What could be better, this "solution" is the "ultimate solution" for the potential economic engine of the quarry.
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| Think we understand the amateur hour solution, Gil |
Pacifica Tribune, letters to the editor. 9/18/12, "Is it a solution?" by Gil Anda
After giving it some thought my questions would be: 1) how would one design the road intersections that take both north and south bound traffic onto the secondary roadway and 2) wouldn't that cause an even bigger mess when the diverted traffic joins the main highway at the other end?"
Posted by Kathy Meeh
26 comments:
Wasn't this Ian's idea?
Ian is a highway engineer just like how Nancy Hall is a bio-diesel engineer!!
From the front page of the Trib, it looks like all the NIMBYs are banding together to propose highway widening alternatives. Since they have the combined engineering experience of a twirly dancer, everyone should be sure to give their ideas the credit they deserve.
I'm no engineer but I really liked that catapult idea. One at Vallemar and one at Rockaway and fire those suckers over the narrow stretch. Car and all. Lose a few on landing, but woohoo what a ride!
Anonymous said...
From the front page of the Trib, it looks like all the NIMBYs are banding together to propose highway widening alternatives. Since they have the combined engineering experience of a twirly dancer, everyone should be sure to give their ideas the credit they deserve.
September 20, 2012 2:03 PM
Maybe one of them can spread some of their magic fairy dust on the highway.
Wouldn't it be neat-o to have a gondola between Linda Mar, Vallemar, Sharp Park, Pacific Manor and the Colma BART station.
Groovy, 304 anon, groovy. Pacifica looks much better from the air but that catapult thing is sooo violent. A gentle ride in a gondola would be awesome.
anon 249 better magic twirly dancer fairy dust than the stuff they usually spread.
As usual the local windbag hippies and nobies are screaming about Caltrans widening Highway 1 once again.
Lead by the town crier they formed a little group to try to stop Caltrans.
These Nobies and hippies didn't care that the tunnel project was twice to three times more expensive then the inland route, now they are crying Caltrans proposal is too expensive. Really Hippies and Nobies!
I propose Ferry service from Linda Mar (they already have a boat launch) to the pier. End of traffic and we can all have a cocktail on our way. Maybe just a long line and we all get our morning exercising pulling our selves forward. With cup holders, of course.
Jeez, why doesn't PSD, and whatever this is called, just call it for what it is: they don't want the quarry developed and if they can stop/delay the highway forever, they win. Screw 'em.
I appreciate Gil for giving this idea some thought. Here are my answers to his questions, (although, no I am not a traffic engineer):
1) how would one design the road intersections that take both north and south bound traffic onto the secondary roadway?
There would be no need to alter the intersections at all, they're just fine the way they are. Just pave a two lane road between Reina del Mar and Old County Road and/or Dondee Way. The Caltrans DEIR estimates that option would cost $8 million vs. $60 Million for the widening.
2) wouldn't that cause an even bigger mess when the diverted traffic joins the main highway at the other end?
No, because the diverted traffic would rejoin Hwy 1 while the light is red for hwy 1 traffic, keeping the traffic flowing even while the light is red.
Actually, Caltran's plan would merge three lanes back to two, all of them subject to the same red light, which is more likely to cause "an even bigger mess".
Let me clarify that I had no idea that Pacifican's for Highway 1 Alternatives existed when I wrote my piece. It was just an idea that I had been thinking about and thought it was worth sharing.
Ian as long as we have you here:
Would you like to retract your statement here a few weeks ago in regards to your friend Pete Dejarnette's motives for serving, when you said Council members do not get pension?
Hmmmmm?
I spoke with a couple of councilmembers yesterday and by golly, they do get a pension after all. It appears to be required by the state and must be paid into by the councilmembers, with most just getting a lump sum at the end of their service, but it's a pension by golly, so consider my statement retracted.
They pay into the pension. It is not as if they get free money given to them by the city. It is probably matched. I don't know the exact dollar amount but they do or can pay into the same program as other employees.
Some pensions are matched dollar to dollar, being that if you put in one dollar the city matches it so 2 dollars goes into your retirement account.
How much is their pension? How much do they pay verses what we pay? How about healthcare? Do council people get heathcare paid? How much and is it for life.
Why aren't these numbers made public?
jeezus, people. go ask Ann Ritzma. if you don't get the answers you want, file a PRA request
The State website shows council contributed zero towards pension in 2010, and we did pay for health insurance.
City Council Councilmember 2.5% @ 55
Employees' Share of Pension Contributions —
Total Wages $20,184
Health Dental Vision $1,440 - $7,753
http://gcc.sco.ca.gov/CompensationDetail.aspx?entity=City&id=11984161400&year=2010&GetCsu=False
Well what about that? Council does get a pension. Duh. As said here previously, Pete was heard to talk about retiring on his $25,000 year pension long before he announced he wouldn't run again. Hutch has posted the relevant info from the state contoller's site more than once. Pensions for elected officials are under a lot of scrutiny at the state level. Deservedly so. A little too much fox in the henhouse? FYI, not all CA city councils play this game because the state does not require it. For those who have a real need to rationalize this Council's completely self-serving actions by saying the state requires it and council pays into it...well that's one of those Pacifica-style "half-truth/you didn't ask the right question" answers. The state does not require an elected council have a pension or other benefits or even a salary. A state requirement does comes into play because just a few years ago council very quietly voted themselves to share in the exec class of city benefits for medical insurance (or gobs of cafeteria cash in lieu). The pension came with the benefit package and the state says if you join a class you share all the benies. Who knew! Oh, I guarantee you someone knew. If by some miracle they do share the cost, they're using our money to do so. Lump sum payout or lifetime benefit depends on length of service. I'm liking Term Limits better all the time. I also like that State Controller's salary report due in October. Curious to see if this council made good on their promise to give up the cafeteria cash, or, where they put it, and of course, how about all those cuts to employee compensation we've been hearing about. Sometime in October. To be clear and fair, I'm certainly not saying that anyone on council has denied receiving these benefits. They just kept it very, very quiet. Even during the uproar about their cafeteria cash bonanza. I don't blame them.
They're so good at keeping things quiet.
@1132 jeezuz peeps, ritzma is scary. i think she's the real pistolero in the bunch.
1027 Not free money? Where do you think they get the money? I guess you could say it wasn't free, since they voted themselves all these benefits if not in closed session then probably on a consent agenda as sneaky as possible. So in that sense the money wasn't really given freely as if they asked the voters and we said yes, you're doing a great job so here take an extra $20000 per year on top of the $8500 per year salary you already get. Hell no it's not free money. It's pigs at the trough.
anon1051 Council gets paid healthcare. Or like other city employees they can take the cash value of it, although the cash-in-lieu thing was supposed to have voluntarily stopped for council in late 2010. It is being reduced little by little for other emps through contract negotiations so council had to set the example. Don't know about their medical benefits after they leave office but whatever the executive class of city workers get that's what council gets.
anon 701pm I like your idea but a ferry might be a little grand for Pacifica. A fleet of row boats should work. Jobs, fresh air, nice scenery. Work it out.
All this speculation and everybody's too scared of Ann Ritzma to go ask simple questions. Prove me wrong: Pete does NOT get a $25,000/year pension.
Why should we have to ask Ritzma? Would it kill cities to post all wages and benefits online? Of course the city is going to make it difficult to know whats really going on. The only information that IS available online is what the State mandates. Time for more laws requiring cities to be ,more transparent and post all current compensation.
Right. Why should you have to get off your butt and actually DO anything to get accurate information? Everything should be provided for you on the web because you're entitled to have all personal information about all city employees given to you without even knowing what it is you wanted to know.
@ Anon 1047, Wages and benefits that WE the taxpayers pay is NOT "personal information." Why should each citizen have to call Ritzma to find out what's going on?
I agree with anon 725, all current compensation should be provided online.
Our city council voted themselves a pension. That's the issue behind the smoke screen posts about how much and public access to the info. Council works a very part-time schedule, some more than others. Job performance is less than stellar. This city is circling the drain, swirling faster than usual. Despite all this, council quietly voted a few years ago to share the same rich benefit package earned by this city's senior staff. And guess what? It came with a CalPERS pension. I hope Pete and any one else who collects one of these council pensions remembers to shop Pacifica once in a while.
Meanwhile these DIY pensions for elected officials have become common symbols of greed in CA and are under growing scrutiny in Sacramento.
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