South San Francisco, CA January 29, 2023 by Jeffrey Tong, Local Resident
Dear SSF City Council
In a recent city council meeting, Vice Mayor Mark Nagales said the SSF city council has $21,000,000 which he would really like the city to commit for a bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on the east side of I-101.
What about the residents on the west side? I have been repeatedly alerting the SSF city council about the dangerous I-280 southbound exit onto Westborough Blvd… and the Westborough x Junipero Serra intersection FOR ONE DECADE – ever since Kevin Mullin was just a SSF city councilman! (City Clerk recorded my written letters.)
Based upon the illustrations SSF city engineer Eunejune Kim emailed me, it was clear he didn’t understand exactly where the crosswalk needed to be, so he brushed off my decade-long requests. (Below is my vision – illustrations 1 and 2).
Now Junipero Serra has a freshly painted green north-south bike lane, but absolutely nothing to access it from the east-west direction! If SSF has money for green paint, the city should have enough money to paint a yellow zebra crosswalk for pedestrians at the start of the I-280 southbound exit and at the Junipero Serra / Westborough intersection.
Pedestrians are still crossing Westborough Blvd and Junipero Serra whether you have any crosswalk markings or not. But without any crosswalks, wayfaring signs, or ground markings, pedestrians have no clue where is the safest place to cross! That already resulted in a fatality, which the city blamed on the pedestrian. (My letters to city council evidences that city council has been formally alerted to this danger.)
When I was a member of San Bruno’s Bike & Advisory Committee as far back as 2012, I collaborated with SSF’s BPAC to formally request that SSF’s Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) erect wayfaring signs to Gellert Court one kilometer away to access an unmarked walkway that eventually leads to Avalon Drive, but was flatly denied. It is as though SSF deliberately want pedestrians to get killed!
If SSF won’t spend a dime to fix the dangerous I-280 Westborough and Junipero Serra T and X intersections on the west side, but is itching to spend $21,000,000 on a bike infrastructure on the east side, then spend it on a dedicated bike and pedestrian bridge over I-101 freeway to connect North Access Road in SSF with 7th & Walnut in San Bruno. (illustration 3)
Currently, the SSF Bay Trail segment terminates on the San Bruno Ave overpass at the I-101 northbound freeway entrance – clearly too dangerous for any bicyclist or pedestrian!
City of San Bruno already designated Walnut Ave as a “Bicycle Priority Street” but it currently doesn’t connect to anything. With your $21,000,000 project, it will!
###
Tong 2019 Letter to Editor on this issue: https://everythingsouthcity.com/2019/05/letter-to-editor-pedestrian-crosswalk-needed-on-westborough-blvd-at-i-280-and-junipero-serra-blvd/
Tong 2020 Letter to Editor on this issue: https://everythingsouthcity.com/2020/01/letter-to-editor-crosswalks-needed-at-junipero-serra-and-sidewalks-needed-at-i-280-s-b-exit-at-westborough-blvd-part-2/
Tong 2021 Letter to Editor on this issue: https://everythingsouthcity.com/2021/01/letter-to-editor-danger-westborough-blvd-at-junipero-serra-and-westborough-blvd-at-i-280-southbound-exit-part-3/
The people in Westborough have lived in exile from the larger SSF for decades, as if they’re not taxpayers too.
They didn’t suffer from representation on council, so why didn’t they get at least striping on their streets? This remains the mystery.
Their street signs are so worn, you can’t read them. So they’re taking the $21Mil, and fixing Big Pharma’s roads on the other SSF. Who would’ve thunk ?
mayor mark is a moron. is he serious? there is that kind of money to blow on this nonsense ? must just be happy talk for the bicycle nerds. another bike/pedestrian
path to get mugged or raped on.sure good idea.
Sounds like he’s positioning himself to run for the County supervisor seat so he needed to jump back into the Vice Mayor’s seat, even though he just served as mayor for a full year — supposedly, for those who don’t pay attention, it makes him in a “better position” to be “The Mayor” than just a councilperson to run for his next climb on the political ladder — and how can he get the biotech and corporations to donate to his election campaign if he doesn’t cater to them and step on the residents he’s supposed to represent?
Well Ms. Marcopulos, you’ve stated what could only be interpreted as an “inconvenient truth.” With the emphasis on “truth.” It would seem that our city officials’ zealous desire to grant any industry or developer wishes is not motivated by service to the people but their own self-service. Our city government is unapproachable, secretive and makes unilateral decisions without regard to the residents’ will. If their behavior seems familiar to you, maybe it is because they have replaced our representative democracy with a monarchy. Kings never step down either. All hail King Nagales!
yep sleaze balls trying to fail there way to the top. fail the citizens that is.
wish mayor mark would explain what illustration 3 is good for?
connecting lower san bruno to what? Costco? airport blvd.? I’m confused .
talk slowly I did not go to college. I’m with mr. tong . walking
or riding a bike around here is taking your life in your own hands.
even in residential areas . lot’s of morons on the road. the high
traffic/ busy roads should have pedestrian over passes. where
it makes sense. would not that also help with traffic in general?
so intolerant/distracted drivers would not have to slow down for pesky
pedestrians / bike riders or run them over. let’s face it they do not play well together. and never will. gave up on riding a bike on city streets years ago.
no matter what signs stripes / markings / arrows they paint on the road . ‘
that does little to nothing. and i’m being nice .
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