Santa Paula - Main Street

Location

• Downtown Santa Paula, CA
• Main Street

Background

From August 1997 to May 1998, Santa Paula spent $3.5 million to renovate their downtown Main Street by decreasing it from 4 lanes of traffic to 2 lanes and changing on street parking from parallel to diagonal parking. Before the renovation project, Main Street was used by many as a through way, with two lanes going east and two going west. There was no median between the two opposing directions of traffic, and travel at high speeds created a dangerous situation. The posted speed limit was 25 mph, but the average speed that was monitored was between 45 and 50 mph. This created a pedestrian hostile atmosphere, which negatively affected businesses in the downtown area.

Notable Features

Angled On-Street Parking

One of the problems before the renovation was not enough on-street parking. Changing the street from four lanes of traffic to two lanes of traffic created extra space which was filled by diagonal parking spaces. These not only met the demand for more parking, but also slowed down traffic. Diagonal on-street parking always “traffic calms” vehicular traffic, however it can impair visibility of bikers when drivers pull out of a parking space.

Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossings

The decreased speeds on Main enabled the city to design mid-block pedestrian crossings with bulb-outs. This further reduces the traffic speeds and improves pedestrian accessibility. The bulb-outs, which improve pedestrian visibility for drivers, are an important feature of the mid-block pedestrian crossing. The portion of sidewalk at the bulb-outs is laid with red brick tile, which accentuates the bulb-out both for the pedestrian and the driver.

Other Features

3.7 meter (12’) wide sidewalks, concrete pedestrian crossings at signalized intersections, antique style Victorian light fixtures with banners, ornamental traffic signals, brick handicapped access ramps on bulb-outs, and tree grates around tree trunks, which not only protect the trees, but provide expanded sidewalk space for the mobility impaired.

Street Maintenance

Old fichus trees were removed and replaced by deciduous trees that have an open leaf formation, opposed to the dense cover of the fichus. The planners decided to avoid the standard Southern California downtown addition of palm trees partly due to Hollywood’s interest in Santa Paula as a mid-west looking town. Annual street maintenance costs for the new street design and landscaping amount to $125,000.

Main Street Renovation Project Duration and Costs

Main Street Traffic Speeds Before and After the New Street Design

Accident Information

The results of this renovation project have been a slowing of traffic to around 25mph and a decrease of vehicles using the street as a through route. Head-on collisions from vehicles travelling at high speeds crossing the double-yellow line before the new design are now completely avoided. Also Main Street is now much safer for pedestrians and bicyclists due to slower speeds.

Public Response

Residents and visitors have shown an increased interest in the downtown community of Santa Paula since the renovation of Main Street. The public response has been very positive, especially now that construction activities are over. The replacement of dense fichus trees have exposed some “ugly” buildings. In response to this, building owners are taking a new pride of ownership and improving their existing buildings. Several new businesses have come to the downtown since the downtown improvement project. There is also an odd result: because of the city’s investment in the project, various federal and state agencies have come in with grant offers to help improve the downtown. A grant of $4.4 million from FEMA is in the works to retrofit the downtown buildings.

Transportation Philosophy of the Town

Main Street is the central hub of downtown, which is designed for “cruising and walking.” Santa Paula is preparing more downtown improvement projects. These projects revolve around improving the appearance of Main Street and creating a more pedestrian friendly atmosphere in the downtown.

Additional Information

The result of this project has been a drastic slowing of traffic on Main Street. Consequently, the traffic volume on Harvard Boulevard, the parallel through route designed to handle large amounts of traffic at higher speeds, has increased.

Original Contact

Ken Ortega, P.E.
Assistant City Engineer
Public Works Department
P.O. Box 569
Santa Paula, CA 93061
(805) 933-4275
fax (805) 525-3742

This information originally compiled by Eric Spangler, 1999, as part of a senior project.