Gilroy City Council recently authorized approximately $40,000. to appease 21 residents on upper Welburn Ave. The City of Gilroy Traffic Circulation Master Plan says “The primary function of collector streets is a combination of access and mobility. These streets provide links between Local Streets and Arterials. They are designed to serve neighborhood traffic rather than cross-town traffic, though they may include trips between adjacent neighborhoods.”
Why did the Council cut-off “access and mobility” to upper Welburn?
In 2016, Gilroy hired Mott MacDonald to do a stop sign warrant (for approximately $5,000) to appease speeding complaints from Upper Welburn residents. Council Member Daniel Harney, who owns a home in the neighborhood, declared at the Oct. 17, 2016 council meeting that Welburn residents rejected the stop sign because “it would drive down property values.”
City Engineer Rick Smelser warned at the same meeting: 1) Do a traffic study first. 2) Do it right the first time. 3) Beware of unintended consequences so you don’t create a problem for another neighborhood.
Then Mayor Perry Woodward’s parting comments warned “So remember, if all these soft measures all at once without the study become a nightmare, this is what you asked for.”
It seems the nightmare has arrived. Without a city-wide traffic calming policy to address Gilroy’s growing traffic needs, or traffic data justifying upper Welburn’s need for calming measures, the council authorized an additional $35,000 for “temporary” measures at the 11/21/16 council meeting. The measures breach the Gilroy Traffic Master Plan by erecting “No Turn” signs that restrict vehicle “access and mobility” from Mantelli Drive.
Neighbors from surrounding neighborhoods felt the immediate increase of the displaced Welburn traffic and came together to address the problem. They gathered over 500 signatures petitioning removal of the “No Turn” signs which they submitted to the city.
Meanwhile Mayor Velasco held a town hall meeting in January so the community could vent. The community’s demands fell on deaf ears at the February 27 council meeting when the motion to remove the signs, failed 2-4 (Leroe-Munoz and Tovar voted to remove signs while Bracco recused as he owns a home in the neighborhood).
The petition to remove the No Turn signs can be still be signed on-line (search remove no turn signs on Welburn.)
More information can be found at Gilroy Safe Streets for All on Facebook.
What did we get for $40,000? Welburn residents received a semi-privatized street for taxpayers to maintain. The adjacent neighborhoods got all the Welburn displaced traffic.
Does the fact that three city council members live in the upper Welburn neighborhood have anything to do with these decisions?
The Council is scheduled to vote whether Welburn remains semi-privatized or the signs come down at the May 15, 2017 council meeting. Hopefully Gilroy taxpayers will show up and weigh in on this important issue.
By Georgine Scott-Codiga
