The Burlingame Voice

ECR: How is this maneuver legal?

Change is afoot for our beloved El Camino Real as the Axe man cometh for the Eucs.  The city e-newsletter notes that pothole repair on a systemic level (as opposed to when someone calls) as "Caltrans is currently completing pothole repair work on El Camino Real, between Howard Avenue and Sanchez Avenue. Work will take place daily, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. One lane will remain open in both directions, but drivers should expect delays."

One thing that will have to change as 91% of the Eucs get cut down, huge swaths of pavement get dug up at one time, trenches get dug for power/phone lines and drainage piping is the commercial parking habits of various truck drivers.  It's not just Amazon, UPS, FedEx, et al.  Check this guy out resupplying Walgreens!  There's a city lot right there, but hey, let's just shut down half of northbound ECR for half an hour or more.  How is that legal?

The Broadway intersection is a train wreck

Last September we got early evidence of how bad the new Broadway-California Dr. intersection alignment is as noted here.  Its unpopularity was immediate and is growing.  The "people just need to get used to it" approach isn't working in the face of more evidence that it's even more dangerous than before.  The latest incident on Monday created a giant mess--65 feet of mess-- as a car carrier full of cars got clipped by a Caltrain as it tried to navigate the too-tight turn left onto southbound California Dr.  The major intersection was closed for more than an hour.  The incident report may determine if a SamTrans bus was in the way or the driver just realized he couldn't make the turn or he just ran out of time.

Before anyone says 65' car carriers shouldn't be travelling on Broadway or California, remember we were the City of Cars (e.g. Auto Row) even before we were the City of Trees.  Car sales taxes are an important part of the B'game financial stability.  We need to make it easier, not harder, for auto businesses to operate.

The California Dr. project has only made things worse for all.  The odd layout with parking in what feels like the middle of the street is just plain weird.  People who do park there feel it innately and you can tell by how close they park to the bike lane bollards and how many fold in their mirrors.

A letter to the DJ editor the following day made a few suggestions some good, but several are not likely to make a real difference.  Among them are:

1. Conspicuous signage to alert drivers of the unique geometrics of the crossing;  There is no amount of signage that will communicate in milliseconds what the problem is for a driver to understand and react to while driving 25 mph.
2. Longer clearing period; This could help.  The City should work with Caltrain to make the track clearance phase immediate and snappier.
3.  Longer warning bell period:  The warning period is adequate.  If you make it longer, then it will create more congestion as trains will lock up the intersection for a longer period of time.  This is not a solution.  And just wait for HSR to come through--oh, nevermind.
4. Restriction of trucks:  This is not realistic.  How do you sign this?  Where do you put reroute signage for truck operators to follow?  And in the end, how do you enforce this – you can’t.  We can’t have BPD out there being hall monitors, especially when we need more enforcement elsewhere in town.
5. Restrict left turns from Carolan Avenue:  This is worth a look!  It might only be a band-aid, but worth studying.

The Daily Journal article on the collision (some locals are refusing to call it an "accident" since these are becoming so common as to be a "feature") puts a lot of hope on the grade separation, but we know that is still deca-millions from being funded.  In the meantime, can we just put California Dr. back the way it was?  Give the SamTrans and truck drivers a break as well as our first responders.  At  least the fire station is close--if the trucks can get up California Dr. when there is nowhere for people to pull over.

Notice how far over the left turn lane is from where it used to be.

Time to reign in E-bikes?

Here is notice of a city study session that is way, way overdue:

On Monday, July 1 at 6pm in Council Chambers, there will be a City Council Study Session regarding micromobility devices (e-bikes, e-scooters, and similar devices). The City Council will discuss applicable State laws and review applicable City ordinances. Please attend to learn more and help inform the City Council's discussion about potential future regulations.

There are kids all over town zipping along at motorcycle speeds with no driving experience or knowledge of traffic laws.  When one of them gets hit you know whose "fault" it will be.

I also wonder if the litter e-bike issue will be addressed.  They are laying around for days all over town, too.

ECR: The Axe man cometh

I should not be surprised, but I still am regarding how few people realize nine out of every ten Eucalyptus trees on El Camino are on Caltrans' chopping block.  People see the survey team out and about up and down the state highway and wonder "What's that all about?"  When you tell them they go "NO, really?"  To which I say "Really".  It interesting to see where some of the stakes are landing--much further into the sidewalks and private property than you would think.  That may not mean what some think it means, but we shall see when property owner notices start going out.  Here's the theodolite--and yes, I did have to look that word up.

Bumpingame: Taking the car out of Carmelita Ave.

One way to get people griping less about California Ave. is to roll out another project unpopular with drivers.  While the aversion to the California conversion is on-going (just mention it at the grocery store!), the multitude of new speed bumps on Carmelita east and west of ECR is jarring drivers' senses--and common sense.  A review of the accident history via the Crimegraphics tracker on the city website doesn't yield nearly enough incidents to cause speed bumps to multiply like rabbits there.  Is the city trying to take the "car" out of Carmelita Ave.?  Shall we rename it Melita Ave.--a main thoroughfare from H'borough to Bumpingame?

The Sunday SF Comicle had a front-page piece titled Drivers feel under siege with S.F. limits.  It described some senior drivers' anxiety over the navigational mazes being implemented as "improvements".  It's more than just banning cars on Market St. or so-called "Slow streets".  And it's not just in EssEff.  I like to pick up the pink Financial Times (of London) sometimes and was amazed to see a Letter to the Editor from a guy in Oakland under the headline Why the nanny state is partly to blame for US road carnage!  He writes:

Meanwhile, endless reconfiguration of America's streets and pavements by traffic engineers who dream of "Amsterdam in Santa Monica" has cluttered once open roadways with mountains of superfluous signage and millions of plastic bollards; new parking arrangement, often in the middle of the street, bicycle paths switched to different lanes every other corner; and elevated bulbs wherever possible--all designed to slow traffic under the guise of creating bike and bus-friendly streets.

The addition of all this visual noise impedes every driver's view, making it ever harder to see that bicycle or pedestrian while elevating the stress.  Alas, too many American drivers have reacted to these safety-related distractions and stressors by developing the habits of road rage.

So don't just blame the culture of freedom that Americans enjoy for the roads mayhem.  At least some fault is due to the nanny state at work, killing us softly with safety enhancements.

George P Csicsery

Zala Films, Oakland, CA, US

My guess is Mr. Csicsery has been to Bumpingame recently.  My wishlist is to take out at least half of the new speed bumps on Melita Ave. and put a moratorium on any more as well as on the cheesy plastic bollards and floppy mid-crosswalk signs that are already looking beat after just a few weeks.  Then bank the money to pay for another police officer to catch scofflaw drivers.  While we're at it, let's check what all of these "improvements" are doing to police, fire and ambulance response times.....

Hat tip to a local wag for the name Bumpingame.

CARE court in San Mateo County: Not a day too soon

More than a few people have been mentioning the arrival of EssEff-like people with obvious mental health issues in town.  The north B'gamers have a couple in and around El Camino, especially on the narrow westside sidewalk around Sanchez.  Us south B'gamers have a couple as well, but not the same from what I am hearing.  Just in the last month, my neighbors have been talking about one guy who wanders down the street peering under cars and "hiding" behind street trees that are six inches in diameter.  I recently called in a wellness check on a different guy who stood perfectly still on an ECR corner for at least eight hours straight.  If he were in a North Korean prison being made to do that, it would be called torture.  There's nothing compassionate about letting this go on.

The news that the County is moving more quickly than required to implement CARE court is welcome news.  The Merc has a piece as well as the DJ:

The program, Community Assistance, Recover and Empowerment Court, is to be implemented by every county within the state by the end of the year. San Mateo County will begin piloting the program July 1, County Executive Officer Mike Callagy announced Tuesday, as one of the eight counties to implement the pilot program early.

The BPD follow-up to my wellness call was prompt and clear about what can and cannot be done...currently.  If someone is on public property and not creating a disturbance, they can decline assistance and that is the end of it.  One neighbor noted that a person was on private property, but moved before anything could be logged.  BPD suggests people continue to call in checks since sometimes the second or third offer is the one that gets accepted.  Per the Merc article

CARE court allows family members, close friends, first responders (my emphasis), behavioral health providers and others to refer someone to the court.  A judge can then order participants--who receive a public defender and a "CARE supporter" to help them through the process-to enroll in tailored treatment plans, which could include placement in a mental health facility or permanent supportive housing.

The whole thing is going to be A Process and it won't be cheap, but it's not like we have much choice.  Once someone has seen two or three of these incidents in a two-week span, it's hard to disagree.  I'm not sure what the least gratifying part of being a local cop is, but this has to be on the list.

Parklets on the chopping block?

Parklets arrived in B'game about four years ago as we noted here.  They were a good idea at the time and helped keep some of our local eateries in business.  That was then, this is now as the city council moves to reign them in.  I don't think many people believed they would still be around four years later and that the $250 per month "cleaning fee" would be insufficient to actually keep the areas around the parklet clean.  That is just one issue.  The impact on street parking, visibility for safe driving (the Rocca parklet being exhibit A) and visibility for storefronts adjacent to the parklets are also drawing council attention.  I would add one more.  The businesses that didn't cover up the orange hydro barriers are contributing to the Make Burlingame Ugly Again (MBUA) trend along with cheesy plastic bollards, floppy crosswalk signs, perpetually empty newspaper boxes, signage overkill, et al.  Add you least favorite street detritus here _____________________.  The Daily Journal is reporting on the council meeting where all of this was discussed

Originally, the parklets were a vital function of maintaining restaurant business during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’ve become overbearing for retailers who make important contributions to the city’s sales tax, Mayor Donna Colson said. 

“I don’t want to jeopardize our balance with hard businesses and restaurants, which are also fun, but are frankly destroying the [Avenue] right in front of the restaurants,” she said. “It’s pitch black, filthy, dirty, they’re not covering the cost, we can’t keep it clean. … I think it’s just a matter of balancing it.”  Currently, 30 parklets in the Burlingame Avenue downtown and the Broadway Commercial district are occupying 63 parking spaces, with 13 extending beyond their business frontages.

The proposed new rules will likely gut the program.

Under the draft ordinance, roofs, trellises and tent shade structures will not be allowed and structural elements will not be allowed to extend beyond the top of the walls to allow for better visibility to adjacent businesses. Curb gutters must be kept unobstructed and furnishings cannot be stored in the parklet when not in use.

Without roofs, the heaters will be much less effective on cold days and diners will be much warmer on sunny lunch hours.  Moving everything out and back in each day probably will motivate restaurants to pull the parklet plug.  We will know by October when the new rules kick in.  It's fun to see the DJ use Bgame in a headline though I prefer it with the apostrophe.

August 2024 Update:  The new rules went into effect at the end of July and many parklets have been removed.  The city notes that we are down to 14 active parklets complying with the new rules.  In other news, the FLiRT variant of Covid is increasing to seriously high levels in the Bay Area at this moment.  Here is a photo of a parklet being disassembled.

 

Mom, where are we going?

This mother doe and her fawn were cruising down Costa Rica Ave. near the Barriolhet intersection this week.  I stopped for the photo and Mom stopped to watch me watch her and let the little one catch up.  I have seen bigger cats in the neighborhood than this fawn.  It must have been no more than 18 inches tall.  Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Transit Poll Says the Quiet Part Out Loud

I doubt we will see a more honest news headline this year than the Merc's take on the latest poll about transit issues in the Bay Area:

     Bay Area voters in support of better transit, if rich people and companies pay

That's the OPM Syndrome that affects a lot of people (the majority?) in California.  57% of 600 people polled support taxing someone else to pay for "affordable and coordinated transit".  I'm surprised it's not eight out of ten.  The poll is gauging support for yet another Sen. Scott Wiener reach into other people's pockets (SB 925).  He wants to better connect the Bay Area's 27 transit agencies.  The problem here should be obvious, but not to "Throw more money at it" Wiener.  Here's the worst part:

Wiener's bill contains no details on how money would be raised, what improvements it would pay for, how a streamlined transit system would be managed, or how spending would be overseen.

Get ready to fill in the "No" box on your ballot.  Meanwhile the giant sucking sound from the Central Valley is unabated.  And give that headline writer a raise.

Holy Axle, Batman. No more pothole.

My buddy at C&D Automotive knows better than most what damage a pothole can cause to your car.  He recently repaired a BMW pothole victim to the tune of $2400.  So when a pothole finally got bad in front of the shop on ECR, he called Caltrans repeatedly over three days and they actually showed up -- in force!  The roving pothole caravan of four trucks swooped in a filled the offending void in a matter of minutes.

Unfortunately, they only filled the one in front of C&D on the northbound side.  There's another biggie on the southbound side that they filled in 2017, but that will probably take six more phone calls.  Caltrans may be easing up on road maintenance on the theory that the Big Project will start soon, but that is small consolation when you get a flat tire, bent rim, banged-up quarter panel or worse.