Patrick TrautfieldA Cal Poly civil engineering class has created plans to improve public transportation in San Luis Obispo.
The “SLO South 2050: Sustainable Mobility” exhibition took place Wednesday night at the City-County library.
Sustainability means “to create a world where our children can also live, and not just us,” civil engineering professor Eugene Jud said. This refers to an environment friendly city with less air pollution.
Presentations by Cal Poly students were on display showing various future transportation plans on posters for CE 424, public transportation, a technical elective taught by Jud.
The plans were geared specifically toward south San Luis Obispo, which included the Dalidio property, Prado Road, Margarita and airport areas, and the Damon Garcia Sports Complex.
Some plans included trams, buses and networks for bicycle routes in response to the upcoming changes that will be made because Measure J was passed.
“There will be a lot of big, big traffic problems,” Jud said.
County and city members of the planning commission, students and members of the community attended the exhibit where there were formal presentations and grading by audience members.
Since San Luis Obispo is focused on being “green” and having slow growth, members from one group of students focused their plan to be appropriate for the city, civil engineering senior Sujin Yo said.
“It’s our way of connecting to the bigger cities that are surrounding us,” said Yo, when talking about adding a light-rail train and more pedestrian and bicycle paths.
Their proposed light-rail train would travel from San Miguel to Santa Maria, with a possibility of extending farther south to Santa Barbara, and farther north to Monterey.
“I see public transportation as our future,” Yo said.
They plan to remodel the Prado Road overpass with one lane for mass transit and emergency vehicles, and the other three strictly for bicycle and pedestrian use.
Plans for “mixed use” include commercial and residential grouped together, to encourage more walking and biking to commercial areas.
Other groups included plans for a Bus Rapid Transit Hub (BRT). Buses would have their own lane, and a “pre-emption” ability to change traffic lights to green. The buses would run 24 hours a day.