Commission backs phased pedestrian upgrades on Hillside Drive after resident recounts crash

The Safety and Parking Commission voted to support staff recommendations to install high‑visibility crosswalks, quick‑build bulb‑outs and in‑street pedestrian signs on Hillside Drive and to pursue permanent driver‑feedback signs and rapid flashing beacons if funding is secured. The motion, which instructed staff to refine the crosswalk location (Castillo or Carlos) before construction, passed on a 4–0 roll call.

The measures are intended to address pedestrian safety near Hoover School, where staff presented collision and speed data showing four reported collisions on the corridor from 2013–2024, including two pedestrian‑related crashes at Alvarado and Hillside Circle. Staff said 85th‑percentile speeds were 36 mph downhill and 34 mph uphill on Hillside, with posted speed 30 mph and volumes about 2,200 vehicles in each direction.

“We are not considering any sort of speed cushions along Hillside,” staff engineer Mr. Wong told commissioners, citing Fire Station 35 routing and the impact on emergency response times. Instead, the subcommittee proposed enhancing an unmarked crossing near Castillo with a high‑visibility ladder crosswalk, a quick‑build curb bulb‑out to shorten crossing distance, and an in‑pavement pedestrian warning sign; staff recommended rotating the Burlingame Police Department radar trailer while pursuing funding for permanent solar‑powered driver‑feedback signs and rapid flashing beacons for mid‑block crossings where allowed.

During public comment Sheri Lewis recounted a collision at the Alvarado crosswalk in which her daughter, then 15, “was crossing Hillside at Alvarado when she was hit by a car … her body flew up in the air about 10 feet.” Lewis urged the commission to pursue measures that do not rely solely on motorists spotting pedestrians, and offered to meet staff to discuss sight‑line blind spots at the left‑turn movement.

Commissioners emphasized the phased approach: phase one would install striping, signs, quick‑build bulb‑outs and in‑street pedestrian signs at two prioritized locations (the mid‑corridor crossing and Alvarado) and could be implemented this summer using available funds and an on‑call contractor; phase two would add permanent driver‑feedback signs and rapid flashing beacons if and when funding is secured. Staff said the rapid flashing beacons are permitted only where Hillside is not signalized or stop‑controlled and that Alvarado, an all‑way stop, would not qualify for a beacon.

Commissioners also requested staff review the proposed Castillo location versus Carlos for visibility and approach distance and to consider minor geometric changes such as moving limit lines back from crosswalks to increase driver reaction time. The commission asked staff to notify the public when improvements are installed and to return with progress updates.

The commission’s action followed a broader presentation on corridor history and prior improvements near Hoover School, and a subcommittee field review that found many pedestrians detour to flatter routes (Easton) and that parents often travel with strollers or bicycles. Mr. Wong said staff’s pedestrian gap study did not record 20 pedestrian crossings during peak hours — one criterion for certain interventions — but that observed crossing patterns and recent pedestrian collisions justified targeted countermeasures.

The commission voted by roll call; Commissioners Israelit, Johnson, Vice Chair Couch and Chair Marquez voted “yes.”