Thursday, June 13, 2013

PH1A letter alternatives to Highway 1 widening


Pacificans for Highway 1 Alternatives
c/o Hal Bohner, 115 Angelita Avenue • Pacifica, CA 94044phone 650-359-4257, hbohner@earthlink.net
Via Email  June 11, 2013 
Mayor Len Stone LenStonePacifica@gmail.com 
Mayor Pro Tem Mary Ann Nihart nihartm@ci.pacifica.ca.us 
Councilmember Sue Digre digres@ci.pacifica.ca.us 
Councilmember Karen Ervin ErvinK@ci.pacifica.ca.us 
Councilmember Mike O'Neill O'Neillm@ci.pacifica.ca.us 

Re: The proposed Calera Parkway project 
Dear Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and Council Members:
Pacificans for Highway 1 Alternatives (PH1A) is an organization of Pacifica residents who are concerned about Caltrans' proposed plan to widen Highway 1. As you know, many parents drive their children to school in the morning and this is amajor contributor to traffic congestion. PH1A sent a letter dated May 4, 2013 to the Pacifica School District (PSD) explaining a number of things the District could do to reduce traffic congestion on Highway 1, and we are attaching a copy of that letter. (Letter from PH1A to the School District - May 4, 2013.pdf) The District responded to our letter with a letter dated May 8, 2013 (Letter from Pacifica School District to PH1A May 8, 2013.pdf) in which the District stated that they are working to implement the actions requested in our letter.

Caltrans is expected to finalize the Environmental Impact Report for the project soon and at that time you will consider whether to request funding for the project from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. It is clear that the actions which the Pacifica School District plans to take have the potential to significantly reduce congestion on Highway 1. Therefore we are asking that you 1) urge Caltrans to hold off on releasing the Final EIR until the PSD implements their actions and the results are known, and 2) not hold hearings or study sessions or agendize discussion of the FEIR until after the PSD has completed its projects and their effects on traffic congestion have been fully evaluated.

We sent a letter to Caltrans dated May 28 urging Caltrans to delay any further work on the Calera Parkway project for the same reason. A copy of the letter is attached (letter to Bijan Sartipi - with attachments.pdf).
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Hal Bohner
Attachments: letter to Bijan Sartipi - with attachments.pdf, Letter from PH1A to the School District - May 4, 2013.pdf, Letter from Pacifica School District to PH1A May 8, 2013.pdf
--------

Pacificans for Highway 1 Alternatives
c/o Hal Bohner, 115 Angelita Avenue • Pacifica, CA 94044, phone 650-359-4257,  hbohner@earthlink.net
Via Email May 28, 2013
Mr. Bijan Sartipi, District Director, California Department of Transportation District 4, Bijan.Sartipi@dot.ca.gov

Re: Caltrans’ Proposed Calera Parkway / Highway 1 Widening Project in Pacifica
Dear Mr. Sartipi:
Pacificans for Highway 1 Alternatives (PH1A) is an organization of Pacifica residents who are concerned about Caltrans' proposed plan to widen Highway 1 for the purpose of  reducing traffic congestion. We are writing to you concerning Caltrans' proposed project, which is the subject of a document titled Draft Environmental Impact Report / Environmental  Assessment for State Route 1 / Calera Parkway / Highway 1 Widening Project San Mateo County, California 04-SM- 1 / PM 41.7/43.0 / EA 04-254600.

It is well known by Pacifica residents that many parents drive their children to school in the morning and that this is a major contributor to traffic congestion. PH1A sent a letter dated May 4, 2013 to the Pacifica School District (PSD) explaining a number of things the District could do to reduce traffic congestion on Highway 1, and we are attaching a copy of that letter. (Letter from PH1A to the School District - May 4, 2013.pdf) The District responded to our letter with a letter dated May 8, 2013 (Letter from Pacifica School District to PH1A May 8, 2013.pdf) in which the District stated that they are working to implement the actions requested in our letter.

It is clear that the actions which the Pacifica School District plans to take have the potential to significantly reduce congestion on Highway 1. Accordingly, we urge Caltrans to delay any further work on the Calera Parkway project until after the PSD has completed its projects and their effects on traffic congestion have been fully evaluated.
We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Hal Bohner
Copy: Marc Hershman, District Director, Office of Senator Jerry Hill
Attachments:  Letter from PH1A to the School District - May 4, 2013.pdf, Letter from Pacifica School District to PH1A May 8, 2013.pdf
-------

Pacificans for Highway 1 Alternatives
c/o Hal Bohner, 1 1 5 A n g e l i t a A v e n u e • P a c i f i c a , C A 9 4 0 4 4, phone 650-359-4257, hbohner@earthlink.net
Sent by email   May 4, 2013
Board of Trustees of the Pacifica School District
Richard Faust, President rfaust@pacificasd.org
Joan Weideman, Vice-President joanweideman@yahoo.com
Andrea Gould, Clerk agould@pacificasd.org
Matthew Levie, Vice Clerk mlevie@pacificasd.org
Eric Ruchames, Member eruchames@pacificasd.org
Wendy Tukloff, Superintendent wtukloff@pacificasd.org

Re: Highway 1 in Pacifica
Dear Trustees and Ms. Tukloff:
PH1A is an organization of Pacifica residents who are concerned about Caltrans' proposed plan to widen Highway 1. As you may know the Caltrans project would widen the Highway to over twice its present width and would significantly widen the intersections at Reina del Mar and Fassler Avenues. The construction would last for years. The negative impact on all Pacificans is apparent. Many parents drive their kids to school each morning and their commute would be made much longer throughout the construction period. The intersection at Reina del Mar Avenue and Highway 1 would be a mess which would be disruptive for all commuters in Pacifica and especially for parents who drive their kids to Vallemar School. After completion, the project would leave the Reina del Mar intersection significantly wider than it is now, which means a hazard for pedestrians, particularly children who cross there on their way to and from school.
We are writing to you to request that the Pacifica School District consider the opportunities it has to mitigate the traffic congestion and eliminate the need for Caltrans to engage in its massive construction project. Even more importantly the District could reduce traffic congestion in the near future as compared to the Caltrans project which might not even begin for years.
It is apparent that the District could take a number of actions to significantly reduce traffic congestion on Highway 1. In 2010 Caltrans held public meetings in Pacifica to discuss its proposed widening project and during those meetings Pacifica residents noted that traffic congestion on Highway 1 during the AM commute period is far worse when school is in session as compared to when school is not in session.
The District has hired traffic consultants, Alta Planning, as part of the Safe Routes to School program, and Alta Planning has produced a report dated June 2012 ( for your reference we have attached the report - Pacifica SR2S Summary Report 2012-06-08 smaller file size.pdf) We have studied the Alta Planning Report and find much in it which supports this conclusion, as we will explain below.

We are suggesting both District-wide changes and changes affecting only Vallemar School.
1. District-Wide Actions
Specifically, concerning District-wide actions, 1) the District could alter the starting times of some or all schools in the District so the starting times do not coincide with peak commute time; 2) The District could improve its Internet-based program which facilitates carpooling by parents; 3) the District could implement a school bus program.
1.1 Alter starting times
Data in the Alta Planning Report strongly suggests that altering the starting times of the schools would significantly reduce traffic congestion. The Report indicates Pacifica schools have open enrollment so that regardless of where a student lives he or she can enroll in a school anywhere in Pacifica. According to our calculations, based on information in the report there are over 3000 students in the district. Depending on the school between 55% and 78% are driven to school, and 34% are driven more than two miles each day. Per week children are driven to school at total of 1730 miles. Most of the schools in Pacifica begin between 8:19 and 8:30 AM which coincides with at the peak commute time. (See our Table 1, attached.)
1.2 Car pooling
We understand that the District has an Internet-based car pool program called SchoolPool matching.
https://www.schoolpool.511.org/?client=pacificasd This program would seem to have the potential to improve school-related traffic significantly. However, it does not appear to be effective since the Alta Planning Report indicates that for all Pacifica schools only a small percentage of children participate in carpools. For example, the Report indicates that for Vallemar School 59% of the students are driven to
school while only 6% participate in carpools. (pg 7-5, pg 81 of 192) In our experience the SchoolPool matching program is not encouraged or widely publicized and most parents are not aware of it.
1.3 School Buses
Providing school buses would reduce traffic congestion for the same reasons as would car pooling as explained above. Of course, none of the schools in Pacifica have buses, although in the past school buses were used in Pacifica.
2. Vallemar School only
The Alta Planning report notes that Vallemar School is located on Reina del Mar Avenue, two blocks
from the intersection of Reina del Mar Avenue with Highway 1. The Report states: A significant challenge for walking and bicycling to Vallemar Elementary Schoolis that it is not a neighborhood school and students enroll from all over Pacifica. Pacifica’s neighborhoods are isolated from one another by steep hills andOnly a small percentage of students live in the surrounding neighborhood, and Highway 1. (pg 7-1, pg 77 of 192)
The report goes on to note that in the AM 75% of students are driven to school. (pg 7-1, pg 77 of 192)  Although not noted in the report it is well known that the beginning of school in the morning coincides with peak commuter traffic. Some of our members live near the school, and it is obvious that the traffic to and from the school is a major contributor to congestion at the intersection of Reina del Mar Avenue and Highway 1.
How can the District improve traffic on Highway 1? We will offer a number of suggestions; the first is simple - start the school either earlier or later, at a time which does not directly coincide with peak commuter traffic. The second suggestion is more complex and we call it a "walking school bus" solution. The third is to provide places parents can park near the school and then walk with their child to school.
2.1 Altered School Start Time
There are 560 students enrolled at the school, and school begins at 8:19 AM for grades 4-8. The Alta
Planning Report (pg 7-1, pg 77 of 192) indicates that 75% of the students are driven to school and most live a mile or more from school. Alta Planning Report (pg 7-2, pg 78 of 192 and pg 7-5, pg 81 of 192) All cars driving to the school must pass through the intersection of Reina del Mar and Highway 1.
2.2 Walking School Bus
The concept of a walking school bus is recommended on page 7-11 of the Alta Planning report (in the section titled "Cabrillo Highway Intersection"), which states, "There is a small parking lot that serves local businesses such as the Vallemar Bar and Grill and P-town coffee. Some parents discussed the possibility of using this area as an additional parking location. Adjacent to the bus stop, it might also provide a starting point for a walking school bus." (pg 7-9, pg 85 of 192) To clarify, by a "walking school bus" we understand the report to mean that a place is established where parents can park to drop off their kids and the kids can gather in a group ( a "bus") and then walk together to the school under adult supervision. (We are attaching a drawing marked up to show what we believe to be the intended parking lot.)
How would the walking school bus system improve traffic on Highway 1? We believe that during the AM commute many parents drive north toward San Francisco, and presently they need to turn right onto Reina del Mar Avenue, drive two blocks to drop off their kids and then return to the intersection and get back on Highway 1 and head north. These maneuvers require that the traffic signal give a green light to traffic traveling east and west on Reina del Mar which of course requires longer red lights for northbound traffic on Highway 1. However, the parking lot could be altered to provide entry from and exit to Highway 1 directly. Then parents could easily enter the lot from Highway 1, drop their kids off and return to Highway 1 - all without going right onto Reina del Mar Avenue and then having to get back onto Highway 1. (Unfortunately, if Caltrans widens the highway as proposed, the effect on the parking lot is not clear; however it appears that the parking lot would be significantly reduced in size or perhaps eliminated.)
A modification of this idea could be to locate the walking school bus drop off location at the Pacifica Police Station which is immediately north of the Reina del Mar intersection, and this might result in an even better traffic pattern at the Reina del Mar intersection. Moreover, there is presently a driveway adjacent the Police Station leading to Vallemar School where the "school bus" could travel. (See the attached drawing.)  A similar walking school bus could be provided for parents who live north of Vallemar School. Those parents could drop their kids at the parking lot just to the west of the Renia del Mar intersection, also shown on the attached drawing. Or those parents could make a U-turn and then use the walking school bus lot at the police station.
These walking school bus locations would enable parents to avoid having to drive through the Reina del Mar signal and then drive along Reina del Mar, drop off their child and then return to the signal. Not only would this relieve congestion at the signal and allow more green time for north bound commuters it would also benefit the parents who could avoid the messy traffic situation at Vallemar School. Moreover, less traffic on Reina del Mar would make the area around the school safer for children who are walking there.
2.3 Park and Walk opportunities
The concept of park and walk locations is explained in the Alta Planning Report (pg 8-9, pg 99 of 192) as follows:
Park and Walk.  Pacifica does not have neighborhood schools; students are dispersed throughout the city and may live a significant distance away from their schools. This and the city’s hilly topography create barriers to walking and bicycling. Park and Walk programs designate meeting points where parents can drop theirchildren off and either walk the last leg of the journey into school or link them with other parents who can complete the journey to school with their children. Such a program can disperse congestion through a larger area around the school site and demonstrate solidarity with their peers who walk and bike to school. Most schools in Pacifica have nearby sites that could serve as Park and Walk locations.
We have seen an example of the Park and Walk concept in action. Some of our members live in the Vallemar District of Pacifica and drive their children to Ocean Shore School. We have observed that traffic becomes congested in the school parking lot just before the morning starting time. However, to avoid the congestion many parents park in the neighborhood surrounding the school and then walk with their children to the school. This same opportunity exists at Vallemar School but parents do not seem to avail themselves of the walking options. Some possible park and walk locations for Vallemar School are the following (shown on our attached drawing) 1) the parking lot just to the west of the Reina del Mar signal; 2) the parking lot at the sewage treatment plant; 3) west Fairway Park neighborhood. Another opportunity could be provided at that parking lot of the Pacifica Police Station - this would require the City of Pacifica to participate by opening the lot to parents for a short time in the mornings.
We suggest that the District and Vallemar School encourage parents to use these park and walk
opportunities which would not only help relieve traffic congestion for all Pacifica commuters but also allow parents and children to experience the benefits of walking to school.  Thank you for your consideration of our comments. Please let us have your response to our suggestions.
Sincerely,
Hal Bohner
Ron Maykel,
Members of Pacificans for Highway 1 Alternatives (PH1A)

Submitted by Jim Wagner 

Posted by Kathy  Meeh

52 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's see, park on the west side of the highway, walk to the crosswalk, push the button, wait, rush across the street in the middle of the morning commute, and continue on to school. All the while joking and goofing with your classmates. Somehow I see a flaw in this plan. Couldn't possibly be the traffic nightmare caused by hundreds of kids pushing the crosswalk button. Or the last kid rushing out to catch up with his buddies. Idjuts! Friggin Idjuts.

Anonymous said...

The gang of NO, is at it again.

Anonymous said...

Who gives these people the right to tell thousands of commuters they have to be less safe and sit in traffic when a rational solution is at hand?! Didn't some fire guys check in on the safety issue? This is nuts. Normal towns move forward.

Anonymous said...

If anyone was undecided on this issue, reading this letter with its hare-brained suggestions so neatly laid-out, should help one decide. It's either got to be some fantastic innovation in traffic signals which we haven't seen yet, or highway construction because expecting people to change their behavior, as this letter does, is ridiculous, won't work, and completely fails to address the afternoon traffic congestion.

Anonymous said...

very dangerous "solution" for these kids. Parents at cabrillo school know about this?

Anonymous said...

check 656 post, i would guess anon means vallemar school

Stick me with a fork, I'm done said...

Trust me, I'm a lawyer! Has that ever panned out? And he was one of three city attorneys that rode the gravy train when the "friends of pacifica" took control of the council. Hypocrits! I'm so done with these people.

Anonymous said...

Gosh, a lot of the members of PH1A
(pronounced FEE YA! with passion, like a karate yell) including Mr. Maykel, are the same uber-sensitive folks who laid it on the line for the plovers. Convinced council to give them about a 1/3rd of LMBeach. To start with.

Isn't it odd that they are so, well, insensitive, when it comes to the health and safety of school children and motorists? Very odd.

Anonymous said...

It would seem that the people so opposed to fixing our highway have never been out of Pacifica. Haven't they see the Highway 1, 92 repair in HMB? That's all we're getting done. There was ranting and incantations to the no-growth god's that this would end civilization but now they, too, are enjoying traffic flow through what used to be a bottle neck. Their myopic view of the world has kept Pacifica growth retarded for 30 years. Time to put away the rants and raves of the 60's and meet up with the 21st century. No one is going to pave the mountains and put 280 type freeways in this town. Open your eyes!

Anonymous said...

The comments over on riptide are comical. The "gang of no" happen to be experts in everything!

Anonymous said...

Either you are willing to explore the best. least expensive solution to the problem or you are using the "traffic excuse" to cover your built-it-out agenda. At least have the guts to say which it is, if not STFU.

Chris Porter said...

As I said on RIPTIDE it is the same people who protested the Quarry build out because of too much traffic now saying there is no
traffic problem. Where were all these great problem solving ideas then. Same problem, same people with different conclusions depending on what side of the question you are on. Some of us have been around long enough to get the irony of this debate.

Anonymous said...

for those 30 people opposed at every turn to a safety widening of Rt. 1, I say stop throwing up artificial roadblocks and hiding behind the kids and schools.
No one takes the bus nor walks to work. Car pools are working as well as they ever will be.
Bohner met with the school district about buying buses or backing off school start times. He was told directly NO on both items.
Bohner now cooks up a hiking program for kids to be dropped off 1/4 mile from the school during the January rain. Unacceptable.
That's why opponents are justifiably called the Gang of No. They don't care about the greater community interests of 40,000 people in Pacifica. They do not represent me...

Hutch said...

So Bohner says "District stated
that they are working to implement the actions requested in our letter."

The District actually says in their letter: ""At this time we are working on the many requested actions to be considered in the correspondence."


This is how these people operate. Misquote and twist things around to serve their agenda.

Anonymous said...

What these hippies won't tell you here is that they are opposed to all cars. If they could they would ban them or tax them heavily. That's why it burns them up that money is spent on a highway.

As they drive around town in their smoke spewing 1982 Volvo Wagons.

Anonymous said...

birds first, clear the beach. kids get dumped in traffic on the road in the rain

todd bray said...

Chris Porter, is Recology looking to build a MERF on the acreage for sale next to the Lutheran church?

Anonymous said...

Is a MERF like a SMERF?

Anonymous said...

It's hilarious when people make up wild accusations, and when people like Chris don't engage in their little fairy tale, they use that as proof that it's true.

Birther much?

Anonymous said...

oh no, not at all. no one dresses up as a Merf for Halloween.

Anonymous said...

"There is a small parking lot that serves local businesses such as the Vallemar Bar and Grill and P-town coffee. Some parents discussed the possibility of using this area as an additional parking location. Adjacent to the bus stop, it might also provide a starting point for a walking school bus." What! I'm sure the stores and restaurants there would love that idea! And how does that stop traffic from turning right on Reina Del Mar?
Oh, and this gem: 1) the parking lot just to the west of the Reina del Mar signal; 2) the parking lot at the sewage treatment plant; 3) west Fairway Park neighborhood. Another opportunity could be provided at that parking lot of the Pacifica Police Station - this would require the City of Pacifica to participate by opening the lot to parents for a short time in the mornings. We suggest that the District and Vallemar School encourage parents to use these park and walk opportunities which would not only help relieve traffic congestion for all Pacifica commuters but also allow parents and children to experience the benefits of walking to school.

How many of you parents think it's a good idea to have your kids walk across the hwy at commute time? Oh, and how fun would it be to have cars and kids wandering all over the place in Fairway making their way to Vallemar School.
Brilliance at its dullest.

Anonymous said...

It's even more ironic when those same people call others "brown shirts", 10:05.

Anonymous said...

1005 Back to the old question. Is Ms. Porter here in her official capacity as GM of Recology, or, as just another itinerant blogger? Can she be both? Is true happiness possible? Do we all have just one true soul mate? Do dogs dream? About their soul mate?

Anonymous said...

ATTENTION: All Conspiracy Theorists

I just took a drive along Hwy 1 through Half Moon Bay yesterday and guess what? Near the Frenchman's Creek neighborhood, Caltrans appears to be leveling the frontage road adjacent to Hwy 1.9 bulldozers, graders). Further north by the Nurseryman's Exchange, again Caltrans workers out(surveyors?) Then right across from Sam's Chowder House, bulldozer's cutting back the embankment. Come on theorists,this must definitely part of another diabolical Caltrans plot to create a freeway on the Coastside. Now if Caltrans will only resurrect that five mile tunnel idea under Hwy 92 to connect with Hwy 280, we will have irrefutable evidence!

Anonymous said...

If you are a brown shirt will that trigger a brown act violation?

Anonymous said...

hmmm, only if you're also an elected or appointed public official. let's stop right there!

Anonymous said...

@1137 next time, keep going. miles of highway out there and we're depending on you.

Anonymous said...

MRF

Is that like Rita on Arrested Development?

Anonymous said...

and here is the complete failure of the Gang of No come to fruition.

everyone else must sacrifice so THEY can live the quiet lives they desire. the uber liberals have come home to roost.

Anonymous said...

Hello? I think you just defined a NIMBY.

Anonymous said...

The "gang of no" seems to be more alive and well on Fix Pacifica than anywhere else in town.
No to civil conversation.
No to any idea other than their own.
No to solutions of forward thinking cities that are succeeding at moving away from 1950's planning models that proliferate the use of single passenger cars and ongoing consumption of fossil fuels.
No to anything that isn't focused on cement, construction and the ability to speed through town with their very busy important lives.

Open your minds, look to the future and think, before it is too late.

Anonymous said...

The "gang of no" was always much better orgainzed then the "gang of yes."

The "gang of yes" was full of rogue realtors and people with big huge egos.

Anonymous said...

@1230 you may have opened your mind just a little too much. it got away!

Anonymous said...

"Rogue realtors"? I feel like I'm on safari every time I see that term. Crazed elephants crashing through the jungle, destroying everything in sight.

Chris Porter said...

Todd..As I stated on RIPTIDE, the MURF idea was about 15 years ago so you are really grasping....

Anonymous said...

Whoa there 1230 I'm confused. Which ones are the gang of no?

John 8:32 said...

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

Anonymous said...

Jeremiah 8:10
From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit.

Anonymous said...

It's hilarious that pseudo-environmentalists like 12:30 attempt to paint themselves as stewards of the environment, but then they staunchly oppose any kind of mixed use, more dense development that would actually support mass transit and could start to eliminate the single passenger cars they say they hate.

A hippy that promotes open space in the form of Linda Mar ranchers is just a hypocritical NIMBY.

Anonymous said...

I thought 1230 was more stewed and incoherent than steward of the environment.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 5:04pm.
When and where did Anonymous 12:30 note that they were against mixed use, transit oriented development? Or where did they state anything about Linda Mar ranchers? Making things up doesn't help the conversation.

Anonymous 6:30pm. Petty mean remarks with no bearing don't move things forward either.

Anonymous said...

"A hippy that promotes open space in the form of Linda Mar ranchers is just a hypocritical NIMBY." Really? I'll bet you can find lots of ways to make the case for highway-widening or more residential development. Going after the folks who can afford and prefer the traditional single-family dwelling, and pay the property taxes it involves, is not the smartest approach.

Stone Cold Steve Austin said...

"You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and it didn't get you anywhere! Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your a$$!"

Anonymous said...

Stone Cold, you've found your calling. All the same, I'll stick with John 3:16 ...that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Anonymous said...

Right, like the same group of hypocritical NIMBYs didn't oppose the mixed use quarry development -- only then, their argument was that there was too much traffic on Highway One. What's changed to make the commute such a dream now?

Anonymous said...

@650 Hey, I thought he was blogging under the influence. BUI is a huge problem.

Anonymous said...

oh yeah, definitely BUI

Anonymous said...

Danm nimbys screwed this town and they're still screwing it everytime we try to move ahead.

todd bray said...

Ha, I think Jay and Silent Bob had the right idea: spend their movie money check on travel to visit all the comment posters who criticized them and go to town on them! Sounds like a lot of you Yessie's would love to do that.

Ha,ha,ha... Yessie's.

Anonymous said...

Caltrans was out surveying on Highway 1 today right around Fairway Park. Like it or not "group of no" it is going to happen!!

Anonymous said...

Larks and dirt naps before it does.

Anonymous said...

114 You sound like a true believer. Can I interest you in this great new taxamajig we're peddling for council? We get a trip to ChuckChancey if it passes.