Local briefs

Bay Area law enforcement officials have continued to arrest more drunken drivers during this year’s AVOID Winter Holiday Enforcement than during the same period in 2006, according to officials.

Between 12:01 a.m. Dec. 14 and midnight Dec. 29 authorities from 125 Bay Area law enforcement agencies arrested 2,443 individuals for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

During the initial 16-days of the 2006 program, 2,406 drivers in the Bay Area were arrested for driving under the influence.

There have been seven drug or alcohol related traffic deaths in the Bay Area so far during this year’s Avoid campaign, according to officials. In 2006, a total of seven people died in collisions attributed to an impaired driver during the entire AVOID period, which runs through Jan. 1.

Numbers reported throughout the campaign are provisional, according to officials. Final results will be announced after the program’s end. Only drug or alcohol related traffic deaths are reported with the AVOID results.

Burlingame Caltrain construction to continue Friday

Construction of the Burlingame Caltrain station will continue Friday and crews will again close the northbound track and the railroad grade crossing at Bayswater Avenue through the weekend, according to Caltrain officials.

The crossing and the northbound track will be closed from about 8 p.m. Friday until about 5 a.m. Jan. 7 while crews install new concrete pads and replace worn rails, ties and ballast, Caltrain reported. Drivers and pedestrians will be detoured around the construction using Howard Avenue or Peninsula Avenue, according to Caltrain.

Train service in the area will not be delayed by the construction, as trains will run in both directions on the southbound track through the Burlingame station, according to Caltrain.

Passengers leaving on northbound or southbound trains from the Burlingame and San Mateo Caltrain stations will board trains from the southbound platform during the closure.

Residents around the tracks may hear construction noise and be disturbed by portable light towers set up for night work, according to Caltrain. Crews will attempt to work quickly and quietly to minimize the disturbance, Caltrain reported.

The $20.5 million construction project at the Burlingame station began in June and will take about one year to complete, according to the Caltrain Web site. Project goals include a new platform configuration to allow more than one train to be in the station at one time.

Redwood City police try shot blocking

The Redwood City Police Department announced "Operation Silent Night” and is warning residents that anyone found shooting a gun into the air to celebrate the New Year will be charged.

In an effort to reduce random gunfire, the department will be using its "Shot Spotter” gunshot locater system, which determines the exact location of any firearm discharged in the city. Shooters will be tracked down and taken to San Mateo County Jail, according to the department. The Penal Code states that the reckless discharge of a firearm is a felony, and carries up to a three-year prison sentence.

Fliers are also being distributed to neighborhoods, schools and local businesses to offer a reward of up to $500 for information leading to the arrest of any person discharging a firearm. A special gunshot telephone hotline has been established and members of the public are encouraged to call if they hear gunfire, according to the department.

The number for the hotline is (650) 780-7639.

Additional officers will be patrolling the city on New Years Eve, looking for drunken drivers, random gunfire and other disturbances. Police departments around the Peninsula, such as the Menlo Park police, will also have additional officers on duty that night.

Mountain lion tracks spotted

Belmont police are warning residents to be on the lookout for mountain lions after fresh tracks were spotted along the fence line on the south side of Ralston Middle School Sunday.

Officers responded to the school located at 2675 Ralston Ave. and found the tracks near where the site abuts Water Dog Lake. That area is considered moutain lion territory, as is approximately half of California.

Residents wishing more information on moutain lions should visit the Department of Fish and Game Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/docs/lionbrochure.pdf.

MUNI offers free rides for New Years

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will be providing free rides from 8 p.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday in an effort to prevent people from driving drunk as they celebrate the New Year.

As an additional incentive to encourage people to leave their cars at home on New Year’s Eve, MUNI will also be adding extra service on some lines. Metro lines will operate on their regular weekday schedule until about 1 a.m. Between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. on New Year’s Day, MUNI’s Owl Lines, which include the 5, 14, 22, 24,38, 90, 91, L and N, will run every 15 minutes. Caltrain, Bay Area Rapid Transit and AC Transit will also be adding extra trains in the early morning hours, officials reported. Caltrain will operate on a weekday schedule, but will add additional trains at 12:45 a.m., 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m.

BART will be adding extra trains for the holiday and stations will remain open until about 4 a.m. Tuesday. AC Transit will be providing service all night on its 800 line from selected stops on Market Street. SamTrans will be providing all-night service on its 397 route to the peninsula, and Golden Gate Transit will be providing service after midnight on its route 70, transportation officials are reporting.