Highway 154 Traffic and Safety Improvements to Be Discussed at June 14 Meeting

by SBCAG staff June 9, 2023, 7:34 am 4.2k Views 15 Comments

By the Santa Barbara County Association of Governments

The State Route 154 Safety Committee will convene on Wednesday, June 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Solvang Memorial Veterans’ Building to discuss the latest traffic safety and improvement efforts with a specific focus on the Los Olivos community. Representatives from Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, County of Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG), Senator Monique Limón, Assemblymember Gregg Hart, and the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians will be present at the meeting to provide updates, answer questions, and address concerns.

State Route 154 is a California state highway that runs between U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara through the San Marcos Pass, Los Padres National Forest, Santa Ynez Valley, and Los Olivos, and State Route 246.

SBCAG Board of Directors formed the committee in 2019 to convene public agencies to address safety-related concerns among committee members and the public. “Highway 154 sees tens of thousands of commuter and tourist vehicles daily, and the safety of our highways and the impact on local communities is very important,” said the Chair of the State Route 154 Safety Committee Joan Hartmann, SBCAG director and County Supervisor. “The public is invited to meet with several transportation and safety officials on June 14 to share concerns and learn about updates and safety improvements on the state highway.”

SBCAG Directors appointed to the committee include: County Supervisor Joan Hartmann, Goleta Mayor Paula Perotte, County Supervisor Laura Capps, Solvang Mayor Mark Infanti, and Buellton Mayor Dave King. Non-voting members include representatives from California’s 19th Senate District, 37th Assembly District as well as representatives from the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans, District 5.

The meeting will begin with presentations on the latest safety and improvement efforts, followed by a question-and-answer session with representatives from various agencies. The discussions will cover a wide range of topics including travel trends, overview of crash data and citation stats, and updates on safety improvements on the highway and local roads. There will also be a specific focus on information for the Los Olivos community.

Presentations will be in English with simultaneous interpretation in English and Spanish. Written comments for the committee can be submitted in writing until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 13 submitted via U.S. Postal Services to 260 N. San Antonio Road, Suite B, Santa Barbara, CA 93110; or electronically by email: emailatinfo@sbcag.org.

SBCAG is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation for meetings. Requests should be made by Friday, June 9 to SBCAG by email at info@sbcag.org or phone (805) 961-8900.

More information about the meeting, including updated State Route 154 Frequently Asked Questions and public participation options, please visit https://bit.ly/3WusovS.