This is the only solution Keener, Martin, and Digre left us with as an "alternative" to Highway 1 modernization and safety improvements. Won't be any more because they gave the $10,000,000 allocated to fix the Highway back to the county. Yep, gave it back. Those of you in that commute in the morning and afternoon make sure you thank Keener, Martin, and Digre, our council majority, for their gift of our tax money that we paid back to the county to reallocate to cities that want to repair their infrastructure. Enjoy your commute.
Submitted by Jim Wagner
"As we kick off the New Year, I hope that recent technology improvements at two intersections in Pacifica along Highway 1 will help keep traffic moving a bit more smoothly for you. Newly installed InSync Adaptive Traffic Control System cameras at the intersections of Highway 1/ Reina Del Mar and Highway 1/ Fassler Avenue are designed to provide an intelligent transportation system that enables traffic signals to adapt to actual traffic demand. The system has two main hardware components, the video cameras and the processor, sometimes referred to as "the eyes" and "the brain" of the system, respectively. The mounted video cameras count the exact number of cars demanding service at the intersection and how long they’ve been waiting, while the processor facilitates the changing of the traffic signal lights. The timing on when the lights change is prioritized based on the length of traffic queue and how long the vehicles have been delayed. This dynamic way of determining when the light should change enables the traffic signals to use green time efficiently. The City will be evaluating the effectiveness of the system during its initial operation. Let us know if you observe any improvements yourself by dropping an e-mail to CMOffice@ci.pacifica.ca.us.
Please let me know if you have comments or questions, and thank you for wanting to Connect with Pacifica!
Sincerely,
KEVIN WOODHOUSE
City Manager"
37 comments:
ahh the kool-aid drinking begins.Light timing won't work during commute. The vendor said Hwy 1 congestion is a capacity problem. Caltrans said same thing. County Trans authority said it's a capacity problem. All those folks commuting who don't take the bus think its a capacity problem too. Poor city manager.. given his happy talk instructions..Let the spin begin!
Deirdre Martian and her mentors Cynthia Kaufman and Peter Loeb were the lead agents of this fiasco. They decided for all of us, to tell the county thanks but no thanks, we don't want the $10,000,000 earmarked to fix our Highway One traffic mess. Not only did we pay for this earmark through many years of taxation, they lied and said the MAJORITY of Pacificans don't want this money to fix this problem. Democracy is dead in Pacifica.
It's funny that the system they put in is done by the same company that Sue Digre invited to come to town and present their product to the city manager and another council person (sue forgot about the meeting and didn't show) who they told that this system would not work for Pacifica's problem. We had a capacity issue not timing issue. Nice smokescreen. Some of us remember this stuff.
Nice waste of funds.
I hope people west of Hwy 1 realize these meetings may decide the fate of their homes and businesses. The intolerable three would like nothing better than to run this stealth like under a cloud of "nothing to worry about here".
Their putting values on your property right now. Wonder how that will look, and if we'll get to see it.
@ The Watcher
It is obvious the property prices in Pacifica are depressed because of lack of infrastructure in addition to lack of economic opportunities.
We can't have economic opportunities in Pacifica because we are disallowed from improving infrastructure to support them. It is a vicious cycle. The city is being held hostage.
I think there is room for both improving the infrastructure and keeping our environment. It frustrates me that Pacifica hasn't been able to find a middle ground for more than 3 decades. The current ideology in control must go!
"property prices in Pacifica are depressed" In what alternate reality are you living? If Pacifica housing prices are lower than other nearby cities, it's only because the quality of the housing stock is crap. Really, who wants to pay a million bucks for a Linda Mar rancher?
Who is holding the city hostage?
Keener, Martian, Digre, Kaufman, Loeb, Lancelle, Hall, Verby and friends.
They are to blame for our cities utter failure.
10:55
Are you on powerful hallucinogenics. Terra Nova Townhouses are selling for over $725,000. Linda Mar Ranchers are going for a million bucks.
@2:31 any housing price inflation in Pacifica is purely due to the fact of vicinity to SF and the Bay Area. Is there anything in Pacifica that is desirable other than the above fact?
There is no economic center of gravity in Pacifica that attracts a tax base that can help improve the local infrastructure and sustain a desirable quality of life
Which really means housing in Pacifica is driven by external factors and we do nothing to add value on top of that. I suggest you visit Pebble Beach/Carmel sometime. Its a study that might help broaden your perspective.
Right. There is nothing desirable in Pacifica other than the fact that it is close to SF. :facepalm:
Hmm, Pebble Beach and Carmel. You can bet their not talking about letting the ocean encroach on their coastline. No way, just good ole progressive Ptown is considering managed retreat as a solution. Yep, smart move. Let the ocean eat up everything west of Hwy 1 then start knowing on the highway itself. A billion dollars worth of structures maybe.......
Libertarian
Carmel has a downtown and takes advantage of being a beach town.
Your boy Keener who you helped get elected, and his ilk doomed Pacifica into the Ragdump it currently is.
Desirable in Pacifica. The beach!
Hillsborough and Atherton have zero and near zero economic center. It didn't hurt prices there.
Libertarian....uh oh, now you went and did it. The commies in control of our town hate Carmel.
Too many people with money live there. Therefore it is evil and unworthy. Read Cynthia Kaufman's communist manifesto and Pacifica's plight becomes very apparent.
@7:50 AM
Atherton is neighbors to Menlo Park/Palo Alto/Stanford on the south and Redwood Shores/City on the north. The collective market capitalization of companies based around Atherton easily exceeds a trillion dollars. Before Silicon Valley took root, Atherton had thriving agriculture. They had a pre-existing economic center of gravity and they took advantage of what happened in their neighborhood.
Hillsborough was settled by wealthy people for more than 150 years. It too had thriving agricultural and also allowed for the traditionally rich in San Francisco, who didn't take too well to the fog, to settle at a distance from their place of business.
Both Atherton and Hillsborough had historical factors that built the foundation on which they rest today in addition to taking advantage of changing times.
Pacifica has practically one usable beach -- The Linda Mar Beach.
And you know what this beach has?
It has public toilets and a pump station blocking views of the pristine ocean.
And also the worlds most beautiful Taco Bell. It is beyond stupid. Its criminal.
The other "beaches" in Rockaway, around the Pier are just plain dangerous for general public (rough waves, high cold winds, fog). The one in the north lost its access stairs during one of the past storms. Not sure if that was ever repaired. Point being, these beaches are not for the casual visitor. And even for that local person, not easily accessible for a casual stroll. For comparison consider the beaches in Half Moon Bay.
There are better trails and beaches down in Montara, Half Moon Bay without the curious brain twisting craziness of Pacifica -- which is also perhaps why all the towns/villages south of Pacifica have actually registered a net increase in population while Pacifica's has remained the same.
Is Pacifica on its own (without SF) an interesting place to live? Maybe.
However,given a choice, I would much prefer Eureka, Fort Bragg, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Carmel, Morro Bay, Los Osos -- which all offer a better living experience for less $$s (except Carmel) without the stupidity.
That said,
I would like Pacifica to thrive economically.
I would like people in Pacifica to be prosperous.
I would like Pacifica to have a strong economic base that will help develop and maintain infrastructure.
I would like Pacifica to have its own identity (as opposed to being a hanger-on to SF's coat-tails).
I would like Pacifica to have better schools.
I would like for Pacifica to attract economic growth agents -- such as Biotech, High-Technology Software, Life Sciences.
I would like for Pacifica to attract positive culture and innovation from around the world in all kinds of liberal arts and scientific thought on its own.
I really believe Pacifica has all the economic potential of something like Carmel/Pebble Beach and that Pacifica should make an effort to realize that.
@Pragmatist Pete
They filled out the hollow/low lying part of the shore line to a higher level and built a world class golf course!
I think we could use a similar strategy for fairway park.
For those areas that are under sea level (or will be), the city could rezone for taller structures. A developer could fill the area with dirt and reinforced concrete/re-bar (similar to what SF did for their high-rises in financial district/SOMA) and build high rise commercial+living apartments.
Both parts of the fairway park could be connected via overhead bridge.
If the area is rezoned appropriately such that the existing owners can cash out safely -- its a win win for everyone.
Libertarian...I agree with all of your good points. Unfortunately none of them will materialize with a Keener, Martian, Digre 3-2 majority "nothing for Pacifica" stranglehold. Their puppet masters are Loeb, Lancelle, Verby, Hall and a radical socialist contingent led by Cynthia Kaufman are united by a selfish "I got Mine" agenda and a hypocritical disdain for anyone that they determine are "evil rich people". Get rid of these idiots and their friends and Pacifica might just have a chance. These extremists are willing to lie to anyone, anywhere and at anytime. They and they alone are destroying Pacifica.
Local Lib for council! I agree with you. Too bad the likes of Cynthia Kaufman, Keener, Martin, Bohner, Hall, and the rest of the gang that have systematically handcuffed Pacifica's economy with a no-nothing-here-ever mantra. This new group of council majority progressives are just plain dangerous. Keener's mayor so watch what is attempted this year.
10:34
You forgot to address your good buddy John Keener.
Its time to rid the council of the extreme types. The planning for that should start now. I am unequivocally for development of Pacifica.
I lean Libertarian. But I also accept that reality is a mix of both left and right.
There is a time and place for government. And then there is a time and place for personal freedoms. And a harmony of government and citizen is possible!
Harmony is not achievable with Pacifica Progressives under the leadership of Cynthia Kaufman.
They run the council majority. They only serve their own sanctimonious interests.
does Cynthia Kaufman live in Pacifica?
yes
Cynthia Kaufman is a Valle-Martian!
Well I gotta admit, the traffic has been much better lately. I though it was because school was still out, but no, its late January and they are all back in. Last week, Monday to Friday, there were no undue backups, at least during my commute hours (8 to 8:30 AM and 4 to 5 PM). I did notice a bit of a backup on Saturday morning as people were heading to the coastside on a sunny weekend, but that was pretty mild too. Time will tell if this is the new normal, but it is promising. Thanks to Jim for pointing out the new light system is in place, it explains a lot. Have others noticed the same thing?
This morning the traffic was backed up half way to crespi, but it moved surprisingly fast. I'd guess the delay was at least cut in half, when the light turns green you actually go somewhere! Manor was another story...
post above at 915 is fantasy...light timing isn't on yet. system being calibrated. The keener crowd will claim victory even when system is not running lights... rest of us stuck in traffic will wish we had more lanes. remember, the insync sales rep said the light timing would not work during commute, congestion is a capacity problem timing will not fix...
This evening commute seemed like it might be the time I find the limits of the new system, as it was backed up nearly to Sharp Park road. But once again traffic moved faster than expected and I was through fassler in 6 minutes - usually that would be more like 10. (Yup I timed it!) That was at 4:45, somewhat early in the peak commute. And remember, even without traffic that stretch can take several minutes, since it includes 2 traffic lights.
Still being calibrated? Great, that means it's going to get better still as they calibrate the system. And for 1/100th the price of the widening without 2 years of unbearable construction delays!
How do you know the system is still being calibrated? They said they needed 2 weeks to collect data, which they have had.
I'm in that evening commute all the time. The backup is caused by the merging of Sharp Park road traffic. After the merge, traffic runs pretty smoothly through the Vallemar light. The highway widening would not have extended as far as the Sharp Park merge so it wouldn't have done anything to improve the evening commute.
You're right, @9:21, in that the addition of the Sharp Park Road traffic onto a two lane road that already has two full lanes of traffic on it during the evening commute is what causes the backup. If there was a three lane road starting just south of Sharp Park Road, and ending where at least 1/3 of the traffic turns off onto Fassler, there would be no backup for the Sharp Park Road traffic to merge into, and the problem would be solved. That was exactly what CalTrans proposed, and until that's done (or until we all start carpooling or taking buses or working from home), that problem will continue. (Think of an old-style egg-timer with sand in it. The narrower the gap, the longer it takes for the sand to fall through. It's not rocket science!)
No, that is not what Caltrans proposed. The 3rd lane would not start just south of Sharp Park Road. It would start well south of the Moose Lodge and Mori Point Road. It would start just before the Vallemar light. There would still be a bottleneck and the backup would still happen.
"The keener crowd will claim victory even when system is not running lights."
And when people complain that the commute isn't any better, the NIMBYS will say we need to add more intersections to the traffic system. In fact, Sue Digre already used that as a preemptive excuse in the Tribune, because she knows the InSync system won't work. Then when people finally figure out the InSync system won't work, they'll start saying we need to run more buses. Then they'll say people need to adjust their work hours, or ride bikes to work, or drivers need to be retrained to leave less space between cars while driving.
I've been in the evening commute this week at different times between about 5:00 and 6:00. There's a slow down at the merge with Sharp Park Road, then everything runs pretty smoothly through the Vallemar and Fassler lights.
Steve Sinai
I think you would be perfect for city council. Not on the nimby side and not on the pave every square inch of dirt in Pacifica side.
Any chance you will run?
I concur with 8:33, 2 work weeks with no delays more than 4 minutes above non peak times. I could get used to this!
I was in the commute tonight just before 5:00. Like 8:33 says it slowed down at Sharp Park but gradually sped up so that by the curve it was moving at speed on through the lights.
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