10 (297)You don't often get email from odowdj@hotmail.com. Learn why this is important
Date:3/3/2026 12:23:39 PM
From:"John O'Dowd" odowdj@hotmail.com
To:"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net
Subject:[EXTERNAL] Public Comment – Neighborhood Evacuation and Traffic Safety Conce rns
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sender and are expecting the message.
Mayor and City Council,
I am submitting this public comment regarding the serious and ongoing life‑safety risks affecting our neighborhood’s ability to evacuate
during a wildfire or medical emergency.
During weekday rush hours, Serrano, W ier Canyon, Santa Ana Canyon, and the surrounding streets routinely bec ome so congested
that residents cannot reliably exit the neighborhood. Intersections are frequently blocked by drivers attempting to bypas s the 55/91/241
bottlenecks, which prevents traffic from clearing even when signals turn green. This is not an oc c as ional inconvenience—it is a
systemic failure that directly compromises emergency response and evacuation capability.
On many recent evenings, it has taken 25–35 minutes to travel just 1.4 miles from my home to reac h the 91 freeway. That is not normal
congestion; that is complete operational breakdown. W hen a neighborhood cannot move even s hort dis tanc es , it means residents would
be unable to evacuate in a timely manner during a wildfire or medical emergency, and fire/EMS vehic les would have no guaranteed
access.
W hile the proposed 1,000‑unit apartment project would further strain this already failing network, thes e c onditions require immediate
action regardless of future development. Before any additional projects proceed, and to address the existing s afety risks , the City should
require:
A formal evacuation and emergency access analysis that includes the City’s benc hmark evac uation time for our area. W hat
evacuation time does the City consider acceptable, what is the current modeled tim e under peak‑hour c onditions , and how would
additional development affect that time?
A traffic operations and safety study evaluating intersection blocking, queue spillback, and c ut‑through routing patterns.
Mitigation measures such as physical diverters, peak‑hour turn restrictions with enforc ement, anti‑gridloc k markings, signal timing
adjustments, and other design changes that prevent the neighborhood from functioning as a bypass for freeway congestion.
Coordination with Caltrans, OCTA, and TCA to evaluate tolling or access‑control s trategies on key 91 eas tbound on‑ramps or
arterial approaches during peak hours to prevent non‑local cut‑through traffic from overwhelming Lake View, Imperial, Serrano,
Gypsum Canyon, and adjacent residential streets. Any required mitigation, tolling adjus tments, access‑c ontrol infras tructure, or
traffic‑management improvements must be fully funded by the developer—not existing residents .
This is not about convenience or travel time. It is about ensuring that residents can safely exit their hom es and that emergenc y
responders can reach us when needed. The current conditions do not meet that standard, and additional development without mitigation
will make the situation significantly worse.
Thank you for including this comment in the public record.
John O’Dowd
928 S Camerford Ln
Anaheim, CA 92808
714-307-3878