Let’s reduce impact of quarry plan

The EIR prepared by Raney Planning and Management seriously underestimates the impact of soil truck trips on traffic in this area. The traffic lights at this intersection employ an intelligent transportation system that uses sensors to detect when a vehicle is at the intersection. The lights will change to stop traffic in the crossflow direction when a vehicle is stopped at the intersection. The addition of soil trucks approaching Highway 1 from the quarry lands will trigger the lights to stop the flow of traffic every few minutes for 10 hours every weekday. The traffic flow on Highway 1 in the northbound and southbound directions is also significantly backed up under normal conditions. The soil truck traffic will significantly exacerbate these morning and afternoon traffic jams as well as traffic flow all day.

These trucks move much slower than cars when starting from a stop light, they are slower to decelerate when approaching a stop sign and when preparing to negotiate the turn from Highway 1 onto Old Quarry Road when entering the quarry lands site. This traffic congestion will be felt by tourists coming to spend money in Pacifica restaurants, hotels and visiting the popular tourist sites at Rockaway Beach, Mori Point, Linda Mar Beach and the neighboring shopping centers. In fact, the Coastside Guide (published by Coastside News Group) specifically references many Pacifica businesses and recreation sites that would be negatively affected by this traffic congestion.

The city is already struggling to improve tax revenue as it is. The disruption of the tourist dollars for four or more years will be a drain on city revenues.  For the city’s economy, we can’t afford to have this happen.

I urge the city of Pacifica to not approve the plan as presented but instead reduce the scale of the Reclamation Plan to the preferable Reduced Fill Alternative. 

— Danny Estrella, Pacifica