Confusion, frustration builds over ECR intersection in San Mateo

El Camino Real falls under Caltrans, or state, jurisdiction, which means that making changes to the corridor are more complicated and time consuming than if it were under the city’s purview.

San Mateo resident Anise Graham lives near the intersection and said she and her mother have been corresponding with Caltrans on and off for more than 10 years hoping to see improvements at the intersection. She was nearby when Vasquez was struck and felt guilty that their efforts didn’t seem to have the impact she’d hoped.

“I was feeling super guilty that maybe we hadn’t done enough,” Graham said. “In every email, I would ask, ‘Do we need to wait for someone to die?’ It was clear that this was going to happen.”

Tracy Volponi, a San Mateo resident who crosses the intersection regularly and was also present when the car struck Vasquez, said she’s hoped for better safety improvements for years.

“I’ve been cringing for the last several years crossing that intersection,” she said. “I’ve almost been hit several times there as a pedestrian.”

In addition to the bureaucracy involved in multijurisdictional projects, recent communication between residents, the city and Caltrans is causing even more confusion. In a recent email exchange between Caltrans staff and Volponi, the former acknowledged ECR is under Caltrans authority but still suggested some of the crosswalk and traffic signal improvements at the intersection could fall within the city’s purview. Some of the ideas Volponi included in her email to Caltrans, such as designated left-turn signals and pedestrian-only crossing phases, “fall within the authority of the local jurisdiction for this intersection,” the email stated. The email added that it strongly encourages residents such as Volponi to “continue working with the City of San Mateo and local law enforcement, who are best positioned to evaluate and implement intersection-level operational changes.”

However, in a separate email Caltrans sent to the Daily Journal on Feb. 13, it said that “any changes to the intersection will be made by Caltrans since the location falls within our Right of Way,” adding that the agency is proceeding with a traffic safety investigation at that intersection, which could take between three and six months to complete.

Officials from the city of San Mateo declined to comment on specific improvements it hopes to make at the intersection, but in a letter from City Manager Alex Khojikian to Caltrans, he said that “recent public communications have created confusion regarding local versus state authority and accountability.” The city and transit agency plan to meet April 13 to discuss the issue further.

“I wish someone would just take charge and just get something done,” Volponi said.

There have been some improvements to the intersection over the years, but some say they’re inadequate. Caltrans implemented leading pedestrian intervals — which give pedestrians a head start before the accompanying traffic signal turns green for vehicles — and a few years ago, it installed higher-visibility crosswalk markings. Yield to Pedestrian signs were also recently installed at certain intersections along ECR.

“They put all these Yield to Pedestrian signs, but those locations are so distant from the light that it doesn’t make a difference,” Graham said. “It’s not obvious enough for someone who is turning left.”

Rich Hedges, San Mateo resident and former councilmember, previously stated immediately after the January collision that there needs to be a more protected crosswalk and for the city to “put pressure” on Caltrans.

Both Volponi and Graham believe that the most dangerous part of the intersection is the fact that drivers turning left onto ECR rush through the light and often don’t see the pedestrians in time.

“It needs a designated left-turn signal, so the left-turn drivers wouldn’t have the distractions of other pedestrians or drivers,” Volponi said. “It’s such a simple solution. Why is it becoming so hard to fix?”

Graham said she, along with others, have also pushed for a designated left-turn signal for drivers for years so they don’t share a light with pedestrians.

“[Caltrans] said the arm is too light to install another traffic light, and they were kind of finger-pointing to each other,” she said. “In my mind, they just didn’t want to have to replace the arm.”

Caltrans has not responded to requests for comment on the traffic signal infrastructure.

The city, along with many other jurisdictions in the Peninsula, has also been in the midst of discussions with Caltrans over the Grand Boulevard Initiative, a countywide push to make improvements along the corridor. The discussions have mostly focused on whether to install bike or bus lanes, rather than specific traffic signaling or intersection enhancements, and the council just approved $70,000 to study parking and business impacts along the corridor as a result of the initiative’s potential to remove some street parking. However, given the recent collisions, some councilmembers, including Mayor Adam Loraine, said that the GBI updates are seeing a heightened sense of urgency given recent collisions.

“I’m eager, along with others, to see safety upgrades along the corridor that has had some tragic collisions recently,” Loraine said. “I am excited for next steps because there is tremendous potential here to improve the quality of life of San Mateans in our city’s future.”