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Woodside’s Independence Hall was filled with neon colors on July 28 as members of the Western Wheelers dressed in orange, green and yellow cycling jerseys, showed up in honor of their member Jakub Solovsky, who was killed in a head-on collision on Highway 35 earlier this month.
The group of Peninsula bicyclists came to the Town Council meeting with a call to action: make 35, locally known as Skyline Boulevard, safer for the whole community. The curvy two-lane state highway has long attracted speedsters in sports cars and souped-up motorcycles who put the law-abiding public at risk when they treat the road as a racetrack.
“This is not a cycling issue,” said Anne Paulson during the public comment session. “This is Skyline residents, kids visiting friends, hikers, walkers, legal drivers and cyclists versus recreational lawbreakers menacing us, and that needs to stop.”
While many bicyclists have died in car collisions across Woodside roads, Solovsky’s death hit close to home for many local riders who knew him as a friend or a mutual acquaintance. The recent uptick in cyclist deaths in the area have inspired community action to drive change.
“All the local residents see speeding cars all the time. This incident and others show again and again that we need to make changes,” said Palo Alto resident Deirdre Crommie.
Solovsky was killed about 10 miles south of Four Corners, the intersection of highways 35 and 84, a popular spot that draws crowds of car enthusiasts and motorcyclists on weekends. Last year, Redwood City cyclist Eric Biron died after being hit by a pickup truck near the intersection.
Locals point to speeding and lack of enforcement as a cause of continued fatalities on the road.
Redwood City resident Cindy Asrir asked the Woodside Town Council to pressure Caltrans, which controls the state highway, to lower the speed limit, install speed cameras and implement traffic calming measures.
“You, as a town bordering and containing highways 84 and 35, can influence the Sheriff’s Office, CHP, Caltrans, and the Legislature,” Asrir said. “Skyline is a known raceway to drivers, most of whom do not even live here. We need to change this now to protect our community, and so more lives are not senselessly lost.”
Public Works Director Louis Sun reported that Woodside has been working with Caltrans and law enforcement agencies on multiple projects around Highway 24, Woodside, Canada, Kings Mountain and Sand Hill roads. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and CHP will be conducting a joint enforcement effort on Aug. 8, Sun added.
Last November, Caltrans held a community meeting to present its ideas to improve the intersection at Highway 35 and 84. Plans included a four-way stop, “stop ahead” signs in all directions, “yield to pedestrian” signs at crosswalks and turn restriction signs.
Councilmember Dick Brown said that Caltrans expects to start construction on Four Corners in one month and has been working with Sun and the town on how to slow traffic and improve safety.
In addition to safer roads, cyclists also called for the town to get in contact with San Mateo County’s district attorney to urge him to hold the drivers involved in these fatalities accountable.
“When there’s recklessness involved, it really needs to be upon the district attorney to actually file charges and bring one of these people to actually serve some time, as opposed to sweeping things under the rug,” said local cyclist Tomas Byma.
The South Coast Traffic Advisory Panel for San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller’s office has made recommendations to address the dangers of Highway 84 and 35. A report released in May finds that the most common traffic violations are speeding, unsafe passing, tailgating and noise violations.
The advisory panel recommends increased enforcement from CHP and the Sheriff’s Office on the weekends, concentrated law enforcement events three to four times a year and to set up driver feedback signs at high-risk areas. It also proposes having “ghost police cars,” with low visibility police decals, posted in known speeding areas.
Asrir said the conditions for cyclists on Woodside roads have progressively gotten worse over the past 15 years and the growing trend of car racing clubs on social media have made the situation worse.
Roadside photographers such as Bay Moto-Photo are encouraging dangerous behavior from drivers and motorcyclists who make dangerous maneuvers to attract the photographer’s attention, according to the South Coast Traffic report.
The advisory group recommends citing these photographers for “commercial photography in the Caltrans right-of-way without an encroachment permit.”
“I was shocked by the cars going by four, five, six, at a time, 100 MPH, and they have their mufflers open and they’re videoing themselves,” said Councilmember Paul Goeld, about a visit he made to Clouds Rest Road near the site of Solovsky’s death. “Why can’t we prosecute somebody who’s videoing themselves with 105 miles an hour on their speedometer?”
Goeld added that he had corresponded with State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, and Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Menlo Park on these issues.
Woodside council members said they welcomed the public commenters’ feedback and acknowledged the increasing dangers of speeding cars on Woodside’s highways. The council agreed to hold a discussion on the topic in the near future, and to coordinate with county and state officials. Members said they also might hold a study session on the South Coast Traffic Advisory Panel’s recommendations.
Yesterday, I was confronted by cyclist who had been blocking a two-way street; driving about 5 mph; forcing me into oncoming traffic. Local cyclists are becoming increasingly aggressive and are definitely creating a backlash.