I applied for, and won acceptance to become one of seven members of the Rancho Palos Verdes Traffic Safety Commission.
Traffic and traffic safety have been a major concern in and adjacent to Rancho Palos Verdes for a long time. Having such a long history in this area, I know a lot about traffic and roads on the peninsula. I understand that major developments near Rancho Palos Verdes, both along Western Avenue and up near Peninsula Center in Rolling Hills Estates are putting pressure on the folks who live in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Rancho Palos Verdes is actually unique among almost any city in the world. Not only do we have major roads and highly traveled routes, we have small roads, big and small intersections, a college, many other schools, long driveways, rural-type streets and even a portion of a major route that is constantly in motion.
Traffic safety is a major challenge in our city. Rancho Palos Verdes is very hilly, there are many blind curves, narrow roads, steep grades, and an ever increasing population.
In accepting the challenge of taking on a two-year commitment to work hard on traffic safety issues in my city, I knew I would have to step away from one of my current activities.
I was appointed, in part, by the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council ,to be a part of Ms. Janice Hahn's Community Advisory Committee for the Ponte Vista project. The same City Council members also voted me to become one of the two new members of the Traffic Safety Commission.
I have chosen to move from the Community Advisory Committee to join the Traffic Safety Commission. The Traffic Safety Commission will have five returning members and I am one of two new members to fill out the seven seats on the commission.
There is a whole lot of catching up to do on my part to come to a point where I can assist the returning members to help carry on the issues they have been working on. My studies have already begun, and I look forward to attending the next Traffic Safety Commission meeting for the City of Rancho Palos Verdes on April 23.
Leaving the Community Advisory Committee, (CAC) does not mean I will step back from being involved in the Ponte Vista issue. To the contrary, I will work with my new group on dealing with many issues involving traffic and safety around the Ponte Vista site. This blog will continue and as I have written before, R Neighborhoods Are 1 is coming!
Working with the other members of the CAC has been something I will never forget. I never knew there were so many folks so very dedicated to do their very best to find what is best for OUR community. I think the CAC wowed the Planning Department with their abilities to understand and make proposals that will help everyone go forward with the creation of a specific plan for the Ponte Vista project.
I hope everyone understands that the CAC is a group of volunteers that don't necessarily agree with each other but are coming together in the best interests of OUR community to deal with the most divisive issue to come before us in a very, very long time. Criticize them if you think you need to, but they are a group of pretty gutsy folks who have laid themselves open for attacks on all sides by a whole bunch of folks, and they are all stand-up people who are working to tame one very anxious lion.
As I have not missed a CAC meeting as a member, so I feel I won't miss a meeting as just a regular member of the public. Will I take opportunities to make comments? What do you think?
Will this blog continue? See the last question in the previous paragraph. Becoming unencumbered by having this blog while serving on the CAC is gone, effective right now!
Do I still believe in compromise? Yes I do, for now. Remember when I wrote that
R Neighborhoods Are 1 is coming? I mean it! We all have an opportunity, for a very short time, to try to come together with at least the start of compromise. Once the new group gets going, it may steamroll over attempts to compromise and assert only R1 zoning being kept at Ponte Vista.
If that becomes the case, it is only Bob Bisno, Bisno Development, and the "supporters" who will be to blame. Many of us are trying for a compromise. Some of us have been trying for months, others are just coming to their own conclusions that now is the time to compromise. Bob Bisno has very little time, IMHO, to come out with some reasonable numbers or the chances for compromise could fade away.
I am hoping the new group will allow some time for compromise, but there are too many people who have waited too long for Bob Bisno to budge and his hesitance to move is costing all of us time and energy. This is my personal warning folks. I used to be an R1 now and forever guy. I can still find plenty of good reasons to go back to that mindset, but I choose to fight for a compromise. I strongly suggest supporters and folks in the Bisno Development organization start really talking about compromise with reality, reason, responsibility, and respect.
2 comments:
New stop: RPV City Council.
I can't imagine running for any office that required a vote of the people.
One of the interesting, but very troubling things about living on the east side of R.P.V. is that most of us don't vote in R.P.V. elections and don't seem to care enough about our city. It is no surprise to many of us that we are sometimes ignored by the governors of our city because our folks do not become involved enough in our politics, our government, and our city.
I may have grown up a San Pedro kid, but the house is now in R.P.V. and I feel if we are going to want to engage ourselves with the rest of R.P.V., then we need to become more involved and care more about our city, Rancho Palos Verdes.
MW
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