San Mateo County plans CHP patrols to crack down on speeding along La Honda roads
San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller is taking a step forward in cracking down on speedy performance drivers along the coastline of unincorporated San Mateo County.
During a study session Tuesday evening, the supervisor announced that they will fund a CHP officer to monitor traffic along the winding roads in La Honda, like Highway 84. Supervisor Mueller told CBS News Bay Area that his office will be using district discretionary funds to pay CHP $125,000 yearly.
La Honda neighbors said they have been frustrated by drivers influenced by social media, treating their winding roads like a racetrack.
"There are thousands of hidden driveways behind blind curves. And people who come up here and don't know the roads, obviously don't know where those are," Karyn Ellis, a La Honda resident of 25 years, told CBS News Bay Area. "They are endangering not only themselves, but all of us who live up here. And anybody who uses these roads for any reason at all."
According to CHP, late last month, a cars and coffee event in La Honda ended with three people being taken to the hospital.
Investigators said a 21-year-old Tesla driver was going down SR 84 at a high speed, crossing into the double yellow line before crashing into a 70-year-old Honda driver. They said the 70-year-old victim was rushed to the hospital for major injuries.
"One of the main villains in this problem is social media. We have Instagram sites posting videos of those kinds of speeds on these roads. Other people see them and go, 'oh I can do that too. That looks fun.' Then they come up here and try the same thing," Ellis said.
So she and her friends have been taking matters into their own hands.
"On weekends, I drive the sign up to Four Corners, at 35 and 84. Put it out in the morning, and take it in at night," she said. "There's a lock because somebody stole the last one. People who like to come up here and race don't like hearing the message."
La Honda Fire Brigade Chief Ari Delay agrees that social media plays a major role.
"In most recent years, some of the social media attention has brought people to the area, to be able to behave in this way. We want to welcome people here, but we also want people to respect our neighborhood and the area that we live in, and most importantly, not injure or kill anybody," the chief told CBS News Bay Area.
Even a few days prior to the interview, the chief said his first responders made a swift rescue.
"We had a motorcyclist over the cliff, right up the road here on mile marker 985," he said.
Chief Delay said they have upwards of 400 service calls each year.
"Probably a quarter of those, I would say, are typically vehicle accidents. Most of them have injuries involved in them," he said.
And through awareness campaigns like Ellis', she hopes signs plastered throughout town can serve as a grave reminder.
"We're not willing participants in their fun and games. We are the ones getting hurt," she said.
Meanwhile, Supervisor Mueller said they are currently in the grant application approval phase, and expects this to wrap up in the next 30 to 60 days. His office will be providing a grant to the town of Woodside, which will then pay the CHP.
