Public Testimony - Laserfiche WebLink

BAKER Linda S From: G K <yuswearing@yahoo.com> Sent: Wednesday, September 1, 2021 8:29 PM To: MCKERROW Mike J Subject: 7/11 [EXTERNAL 0] Hello Mr Mckerrow, My name is George Keim. I live a block away from the location of the proposed 7-Eleven. I am opposed to having a gas station at this site, and I will try to explain why. Traffic issues The intersection at 7th/Polk is already a terrible traffic situation. It is significantly worse since the bus line moved from 8th Ave to 7th Ave. There is far more foot traffic at this intersection than was ever acceptable. The bicycle traffic is unregulated and poses severe threats to motorists Please consider the large volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic to a)the international market, b) the LaMota dispensary, c) the wildly popular Cornbread cafe, none of which have adequate parking, as can be evidenced by the costumers of those places lining up parked on Polk street even south of 8th Ave. 1- eastbound When a vehicle is on 7th, it is nerve wracking to turn right from 7th onto Polk, because of the bus, bus stop, pedestrian traffic in all directions, narrow lanes, and also the bicycle traffic, that does not have adequate lanes or signals. It is even worse if you are riding a bike! 2- southbound If a vehicle is headed south on Polk, there is no bike lane, so bike by the curb, car headed south is halfway into the left- turn lane, and the vehicles that want to turn get backed up near to 6th. Headed south has to wait for the southbound bike to get through the intersection as there isn't room to pass, the left turning traffic has to wait for north bound bikes, northbound pedestrians, and northbound vehicles. 3-northbound Anyone can describe this busy, congested travesty. This is terrible. There are times that this is so bad, it creates confusion and backup to 8th Ave. Often times there are so many cars parked on Polk, that only one or two cars can be in the right-turn lane. There's no bike lane, creating even more issues. If there are 3 cars waiting to turn right, but have to wait for a pedestrian or a bike, there isn't enough time for traffic to clear before the signal changes. And with the bus and bus stop obstructing the view of oncoming traffic, no one can turn right on red. 4- there's an alleyway that is used by local traffic and garbage trucks that often disrupts the flow of traffic. This has been greatly improved since the Bank closed, but will undoubtedly be a bigger issue if a new gas station opens here. 5-emergency vehicles and potential for car accidents If this location is used to build a gas station, and that increases the congestion at this intersection, the potential for more accidents is immense, but the danger of an accident here, hinders the ability of emergency vehicles to travel safely and efficiently, in and around the Jefferson Westside neighborhood, and the access to downtown, and to local hospitals. Environmental concerns The residents of our neighborhood do not want or need another corporation to come in here and I'll give you a short list of reasons- 1-construction traffic 2-construction noise 3-construction dirt and dust 4-assuming this will be similar to the 7-elevens close to here (7th/Jefferson and hwy99/Roosevelt) the lights! We love our neighborhood and our environment. The light pollution is unacceptable!