After pedestrian fatality, neighbors seek safer intersection in Burlingame

San Mateo resident Yolanda Villar, described as an immeasurably selfless and loving mother and friend, was killed when struck by a vehicle whose driver was making a left turn from North Delaware Street onto Peninsula Avenue Sept. 12, preliminary reports indicate.

Peninsula Avenue separates the south end of Burlingame from the north end of San Mateo, and North Delaware Street in San Mateo becomes Dwight Avenue in Burlingame there.

Investigation into the incident is still ongoing, with the driver cooperating, Burlingame Traffic Division Sgt. Jason Roberts said. A GoFundMe started to raise money for Yolanda Villar’s daughter, Stephanie, has garnered $78,340 thus far.

Community members are hopeful that the intersection will be revamped in response to the death, as well as in response to the concerns they’ve been raising to both cities for years. Vehicles running red lights or speeding through the yellows are all too common, Feeney said. And according to her and other residents, unprotected left turns make pedestrians fearful of speeding cars dashing through the crosswalk.

According to data from the Burlingame Police Department, which responds to incidents on the Burlingame side of the intersection, there have been seven accidents there in 10 years. Nine minor injuries and one fatality have occurred as a result, with two of the accidents involving pedestrians.

Chief among residents to improve intersection safety would be higher-visibility crosswalks, a modernized light — preferably one with a hood, so that incoming cars cannot see if the light is green and speed in response — delayed timing for the pedestrian walkways, and a red-light camera, residents say.

Burlingame is working on some of these requests, Mayor Donna Colson said.

“The number one thing is the Police Department is continuing an ongoing investigation,” she said. “We are grateful for their continued activism and advocacy for the whole neighborhood and for safety. We are focused on trying to make the entire city of Burlingame a safe place for pedestrians and bikers.”

As an immediate measure, high-visibility crosswalks were installed across Peninsula Avenue, Colson said, and Public Works is in the process of installing additional signs to enhance pedestrian safety. Additionally, San Mateo is planning to introduce a Lead Pedestrian Interval phase to prioritize pedestrian signals and is analyzing potential changes to traffic signal operations, she said.

Burlingame Councilmember Peter Stevenson, who represents the Lyon Hoag neighborhood, said the city is invested in making positive improvements.

“I live in that intermediate area as well, and share a lot of those concerns. It is a busy intersection,” he said. “We’re definitely sensitive to the challenges of that intersection and looking for ways to collaborate with the city of San Mateo to make improvements.”

The joint-jurisdiction area has also made it more challenging for real change to be implemented, residents have lamented, allowing cities to pass the buck onto other entities rather than take responsibility.

“My experience was that the city has dropped the ball on this intersection,” resident John Adams said. “We’re either moving it to somebody, they’re saying, it’s San Mateo, it’s [Pacific Gas and Electric] ... there’s been no action from the city of Burlingame or San Mateo on that intersection since we brought all this up.”

Colson acknowledged that the jurisdiction issue, along with other planned street and traffic developments, have stalled change at Peninsula and Dwight. A long-standing plan to relocate Highway 101 ramps to Peninsula Avenue was recently scrapped by San Mateo, potentially clearing the way for independent changes to the intersection.

“It’s a very complicated street because of the jurisdiction — a lot of it is shared,” she said. “Staff has been asking for a long time for upgrades because the intersection was under review for so long. There were so many complicating factors, they were waiting for that to resolve.”

Safety is also a first priority for San Mateo, Mayor Lisa Diaz Nash said. Staff are working on development of a traffic safety plan, and the area around Peninsula Avenue is on the list of hot spots. Both cities are committed to collaboration when it comes to safety, though she couldn’t share specifics of the plan, she said.

“In general, Burlingame and San Mateo work very closely together, because we’re cities right next to each other. We work very, very closely together at a City Hall level, City Council level, a chamber level,” she said. “Certainly, safety in our streets is a paramount concern for anyone whether you’re walking, riding a bike or driving a car.”

Burlingame attempted to address other traffic issues in the Lyon Hoag neighborhood with a traffic calming effort that brought higher-visibility crosswalks, more stop signs and traffic circles to the area, Colson said. It was mostly focused on the residential area of Lyon Hoag, where Burlingame has full jurisdiction.

But residents remained deeply concerned about the intersection itself. Neighbors have no shortage of near-miss stories, sharing anecdotes of other neighbors getting in accidents or nearly being run over.

One Dwight Road resident, Randy Grange, said his daughter was hit by a car barreling toward the light.

Another, Gig Xifaras, said that his wife Rae didn’t feel comfortable walking to the Safeway just a block away.

“The other night, I said to Rae, ‘Let’s go to Safeway.’ She said, ‘We’re driving?’ I said, ‘No, I’m going to walk.’ She’s not walking across the street,” he said. “So we had to get in the car and drive to Safeway.”

For others who brave the crossing, like resident Bob Furr, the experience is less than pleasant.

“The drivers are concentrating just on getting their turn and everything and rushing, and they’re nervous,” he said. “And on that corner, even when the light says walk ... cars are coming. You take your life in your hands on that corner.”