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| Stuck in traffic and distracted |
From the Pacifica Tribune letters-to-the-editor, 9/21/11. "I am constantly amazed by the letters and Blogs from the people against the widening of Highway 1. A very vocal minority of people always say no. The gang of no makes a lot of noise.
The Pacifica Chamber of Commerce supports this Highway 1 widening. Let's for once be ahead of the traffic problem that the tunnel will exacerbate during commute time. About half of all Pacifica commuters are stuck in this traffic jam every day. Add to this bottleneck all the commuters from Moss Beach down to Half Moon Bay.
This Route 1 traffic solution is merely designed to expand turning so the north-south commute works better. This solution also features de-acceleration lanes and acceleration lanes so those making turns get out of the main traffic stream.
Every other town in this state works to make it's resident's commute easier. Do readers of this letter prefer to sit in traffic, waste gas, hurt air quality, miss appointments, get your children to school late or have Pacifica proactively solve a problem that has been building over the past 20 years."
Chris Porter, President, Pacifica Chamber of Commerce
Posted by Kathy Meeh
60 comments:
The DEIR says the current average travel time through this section is five minutes and change during peak commute. If Chris Porter is missing appointments, wasting gas, and having trouble getting her kids to school in the mornings due to a 5-minute commute, I suspect she has problems unrelated to highway widening.
More unsubstantiated anecdotal evidence from the manager of the largest criminal enterprise in Pacifica.
Anon (530), I trust Chris Porter and her 5 mile morning driving experience, not your comment.
Shoot the messanger.Fkin Hippies
same stupid argument they have used for 30 plus years
"Every other town in this state works to make it's resident's commute easier."
Lies. Kathy has never been to other towns. Santa Cruz has stop signs at the end of every block. Small four lane street. I believe it is HWY1 that turns into Mission St., you need to stay on to get through SC. Most small coastal towns are like that. Otherwise you breeze right through and never know that you were even in a town.
load up the clown car and send them on down to Santa Cruz for a look see
you want hippies? they got hippies
Oh dear, another wrong-way Anonymous. Kathy didn't say "Every other town in this state works to make it's resident's commute easier." Chris did, so ask her. Anyhow its an expression, meaning: "every other town with a CLUE works to make it's residents' commute easier."
BTW, Pacifica is not a "small coastal town", technically we are an urban gateway coastal city. There are several roads and highways in and around Santa Cruz. By contrast we have one, highway 1.
The highway widening is 1.3 miles only, and the DEIR/EA pictures prove widening the highway should update and improve the traffic flow and "character" of this city. Happily for you, the stop lights will remain, and people will not just "breeze through town".
Todd should call her "sweetie" and tell her she can't read a few more times while he's whining.
Kathy, should go hooligan on him!!!
Dear Anonymous'...My commute is from mid Linda Mar, down Crespi, down Fassler and then on to the Highway so where the five minutes fits in is unknown to me. Of the items I listed, only the first one pertains to me (sit in traffic) and by the way, to the lady from Moss Beach who said I should ride a bike to work, I will try that after I get my knee replaced. I will ride the bike (or attempt to) but not to work because my day consists of lots of appointments outside the office that bike riding would not support. Anyway, I have driven the same corridor for 27 years and yes, traffic is bad during commute and if you have a comment, have the guts to put your name on it.
Chris (132), your time experience through our highway 1 traffic bottle neck during peak hours IS similar to those who are not hippies, have high IQ's, are honest, and commute daily by auto from Moss Beach.
Today when I asked my Tech friend about his daily commute through Pacifica. He immediately asked where. I replied "the area of Fassler, Rockaway, Vallemar." He said, "I hate driving through your city. What should take 5 minutes takes 25-30 minutes." Then I mentioned, fixing the highway seems to be a "controversy". His response,"we have no other commuter access (Bart, Buses with bikes), your city better get it act together". He also added, "Sure build Bart to Half Moon Bay, and run buses with bikes." Interesting he mentioned all that without any prompting from me.
The highway widening project is designed to save drivers approximately 2 minutes in the morning upon completion of the project.
That's it. Two minutes. It's right there in the report if you'd care to look it up for yourself.
So instead of taking 30 minutes to drive your five miles (a claim that stretches credulity), it will take you 28.
Anon (956), the estimate now is 8:20 minutes round trip; over 20 years 28:00 minutes, (DEIR, page 67). In the bottleneck area when cars get out of the way, you will travel more efficiently, further and be safer. Its science.
Looks like 4 members of city council understand this issue. You, Councilmember Digre and other NIMBYS not so much.
Reject all the endless uber convenient personal anecdotes and realize this project has never been about the commute. That's just a convenient way for Caltrans to fool some of the public, stay PC and avoid the coastal growth vs. no-growth minefield. The cost is outrageous and the damage to Pacifica will be irreparable.
I happen to know "hippies" that have high IQ's, are honest, and commute daily by auto from Moss Beach.
This blog continues as the: HateAllHippiesAllTheTimePacificaBlogSpot.com
Do you really think all this hate helps Fix Pacifica?
Mitch
waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I also know "hippies" that are dirty, crusty, dusty, and who look like they have not bathed since the 1960's
Well said Mitch. I find it amusing that the new posting guidelines specifically state that it's okay to "attack hippies as a group".
In a town where only 16% of the voters are registered Republicans, such Nixonian language is likely to turn off the vast majority of the population and marginalize your supporters.
Of course if the purpose of FixPacifica is to provide a place to let off steam and vent frustrations at this city's shortcomings, then by all means, carry on. But if the goal is to actually move the city forward, may I suggest not using language that insults a significant block of the voting public.
Mitch (108), I'm not aware of anyone "hating hippies", we just want a better life and most of you don't. That's a problem. Being anti-science is fanatical.
Anon (101) with your name, you begin with the premise of being on the fooling-side of the conversation. You think you're PC? No you are the "minefield", and the cost (which you really don't care about) is driven-up as the result of environmental considerations. Given time-value-of-money inflation the cost is best today, and will not be better in the future.
You live in a town where only 16% of the voters are registered Republicans, so it's mainly liberal Democrats who consider your Caltrans conspiracy theories nutty and your "donate all the land to nature" policies naive, hypocritical, and harmful to the community.
Welcome to the lunatic fringe.
I got your hippie problem right here:
http://dashes.com/anil/2011/07/if-your-websites-full-of-assholes-its-your-fault.html
"we just want a better life and most of you don't"
you don't have a effin clue about what most people want.
DO NOT PRESUME TO SPEAK FOR ME.
Ian, this site is a shock absorber for a handful of peoples rage, namely property managers and financial agents. It keeps them off the streets and intellectually engaged so I think it qualifies for a grant from the National Health Association for independent living with AOD (Adult Onset Dementia). I just hope someday there can be a cure that will help us all.
As if to prove the point, the hippies complain about "all this hate" and then immediately call people demented and say they don't have a effin clue.
Such utter hypocrites.
It's like the Irish and the English, or the Israelis and Palestinians, or sibling rivalry. "He started it!"
Who threw the first rock? It doesn't matter. The only way to end it is to stop throwing rocks.
All the bickering will end when the Fix Pacifica crowd finds out there aren't any dedicated Rascal lanes in the highway proposal and they drop their support for it.
Yea, well got an email from my Moss Beach tech friend this morning. Apparently it was another bad commute through Pacifica day. His comment: "F@#K Pacifica".
The highway widening is a partial fix and needs to happen (rather than decades of "think it over"). You don't want a complete through-town highway fix, so more within the city needs to be done, including some of those suggested measures NIMBYS applauded at the 9/22 meeting. The through traffic condition will not otherwise improve in the future.
The highway widening is estimated to improve traffic now 8:20 minutes round trip, 28:00 minutes in 20 years-- what does that tell you? It tells me without additional solutions, we'll be back to big traffic congestion. So, we need to stop dreaming and denying, and get solution orientated in this city. And, that is what the "Fix Pacifica crowd" is about Anon (9/27, 6:03pm).
Various Anons and Pranky Name posters this site was set up for you all to complain without oversight. In the end the sites co-founders found themselves in a pickle concerning defamation and libel and had to start reviewing comments from you all. Admittedly there are only a few of you but to act like the business of this site is for some sort of higher purpose when it's very creation was inspired by anger, hate and ignorance is to deny your own truth.
Steve and Kathy have done a great job in cleaning up comments posted here compared to the sites first year or so but they are only human and often let stuff slip that is hateful, disrespectful and just factually untrue.
This is the sandbox of FIXPACIFICA, a no frills crap fest that has no direction other than spiteful reaction, intentional misunderstanding and in general no thought of tomorrow.
The bickering will end when the Hippies get so old and demented they forgot what they where all fighting about
Yea, well got an email from my Moss Beach tech friend this morning. Apparently it was another bad commute through Pacifica day. His comment: "F@#K Pacifica".
It took me 6 minutes and 5 seconds to get from Crespi past Reina Del Mar at 7:45 this morning.
"F@#K Pacifica" over a six minute commute through this section? Really? I suggest your friend switch to decaf.
Todd you're too kind. This is no kiddie's sandbox. It's become a nasty litterbox for this town. Perfect dumping place for all the rage and free-floating anxiety from people who have less and less control over their own lives and seek the comfort of scapegoats and hysteria.
Northbound at 755am took 7 minutes from Linda Mar and Hiway 1 to Calera Creek Trail parking lot. That's the norm and we make that trip or one to the levee most days between 730 and 8.
Folks, write these times of yours into Caltrans so they are recorded in the minutes. You'll find the address and email address on this blog somewhere. Please no matter how trivial you think you comment is, email it in at the very least. And please ask for sound walls. We live right there and if this projects moves forward please help me, my wife our neighbors ad their children retail some hearing. It really is loud.
Fix Pacifica got started because Riptide either wouldn't post comments that John disagreed with, or he'd edit comments to the point they lost their meaning.
The initial attempt at "anything goes" stopped when it became obvious that some people wanted to use the blog to carry out personal vendettas, while wing-nuts tried to hijack the blog by posting endless crazy comments. It was more about trying not to become a looney-bin or echo chamber, than concerns about legal issues.
People need to stop equating differences of opinion with personal attacks.
It is probably unavoidable that you have both on here. Without oversight I'm sure it would be much worse.
Well put Steve, I'm guilty as the next for poking fun or fanning the flames but in the end if we can't laugh at ourselves and enjoy a beer/coffee/medical Mary Jane together what is the point?
"People need to stop equating differences of opinion with personal attacks."
Exactly! Or as I like to say,
"Having a different opinion doesn't make you an @$$hole - being an @$$hole about it does!"
What should we expect? It's a blog where we can be public or anonymous or both with our different opinions or just stir the pot. S@#t is bound to happen.
Group hug at 11?
virtual hug only
Bray, show the letter Don Peebles sent you?
why?
Proud but boring...what, are you working from a list? some kind of calendar? hit your evolutionary ceiling?
posts anon. real man of genius!
comparatively
it is absolutely insane to "widen" such a short slice of highway, if this is done, pacifica will look like every other tacky town in california with orange colored retaining walls, does it really make sense to remove a residence and some business to make room for something that is only a little over a mile long? INSANE...we don't need this, and i'm not a nimby, i'm a realist - a lot of us moved from somewhere else where things were overcrowded and big, and we love it here because of the way IT IS, not the way it WILL BE...
You obviously don't know what NIMBY stands for.
Caltrans is a real town-killer with decades of experience. They have become a power unto themselves with their own agenda and agency survival is job #1. Do you think they are on some holy mission to build roads through the wilderness? Caltrans is Big business with lots of juicy contracts to award and all those "change order" goodies to jack up the cost. They are hard to stop. If Pacificans don't won't this road as planned, it's time to speak up. PR is important to Caltrans so make your position public! And push council hard to listen and show some backbone. All 5 of them.
Don't kid yourself. Everyone has the potential and right to be a NIMBY. And most of us have exercised the right at one time or another.
It's personal choice and it's all relative. Be honest. When it's you or yours that has to change or sacrifice whether for the greater good or someone's wallet, it's very different than when it's someone else, somewhere else. We all have NIMBY potential.
We can all be hypocritical cowards too, but some of us choose to be realists.
The easiest person in the world to fool is yourself
particularly with practice.
anon309 realists are often the biggest cowards and hypocrisy thrives on denial
Thank you, Confucius. It's hard to decipher your cryptic posts without a fortune cookie decoder ring, but trying to present a NIMBY as anything other than a coward and a hypocrite is ridiculous.
NIMBYs are hypocrites because they proclaim "we want our green space which is awesome" and then follow it up with "I got mine, but no one else is allowed". They are cowards because they pretend to work for the environment, but are actually insisting upon a suburban bedroom community that is antithetical to the kind of dense community that drives mass transit and green living.
whoa. heavy, dude. don't bogart that joint.
NIMBYs claiming they want to stop the highway widening in order to help local businesses - now that's hypocrisy.
Unlike hallucinogenic hippies, realists recognize you can't run a city with an economy based on trails and grants.
From what I can tell, the only person at City Hall who opposes the highway widening is Sue "The Environment is our Economy" Digre, and she's probably so emotionally invested in her fantasy-world economics that she'll never support this project. Hell, even Pete DeJarnatt has been forced to become a realist on this one.
You know you're a Fix Pacifican when:
You swallow the line, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
You walk onto the lot to purchase a new car and tell the salesman, " Tell me what to buy and what I should spend -- after all, you're the car expert here!"
You want to help businesses in Pacifica by bulldozing two of them flat.
Thanks Steve, wink wink, I always knew I could count on Steve-0
Now quit bugging me about this stupid dog park. All of Pacifica is a dog park!!
Sue "The Environment is our Economy" Digre no longer believes the environment is our economy.
Now she is Sue "Our History is our Economy" Digre.
Really, this is Pacifica. Our "Rotting Pier is our Economy."
You know you're a NIMBY when you can make up crazy government conspiracy theories in the blink of an eye. It seems like it would be easy, since you never provide any proof whatsoever, but it requires a vivid imagination aided by glaucoma medicine.
Perhaps because of the paranoid side effects of said glaucoma medicine, you also somehow equate government officials with salespeople.
You want to help Pacificans by starving the local government of any tax revenue, ensuring massive cuts to our schools, social safety nets, and emergency responders.
It's going to take more than bravado to get this done. How many delays were there with the tunnel?
Smaller scale project but still the enviros have a pretty good track record of winning these things one way or another. Or delaying them for decades.
And council, 3 of them anyway, is up on the fence sniffing the wind. Elections coming up.
Sue "Our Traffic Jams are our Economy" Digre.
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