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In the midst of a community outcry to curtail speeding and reckless driving on highways 84 and 35, changes are on the way: Caltrans, San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and California Highway Patrol announced plans for boosting traffic enforcement and improving road infrastructure.
County Supervisor Ray Mueller said the county will grant the town about $125,000 to fund CHP officers to patrol the state highways on the weekends for the next year. He made the announcement at a Woodside Town Council study session on Sept. 22 that drew a crowd to Independence Hall.
The funds will come from Measure K, a half-cent, countywide sales tax that is used to fund local initiatives toward public safety, housing, community services and emergency preparedness.Â
As law enforcement agencies struggle to keep up with the frequent accidents on the county’s secluded mountain roads, this initiative will guarantee one officer is assigned to the impacted state highways on Saturdays and Sundays, according to Mueller. But don’t expect to see the increased enforcement right away.
Grant paperwork between the town and county has yet to be finalized,, said Mueller
At the study session, Caltrans officials presented their goals and commitments to implement immediate to long-term improvements, initiate meetings with partner agencies, conduct a road safety audit and designate state highways 84 and 35 as safety corridors.
Plans for improvement
Immediate improvements are already being made to Four Corners, where 84 and 35 intersect, with more to come. In August, Caltrans painted the curb red in front of Skywood Trading Post, enhanced the north crosswalk connecting the Mountain Terrace parking lot to Alice’s Restaurant and installed “Keep Clear” pavement markings.Â
Caltrans also plans to build a four-way stop sign at Four Corners by the end of November.
Some community members, including Alice’s Restaurant owner Jamie Kerr, said they would rather see a four-way stop light.
Other work on the roads include repairing potholes, improving the placement and visibility of speed limit signs, vegetation management and removing debris. Caltrans officials said they will also review areas where safe turnouts can be constructed
Near-term improvements include the installing High Friction Surface Treatments to areas with frequent loss-of-control crashes, changing speed limits and adding “Turnout Ahead” signs. Caltrans also plans to replace and install missing mile markers to improve emergency response and guardrail improvements will be made to an area 1 mile west of Four Corners known locally as the “Curve of Death.”
Safety signage will also be installed at Kings Mountain Community Center, Portola Heights Road, Castanea Ridge Road, Clouds Rest Vista Point and at Old La Honda Road.
Kathy Simpson, who lives next to the Clouds Rest Vista Point, said there are people who drive up to the lookout to do drugs, light fireworks, drink alcohol and have sex in the car on weekends. She’s taken on the responsibility to clean up after them, she said.
Caltrans officials said their long-term plans include installing a security gate at the Clouds Rest Vista Point and Sempervirens parking lot to prevent illegal nighttime activity and will improve pedestrian crossing safety near La Honda Elementary School.
Woodside Councilmember Jenn Wall asked Caltrans to create a public website for the community to keep track of completed and ongoing projects. Some residents spoke in support of the idea and Caltrans said they can look into developing a webpage dedicated to highways 84, 35 and 9.
Fatalities, speeding citations and police staffing
Over the last five years, Caltrans reported a total of 28 fatalities, involving pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists and passenger vehicles. Highway 35, also known as Skyline Boulevard, had the highest recorded number of fatal crashes: There were 11, killing five vehicle passengers, five motorcyclists and one bicyclist.
From 2024 to August 2026, the Sheriff’s Office has issued 1,784 speeding citations, responded to 123 collisions and 17 bicycle collisions. At Four Corners, 309 citations were issued, according to Capt. Brandon Hensel. So far this year, the Sheriff’s Office has responded to 37 collisions as of the end of August, he said.
Community members have complained to the town about the lack of law enforcement presence in areas where they frequently witness near-misses and speeding vehicles. The Sheriff’s Office, which contracts with Woodside to provide law enforcement for the town, provides a very limited staff: one deputy and one motor unit during the day and one deputy at night.
From Tuesday through Thursday, there are two motorcycle deputies assigned to monitor higher traffic volumes, but there are no motor units assigned for the weekend, said Hensel.
The Sheriff’s Office is currently working on recruitment and is flexible with rotating its current deputy assignment schedule to better fit the needs of the community, he added.
With 75 sworn officers under CHP, the majority are used to cover the county’s freeways, said Lt. Daniel Hill. He also explained that CHP does not serve within Woodside’s town boundaries and only focuses in areas outside of the town in unincorporated San Mateo County.
Hill said before July 2025, CHP averaged about .25 citations per day, but as staffing improved, the average increased to 0.65 citations per day over the last year. In May, an officer previously assigned to patrol U.S. Highway 101 was reallocated to cover activity on the county’s windy highways.
“We issued 92 citations in that period. We gave a 483% increase in enforcement activity and a 675% increase over that course of time, and we reduced crashes by 33% there,” said Hill. “The allocation of a single officer will not protect the entirety of the state route … but it should make a big difference.”
Local law enforcement agencies and Caltrans representatives said they look forward to working together to address the growing number of fatalities on the roads and will continue to partner with each other on these projects.
Mayor Brian Dombkowski recommended putting the South Coast Traffic Advisory Panel’s recommendations on a future Town Council agenda. The group, which was created by Mueller’s office, has spent the last three years developing a plan of improvements that to combat the increase in reckless driving and speeding.Â
Dombkowski also proposed a discussion on allocating overtime funds to have more Sheriff’s Office deputies available to patrol the town.
Wall suggested exploring how the town’s engineering department can work with Caltrans on design solutions and how the town can help produce a project plan for the public to view.
“We will continue to do what we can to advocate and to be a part of the solution,” said Dombkowski.
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