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California Drive bike lanes and…or parking?

I'm a bit behind the back wheel on this story about the kerfuffle over an new bike lane on California Drive. just south of Broadway.  I did address it three months ago here.  The good news is there is a regular Voice reader who has really thought about the Unintended Consequences and the law as it stands.  Here is his take on the plan:

Not all parking is the same. As currently designed by the city, this project will remove about 12 spaces – on just that one block alone.  But these are the most productive, highest quality parking spaces there are on California Dr. These are metered parking spaces. Which in addition to providing revenue to the city, also provides turnover for the businesses. These are 2-hr, 1-hr and half-hour parking spaces.  So one space can be used by 10-20 different customers.  They’re being replaced by unrestricted parking (on the east side of California).  So the new spaces will just end up just like the rest of the parking on that side of the street – RV’s, autobody shop storage and cars that don’t move for weeks at a time. In addition to being inaccessible and across the way, they truly will not benefit the impacted businesses.

There is even the outstanding question of the legality of parking on that side of street, according to the City code.  The city council has not acted to rescind the parking meter requirement on the block the City intends to remove (13.40.010).  It also has not acted on adding the parking where the City code says it is unlawful (13.36.010).

Lurking behind all of this is if and when the Broadway grade separation might happen.  We can think back four years to this post and ask are we any closer?  The intersection (really two intersections–California and Carolan) have been graded F and might be the worst in the Bay Area.  While Sacramento figures out how to pour billions into mass transit and will need many tens of billions to get High-Cost Rail just to run between two towns in the Central Valley, poor B'game idles away.

Here's the intersection as it looked yesterday and a nice marked-up aerial view to add details.

Endangered parking on California

California bike project mark up

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29 responses to “California Drive bike lanes and…or parking?”

  1. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Social Racism.
    How is it that less than 1% of the Population of The City of Burlingame that use these “Bike Lanes” deserve well over 1.2 Million Dollars a year to maintain these “Lanes” (engineers, attorneys, Caltrain, COB Council, Media, Construction Firms, etc.) is spent by US to provide a lane for 3- 60 plus year old people wearing Jacked Up “Grateful Dead Tee Shirts and Crocs?
    (Not you Joe, your other two friends.)
    Ridiculous.

  2. Paloma Ave

    City Council, No further bike lanes on California Dr. There are currently bike lanes one block east on Carolan, between Broadway and Oak Grove. Do not deprive businesses of parking in front of their stores and do not close down lanes approaching the worst intersection in San Mateo County!

  3. Gerald Weisl

    Do you think the owners of businesses which will lose valuable customer parking would have signed leases had there been no easy place for customers to park?
    And then…
    With traffic going to be restricted on El Camino due to Caltrans work in removing trees, is this the best time to reduce traffic capacity on the only other major artery in town?
    These should not be difficult dynamics for City Council members to understand.

  4. Joe

    Funny holly. Vintage Grateful Dead t-shirts are way to valuable these days to bike in. And I will never own any Crocs–and certainly wouldn’t bike in them. I clip in with my SPDs.

  5. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Whatever you say boss.

  6. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Did anyone know that Jerald was as Roady with The Grateful Dead?
    I did not either.

  7. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    Does anyone wonder if the COB Rec & Park Director views the TV show of the same name?

  8. Joe

    There’s a bit of a “compromise” reached per the DJ. Here’s a few snippets:
    During a City Council meeting Wednesday, July 5, Public Works Director Syed Murtuza said allowing the unprotected left-hand turn from the northbound vehicle lane into the west side business driveways between Broadway and Carmelita Avenue would compromise safety for convenience. While it is not his recommendation, he reluctantly decided to allow it and monitor the area.
    “Vehicles traveling in the northbound direction can be allowed to make left turns into the driveway at the midblock on the west side of the street, however, there’s a caveat, that it needs to be carefully monitored for safety,” Murtuza said. “And if it’s unsafe changes may need to be done to … make it safer.”
    Maverick Jack’s restaurant, which is located on the eastside of California Drive, also voiced concerns last week, citing the project would restrict southbound vehicles on California Drive to make an unprotected left turn into the business’ driveway.
    The project will result in the city removing 12 parking spaces on the west side of California Drive for a temporary bike lane, until the city raises the railroad tracks above the Broadway intersection. After, the city plans on moving the bike lane permanently on the east side of the street. U-turns will still be allowed at Carmelita Avenue, although Murtuza said it might be tight for some larger vehicles. And the city added nearly 20 parking spaces on the east side of the street, he added.
    Construction is set to begin sometime this year.
    https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/burlingame-council-finds-compromise-on-bike-lanes/article_806b2a34-1d3f-11ee-b1ae-8f8db36fe46f?utm_source=smdailyjournal.com&utm_campaign=%2Fnewsletters%2Fheadlines%2F%3F-dc%3D1688824814&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline
    ————————
    I would say we need a lot more “monitoring for safety” all over town. I constantly hear about and have experienced aggressive driving vis a vis pedestrians and cyclists. The 12 spaces still get removed……
    PS. hollyroller, please try to stay on topic. I would not like to delete some of your more off-topic comments. Please.

  9. Mom

    Calling the entrances to pretty big parking lots driveways seems a little deceptive. Kumon, Kerwin, Mokutanya and the car shop have lots of parking in back that their customers rely on.

  10. Paloma Ave

    Yet another poor decision. Constantly caving to the very small cycling public, at the expense of the vast majority driving public.

  11. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    10-4
    Is Maverick Jacks related to Jacks across from “Tanforan” in San Bruno?

  12. Paloma Ave

    Hi Holy – I haven’t commented on your (not smart) posts in sometime. But, have you ever heard of google?

  13. Joe

    I hear the project starts next week and people are asking why it wasn’t done before school started. Also the lights on California are messed up because the paving project damaged the sensors.
    Aside from the terrible impact on local merchants on California, the northbound California traffic is predicted to be very congested leading to long backups on Carmelita as cars will not be able to easily turn left into backed up traffic.
    Hoping for the best……but it’s just a hope. Word on the street is even the cyclists don’t get it.

  14. Cassandra

    One lane southbound is already jammed back to Broadway.

  15. Phinancier

    Did anyone read Josh Becker’s pie in the sky opinion piece in the Daily Journal where he wants grade separations up and down the peninsula? The guy is such an empty suit. Burlingame has been trying to gather up the money just to do ONE grade separation and this guy wants a dozen or more. All hat, no cattle.

  16. Paloma Ave

    One lane on California Drive, from Broadway south to Oak Grove, demonstrates how out of touch some members of our City Council are, who have capitulated to the bicycle community.
    It is estimated that less than 3% of local residents bicycle, while over 90% drive.
    How is our city council representing the majority of it’s citizens?
    THE ANSWER IS THEY ARE NOT!
    It is definitely time to not allow Beach, Brownrigg and Ortiz to be our representatives. They have done a terrible job of only representing THEIR OWN interests.
    It is time for Burlingame voters to smarten up!

  17. Spurrina

    One of State’s worst intersections now made worse.
    We can’t keep electing these people.

  18. BMW

    This was unanimously approved. Not just Brownrigg or Beach or Ortiz. All 5 on the council gave it a high five back in February 2023. Donna Colson actually led and made the motion to approve. Ortiz seconded.
    Check the tap 50 mins in:
    https://www.youtube.com/live/5XoVRh_5JB8?si=4g7BQ-TJTnCnRpL9
    Hold them all to account.

  19. Paloma Ave

    I just wanted to advise the Burlingame City Council that there are two car lanes on Murchison, between El Camino Real and California Dr., that DOES NOT have a bike lane!
    Perhaps you can get busy having a bike lane installed and cutting car traffic down to one lane?

  20. hollyroller@ gmail.com

    I agree with Paloma. Paloma stole that idea from me.

  21. Jonathan Swift

    California Drive is such a spacious roadway that it should really be configured not solely for motor vehicles and bikes.
    Please think about having a lane for skaters and skateboarders.
    There should also be a special lane for people walking their pets, dogs especially with periodic fire hydrants.
    I’d advocate for a special lane for those with baby strollers or people in wheelchairs.
    Can we have some streets around town suitable for horses? Saddle up, Burlingame!!! I’ve already seen some hitching posts on Burlingame Avenue and Broadway, but these are presently used for bicycles.

  22. Eric Isero

    In the last year I have started biking the 4 miles from my house down California Drive to Murchison in Millbrae. Everyone that can should try to get out of their car as much as they can. It is better for your mental and physical health and saves on gas/emissions. My formerly 15 minute driving commute takes 16 minutes on a bike and it is much more pleasant (even more pleasant when the project is one). I support the bike lane. One only needs to look toward bike friendly communities like Palo Alto to see what can be done to encourage kids/adults to bike to school and home.

  23. resident

    The project is already in trouble. There was an accident two or three days ago with a Samtrans bus hitting a car waiting at the light on California. There are perfectly good bike lanes on Carolan just yards from California. Use those and put California Ave back the way it was. Simple.

  24. Cassandra

    Wait until El Camino is closed for the years long construction.

  25. Jean Stephens

    Why can’t the businesses pay for their own parking lots instead of relying in taxpayers to subsidize their profits??
    I will vote for keeping people safe over more corporate welfare.

  26. resident

    What a ridiculous comment.
    Those businesses are a bike shop, independent auto mechanics, Kerwin art gallery and such. There is no corporate welfare. The only corporate was Republic Bank now closed. Where exactly are they supposed to find space for their own parking lots? Do you even know where we are talking about?
    And how is anyone kept safe when more accidents are likely?

  27. Just Sayin’

    The Republic bank building has off street parking. Just sayin’. Not sure what Jean is sayin’.

  28. Spurinna

    Jean uses the words “corporate welfare” as a leaf of word salad.
    Similar leaves: equity, diversity, climate change, solidarity, reeducation, struggle sessions…

  29. Cassandra

    Cute little left hand turn lane off northbound California to westbound Broadway… room for maybe 2 cars…
    …and then a jam up for the northbound lanes which merge north of Broadway past the intersection.
    So exciting.

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