Supervisors decline immediate trial in Templeton; direct staff to seek alternate site for temporary roundabout

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday stopped short of approving a temporary demonstration roundabout at the Vineyard‑and‑Bethel intersection in Templeton and instead directed county staff to seek a different location for the federally funded pilot.

Hundreds of pages of public comment condensed at the dais into a single theme: residents urged the board to pause. India Davignon, a Templeton resident, asked the board to “carefully reconsider” building a roundabout where congestion is limited to roughly 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon during the school year and warned the project would take land from four families. “This intersection is rural and only experiences noticeable congestion for a very limited time,” she said.

Public Works deputy director John Waddell told supervisors the item before them was a temporary demonstration project funded by a federal highway safety grant with a budget of about $200,000. He said the installation would last up to one year, remain inside existing right‑of‑way (the grant requires no takings of private property) and would not include permanent sidewalks or curb ramps. Waddell also said the Vineyard Corridor Plan identifies the location as an intersection that has historically warranted improvements and that the site meets safety grant criteria: the intersection operates at a level‑of‑service F during peak school times and recorded five injury collisions over the past decade, including one bicycle collision.

Board members were split. Several supervisors — including Supervisor Gibson — argued a temporary demonstration lets the community and engineers evaluate operations without taking property. Supervisor Pashong pressed staff on whether rejecting the grant would hamper future competitiveness for federal funds, and staff said such grants are competitive and could be reallocated elsewhere.

Opponents of the Templeton placement emphasized safety for children, impacts to homes, and project cost. Multiple speakers warned that a temporary installation would become a de facto step toward a permanent project and that the demonstration would not address adjacent corridor constraints (for example, backups at the Highway 101 signal). Property owners described worries about proximity of traffic to homes and the loss of yard and privacy.

Faced with strong local opposition and lacking support to proceed at that site, the Board voted to direct staff to identify an alternate intersection where the temporary roundabout could be installed and evaluated. The board's motion also directed staff to return with additional information about pedestrian safety measures and community outreach for any future demonstration projects.

The immediate result is that the federal safety grant remains available, but the county will pursue other locations for the pilot rather than installing the temporary roundabout at Vineyard and Bethel. The Board’s decision does not foreclose future permanent improvements at that intersection; staff said permanent projects (roundabout or signal) would require separate funding and design.

What’s next: staff will evaluate candidate intersections and report back with recommended locations, operational measures for temporary installations, and outreach plans.