between Reeside Avenue and Pvt. Bolio Road – 42,055

Holman Highway Expansion to Relieve Congestion
In the early 1920s, W. R. Holman realized that New Monterey and Pacific Grove were “fenced in by government land (the Presidio of Monterey) which I’m afraid might be closed in case of trouble.” Just imagine where we would be today, now that the Presidio is closed, without such visionary leadership that led to the building of Holman Highway/Hwy 68 leading from Pacific Grove to Highway 1.

In that visionary spirit, we have taken the lead, in a partnership with Caltrans and Monterey County, to reduce congestion created by the increased use of that major Peninsula artery.
Plans are being developed to widen the roadway from two to four lanes west of Highway 1 to just past the entrance to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP).
The impacts of this project on the surrounding area and community are currently being analyzed and a report should be complete in early 2005. To fund construction, the City will seek out community partners and grant opportunities. Project updates will be posted on the Web.

Watch for Traffic Changes at Reeside, Dickman
Drivers will experience even better traffic flow and less congestion on Lighthouse Avenue once traffic patterns are altered on Reeside and Dickman avenues.

How it will work:
One-way travel on Reeside Avenue will be reversed between Lighthouse and Foam Street. The new direction of travel will go from Lighthouse to Foam (eastbound), allowing traffic on Reeside to cross Lighthouse toward Cannery Row.

Dickman Avenue will become a new one-way street traveling from Foam uphill to Hawthorne.  On Foam Street, motorists will drive one more block up to Dickman Avenue to eventually reach the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center & Presidio of Monterey or to exit Cannery Row. The result, traffic flow will improve and waiting time at traffic lights will decrease.

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Safety Tips
Top 10 Ways to Drive, Arrive Safe
We share the roadways with many other community members, so help make it an enjoyable experience.

For more tips, call the Monterey Police Department at 646.3819.
For info regarding safe driving tips for seniors, stop by the Monterey Senior Center at 280 Dickman Ave.or call 646.3878. The Senior Center offers courses in defensive driving.
Have a wonderful and safe summer and drive safely.

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Coastal Trail Gets Wider at Presidio Curve
Fewer close-calls between bicyclists and joggers, more space, more time to relax and enjoy the scenery, not jockey for position – the Monterey Bay Coastal/ Recreation Trail is receiving a much-needed facelift just north of Fisherman’s Wharf. The most heavily-used section of the Coastal Trail on the Peninsula is getting wider. And once the upgrades are complete, community members will have a 16-foot bike lane AND a new, 6-foot walkway.

As a safety measure, the northbound Pacific Street entrance to Lighthouse Avenue has been closed, and traffic going toward Pacific Grove or New Monterey is detoured downtown and through the tunnel.
The Coastal Trail will remain open during construction, which is expected to last through September. A detour will lead trail users up to the right traffic lane of Presidio Curve.
The upgrades will improve safety for both pedestrians and bicyclists while improving the stability and life expectancy of the trail that runs along Presidio Curve.
For more details, call 646.3920.

Uses for State Theater Still Under Review –
Community Collaboration a Must
The landmark Golden State Theater – Monterey Conference Center addition by day, performing arts center by evening? Different ideas have been floated to bring exciting options like these to the community while preserving the historic theater on Alvarado Street.

Background on preservation efforts
Several community groups have talked about acquiring and restoring the State Theater for use as a performing arts center. At the City, we’ve discussed using a renovated State Theater as an extension to the Conference Center, thus increasing our ability to serve visiting groups.
Research and analysis has been undertaken to see if the theater might serve both needs of meeting facility and performing arts center. The results of one study show that 13 to 20 conference uses per year would generate a significant revenue stream to help support the center.
Based on these promising projections, the City has commissioned a second report to determine, based on today’s dollars, the cost for purchase, restoration and operation of the multi-use center.
Community support, potential expenses and the current economy play a big role in how or if this collaborative project would move forward.
We cannot undertake this project alone, and we will be seeking community partners interested in the preservation and operation of this downtown jewel.

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Rev. 06/19/08 L. Huelga http://www.monterey.org/focus/summer03/features.html