Friday, February 5, 2010

Vreeland's Folly


Take a look at this time-waster. Evidently Vreeland decided that it would be a good idea to close this street. Why? Only the demons in his head can explain that. I doubt he'll champion the idea. Of course it "only" costs about $250,000 for a solution to no perceived problem. I wonder which one of his chosen ones wanted this done. Another example of Vreeland's total disconnect with the downward economic spiral this city is in.

Read Vreeland's folly

Jim Wagner

15 comments:

Steve Sinai said...

The problem's not the street. It's the drunks driving on it.

Jeffrey W Simons said...

I believe that is the street where Stephanie Echeverri and Jonny Bier were killed. The Partnership for a Safe and Healthy Pacifica was formed by one of the parents to address underage drinking and a lack of activities for teens in Pacifica. Why someone would want to close it is a mystery.

Jeffrey W Simons said...

anyway, Wagner hit this one on the head. This is really a fiscal priority in Pacifica? $250,000 when the city is looking at $14 million in budget deficits over the next 5 years? For whom is Vreeland performing a special favor now?

Jeffrey W Simons said...

and didn't Vreeland help shut down San Pedro Terrace road back at Pedro Point? I seem to recall that was a useful access road for a senior home back there? Geez, maybe he's just trying to shut down all the roads until someone names one after him . . .

Bark Nuggets said...

I support the closure of Lakeside Drive. If you turn left onto it from northbound Francisco Blvd., it narrows very dangerously as it curves. I wouldn't be surprised if there have been numerous accidents due to head-on collisions there. I know I've had some close calls due to no fault of my own.

I also support the closure of San Pedro Terrace. I remember back when it was open to traffice and one only had to see all the skid-marks on the asphalt to see what it was being used for. I'm pretty sure the folks at the senior home are grateful for the peace and quiet.

By the way, an added benefit of the closure was to force traffic through Linda Mar Blvd., funneling people past the local merchants at the shopping center -- a good thing, right?

Richard Saunders said...

The intersection of San Pedro Terrace and Hwy 1 is much safer now.

Unlike Lakeside Drive, I'd bet the police and fire departments had a different view on the closure of San Pedro Terrace. They give some reasonable comments on the problems they see with closing Lakeside Drive (although, like Bark Nuggets, I've had my share of near misses there). The nearest fire station is on Linda Mar Blvd, so access is up Linda Mar, across Peralta, and up San Pedro Terrace. Looks reasonable. Enough room to get equipment in and out.

What did the council do on the item?

Steve Sinai said...

I turn left onto Lakeside Drive several times a week from the 7-11, and the only problem I ever have is when a big truck is parked so that it blocks the view and you can't see if anything's coming down the road as you pull out of the parking lot.

Other than that's there's nothing particularly dangerous with the road. (Unless you're drunk, in which case any road is dangerous.)

Kathleen Rogan said...

I have been driving on that road forever, now my kids do. Hundreds of thousands drive on that road. Like Sinai said, just don't drive it drunk. San Pedro road , I miss that road, a quick shortcut. I hate it when they close down our quick shortcut roads. Stupid. Waste of money.

Miss Echeverri and Mr Bier, R.I.P.

Richard Saunders said...

I've had people not able to find their lane. I don't know if it's the bend in the road, or the distraction of the golf course, or what, but it's got something a little different from most roads.

I drove it today, no issues. But I'd like to know more about what motivated the question. And what the council did with the agenda item.

Steve Sinai said...

People not being able to find their lane doesn't make sense. Just stay on the right side of the road.

I vaguely recall that the complaint about the road was that if you run off it, you run into a tree.

Jeffrey W Simons said...

I can probably name 15-20 roads in Pacifica that are far more dangerous. Almost all of the residential area of Pedro Point comes to mind.

So I doubt the road closure is due to safety concerns. Vreeland is probably citing safety concerns, but the police and fire departments pretty well debunked that, so you have to ask, since Vreeland is a career politician . . . who would want the road closed, and for whom is he doing a favor?

Jeffrey W Simons said...

I don't know about the police and fire comments in regards to San Pedro Terrace. I know the senior home wasn't any too happy with the new route they had to take once they closed the road.

I think Bark Nuggets is barking up the wrong tree . . . when has this City Council ever been concerned about "funneling" people anywhere near shopping centers? Jeez, I remember when Cynthia Montanez was trying to get signs put up on Highway 1 to direct people to Palmetto Ave, had the application ready and just needed someone from City Council to sign off . . . chirp chirp chirp nothing but the sound of crickets.

No, San Pedro Terrace was closed right about the time Scott Holmes was illegally plowing over private property and county property to build the revenue-negative San Pedro trail for Paul Jones and the GGNRA hiking fans.

Take a look at where the proposed mouth of that trail is and how traffic along San Pedro Terrace would create a problem for the 4-5 hikers who want to use that trail.

Bark Nuggets said...

The San Pedro Terrace bike lane is nice, but it dumps you off at Highway One with no safe means of getting across it.

Mr. Simmons, would you care to enlighten me -- where exactly is the proposed San Pedro trailhead supposed to be? I honestly don't know.

Thanks!

Richard Saunders said...

"People not being able to find their lane doesn't make sense. Just stay on the right side of the road."

Sounds swell. Tell that to the people I've nearly hit head on coming around it.

Not saying closing it would be good or bad, just that I've had some close calls on it (more than usual!)

Lionel Emde said...

This is the second time that this road has been proposed for closure.
Years ago there was a group proposing a shared-living development--it might have even been an early Habitat for Humanity project, can't remember exactly.
The late Grace McCarthy raised hell and stopped it. I thought it was an interesting project, but it never went forward.