Candidate Questionnaire: Do you support Highway 1 improvement? If not, what is your proposal to alleviate gridlock and provide emergency vehicle access?

The Pacifica Chamber of Commerce submitted 12 questions to each of the candidates for Pacifica City Council. Every week we will be posting two questions, and the answers from each of the candidates.

Question 8 : Do you support Highway 1 improvement? If not, what is your proposal to alleviate gridlock and provide emergency vehicle access?

 

 

Victor Spano - 2 Year Term

 

The critical issue for me is the need for Life Safety vehicles to have the ability to respond quickly in case of emergenies. I support improvements to Highway 1.   I am very interested in preserving the historic Vallemar Station corner and businesses there.  Many have talked about staggering school schedules in the morning.  I agree there is some merit to this idea and it should be studied.

 

 

Gary Mondfrans - 2 Year Term

 

This issue is still very much is a state of flux, even today a new group was announced to considered further alternatives for the troubled Highway-1 Calera Corridor. But Highway 1 is not the also significant traffic problem in Pacifica. The Council must improve traffic flow not only through the Calera corridor but other major traffic problems such as the horrendous intersections of Manor Drive at Oceania and Palmetto, and Linda Mar Boulevard must be addressed as a special study area to prevent many more accidents from occurring there. Enhanced emergency response into the Valley Mar and Sun Valley/Linda Mar areas must be addressed and alternative means of ingress and egress for emergency vehicles as well as other means of escape in the event of a tsunami, earthquake or other disaster must be explored other than full dependency on a narrow coastal byway.

Mike O'Neill - 2 Year Term

 

I support improvements in Highway 1.  Emergency vehicles need a way to get to the needed facilities over the hill.  The chronic traffic jams are an irritant to all drivers in the morning and afternoon commutes.  Many candidates say that we can apply band aids to fix it such as changing school times.  I will grant the schools are a factor in traffic but the schools do not impact the afternoon commute.  I think the improvements should be coordinated with any development in the Quarry so that the planning and disruption are minimized.  I will however wait for the full DEIR and the comments which will be release later this year.

 

 

Rich Campbell - 2 Year Term 

 

I support Highway 1 improvements but not the expansion currently proposed by CalTrans. $57 million is a waste of scarce taxpayer dollars and ultimately will not alleviate congestion in long run. The key to solving congestion in the morning are improvements or creation of frontage roads (perhaps in the Quarry to create infrastructure backbone for development), pedestrian overcrossings at Reina Del Mar, and a turnaround /kid drop off at Police Station to serve northbound commuters.

 

 

Mary Ann Nihart - 4 Year Term

 

I support improvement of the Highway.  I am deeply concerned about the lack of shoulders or emergency lanes in large sections of the highway between Vallemar and Rockway. Given that emergency vehicles currently stop the lights and proceed down the wrong side of the highway sometimes experiencing near misses at the lights from people making right hand-turns on red, we must find a solution.  Exploring alternatives also means examining the economics of those alternatives versus the impact on our community.  Some have been explored and continue to be examined.  As a city, we have met with Caltrans to work on the light timing, there are limited funds for barrier movement, and we continue to discuss turn lanes plus traffic management concerns.  There are 14 alternatives that will be fully examined in the final EIR. The period for comments was extended at our request and I look forward to seeing how those comments are addressed.

In addition, I would also support a street through the quarry as an alternative to the six lanes.  This was the original intention.  It would solve many of the problems identified, but it would be a city street on private property that Caltrans would not build.  It would need lots of support and examination.
 

 

Susan Vellone - 4 Year Term

 

Yes. It is a necessity for Public Safety during our peak commute hours and the opening of the Devil’s slide while create further congestion.

 

 

Karen Ervin - 4 Year Term

 

I do support Highway 1 improvement.  The people of Pacifica largely supported Measure A with the expectation that some of the money would be spent to alleviate commuter congestion and importantly to enhance public safety.  I am interested in looking at the Final EIR to see what alternatives are discussed or considered as well.