Solutions Proposed for Treacherous Highway 1 Pedestrian Crossing
SAN MATEO COUNTY (KPIX 5) -- Officials on the Peninsula are considering plans to make it safer to get across Highway 1 to a popular Bay Area beach.
Currently, people have to run across Highway 1 and avoid traffic to get to scenic Gray Whale Cove State Beach on the San Mateo County coastline between Pacifica and Montara.
Video from Sky Drone 5 video shows just how dangerous the crossing can be with cars are speeding by.
KPIX cameras caught a family with small kids who were lucky to have cars stop for them as they crossed the highway.
You can never see the cars coming that way because they're going so fast, said beach goer Vivienne Harr. They sneak up on you and you can't see which way
The only way to get to the beach is to park across the street and then make a run for it. Cars regularly have to slam on the brakes as beach goers dart in front of them.
I won't even cross the street if there's no friend with me. I have to hold onto somebody, said visitor Iryna Pankova.
San Mateo County Transportation Authority's proposed solution is a stoplight, in this case what is known as a "pedestrian hybrid beacon" that only prompts vehicles when a pedestrian activates the signal.
But many area residents have signed a petition to stop construction on the traffic light.
Instead, they think a pedestrian underpass is the best and safest solution.
I think a tunnel might be a really great idea or even a bridge, said local resident Alex Harr. I think stoplights…it's hard for drivers because it's too blind of a turn and they probably don't want to stop
It seems like a very nice idea. I don't know how expensive it is, said Anastasia Ryzhova.
Time-lapse video of Gray Whale Cove Crossing shows just how treacherous it is to cross the highway with cars travelling 45 to 50 mph.
Everyone KPIX 5 spoke to agreed something needs to be done to make it safer to cross the highway.
While the Gray Whale Cove project is still in the design phase, San Mateo County officials anticipate being ready for construction by the middle of next year.
