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Over 100 people gathered Oct. 20 in Woodside at a town hall meeting to address growing concerns about reckless driving, speeding and collisions on highways 35 and 84.
Hosted by local and state legislators in collaboration with Caltrans and law enforcement officials, it was the first time multiple agencies came together in one room to talk about solutions.
“There will undoubtedly be disagreements about what actions we should take, but by working together, we can combine enforcement, engineering and education. We will make your roads safer,” said Assemblymember Marc Berman.
For the past five years, traffic issues have been a growing issue for the community but Berman told The Almanac “it’s reaching the tipping point” — sparking the initiative to gather all agencies in one room for one evening.
The town hall at Mountain Terrace was organized by Berman, state Sen. Josh Becker and San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller, with presentations by Caltrans, California Highway Patrol and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.
Woodside councilmembers Jenn Wall, Hassan Aburish and Paul Goeld and Portola Valley councilmembers Mary Hufty and Helen Wolter, who is also a senior field representative for Berman’s office, attended.
About 200 additional people tuned in online to hear about Caltrans’ immediate to long-term road improvement plans for the two-lane mountain highways and the collaborative enforcement programs between CHP and the Sheriff’s Office. Collectively, agencies call this the 4E’s: enforcement, education, engineering and engagement
“At Caltrans, you may know safety is our highest priority … but no single agency can solve the challenges of this corridor,” said Doanh Nguyen, Caltrans acting director of District 4.
Caltrans improvements in the works and on the way
Caltrans officials said the community’s concerns about safety on highways 84 and 35 and their intersection at Four Corners in Woodside are being prioritized every day.
A hundred engineers are dedicated to this project, putting other plans on the backburner, said Amjad Naseer, acting deputy for traffic operations. During Caltrans’ weekly executive staff meetings, this project is at the top of the agenda, he added.
Safety improvements to the Four Corners area have already begun. In August, Caltrans added red curbs at the intersection, enhanced the crosswalk and installed “Keep Clear” pavement markings. At the start of October, construction began to install a four-way stop, upgrade and add warning signs, install a flashing beacon at the pedestrian crossing on Highway 35 and enhance pavement striping.
Lester Lee of Caltrans also presented its immediate plans to conduct a road safety audit, begin vegetation management, replace traffic and speed limit signs, refresh striping and maintain turnouts on the highways. This will take about six months, he said.
Near-term improvements, within six to 18 months, include evaluating speed enforcement cameras, assessing speed limit reductions, adding turnout signage and installing location reference signs for emergency response. Caltrans will also assess the need for high-friction surface treatments on the pavement to prevent skidding.
Its longer-term plans are expected to take two or more years. These include installing pedestrian crossings and adding access controls at the Clouds Rest Vista Point and Sempervirens parking lot.
Some residents who are opposed to the four-way stop asked for traffic lights instead, but officials explained that the improvements being made are incremental. If findings over the next few months show that a signal is needed, Caltrans will move forward to install one, Naseer said.
“Signals themselves may not be the best solution either and also introduces maintenance issues with sustainability and power,” Nguyen added.
Lee said they are hopeful that the four-way stop and increased enforcement will slow down drivers at Four Corners. He added that Caltrans plans to revisit the area early next year to conduct an engineering and traffic study to evaluate the effectiveness of current improvements.
Law enforcement efforts
According to CHP, there have been 11 fatal collisions on highways 84 and 35 over the past five years. This includes the deaths of cyclists Jakub Solovsky in July and Eric Biron in August 2025, who were both hit by cars.
On Oct. 20, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved a $125,000 grant for the town of Woodside to hire additional CHP officers to patrol the highways on weekends. Mueller debuted this initiative during a September Town Council meeting in response to the growing number of fatalities on the road.
“The state government doesn’t work that fast, but while we get the immediate support from the county, it buys us a little time to work with our Caltrans partners to try to fund some of those longer-term solutions,” said Berman.
Amid calls for more enforcement against speeding and reckless driving, CHP and Sheriff’s Office leaders assured residents that they are increasing their efforts to deter motorists from zipping through winding highways and driving noisy vehicles up rural roads.
CHP officials announced they impounded a vehicle that was seen driving recklessly in an Instagram reel. After a local resident shared the video with officers, the license plate was identified and a judge approved a warrant to seize the car, said Lt. Daniel Hill.
Earlier this month, 43 citations were issued during a two-day joint traffic safety enforcement operation by CHP and the Sheriff’s Office. The operation used planes and patrol vehicles to monitor traffic.
CHP issues an average of 1.5 citations a day — seven times the level of enforcement activity compared to 2025, said Capt. Patrick Etchebarne.
Residents at the meeting asked for increased enforcement late at night when cars have been spotted doing donuts and racing through the streets. Hill asked residents to share videos with time and location but encouraged the public to call 911 if they witness an active race.
While law enforcement agencies are doing their best to address the issues, “lives may still be lost,” but efforts to hold those responsible for the deaths of others are taken seriously, said Hill.
“We want the community to understand that we are and we will pursue charges for those that decide to do this reckless and dangerous driving, and work with the district attorney’s office to make sure that they are held to answer for that crime,” he added.
‘Speed cameras are a long term solution’
Several California cities, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Long Beach, are currently participating in a five-year speed camera pilot program. A number of residents on highways 84 and 35 said they want the same.
Berman told The Almanac that based on observing how other cities launched speed cameras, the process from approval to installation can take three to four years before cameras go online.
It has to get approved by the state Legislature, local jurisdictions have to fund the cameras and there has to be an evaluation through a road safety audit, he said.
“It’s complicated. It’s a bit of a longer-term solution — one that I want to look at very closely but that also requires my colleagues supporting that idea and getting legislation passed in Sacramento,” said Berman during the town hall.
