A new police traffic station will likely take over the old fire station on Barneson Avenue in San Mateo, though some councilmembers were hopeful the former bunk spaces could also accommodate Public Works employees.
With an increase in traffic safety concerns over the last several years, the building that housed the former Fire Station 25 — which relocated to Shafter Street in 2021— has been a particularly attractive site for the Police Department’s traffic unit. The unit focuses largely on parking, citations and accident reporting, and while it’s not the first of its kind in the city, it would help alleviate concerns in that area, said Police Chief Ed Barberini.
“The most frequent area where we get the most complaints is the Alameda corridor especially during the school year. Mornings and afternoons are our most challenging time along that corridor only because of the number of schools in such close proximity to one another,” Barberini said.
The old fire station is situated on the corner of Alameda de las Pulgas, which is one of the busiest areas for traffic-related issues in San Mateo, according to a staff report, as it is home to more than nine schools, a senior center and the Beresford Recreation Center.
While Councilmember Amourence Lee was generally supportive of the effort, she also said the building would be ideal for Public Works employees who have been asking for places to rest after their shifts, especially as many live up to two hours away. As a former fire station, the building is already equipped with a sleeping area.
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“I’m thinking about our employees at the [Corporation Yard] who have been asking for a lounge area when they’re working at all hours of the day and night, so they can go home without an extended commute,” she said. “It kind of hurts me to think that beds have been empty since 2021 when we might have found a solution to give some of our lowest wage workers, our essential workers, a place to rest.”
But creating such a space could necessitate a land use change, which may result in more planning and investment, City Manager Alex Khojikian said.
The discussion also highlighted the need for more traffic units on the east side of the city, which faces even more severe traffic challenges than the west side, both Lee and Councilmember Rich Hedges said.
“I would love to have seen this on the east side,” Hedges said, though he added that the residents near the Barneson station are “thrilled with this change.”
The council ultimately agreed to move forward with the project.
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