Jan’s Response to the San Luis Obispo County Bicycle Coalition Questionnaire

1. How often do you ride a bicycle and for what use (recreation or transportation)? How often do you use public transportation?

I started riding a bicycle when I was 4 and have never stopped.  I ride a bicycle and walk for recreation, usually on weekends.  I use public transportation infrequently due to my tight work and volunteer schedule, but when downtown, I park my Prius and walk to destinations.

2. With the recent rise in the price of fuel and the health problems related to physical inactivity, how important is bicycling and walking to the future of SLO County?

Biking and walking are both crucially important.  Especially in the city of San Luis Obispo, where we have so many people and cars and so little space, making the city more and more bicycle and pedestrian friendly is vital to maintaining and improving quality of life.

3. If elected, what specific actions would you take to finish the Railroad Safety Bicycle and Walking Trail?

As chair of my Rotary Club’s clean and green project, I chose the Railroad Safety Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail as our first priority.  I organized the “Missing Link” community project which has already raised approximately $30,000 toward the $50,000 pledged to connect the Cal Poly and Downtown sections of the Trail.  On the City Council, I would continue to mobilize community and agency support for this trail.  The fact that over 6,000 students will be living on campus this year makes the trail even more important, since it will enable students to leave their cars parked on campus and bike or walk to town and back, safely.

4. What specific accomplishments demonstrate your capacity to improve bicycle transportation and other non-auto forms of transportation?

On the County Parks and Recreation Commission and Morros Advisory Committee, I advocated for a bike trail around the Morros and worked to get it into the Specific Plan. On the San Luis Obispo City Planning Commission I made sure bicycle and pedestrian issues were raised with every project and worked into the Land Use and Circulation Elements.  I did likewise during my four years on City Council.  And, if elected, I would continue my advocacy of non-auto forms of transportation and consult with the bicycle community in this regard.

5. How will you make SLO County less auto dependent and a better place for bicycling and walking?

I will work hard to make sure that the City of San Luis Obispo’s 2009 update of the Circulation Element is bicycle and pedestrian friendly, consulting with the bicycle community. I will keep these principles on the “front burner” when reviewing projects and annexations. I also will work with SLOCOG and other agencies to approach the problem regionally, and work to establish alternate transportation, including extensive bike paths and park and ride facilities at the north and south of the city, so that fewer commuter cars come into the city.

6. What else should members of the SLO County Bike Coalition know about you before going to the polls?

As stated by Bill Roalman, who first encouraged me to run for City Council, “…Jan has a balanced perspective…places a high priority on environmental protection…is a business person… and has proven herself through her community work.”

I have the energy, experience and qualifications to do an excellent job as Councilmember.  I am a former City Council Member, City Planning Commissioner and County Parks & Recreation Commissioner.  I am a Land Use and Estate Planning Attorney with my own firm since 1993 and am a former Deputy District Attorney. Economic Opportunity Commission, ECOSLO, and founding member of the SLO Temporary Restraining Order Clinic. I have degrees from Stanford University, Columbia University and Santa Clara University. I am a member of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, SLO Rotary, Sierra Club, ECOSLO and the SLO County Bicycle Coalition. 

I am an advocate of the Ahwahnee Principles and “Smart Growth.” By Smart Growth, I mean a set of principles for compact community planning that adapts to the changes of circumstance, and rejects older auto-centric policies based on cheap oil, energy abundance, an infinite supply of land and  ignoring natural resource constraints.  Smart Growth is town and neighborhood-centered, transit, bicycle and pedestrian oriented, and promotes a mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It preserves open space, wildlife habitats, historical properties, scenic views, and parkland and emphasizes the value of public as well as private property. While it encourages “infill,” rather than sprawl, it protects existing residential neighborhoods and does not overtax infrastructure. Smart Growth promotes improving quality of life and avoids what CEQA calls “Significant Unavoidable Impacts” whenever possible. 

On the Council, I will work hard to see the Ahwahnee and Smart Growth principles actually implemented in policies in the 2009 Land Use and Circulation Element Updates, emphasizing non-auto transportation modes.

To win in November, I need the support of like minded people.  Please call 541-2716 for more information, to donate or volunteer.