Leave Morro Bay Alone
To the Editor:
I thought the sign ordinance issue had been put to rest, but apparently I was wrong. It seems there is a new letter circulating that outlines the old sign ordinance rules and ignores the input from businesses in different parts of town.
Now, I don’t have a business in town, but this is my view as a customer. I, for one, ENJOY the racks out front of the downtown clothing stores. When walking Downtown, I often rifle through them.
I love the baskets out front of Sunshine Health Foods. A book rack? I’m sunk, I will buy one. An A-Frame sign tells me those businesses are open and want me to come in.
What about Nibble Nook (on Quintana Road)? Yes, I know they are there, but to a tourist passing by that flag tells them that “Hey there is a pizza place here.” Without that flag those tourist dollars would just drive by.
Treasures Antiques, I love their merchandise out front. And they grab my attention every single time I go by.
Now I realize the Embarcadero is crowded and the sidewalk displays may not fit. So let the businesses make them smaller, give them a chance to show their wares if they wish to do so. And in North Morro Bay, those businesses NEED signs and flags waving.
Why are people so hell-bent on trying to make Morro Bay into a Carmel or Santa Barbara, Ventura or Monterey? Morro Bay is and was a fishing and ranching town. Look around you.
And while we are on the subject, the new City Seal is a slap in the face to the commercial fishing fleet. A sailboat in the foreground? Really!?!
Sailboats did not build this town. Abalone, albacore, rock fish, squid, sardine, and salmon fishermen built this town.
Please, please look around. Not all of the old ways or looks are bad. Why would we want to look like another town? Can’t we just be Morro Bay?
Lori French, Morro Bay
Bicycles Are Taking Over
Jan Marx the mayor of SLO shouts that Cal Poly partying is an “affront” to the city! Really? As a senior in my 70s, I’ll tell you what an affront is — all the bike riders that have infiltrated most of the Downtown area.
Ergo, the real problem is not Cal Poly, it’s the “stupid is — as stupid does” brainless City of SLO who have opened the flood gates to not only accidents, but deaths as well. And vehicle drivers will eventually get the blame.
I’m talking about the resurgence of bike riders on the streets of this city, folks. And in my 29 years living Downtown, I’ve never seen anything like it. No matter the street name — from Foothill to Tank Farm and every street inbetween — bike riders have taken charge with the mantra: “We don‘t give a damn.”
They don’t stop at stoplights or street signs or arrows pointing in either direction. And if a vehicle driver honks their horn, it’s generally ignored or they get a quick “middle finger” pointed in their direction.
Actually, this flood of bicycle riders has become worse than ants at a lakeside picnic. Yet the City keeps marking more streets as “bicycle friendly.” The County is just as culpable, as well.
So instead of us vehicle drivers waving a “white flag” in surrender, it’s time for the City to crack down on these idiots, and subject them to the same strict driving policies that vehicles must adhere to.
Rear, red flashing taillights is a good start (especially at night), plus make it a bicycle law that every rider in control wear a rearview mirror attached to their helmet so they can see what’s behind them at all times.
Also, issue a ticket (you know the kind vehicle drivers get when they violate the law) when bikers’ are ridding with friends, two and three across, making the vehicle driver swerve out over the single or double lane. Talk about dangerous.
That said, let me end this call to action by directing most of this comment at the young family riders I frequently see — mom, dad, and two siblings both under the age of 6 — who think it’s “cute” to be riding down Broad Street at lunch time, across Higuera, then over to Peach (right by my home) then peddle (not walk the bikes) out onto Chorro with cars going 45 mph, on up to Foothill.
The Chorro sign that says “25 mph” is a joke. If you drive 45 mph, the driver behind starts honking their horns in a rush to reach Palm Street as quick as possible.
Yet, Chorro still offers a bike lane to and from Foothill, and guess where it continues? Yep, right though Downtown where cars are parked on both sides of the street. Leaving NO room for anybody. A real nice planning strategy by the “stupid is — as stupid does” SLO city planners.
H. L. Mounger, San Luis Obispo