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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…..

Driver confusion letter

Hat tip to a local wag for the name Bumpingame.

Bumpingame2

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20 responses to “Bumpingame: Taking the car out of Carmelita Ave.”

  1. Paloma Ave

    It sure seems like our city politicians have it in for anyone who drives a car. How about our city politicians ALL give up there cars and bike everywhere. I am sure this will take place just after they give up their natural gas appliances and go all electric.

  2. Not gonna give my real name

    A standup PEDESTRIAN sign on Hillside and Skyline has been smeared off the road at least three times.
    Turning left off Hillside the sign is placed in the blind spot of most car’s A pillar. No excuse for the driver not clearing the blindspot but still a dumb place to put the sign- probably fits some local regulations.
    PS- Most stop signs in the Hills should be optional for locals.

  3. Paloma Ave

    Is that you Holy?

  4. BMW

    I get that speeding need to be controlled.
    But a speed hump every block (~300′) is a little over the top. The paramedics or the EMTs who have to respond to emergencies on Carmelita and the Easton aboard an ambulance are whose opinions should matter most.
    Imagine having to put an IV in on that street.

  5. Sign me up

    How do I get the bike lane painting contract for Burlingame? Or can I at least get the green paint vendor contract? Pleeeze. My family needs to eat and if I can get these contracts we be eatin’ steak.

  6. Joe

    Last night’s city budget study session noted the addition of two Full Time Employees (FTEs)–one in Building and the other in Park & Rec for FY24/25. I submitted this public comment via email (as the Zoom question feature has been disabled).
    Dear Councilmembers,
    I would like to suggest that the additional FTE’s being discussed in tonight’s Budget study session in Building and Park & Rec, while worthwhile, pale in comparison to the need for additional police staff with an “earmark” of any additional BPD FTE dedicated to traffic enforcement.
    The current City approach appears to be adding traffic calming/pedestrian safety improvements, but they cannot compare in effectiveness with actual, on-the-street policing. As a regular pedestrian, cyclist and driver, I can assert that the local driving behavior continues to worsen. Hence the request to prioritize traffic enforcement—at the expense of Building or Park & Rec– if necessary. Thank you for your consideration.
    —————————-
    After hearing the comment read aloud, the city manager noted that the Building FTE is funded from an enterprise fund and thus not able to be repurposed. It was also noted that there are vacancies at BPD–which is something the council should be laser focused on. What’s it going to take to get more traffic enforcement? Dunno, but it should be a priority before we cover the town in speed bumps, stop signs, bollards, floppy signs, islands and fake little roundabouts.

  7. Peter Garrison

    I have one compliment to share in regard to the California Drive Amusement Park of Visual Distraction: The timing of the traffic lights seem well-timed to help traffic flow nicely.

  8. Paloma Ave

    Strike 1, duplicate bike lanes on California Dr. at a cost of $2,600,000.00; Strike 2, speed bumps on Carmelita; What will Strike 3 be?

  9. JP

    What is with the speed bumps 25 yards from the stop light on California? WTF?

  10. Rowan Arrow

    Strike 3 might be the voluminous painted bicycle icons all over the neighborhoods. How much do those cost, I wonder? Why do we need four of them, for example, on one block of Paloma between Melita and Broadway? Do people not know that a bicycle can be ridden on city streets? The idea of having speed bumps close to a stop light and stop sign is not for safety. It could be because there may be an incentive for someone to purchase these.
    Have these been approved by our City Council? Or can Public Works simply spend money because nobody is there to reign them in?

  11. Spurrina

    Upper Adeline along Mercy Center: 3 speed bumps 1 15mph SCHOOL sign. Every time I go over a speed bump my car suspension squeals “Nanny State.”

  12. Jennifer Pfaff

    Mr. Garrison, I also have a “bravo” to the City for painted improvements at Chapin and Primrose:
    Not long ago, striped bulb-outs and stanchions appeared near the library at Primrose where there is a T-intersection with Chapin. Chapin was widened in the 1950s diagonal for parking, and unfortunately it created an equally wide crosswalk there, where all kinds of crazy happens: U-turns, running stop signs, etc; you name it…I’ve seen it.
    Shortening that very long walk across Chapin on both ends seems like a good way to reduce the exposure risk to pedestrians and hopefully will dissuade the U-turn maneuvers and sign runners. The trick will be to keep that paint fresh, and the stanchions upright and highly visible. They are not gorgeous, but so far look like they are doing the trick.

  13. resident

    All the little trim won’t do a thing at that intersection which isn’t even close to the worst in town since it is a T.
    I would think a full time traffic officer would pay for him or herself in ticket revenue each year. Hands free. California stops. Speeding. Endangering pedestrians. Illegal U turns and double double yellows. But maybe the city doesn’t get the money.

  14. Peter Garrison

    Speaking of cars…
    Sunday afternoon looking to charge our car at the Broadway parking lot… 12 stations.
    10 offline. 1 “right side” fast charger available…
    Oops. Occupied.
    (Eerie sounds of range anxiety bubbling up)

  15. resident

    Carmelita is just out of control. What idiot thought to ruin a main thoroughfare? These bumps need to go or the city needs to buy everyone a neck brace. I just got back in town and cannot believe the stupidity.

  16. AG

    Whoever is making these decisions on managing our roads needs to leave this community immediately. California Ave was bad enough, these speed bumps in various places around town are utterly ridiculous. City of Burlingame–PLEASE STOP THIS NONSENSE or provide data on why these speed bumps are needed, because your residents are extremely frustrated by these decisions.

  17. Joe

    Perhaps there is a tiny silver lining to the Bumpingame route on Carmelita. From today’s DJ:
    At about 3:45 a.m. Sept. 13, San Mateo police were notified by the California Highway Patrol that its officers were in pursuit of a man in a stolen car who would not stop. The man exited at Poplar Avenue, where he drove recklessly and evaded police. The stolen vehicle, a white Ford F-250 was located near Central Park. The man drove through the park and sped away from officers who pursued him as he drove through downtown and north on San Mateo Drive.
    Officers lost sight of him as he drove into Burlingame. The vehicle was spotted on Carmelita Drive, and the man, identified as Jose Antunez, 33, of Oakland, was spotted less than two blocks away, according to police.
    —————————
    Antunez was probably thinking “I barely squeezed through that roundabout and up that odd California Dr. and now I gotta bang through 6 or 7 giant speed bumps? Forget it.”

  18. Cassandra

    Probably wrecked his undercarriage, hit his head and the air bag deployed.
    Next step for the city will be to dig elephant pits.

  19. Timothy Hooker

    I drive that road daily, and honestly, it’s more like a racetrack without speed bumps. I genuinely feel for all the brave souls — and their pets — attempting to cross it, hoping for some miracle that someone might actually yield. Spoiler alert: They rarely do. And trust me, after 15 years of watching this, I can confirm, pedestrians and pups might as well be invisible!

  20. JP

    It looks like both Uber and Lyft have figured out that Carmelita is a mess. In the last couple of weeks they have taken me down Sanchez three times to none for Carmelita.

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