A scoping meeting for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on proposed changes to Highway 217 will take place:

Noon–2:00p.m.
Thursday, January 16, 2003
UCEN State Street Room

At this meeting, the City of Goleta will accept for future consideration suggestions for alternatives to stoplights on Highway 217, and concerning the sorts of issues that should be analyzed in the EIR.

Past EIRs did not address concerns of UCSB travelers on the 217. For example, the impact of new injury accidents on the 217 were not analyzed; recent studies have indicated 10-13 new injury accidents per year would occur if stoplights or roundabouts were placed on the 217. The January 16, 2002 scoping meeting is the appropriate forum for UCSB users of the 217 to raise issues for the City of Goleta to analyze.

Other aspects of the situation for proposed changes for Highway 217 can be found in the December Update. A longer report on scoping issues is also available.

There will be two more scoping hearings for the 217 EIR, on January 23rd and January 30th. Both meetings start at 6:30p.m. and will take place in the Goleta Valley Community Center at 5679 Hollister Avenue.