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Midcoast residents urge Caltrans to hold forum after Highway 1 changes; worry about bike lanes and parking
Summary
Residents raised safety and communication concerns about recent Caltrans work on Highway 1 (bumpouts, lighting and proposed bike lanes), urged a public forum and asked the council to press for community input. Several commenters said the county will need to coordinate a coastwide approach to RV encampments and parking impacts. (Public comment highlights from meeting.)
During the public comment period several Midcoast residents told the council they were concerned about recent Caltrans changes along Highway 1 and the agency’s engagement with the community. Harvey Gaylin said the recent extension of islands at the Cabo Strand/Highway 1 intersection made turning movements hazardous and questioned how much Caltrans considers downstream effects before implementing design changes: "I just wonder how much thought Caltrans puts into these changes they're making on Highway 1 before they implement them," he said, and warned that proposed bike lanes in a 50 mph zone could be "catastrophic." (Harvey Gaylin, public comment.)
Steve Hall asked whether Caltrans will schedule a community meeting so residents can weigh in on timing and design; the chair said staff are trying to schedule Caltrans to attend an April meeting. Local resident Dan Haggerty criticized the lack of shared drawings and said aesthetic and safety details (colored concrete to match the coast, low‑profile light‑pole foundations) should be part of design discussions: "There are a lot of things that I think could’ve been done better if Caltrans actually shared drawings and actually told the community what they were doing," he said.
Several speakers urged the council to press Caltrans for meaningful community engagement and for scheduling a dedicated forum; the chair said Caltrans had been invited and the council is attempting to place the item on an upcoming agenda. Council members and county staff taking questions later acknowledged community concerns and said they would continue to request Caltrans participation and hold an open meeting when the agency can attend.
What residents can do now: attend the planned county open house for the Moss Beach SR‑1 project when the draft environmental document is released, sign up for project updates on the county web page, and submit focused comments during the formal public comment window once the draft document is posted.
