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High Speed Rail board listens to Burlingame. NOT.

HSR Elevated Structure in front of Station.sml. 

There was a standing room only meeting of the High Speed Rail Authority in San Francisco today. Needless to say, there were many speakers who raised grave concerns about the projects potential negative impacts on Burlingame and surrounding cities.

Many, including the members of our council, have long advocated a tunnel or below ground option. They have, along with many other citizens, made it clear that an elevated structure through the heart of Burlingame is simply not acceptable.

Today's engineering plans revealed what some of us have criticized the authority of doing from day one. Not listening. They have not listened to our concerns and their assertion that our opinion counts has been disingenuous.

The options for Burlingame unveiled today suggest an arial structure through much of our city. The other option keeps on the table an open trench.

Disappointed but not surprised. t maybe time for the city of Burlingame, other Peninsula cities, The and The Peninsula Cities Consortium to  "lawyer up."

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22 responses to “High Speed Rail board listens to Burlingame. NOT.”

  1. Bobby

    I hope folks now realize that all this context sensitive solutions (CSS) that our town leaders and leaders from other Peninsula cities were advocating was just a huge waste of time and money (like the HSR program in general).
    CHSRA, Didiron, Kopp and company are going to do what they want to do, at the lowest possible price.
    If folks on the Peninsula really want this stopped, either vote for Meg or take the gloves off and start a petition to recall HSR (prop 1a)

  2. Lorne

    I’m afraid there’s an even “bigger picture” beyond California — courtesy of the US Dept of Transportation:
    http://www.fra.dot.gov/downloads/Research/hsrmap-lv.pdf

  3. JF

    Well, I for one donated $100 to the city of Burlingame for “lawyering up” and encouraged my parents to do the same. $100 isn’t much and if 1/2 the popultion of Bgame does it, we’d be well represented in court.

  4. Disgusted with Government

    We also need to VOTE. And, specifically we need to vote out the politicians who are in bed with the unions.

  5. JF

    Agree but some many are entrenched in their loyalty to parties. Seems that idealogy trumps common sense. Here’s to Meg Whitman (whom I support for her stand against HSR).

  6. Mr. Slate

    When are the Unions going to see that to continue this untennable situation is hurting their members? When will the membership rise up and say enough is enough? This is turning into a PR nightmare and looking ahead it will only get worse. Meg Whitman is using that anti-union sentiment beautifully. My guess is we will end up with a Republican Governor due to the outcry over runaway penison costs.
    We need a picket line in frot of the SEIU headquarters demanding that they renegotiate all their government contracts. Then we’ll go union by union until we shame them into backing down. That’s it…..a taxpayers picket line. What say you Lorne, will you join me?

  7. Davey

    At this moment in history, we need to rise up against High Speed Rail and this ill conceived plan for it. Y’all can deal with union contracts after that, but let’s get this dragon slayed first.

  8. jennifer

    With the exception of Curt Pringle, who ran the meeting, several of the others sat with arms folded tight, and talking and whispering through several speakers, including while Jerry Hill was giving his speech. I thought it was incredibly rude to people who traveled from all over the place to have one or two minutes of their time.

  9. Disgusted with Government

    @ Davey
    It’s the same dragon. The unions are pushing High Speed Rail so that we can have yet another public transportation system in the Bay Area (would this be three or four now?) with yet more union members, who will negotiate for yet higher salaries, while pushing for yet higher ticket prices, while cutting services.
    “Public” transportation is no longer public. It exists to serve the private interests of its employees.

  10. Joanne

    Did you really think they were going to listen to us??
    THIS IS ALL ABOUT DEEP POCKETS AND BIG EGOS.

  11. Rich

    Just tell us where and when Mr. Slate

  12. jennifer

    Time to Take the Gloves Off
    by John Horgan
    SM County Times
    http://www.mercurynews.com/san-mateo-county/ci_15724101?source=rss

  13. Disgusted with Government

    Couldn’t agree with Horgan more — It is way past time to take the gloves off.
    It’s also time to take the blinders off regarding the Democratic Party’s role in HSR. Anyone who votes the Democratic party ticket this fall (because, as JF says above, they are “entrenched in their loyalty” to their party) has no one to blame but themselves when the trains start groaning overhead. The Republicans have their negative side too, to be sure, but at least the Republicans are clear in their position on HSR: it’s not affordable. For any one serious about stopping HSR, a candidate’s position on HSR should be THE defining issue in casting votes in November.

  14. Joanne

    John Horgan “hits the nail on the head”
    with this article.
    HSR as the writer states has dangled bogus options to keep residents pacified and calm. A well orchestrated strategy.
    As he states, “Time to take off the gloves with HSR”

  15. jennifer

    Meg for Me
    Lives in Atherton She
    Where Trains also will Fly
    She will ask ‘Why”?
    We’ve got no Choice
    We’ll need her Voice!

  16. Wm. Shakespeare

    Jen
    Keep your day job.
    Bill

  17. jennifer

    Ha! Probably a good idea……..

  18. Clifford

    That’s a poem I can get behind!

  19. Lorne

    http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=7605796

  20. jennifer

    Thanks Lorne–
    Here’s another doozy.
    John Horgan, SM County Times
    Vital dealerships may be in line of fire
    Joe Putnam’s impressive collection of auto dealerships on California Drive in Burlingame stretches from Peninsula to Howard avenues, two full city blocks. It’s one of the most important economic engines in that town.
    As the Times has reported, a letter from Putnam to Burlingame officials indicates that, if he is forced to shut down due to construction on the adjacent Caltrain corridor to accommodate high-speed rail, the city will feel the fiscal pinch.
    Putnam noted that, over the past five years, his dealerships generated $75 million in sales taxes, of which Burlingame, which is experiencing severe budget problems during the recession, received more than $7.5 million.
    In 2008, the town got $134,000 from vehicle-license fees due to Putnam, who employs nearly 400 people, and San Mateo County reaped 10 times that amount, according to the letter. In 2009, Putnam paid nearly $400,000 in property taxes, almost half of which went directly to public schools in the area.
    The future of Putnam’s businesses vis-a-vis high-speed rail is just one more reason Burlingame authorities are worried about what could be coming down the tracks.
    The Burlingame City Council is scheduled to discuss the potential impact of high-speed rail and other issues surrounding the project at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall.

  21. Natalie Friscia

    this is a terrible idea! it will ruin burlingame and i will do all i can to prevent it! i’m heartbroken that they could do something like this to our town putting our safety and well being in jeopardy. they don’t even know that this is safe. unbelievable.

  22. t.c.

    Im glad we moved out of there. This is going to happen. People in Burlingame can only stall it.
    T.C.

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