We can't seem to escape the orange roadwork signs as the Fair Oaks construction project branches out to side streets. How does everyone feel about the progress so far? Feel free to rant (or rave) in comments.
(This week, I will have a little fun with iPhone camera apps. Here, I used the free MoreMono app and cropped the image into a square.)
19 comments:
Love the single saturation. It really pulls your eye to the detour sign. I love walking through a lane of trees like that. :)
Still ridiculous what's going on on Fair Oaks. Remember the recent statements that it would be done by June? Go out there and tell me it will be done by June. Didn't see them working weekends. The head of the project, Sweeney, resigns and nobody even ASKS if it's connected to the project. Meanwhile, no one in a leadership position can tell us what the real purpose and expected results of this makeover are. Nothing I've seen makes me think that this will do anything but make it more difficult to travel Fair Oaks? Was that the purpose? Was this supposed to make the 710 Freeway extension more or less likely? How could anyone think that a 10-year-old traffic plan would be anything but obsolete.
Where are the answers?
The Fair Oaks bulbouts are RIDICULOUS. Trucks have to drive over them to make turns. Tel lme how this protects pedestrians again?
I am so angry about the Fair Oaks construction. How can those bulbouts be anything but a complete disaster? I cannot think of ONE positive about them. I simply can't fathom why anyone would ever design them in the first place, let alone decide to pay to have them in their city!
A woman wanting to turn right onto Fair Oaks from Monterey was stuck behind me today, along with several others, because the bulbout blocked them. Fair Oaks was nearly empty at the time, so holding them back served no purpose.
Let me put it this way: I used to visit South Pas regularly to shop and dine. I haven't been south of Glenarm in months.
I can't figure out why they wanted to cause this much trouble for a few new street lights. The lights are okay but honestly.
Ditto what PB said. I no longer cross south of the border for my Pizza. But lemme know when it's all clear and peace has returned to that part of the world.
What gets me is how idiotic the authorities sound when they make statements about this. It's all politics, but to what end? I can not figure out who benefits from this. Is someone's brother-in-law the contractor or something?
Well, I won't venture into commentville about the, uhmmm, project. I guess I haven't ventured into South Pas. either, now that I think about it.
Nevertheless...I like your photo Laurie. I could go into your favorite comment of mine... the tension between the flatness of the sign (picture plane) with the illusion of space...but you know that one...
I'm like PB - I'm keeping away from the Fair Oaks area until it's done. Sorry about that, Bristol Farms.
I feel like Cal Trans is secretly the mastermind behind all this. Make traffic worse so that the 710 seems like a great option. So frustrating! I cannot see how this will help the ease of traffic at all.
Anonymous: I tend to agree with you that this may be used as one of the rationales to complete the 710. Alhambra is doing similar things on Valley between Fremont and the 710, and you know what their agenda is. I have asked many 710 opponents about how Fair Oaks fits in - I thought it was supposed to become a one-way street, part of the low-build alternative, but this seems just the opposite. I wish someone would answer these questions, but so far no one has.
WV: tordle What your car will drive like on Fair Oaks
Petrea, I live in South Pas and I won't even visit the stores. I used to walk down to Bristol Farms, Golden China, the UPS store, etc... but the way the sidewalks are often blocked - to say nothing of the road-raging drivers who run the red lights out of frustration and make it pretty damn unsafe to walk - I just won't do it anymore.
I feel bad for the merchants, but not bad enough to make the half-hour round-trip walk and risk being hit by a car or tripping over the torn-up sidewalks.
It's bad. But I hope not bad enough to give in to the 710.
Don't get me started. The entire project smells of special interest. Wouldn't be surprised if this city council wanted the 710 for some kind of kickback situation. Makes my blood boil that the Rialto is falling apart but South Pasadena throws millions at a project that makes traffic worse and gives pro 710 people fuel for their argument. Throw the bums out.
Thanks for all of your comments, everyone. I was shooting pictures of the Rialto today. Several South Pasadena firefighters were there, and we started talking about the Fair Oaks project. They were concerned about the new medians in teh middle of the street making it hard for them to maneuver their trucks for emergency calls. Yet another reason to question the design of this project.
I am planning a follow up to my Patch column about Fair Oaks. I would love input from the community, so feel free to email me. My email address is linked on the right side of this blog.
Yesterday I was reminded of this post. I was having a beer on my patio when my neighbor and his 10 year old son walked by on their way for dinner. I asked where they were going and the boy said "Round Table." I was curious because he, like me, loves Mamma's. He said "It's too hard to get there and park!"
When the traffic/construction is so bad that a 10 year old boy is willing to forsake his favorite pizza... that's pretty damning, no?
Justin, that story speaks volumes.
I think we're all baffled about this because the design of the project is so bizarre. I accidentally drove over a bulb out a few weeks ago. They suddenly appear in the lane and if you aren't thinking about it (and are used to streets that don't suddenly have lanes that disappear) you could easily do it.
I also have noticed that if you stand on one of those bulbouts as a pedestrian, you take your life in your hands. Especially if a large delivery truck is trying to turn.
I'm all for beautification, but the medians are a terrible idea. When the firefighters spoke of their concerns, I realized that the medians are a REALLY terrible idea.
It sure would be nice if someone would explain exactly why this is being done. We should have just taken several million dollars, put it in a pile and had a large, city-wide bonfire party. Better use of the money without killing business, destroying traffic flow and giving the 710 advocates their own fuel for fire.
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