Cover story: Impeding speeders -- Motorcycle traffic patrols come to Woodside and Portola Valley Cover story: Impeding speeders -- Motorcycle traffic patrols come to Woodside and Portola Valley (April 13, 2005)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

Drivers in Portola Valley and Woodside may be doing double takes in their rear-view mirrors over the coming weeks when they see the new motorcycle patrols from the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

Riding the two Harley-Davidson Road Kings assigned to the two towns will be Deputies Steve Pettit and Rob Lawrence, who already patrols the area in a squad car.

The towns have no police departments but contract with the Sheriff's Office for traffic and law enforcement services. The motorcycles come at no extra cost, said Lt. Ken Jones.

A state grant of $910,000 paid for 10 motorcycles for the county and some 95 traffic-law-enforcement campaigns to be held between April 2005 and December 2006. The grant is funded by the Office of Traffic Safety, part of the state's Business, Transportation and Housing agency.

The motorcycles, fully equipped for police work, cost $26,000 each, said Lt. Eric Wollman of the Daly City Police Department, which is administering the grant program. The Sheriff's Office had no choice in the brand of motorcycle, said Lt. Jones.

Motorcycles, with their nimble mobility, are considered more effective in catching speeders, said Lt. Jones. But while officials in Portola Valley and Woodside "have always been concerned about speeders," being more effective at catching them had nothing to do with bringing motorcycles to the towns, he said.

"The sheriff wanted motorcycles to do traffic enforcement," said Lt. Jones.

Would their small size mean they'd be better hidden along roadsides? "There's no hiding," said Lt. Jones. "They may be back a little bit from the traffic (but) I don't want these guys hiding. It's a deterrent to be seen. ... The object is not to be hiding and catching all these people and writing tickets. ... Sometimes it's good public relations to give warnings."

"To be honest with you, you don't need to hide," he added. "Most of the time, (speeders) don't even know you're there."

In a separate interview, Deputy Lawrence concurred. "Most people drive with tunnel vision," he said. But with approaching drivers having nothing but a piece of a front motorcycle tire to tip them off -- as opposed to a squad car's distinctive front bumper and markings -- a motorcycle does have a stealthier profile, he noted.

During the past two weeks of daylight and evening training in the towns, Deputy Lawrence said he has cited several speeding drivers. "People have actually thanked me (for) reminding them that they are going too fast," he said.

In unincorporated parts of the county, the California Highway Patrol covers traffic enforcement and the Sheriff's Office covers general law enforcement. To avoid treading on CHP territory, the two Sheriff's Office motorcycle patrols are restricted to Portola Valley and Woodside, said Lt. Jones.

With the high volume of traffic through Woodside in the summer, both motorcycle deputies may patrol Highway 84 on weekends, said Lt. Jones. They will also patrol Skyline Boulevard on either side of the intersection with Highway 84.
Reaction

Several people contacted by the Almanac for reaction to the new patrols had no comment.

Portola Valley resident Bernie Bayuk said he doesn't care for the change, noting that most drivers exhibit good behavior behind the wheel.

"It's going a bit far for a so-called rural-atmosphere town," he said in an interview. "It's obviously because they want to catch people. It's a way of increasing revenue. They do that a lot in Georgia."

Mr. Bayuk also objects to the trouble drivers may have in detecting motorcycles. "I'd say a squad car gives a driver a fair shake," he said. "I think motorcycles are over the line."

Portola Valley resident Fran Dempsey agreed, noting the lack of through traffic, unlike Highway 84 on weekends. "I don't see a need for it, to be very frank," she said.

"It's no big sweat," said Portola Valley resident Karl Bizjak. "It doesn't bother me at all."

Portola Valley Town Administrator Angie Howard said complaints about traffic that she's seen concern congestion during school drop-off and pick-up times and speeding -- about six complaints over the past year.

The motorcycle patrols "ought to slow people down" she said. "Not in a happy way, but it gets the message across."

A Woodside resident of Old La Honda Road who preferred anonymity said she's seen the new patrols on arterials, but doubted an effect on her street. "It's not like they're cruising the neighborhood or anything," she said, adding that motorcycles do "seem sneakier." "The motorcycles are in the same spot (as the squad cars) but you can't see them," she said.

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