— Photo by Sara Hall ©
About 70 people attended a town hall meeting hosted by Mayor Diane Dixon at the Lido Isle Community Association Clubhouse on Tuesday.
Public Works Director Dave Webb spoke about traffic and street enhancements in the neighborhood and on the Balboa Peninsula.
There have been various improvements, Webb explained, including red curb improvements on the island. Several projects were aimed at making the area friendlier to pedestrians, he added, including several upgraded crosswalks. ‘
Several members of the audience raised concerns about the flashing light and crosswalk near the bridge that leads onto Lido Isle. The crossing is too dark and often pedestrians don’t even push the button, several residents noted.
“If you want to save your life, push the button,” Dixon recalled telling one pedestrian who was trying to cross the street.
“It’s a delicate balance,” between keeping the flow of traffic and accommodating to pedestrians, he said.
They also tracked speeding on Lido Isle, which has been a longtime concern of many locals. After studying license plates, staff found that many of the speeders lived in the neighborhood.
A lot of the speeding was attributed to locals, Webb said. After turning off your own street, remember, “you’re still in your own neighborhood.”
Other topics of the meeting included: Community Development Director Seimone Jurjis spoke about local development projects; Dixon talked about the homelessness issue; Deputy City Manager Tara Finnigan provided an update on John Wayne Airport and the General Aviation Improvement Program; and Harbor Resources Manager Chris Miller gave an update on the Lower Newport Bay dredging project.
