The Atherton City Council on Wednesday is scheduled to discuss installing a traffic light and flashing beacons along a dangerous stretch of El Camino Real where people have died and been injured.
A city staff report estimates that more than 31,000 cars are driven on the 1.6-mile stretch of road every day. Yet the road is considered "incomplete" because it has "minimal or no facilities" for pedestrians and bicyclists, the report adds, according to the Daily News.
According to Caltrans, 50 collisions -- largely caused by drivers who make unsafe turns or fail to yield -- were reported at the El Camino Real and Selby Lane intersection between 2002 and 2011.
Atherton resident Shahriar Rahimzadeh, 32, was killed last July after being struck by a motorist while walking westbound on El Camino Real at Almendral Avenue, the Daily News reported.
At the study session, members will consider staff recommendation to install a stoplight at El Camino Real and Selby Lane. Caltrans, which owns half the intersection, has agreed to chip in $400,000, the Daily News reported. The town's expense is estimated at between $400,000 and $500,000.
According to the staff report, San Mateo County officials are unwilling to contribute any money, even though they own a segment of the road, presumably because "the county portion of this intersection supports very little traffic."
However, the report notes, some residents oppose the street light because they fear motorists willwill drive on Selby Lane to avoid it.
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Wednesday’s meeting is scheduled to begin 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 94 Ashfield Road.
