Belmont exploring Carlmont crossing guard program

“I think a crossing guard, or at least looking into it, will be helpful to mitigate some of the near misses and the fact that people are trying to go whether or not it’s their turn,” Mayor Julia Mates said.

The council approved creating a council subcommittee at its Oct. 25 meeting to get a program going, following a request from Mates and Councilmember Charles Stone, with both voted to serve on the subcommittee. The city’s subcommittee would work with the Sequoia Union High School District and the city of San Carlos on a pilot program.

“It’s certainly worth taking a crack at seeing whether or not the three partners can figure out a way to fund a crossing guard and try it for the rest of the year to see if it works,” Stone said.

The streets around the high school on Alameda de las Pulgas have been a longtime concern, particularly around school start and end times. Congestion affects Carlmont, Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Charles Armstrong School and Tierra Linda Middle School during the school year. In the mornings, southbound queues on Alameda de las Pulgas extend from Carlmont Drive to hundreds of feet east of Dartmouth Avenue, while northbound delays extend from Dartmouth Avenue to nearly Carlmont Drive. Pedestrian crossing at the intersections along Alameda de las Pulgas often leads to the additional wait time for drivers and pedestrians.

While traffic is always a worry, there have been increased complaints about traffic this year, said Stone. Carlmont and nearby Ralston Middle School have similar start times, resulting in more traffic than usual in an already congested corridor. The city does not provide crossing guards for high school students and only has them for elementary school students.

“The issue of herding the kids, which means waiting a little while before they pass and only letting them move across the street when there is an aggregated mass, will help the traffic flow at the peak hours,” Stone said.

Alan Sarver, a trustee with the Sequoia Union High School District, said the district is eager to be part of the process to help. Sarver hopes the added presence will improve traffic flow and student safety, noting crossing guards added at Sequoia High School in Redwood City have been helpful.

“This is a good example of the kind of partnership that has been developing and growing between the Sequoia Union High School District and the city of Belmont,” Sarver said.

According to a staff report, the program would likely cost around $50,000, shared among the two cities and the school district.

“It’s a creative solution, Councilmember Davina Hurt said. “It can be cheaper than a stoplight because it’s only during certain peak times during the day.

The city is also working on further improvement plans for the area through the Alameda de las Pulgas and San Carlos Corridor Project. The project aims to solve traffic delays and enhance bicyclist and pedestrian safety in the corridor from Ralston Avenue along Alameda de las Pulgas to the intersection of San Carlos and Cranfield avenues, which is in the vicinity of Carlmont High School and Tierra Linda Middle School. The state has allocated $3.4 million in its budget for the project. It calls for replacing three stop-controlled intersections with mini-roundabouts at Alameda de las Pulgas and El Verano Way, Chula Vista Drive and Cranfield Avenue.