Last year, Old Town Goleta had one of its biggest renovations yet: new traffic patterns. Based on the City of Goleta’s website, this project contains new traffic signals, one vehicle lane and bike lane in each direction, angled back-in parking, and more. As a person who lives near this area and passes through Old Town everyday, I feel this project has affected vehicles, residents, and businesses owners in a negative way, and many others share this point of view.
Since October 2024, I have seen a difference in how vehicles work and navigate through the new traffic patterns. Before the project, there were four vehicle lanes, two on each side of the road. Due to that, there was never traffic, and it was a fast way to get to the next destination. But now, because there is only one vehicle lane per side, it feels like there has been a stop in time and cars have become snails.
In the article “Goleta Residents Divided over Old Town Restriping,” Margaux Lovely wrote about how the new lines have affected the town’s increase in traffic.
“Before restriping, the mile-long trip between Fairview Avenue and State Route 217 took no more than five minutes,” Lovely wrote. “Now, drivers can expect a 15-minute journey during the lunch and after-work hours.”
Not only is the new renovation causing more traffic, but it is also putting residents in uncomfortable and disorganized situations. When a vehicle is making a left turn in the road, the vehicle can get stuck in the intersection zone with nowhere to go. When people are trying to back into the angled parking spots, having to pull in and pull out to correctly park, the vehicles and cyclists behind them have to stop completely in their tracks.
The new north side back-in parking has also made a big difference in the town, but not in a good or safe way. In an article written by Tom Modugno, “Goleta’s Project Disconnect,” Modugno stated that the Old Town Goleta parking has been a problem in the past.
“The lack of parking in Old Town is a longtime problem that merchants have always had to deal with, but now we face a much more daunting problem caused by the City of Goleta’s poor planning,” Modugno wrote.
This renovation has been around for almost a year now, and not only is this affecting the residents, but also business owners. As stated in a Noozhawk article written by Daniel Green, Upholstery DecorI Inc owner David Pulver believes that business owners were not taken into consideration.
Noozhawk Staff Writer Rebecca Caraway wrote about how some business owners of that area feel in her article, “Old Town Goleta Business Owners Speak out After Restriping Project.” Monica Scafidi, the daughter of Domingo’s Cafe Owners, expressed that they have seen their business declining ever since the restructuring.
As a resident of Old Town Goleta, I can attest the restriping project has created more issues than just taking away the old ones.
