Atherton to remove most new road reflectors Atherton to remove most new road reflectors (February 20, 2002)

**Road striping, reflective devices enraged many residents.

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

For anyone not from Atherton, the passionate protest against some standard roadway improvements might seem a little baffling. Certainly, the town's public works department had no idea of the firestorm it would unleash when officials chose to finish a road repaving project with double yellow center stripes and reflective markers.

But the majority of residents who packed the Town Council Chambers on February 13 hate the reflectors and yellow lines, and let the City Council know about it in no uncertain terms.

"This is classic overkill," said Virginia Ruggeiro, who lives on Stockbridge Avenue, one of the streets where reflectors and striping were added. "It's an open invitation to speeding and it looks like a landing strip."

City Council members agreed, voting to remove the reflectors and the center-line striping on the streets residents complained about: Oak Grove, James, Stockbridge and Elena Avenues. They will be replaced with a single centerline.

On Selby Lane, Watkins and Fair Oaks avenues, where few residents complained, the council directed staff to replace the double yellow stripes with a single centerline and to space the reflectors farther apart __ essentially removing every other one.

The council opted not do anything on Barry Lane until residents can be queried by postcard as to their wishes, and reflectors will be left in place on the dangerous curve on Atherton Avenue and at intersections. The vote was 4-0, with Mayor Alan Carlson absent.

While improved visibility at night and safety were the reasons that several people asked the council to keep the road reflectors, the majority of people who spoke at the meeting said that, because of the town's unique road system, the striping and reflectors actually made their streets more unsafe.

Atherton streets don't have sidewalks, and as one speaker pointed out, some residents' landscaping extends out to the edge of the road. Drivers are accustomed to swerving around the pedestrians and bicyclists who have to share the narrow roadway with them. By taking up two feet of the road with the twin stripes flanked by reflectors, there's less room for pedestrians, people told the council. And because it is illegal to cross a double yellow line, drivers are discouraged from swerving around pedestrians, said several residents.

"I walk through Lindenwood six days a week," said Pat Dobbie, who lives on James Avenue. "Two times recently, I've been almost hit by cars, and I know it's because of the double lines. It's only a matter of time until there's an accident."

Atherton public works director Cliff Temps has estimated that it would cost about $2,000 to remove all of the reflectors, and warned that the process will leave scars on the newly resurfaced roadways. He said that he supported the double-lines and reflectors because their installation is standard practice on roadways, and because reflectors require infrequent maintenance.

City Council approve the plan without comment at an earlier meeting, and last week members said that had they realized the drastic changes in store for the roads, they would not have approved it. The issue first surfaced at a transportation committee meeting last month.

Although the majority of people at the meeting wanted to see the reflectors scraped off the roads, the sentiment was not unanimously held. Ed Pausa, a Manzanita Road resident, presented a petition to the City Council signed by 33 neighbors who live on or near Oak Grove Avenue who like the reflectors and striping, and asked town officials not to remove them.