FULLERTON : Bastanchury Road Group Seeks Vote

Fullerton residents fighting to halt the planned widening of a one-mile stretch of Bastanchury Road near their homes moved Tuesday to put the issue on the ballot.

Mary B. Homme, president of the Save Our Bastanchury group, submitted a proposed initiative to the city clerk’s office. If approved by voters, it would require city officials to make certain that street improvements do not result in additional noise.

Under state election laws, the Fullerton city attorney has until Jan. 24 to examine the petition and write a summary and title for it before the group can begin gathering signatures.

Group members will begin circulating the petition around early February, Homme said. For the initiative to qualify for the November ballot, 10% of the registered voters in Fullerton, or about 6,000 people, must sign the petition within six months.

The $3.7-million project would widen Bastanchury from four to six lanes from Euclid Street to Harbor Boulevard. Last year, the City Council twice voted to reaffirm its decision after Save Our Bastanchury members protested.

“They say (widening is) going to decrease (noise), but they’re basing it on the time same number of cars traveling (the wider road). My feeling is if you add two lanes, you’re going to increase traffic, and that’s what increases noise,” Homme said.