Half Moon Bay Memories

Dear HMBM:

What an atrocity the closure of Devil’s Slide is. I don’t live on the Coastside, but I am a frequent visitor, and this bureacracy-created crisis is a monstrosity. What government officials are responsible? What are their names and emails and home addresses? Let’s bombard them until they fix it and fix it quickly. Why is the work so slow and sparse? Get on the stick! Drivers will have coronaries; small businesspeople are being wiped out. Fix it!

Lew From Far Away

Hello June,

Thanks for your invitation to vent off some of my Devil’s Slide steam.

You’re right. For now what the poor commuter needs is more information while he’s sitting in his car. That’s not so radical.

Here’s an idea that’s more radical: When they finally get Devil’s Slide patched up, how about closing it every year for the 8 weeks of the rainy season to avoid rockslides and other diasasters while they’re building their darling tunnels. Us commuter slobs at least can try to plan for those 8 weeks every year. No, they’re not gonna buy this one but maybe somebody could come up with a different slant on how to make the commuter’s life easier.

Are you the same June Morrall that wrote for the San Mateo County Times and Half Moon Bay Review? Put up your picture.

Montara Bob

Sarah from irish Ridge writes:

“When I was in high school I saw your Half Moon Bay documentary [The Mystery of Half Moon Bay]. What I’ve never forgotten is that truck going up the hill and all the cars behind it. Everybody I know complains about the garbage trucks. I work over the hill and I have a question: Can’t the garbage trucks use the road at night, like between 8 pm and 4 am? It sure would help to have them off the road during commute time.”

Good question!

I’ve been hesitant to post this email but I think you should see it:

“Dear June:

Do you want the same people who can’t fix Devil’s Slide building the tunnel?

Pete from Princeton (by-the-Sea)

P.S. Enjoyed your story about Princeton (by-the-Sea). I was living in Princeton when it happened. The woman who took over the Princeton Inn after the brothers left was a realtor. Her name was Bev and she lived in Moss Beach.”

I’ve received some new Devil’s Slide emails–an especially interesting one from “Montara Bob”. I’ll post them later today.

(Photo: Big trucks significantly slow traffic on Hwy 92 during commute hours.)

The Devil’s Slide “commute disasterâ€? has been added to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC)’s 511 Driving Times service (found online at. http://www.511.org).

Thanks to Commissioner Sue Lempert, MTC Commissioner, for focussing on the forlorn Coastside commuter’s plight. Sue Lempert is also the mother of Ted Lempert, President of Children Now, an advocacy group based in Oakland, and, who, when Ted was an assemblyman introduced the Devil’s Slide tunnel legislation.
Visit http://www.511.org and you’ll find a Bay Area map– click on our neck of the woods, and you’ll be able to see if there’s congestion and where—and you can actually view traffic on Highway 1/92 via a remote camera—which is great if you’re at home but not so great if you’re on Highway 1 or 92 and an accident occurs. It’s especially dangerous if you’re locked in on the hill.

Commisioner Lempert, thank you very much–but how about signs on highways 1 and 92? Up-to-the-minute signs? I’ve seen these signs on 92, east of 280.

Not everybody carries a computer in the car, or a mobile phone. If there’s an accident that will cause a delay it would be helpful for the commuter to have that information so that he/she can make the decision to wait for the accident to be cleared up or go back home where they can be productive.

BELOW: TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL

To reach Ted Lempert at Children Now, here’s the info:

Children Now
Main Office
1212 Broadway, 5th Floor
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-763-2444
Fax: 510-763-1974

Sacramento Office
1127 Eleventh Street, Suite 452
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-443-1410
Fax: 916-443-1204

Email: [email protected]

Here’s how to contact Commissioner Sue Lempert

SUE LEMPERT
Representing Cities of San Mateo County
Former Mayor and Councilmember, City of San Mateo
365 Virginia Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94402
Phone: 650/342-9667
[email protected]