Marilyn Peters reminds us of the importance of emergency vehicles getting through traffic. A time delay in first responders getting to their home made saving Marilyn's husband impossible. In 2002 one of the benefits of building the quarry (Measure E) would have been to provide a fire station in Vallemar. Had there been a Fire Station in Vallemar Marilyn's husband might have lived.
Pacifica Tribune Letters to the Editor, 10/30/12. "Save lives by widening Highway 1" by Marilyn A. Peters
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| Stalled traffic and nothing for Pacifica are like peanut butter and jelly. |
"Editor: I
gather Mr. Bohner (Letters, Oct. 17) has never had anyone close to him
die while waiting for an emergency vehicle to respond to his Vallemar
home. Vallemar is one of the areas in Pacifica that can have a longer
response time than other parts of the city. My husband died on the
garage floor while waiting for the fire department to arrive, and it was
not during the commute hour. I was told by the city manager that I
shouldn't be surprised at the delay due to my location.
Mr. Bohner
is not a firefighter and has no clue about time-delayed responses the
fire department encounters when responding to emergency calls that
require traveling on Highway 1. Traffic not only backs up during the
commute hour but also at various other times during the day. Correcting
the timing of the signal would improve traffic flow but not solve the
problem.Something definitely needs to be done to alleviate the traffic congestion on Highway 1. It could save a life."
Related update - Pacifica Patch/Stacie Chan, 10/12/12. "Pacifica receives $7.5M for transportation projects".The San Mateo County Transportation Authority on Oct. 4 granted Pacifica $4 million for Highway 1 traffic congestion relief and $3.5 million to widen San Pedro Creek. Pacifica’s two projects received the fourth highest total amount of funding amongst 27 applications from various cities and agencies in the count. The funds will go toward widening the existing four-lane Highway-1 to six lanes between Fassler Avenue and Reina Del Mar. An additional $3.5 million will widen San Pedro Creek under the new bridge to eliminate flood hazards. A bike and pedestrian path will be added to the new bridge. Note: Photo by Brendan P Batholomew
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| Peanut butter and jelly with white bread, yum, yum, but not good enough |
Related opposition - Daily Journal, 10/18/12, "Pacifica residents: Don't widen highway 1"
Wow what a powerful letter Marilyn
ReplyDeleteSorry for your loss. I heard that the delay was caused because the paramedics drove on the south side of RDM and the street was blocked. they could not get through because construction workers blocked road. the paramedics had to wait for them to move the trucks. That is why there are now signs on the south side of RDM saying no parking within 10 ft of the street. There response wasn't because of the highway but workers blocking the street.
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragedy for the family. A fire station closer to Vallemar might have made a difference but that's never going to happen. And, if as people in the area say, some construction work blocked the road, then the deck was really stacked. Poor man.
ReplyDeletePeebles was going to put a fire station in the quarry.
ReplyDeleteBut the same people who are against the highway 1 fix are the same people who chased Peebles out of town.
This is the second time I have heard someone died due to the emt's and fire department could not get to the house in time.
Peebles was never going to do anything in the quarry. He promised everything but never submitted a project plan to the city. If Measure L had passed, he would have flipped the property for a huge profit.
ReplyDeleteThis is all speculation from both sides of the issue, as usual, and cheap use of a widow's grief and a family's tragedy.
ReplyDelete"Peebles was never going to do anything in the quarry." Anonymous rumor 9:27 AM, Anonymous said so.
ReplyDeleteReally, Peebles spend all that time, research, outreach, money and NIMBY aggravation so the corporation could build NOTHING in empty Pacifica quarry? Ongoing duh!
But this comment works well with related quarry development smears, "out of town developer, traffic, rich people buying the housing component, 355 toilets flushing at the same time. Similar argument was used for the 2002 Measure E. And the consequence: Pacifica gets the usual, NOTHING.
A Fire Station in Vallemar would take an additional 5 minutes (minimum) off the medical emergency response time. Thanks for describing the road blockage which occurred in Vallemar, Anonymous 8:42 AM.
I heard Peebles was going to put a man on Mars. Uh huh, just as likely as a real estate developer building a fire station. Or fancy library. Wake up people!26 ouendoe
ReplyDelete".. cheap use of a widow's grief and a family's tragedy." Anonymous 10:21 AM.
ReplyDeleteApparently Marilyn Peters didn't think so, since she wrote a letter to the editor titled "Save lives by widening Highway 1".
The good news is SMCTA has "granted Pacifica $4 million for Highway 1 traffic congestion relief". There are no through frontage roads for emergency vehicles to get through. This issue has been studied by CalTrans and their professionals. The reasonable, most efficient, least expensive solution is to widen the 1.3 mile bottleneck. Hurray, this project continues to move forward.
Don't like the idea of the "cheap" solutions? Well, NIMBIES, without a balanced city economy, that's your ongoing gift to all of us. Enjoy the rewards.
The nimby's love to diss anyone who disagrees with their frog lovin, anti everything agenda. Police and fire are on the record saying highway one needs widening. Sorry nimby's you lost the election bigtime, your days of holding Pacifica down are over. Goodbye.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeletePeebles was never going to do anything in the quarry. He promised everything but never submitted a project plan to the city. If Measure L had passed, he would have flipped the property for a huge profit.
November 20, 2012 9:27 AM
Remember he did try to meet with Cecila, Julie & Jim and it was a complete waste of time.
And someone else would have built out the quarry.
Remember the nobees and hippies chased out Tramell Crow, the largest commercial real estate developer in the country at the time.
They also chased out Barry Swenson, cause of one of the local blow hards said he went down to his office to tell him not to buy the quarry, then he changes the story to he mentioned it to a freind who worked there.
zero credibilty
Don't count the NIMBY's out.
ReplyDeleteShort term memory is their best ally.
They will find another endangered specie and start all over again. Their latest tactic is "managed retreat".
Don't let voters forget that the NIMBY's bankrupted Pacifica.
Same old bull-crap about Peebles not having a plan. When are Loeb and the rest going to let it go. Nobody is believing it. At least the nobody's that count.
ReplyDeleteNow you're trying to stop much needed highway 1 improvements because that's what you do i.e. stop progress. You wanted to stop the Quarry because of too much traffic and now you say you don't want to fix the traffic problem.
Oh yeah, you have "alternative solutions". Get real hippies, will you please.
Anon above IS correct, PD and fire ARE on the record saying widening is needed for safety reasons.
Are frogs and snakes really more important than human life?
It was the VOTERS who "chased" Peebles and Trammell Crow out of town by simply saying "No" to hundreds of houses in the quarry.
ReplyDeletehahaha oh yeah big changes with this new non-nimby council. Wonder what the Nimbys did with their 3 votes this election? Let's see, one went to Campbell and one went to Nihart and one went to Ervin. They had other choices but those are the three candidates Nimbys most often publicly supported and voted for this time--and in other elections. Appealing to and then working with different factions is a political reality. Kumbaya, consensus-building, and getting re-elected, baby. Don't hold your breath for any big changes.
ReplyDelete@220 and it was EASY!
ReplyDeletewatch what the nobbes and nimby's and hippie do when council gets asked to remove the poison pill off the quarry.
ReplyDeleteThe housing part has to go to a public vote.
The hippies will whine and cry.
@410 better yet, watch what our intrepid council does. oh geez laweez here come the consultants, surveys, nervous tics,citizen task forces, surveys...leading them to the decision to...you guessed it, put it on the ballot.
ReplyDeleteAnd all the fuddies moan and ache and whine about their fat butts siting in traffic.
ReplyDeleteBe careful what you wish for. This new council will be just as bad as the old councils.
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth does peanut butter and jelly have to do with anything?
ReplyDeleteThe "poison pill" is not needed anymore. If you want to have more than a modest mixed-use development in the quarry, you'll have to repeal the Coastal Act and CEQA.
ReplyDeleteGive me a brake. I'll take Nihart and Ervin over Vreeland and sneaky Pete any day
ReplyDelete@ 220, the vote against housing at the Quarry was extremely close. If it happened now it would pass so don't act like a huge majority voted against it. Times have changed. People are wise to the lies.
ReplyDelete@534 and those are just 2 of the regulators with jurisdiction over the quarry. the earlier west sharp park nimbys who got the owwtp closed and the new one built in the quarry brought stringent multi-agency environmental oversight to the surrounding area. even if someone with deep pockets took it on it's years and years of legal wrangling or they can pull a peebles and walk with a big profit.
ReplyDelete620anon By all means, take a break with Nihart and Ervin, but watch your wallet. They've never seen a tax they didn't love. The third vote shouldn't be too hard to come by. Let's make a deal!
ReplyDelete@506 I think this one has the potential to be far worse than anything we've seen in years. Less transparency, endless passing the buck, new taxes without improved financial controls, real service cuts, higher labor costs, and so on. Right around the corner.
ReplyDeleteOh bullcrap. Nihart and Stone were the two who voted against putting the sales tax on th ballot against Pete Sue and Jimmy's wishes.
ReplyDeleteAre these all the nimby's here complaining about the first council in 20 years that is pro growth pro business and pro progress? Ok Todd and Ian knock off your bellyaching
ReplyDeletenot so fast, Kemo Sabay. It remains to be seen how "pro-growth" and "pro-business" the new council will be. Wait til the first time they don't do what you want. You might be surprised.
ReplyDeleteOh bullcrap @740 yeah like nihart wanted any kind of a tax on the same ballot her re-election was on. get real! ditto reasoning for the sneaky and outrageous stall on police outsourcing. that whole charade with the letter from nihart and stone was just that--a charade. election year? well then kick the old can down the road just like every other council we've had. really, old bullcrap, you be careful out there.
ReplyDeleteHate to burst any bubbles out there in dreamland, but this council, like all the other councils, is first and foremost Pro-Council. They have their own ideas on how to proceed with the fleecing, I mean rescue, of Pacifica. A more pro-tax group you could not find. Stone may be the only exception, and he'll be alone. No need to bargain for his vote. Collect the money, preserve services, everybody grumbles for a little while, we wait for THAT DEVELOPER, and life goes on. This is what we elected people!
ReplyDeleteI think Mike O'Neill's victory is the most important thing, maybe the only important thing, that happened in this last election.
ReplyDeleteWow the nimby's are out here in force. You guys must really be pissed that you'll no longer have a strong voice on the council except Sue Digre.
ReplyDeleteYes it was extremely telling that the people elected Oneill by such a wide margin. Peale are sick of the smelly dirty hippies being a constipation to progress.
So sit back and watch you nay saying negotiable nellies. All current council exept you know who are pro growth moderats. The wacky granola eating trail building frog loving council is history for the first time in 20+ years.
So I really can't blame you nimby's for complaining here.
Other than Stone and to a much lesser degree O'Neill, they're all supported by the same people. This is no revolution.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that's true at all Anon 10:00.
ReplyDeleteDejarnette, Vreeland and Digre were the Nimby's puppets. They're gone. Mary Ann and Len were at odds with these three for years right up until the assisted living center and police outsourcing. ALL the current council have said they'red for highway 1 widening, more growth, better business climate.
The guy who wasn't for these things (Rich Campbell) was defeated by a very large margin.
You should be happy. Unless you're one of the NIMBY's.
Believe what you like. Check back here in 2 years, even 4, nothing will be different. No highway widening, business just as bad, no police outsourcing, no development in the quarry. And next year there will be a tax on the ballot.
ReplyDelete- "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose." (The more things change, the more they stay the same).
Hutch, While I don't share your euphoria that doesn't make me a nimby. There's a big world just beyond the limits of that either/or system you use. I am genuinely happy that we have some bright, practical new faces on council experienced with complex, cash-strapped organizations. That can't hurt. Maybe they'll stop buying new vehicles and giving stuff away? We should definitely give all five the optimism they deserve for taking on this continuing disaster. In everything they did during their campaigns they pursued and drew votes from a real cross-section of idealogies in this election and in office they'll court and represent those constituents and others. Real change, if it comes, will be done with great caution and never without a political safety net. They're not magicians, they're politicians. Hey, fingers crossed, let's hope they aren't pallbearers.
ReplyDeleteC'est vrai, c'est vrai.
ReplyDelete@613 I think you are absolutely right. And most people couldn't care less as long as the lights are on and there's beer in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteand the Giants and the Niners win
ReplyDeleteremove the poison pill in the Quarry. it is the only way the city will survive. and tod schlesinger has been pushing that for 6 years.
ReplyDelete" If you want to have more than a modest mixed-use development in the quarry, you'll have to repeal the Coastal Act and CEQA."
ReplyDeletemenh, those are not as restrictive as you think. despite the hysterical ramblings of some local nobies, the development footprint in the Quarry is pretty strong and will survive regulatory attempts to restrict it.
look at how many people protest the garbage and sewer rate hikes. the town is brain dead. good bye, hippies
ReplyDeleteHow can the Poison Pill be removed? Can the Council vote to remove it? Or must the voters approve Pill removal?
ReplyDeletethe highway and the quarry are failed legacies of the likes of howard, loeb, hall, verby, shoemaker, boehner, bray, davidson . . . do the opposite of what they recommend and the city will be fine.
ReplyDeleteANON 255 - council can vote to remove it
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI think Mike O'Neill's victory is the most important thing, maybe the only important thing, that happened in this last election.
November 20, 2012 11:21 PM
I have been hearing this since:
Fred Howard
Peter Loeb
Jim Vreeland
Julie Lancelle
Sue Digree
Pete Degarnatt
anon 331 O'Neill's victory over Campbell is an important step for Pacifica. Certainly it's noteworthy because he easily beat Campbell (even the runner-up squeaked by Campbell), but also because the enviros put up such a weak effort with only one candidate and, as a group, did so very little for their candidate. That's a real departure from previous elections. Voter rejection of the enviro program or a generally weak effort from the enviros? I think it was equal parts. Is it a permanent retreat or are they just taking a well-timed break?
ReplyDelete@310 haha well that's one of the obstacles with developing that pit. it is the only one of the obstacles this town has any control over. does council have the balls to alienate a large segment of their support? sounds like a perfect campaign issue for 2014. divide the town once again.
ReplyDeleteThey're here! The Neo-Nimbys! They're new, smarter, sneakier, and they're in office.
ReplyDeleteTrue! It is very important that the emergency medical team could respond and be in the patient in the fastest possible time because even a slight delay could mean death to the patient. So I guess this idea of widening the roads could be a big help. It would be very useful.
ReplyDeleteRemember why to widen. Emergency response over 10 minutes can be fatal.
ReplyDelete