”
Why isn’t there equal accessibility for people with wheelchairs?
There are several different places where people can jump on the
levee, but there are very few for people on wheelchairs? And also
why isn’t there lights throughout the entire levee? It gets really
dark, scary!
”
“Why isn’t there equal accessibility for people with wheelchairs? There are several different places where people can jump on the levee, but there are very few for people on wheelchairs? And also why isn’t there lights throughout the entire levee? It gets really dark, scary!”
Red Phone: Dear Light Up My Day, Adding lights on the levee defeats the purpose of having an area that is supposed to be as natural as possible, but we can see your point about it being accessible to everyone.
“The Debell/Uvas Creek Park Preserve Levee Trail was constructed when the levee was completed in 1988-89 and prior to the passage of current federal and state disabled access laws and regulations,” said Gilroy Parks and Landscape Supervisor Bill Headley. “When the city has made capital improvements in recent years associated with the park preserve and the levee, fully accessible hardscape improvements for the disabled have been included at several locations along the levee trail.”
Here are some of the ways for disabled persons to get on the trail:
– There are two fully accessible class one trail access points on and off the levee trail at and near the intersection of Princevalle Drive and Luchessa Avenue.
– There is a class one trail access point on and off the levee trail from the Sports Park near the down stream end of the levee.
– There are two fully accessible class one trail access points on and off the levee trail at the Santa Teresa Boulevard Bridge from the Third Street intersection and Santa Teresa Boulevard.
There are three other substantially accessible levee trail access points that are hardscape.
– There is hardscape trail access at the upstream and east side of the Luchessa Avenue bridge and west of the Luchessa Avenue and Princevalle Avenue intersection. Caution is required along the paved shoulder of busy Luchessa Avenue to the trail access point.
– There is hardscape trail access at the intersection of Miller Avenue and Uvas Park Drive. Again with caution for street traffic, disabled access upstream or downstream to the levee trail can be made from this intersection.
– Hardscape access for most disabled can be made on and off the levee trail at the Laurel Drive and Uvas Park Drive intersection next to the park preserve.
As for lights, you are out of luck.
“The city has evaluated lighting the levee trail,” Headley said. “There were cost impacts and public use impacts with both pros and cons for the lighting of public trails in park preserves. The city’s Park and Recreation Master Plan doesn’t currently call for city class one trails to be lighted. The lighting of public class one trails in or along natural areas was found not to be a common practice. There are no plans for public class one trail lighting in the current city capital improvement budget program for park and recreation facilities.”
Widening of Santa Teresa
“I heard that the “long term” plan is to widen Santa Teresa from 1st Street to Gavlian College. That a future interchange (101/25/152) would create a new path for 152 using this expansion. Any ideas when this would happen? All sounds good except that current stretch of Santa Teresa is used by runners and bikers – hope they take this into account.”
Red Phone: Dear Don’t Forget Us, It appears cyclists and pedestrians will still be able to stroll down Santa Teresa Boulevard.
“The caller is correct. All of those things are in the plans,” said City Engineer Don Dey. “Ultimately Santa Teresa would be a four-lane road way with bike lanes and sidewalks, at least on the east side. There is no time frame when it will be ready. Santa Teresa will link up up with 101 and 25. That intersection project is under environmental review.”
Dey said he expects to have a draft back from the Environmental Protection Agency by the end of this year.
