From: Diane McCurdy
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2026 3:04 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 2nd/4th Street Project
Dear City Council,
I would like to express my opposition to the proposed redesign of the intersection of 2nd/4th Streets because it creates more safety issues than it purports to resolve, including diverting left-turning traffic from a protected intersection to an unprotected intersection (at West St), increasing 2-way traffic on narrow, steep streets that cannot safely accommodate the increased traffic, adding congestion to the complicated Greenfield/West End intersection, extending left-turning vehicles at Fourth/Greenfield, causing back-ups on the Miracle Mile and an increase in eastbound traffic using the West End merge lane at Marquard, increasing conflict points with bicyclists and pedestrians.
Thank you in advance for considering other options.
Sincerely,
Diane [McCurdy] Faulkner
Resident of West End neighborhood in San Rafael
From: Dave Rhoads
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2026 10:56 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: 10/19/26 Council Mtg: Item 5 Public Comment: 2nd and 4th Street Intersection Project Hi City Council (and staff),
Thanks for your work and commitment to this project. We are generally supportive of the 2nd and 4th Street Intersection Project and recommend it's approval for construction.
However, a few important changes must be made to help achieve the project goals. We encourage you to approve the drawings with an amendment instructing staff to update the project with these changes:
1) Detail 6: The Bicycle Left Turn queue box is too small for a family cargo bike or long bike, lacks stacking capacity, and importantly has difficult/impossible geometry for a cyclist approaching from westbound 4th Street. Please reconsider or redesign this, possibly by adding a curb cut to the sidewalk further east so cyclists can queue to cross the intersection on the sidewalk.
2) Median at EB 4th/WB 2nd: Add bollard to protect pedestrians in median. Similar to corners on 3rd Street from that recent project.
3) Detail 5: The left turn queue box is too small for a family cargo bike or long bike and no stacking capacity. Please redesign it, possibly by lengthening the queue box or adding a ramp to allow for more stacking and longer bikes.
See image:
Thanks,
Dave Rhoads
Co-Chair, Walk/Bike San Rafael, A Marin County Bicycle Coalition Local Team P: 702-630-2423
W: www.walkbikesanrafael.org
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From: Elias Hill
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2026 12:49 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Cc: Public Works <[email protected]>
Subject: Public Comment: October 19 City Council Meeting, Item 5.a: Second and Fourth Streets Intersection Improvements
Please include this letter in the record:
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
I am writing in my personal capacity as a San Rafael resident and property owner regarding the proposed Second and Fourth Streets intersection improvements.
First, I want to acknowledge the considerable work City staff have undertaken in evaluating this project. Balancing intersection safety, traffic circulation, pedestrian access, neighborhood impacts, and the needs of various road users is a complex undertaking. I appreciate the care staff have brought to these competing considerations and their efforts to arrive at a design that serves the broader community.
As a member of the City Council, I have a disqualifying financial interest in this matter and will not participate in the Council's deliberations or decision. I offer these comments solely in my capacity as a private resident and property owner, within the limited personal interest exception recognized under California's Political Reform Act. I recognize the importance of maintaining a clear separation between my official responsibilities and my personal interests.
I have previously shared concerns about the challenges vehicles encounter when navigating some of the narrower residential streets and sharp turns in the surrounding neighborhood. I have personally observed vehicles, particularly larger commercial and delivery vehicles, encountering difficulties negotiating these turns, sometimes resulting in obstructions and potentially unsafe conditions. These experiences inform my concerns about the potential impacts of additional traffic on nearby residential properties, including my own.
While the proposed improvements may address important circulation and safety objectives at Second and Fourth Streets, changes to permitted turning movements could also redistribute traffic onto surrounding residential streets. Some of these streets have geometric constraints that make them poorly suited to certain vehicles or increased volumes of unfamiliar drivers.
One aspect of the project I believe warrants particular attention is the role of digital navigation and logistics systems in determining where vehicles travel. Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, Uber, Amazon, UPS, and other navigation and delivery platforms increasingly shape traffic patterns, particularly for drivers unfamiliar with neighborhood conditions.
I recognize that these platforms operate proprietary systems and that the City cannot directly control their routing algorithms. Nevertheless, I would appreciate clarification of several questions concerning the potential effects of rerouted traffic on surrounding residential properties:
1. Has staff evaluated how the proposed changes to turning movements and circulation may influence routing recommendations from major navigation applications, particularly where alternative routes traverse narrow residential streets or intersections with challenging geometry?
2. What mechanisms are available to the City to communicate approved circulation changes, turning restrictions, and appropriate routing information to providers such as Google Maps, Apple Maps, and Waze? Is there an established process for verifying that these changes are reflected accurately following implementation?
3. Has staff considered how commercial delivery and fleet operators, including Amazon, UPS, and other services using proprietary routing systems, will incorporate the revised street configuration? Are there opportunities to communicate physical constraints that may make certain residential routes unsuitable for larger vehicles?
4. Beyond changes to navigation data, has staff evaluated whether additional signage, turning restrictions, or other measures may be warranted to discourage inappropriate vehicle movements through constrained residential streets?
5. Following implementation, what mechanisms will be available to monitor unintended changes in traffic patterns, particularly increases in commercial vehicle movements, difficult turning maneuvers, or recurring obstructions? What options would the City have to make subsequent adjustments if adverse impacts emerge?
I recognize that no street improvement can anticipate every consequence or eliminate all inconvenience. My interest is in understanding how thoroughly the City has considered the relationship between physical street design and the digital systems that increasingly direct vehicle movements, particularly where those movements may affect residential properties.
I appreciate the work staff have undertaken and the difficult balance involved in improving a significant intersection while considering the effects on surrounding neighborhoods. My hope is that these questions can be addressed in the public record so that the Council has the benefit of staff's assessment before reaching its decision.
Finally, I reiterate that these comments are submitted exclusively from my perspective as a private resident and property owner. I am mindful of my disqualification and do not intend this correspondence to constitute participation in my official capacity or an exercise of the authority of my office.
Thank you for your consideration.
Eli Hill
San Rafael resident and property owner
Submitted solely in a private capacity
-----Original Message-----
From: Linda
Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2026 6:47 PM
To: Distrib- City Clerk <[email protected]> Subject: Second/Fourth Street Intersection Improvement Project/City Council Meeting October 19, 2026 I am a long-time resident of the West End and have followed the progress of the Second/Fourth Street Intersection Improvement Project from its inception. It is clear to me that this project is destined to happen because special interests are determined that it be completed regardless of the fact that it imperils the safety and well-being of myriad San Rafael residents. Channeling traffic through the narrow streets of East and West and on to Marquard, hardly a street, with no pull-out spaces is madness, yet the powers that be refuse to explicitly examine the impacts of this scheme and forge ahead using the incomplete Parametrix report, and ignoring previous reports by respected City officials. This is a disgusting abuse of power and ignores the greater good, namely all the residents who live in this area.
The only comparison that comes to mind is the bicycle lane on the Richmond Bridge and if you've ever been stuck in the traffic that project generated, you know what I mean.
I urge the City to deny this design award and consider a design opening the left-turn lane on Second Street.
Respectfully,
Linda Lieberman
October 19, 2026
Mayor Kate Colin and City Council Members
City of San Rafael
1400 Fifth Ave
San Rafael, CA
via: [email protected];
PLEASE KEEP THIS LETTER AND ALL ATTACHMENTS AS A PERMANENT PUBLIC RECORD
RE: Agenda item #5.a. Second Street and Fourth Street Intersection Improvements Projects
I strongly oppose the proposed design for the Second and Fourth Street intersection project as presented to you tonight. The City has not thoroughly analyzed or addressed changes in conflict points, emergency response times, or safety on alternative routes. Residents want safe access to their homes and many think the proposed redesign will cause more hazards and increased risks of collisions for all users, not less.
See attached Petition opposing the closure of the westbound left-turn lane on Second Street at Marquard, a key element of this design, with 106 people opposing the closure. This Petition was presented to the City Council at the June 2, 2025, and June 23, 2025 city council meetings and to BPAC at their June 4, 2025, meeting.
The City adopted the "Local Road Safety Program" (LRSP), a county-wide program for identifying dangerous conditions on our roadways where improvements in safety can be prioritized for both local and rural roads. In the report, San Rafael identified high collision intersections and high collision road segments in the City. The Second and Fourth Street Intersection is NOT identified as being one of the 35 high collision intersections in San Rafael, nor was it included in the 20 high collision road segments listed in the LRSP. Because the Second and Fourth Street intersection was NOT identified as a high-collision intersection or road segment, it was NOT included in the list of Priority Projects in the LRSP.
There are several "gaps" in the analysis of the traffic and circulation data used to support the proposed design of the Second and Fourth Street Intersection Improvement Project, as follows:
1) The City has been inconsistent in it's decision to close the westbound left-turn lane on Second Street at Marquard, vacillating between closing it and reopening it during the design phase for the project. During review of a design which included the closure of the left-turn lane, the City Traffic Engineer, Raffat Raie, changed the design to add back the left-turn lane into the design, because he foresaw the problems with closing it and didn't want to send traffic deeper into the neighborhood on narrow, steep streets or impact evacuation routes or emergency access. He said “because of it's location, this intersection needs to accommodate all” (modes of transportation).
Raffat Raie is a highly regarded professional traffic engineer who has been a distinguished instructor with the UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies Tech Transfer Program since 2001. He has served as City Traffic Engineer for several municipalities, including the City of San Rafael. After Raffat left his position with the City of San Rafael, the public works department ignored his recommendation and changed the design to close the left-turn lane on Second Street, diverting traffic deeper into the neighborhood, onto narrow, steep hillside streets; diverting traffic from a protected left-turn to an unprotected left-turn; adding more congestion at the Fourth and Greenfield intersection where adjustments to the left-turn signal will cause delays for eastbound traffic along the busy arterial road; increase conflict points at West End and Marquard, and delay emergency response time.
Although the proposed design to close the left-turn lane was presented to BPAC in August 2024, and Public Works assured BPAC they would do public outreach in the summer and fall of 2024, residents weren’t notified about the change in plans to close the left-turn lane until much later, in February 2025. Did Public Works notify residents living at #1859, 1863, 1867, 1871, and 1875 Second Street that they would no longer be able to make a U-turn at Marquard to access their homes when approaching from the east? Kimley-Horn, in their feasibility study dated February 21, 2025, did not include the safety or capacity of diverted traffic on alternate routes as part of their analysis for the feasibility of the design, resulting in an incomplete report, with a “gap” in data to fully assess the feasibility of closing the left-turn lane on Second Street.
2) In a letter to CalTrans dated October 23, 2025, Director April Miller, states the reason for closing the left-turn lane on Second Street to Marquard is to reduce conflict points. She also states that the through movement from eastbound West End Avenue to merge onto Second Street will be reinstated as part of the design. I have asked her several times for the analysis of the increased traffic (and conflict points) as a result of the reinstatement of this through movement and have not received an answer. See attached email to Director Miller requesting data used to support the reinstatement of through traffic on West End Avenue. She did not respond to my question, even after several requests.
To emphasize the importance of including an analysis of this through movement, I refer you to a collision on June 15, 2026, between an eastbound vehicle and a bicyclist occurring at the same location where eastbound, merging traffic will be increased with the reinstatement of this through movement but Director Miller cannot tell me about the increase in traffic volume and conflict points that was considered in the traffic analysis for the redesign of this intersection with the reinstatement of the through movement of eastbound traffic on West End Avenue.
3) The design of the "mountable curb" across the entrance to Marquard was originally only 10 feet wide. However, the California Fire Code sets a standard minimum unobstructed street and fire access width of 20 feet. So, I’m glad to see the final design has been changed to a ~25 foot width which now complies with the California Fire Code.
Former San Rafael Fire Chief, Robert (Bob) Marcucci of Marcucci Fire Service Consulting has written a report about fire response for hillside homes with access from Marquard and Second Streets. See attached 2-page report. His report was provided to the City Council, City Manager, Fire Chief, Police Chief, Public Works Director, City Traffic Engineer, City Attorney, Kimley-Horn, CSW Stuber-Stroeh Engineering, and Cal-Trans transportation engineers, on October 28, 2025.
Bob Marcucci spent 43 years in the San Rafael Fire Department with 32 of those years as Fire Chief. Following his retirement, he joined Ronny Coleman, once the California State Fire Marshall appointed by Governor Wilson, in fire service consulting. He was awarded a Masters Degree in Public Administration and completed his thesis on "A study of Existing Fire Service Deployment Practices and a Methodological Format for Creating Change”. He started the Paramedic Program in San Rafael in 1980. In 2000, he received the Fire Chief of the Year award from the California Fire Chiefs Association. His father was the Fire Chief in San Anselmo. You could say Bob’s entire life has been dedicated to the fire service.
I have lived on Fremont Road over 40 years and had many discussions with Bob Marcucci during his tenure as San Rafael’s Fire Chief regarding fire safety in this neighborhood. He is very familiar with our neighborhood.
The glaring problem with the proposed design for the Second and Fourth Street Intersection Improvement project is the emergency access to Marquard from Second Street. Any attempt to block access to Marquard from Second Street, with special curb designs, delineators or signage, will only increase response time to hillside homes, along with confusion, not to speak of the possible damage to the undercarriage of very expensive emergency vehicles which include Fire Apparatus, ambulances, police cars and other emergency and life-saving vehicles, all with varying ground clearances.
The house fire that occurred at 55 Upper Fremont Dr on January 4, 2016 (Incident Report #2016-000110) was at 11:30 at night and even at that late hour, response times exceeded NFPA recommendations. Luckily, it was raining that night but given different weather conditions, the outcome could have been much different. The house was deemed uninhabitable after the fire.
I’m estimating that about 35-40% of the residents living on this hillside are seniors and as seniors age in place, the need for more emergency medical care will increase. Anything to impede access for medical emergencies could be life changing for residents.
Fire Chief Abraham Roman has not responded to my repeated requests for his analysis of the delay in emergency response time, resulting from the installation of a "mountable curb" at Marquard, He says it will add 9 seconds delay to emergency response time but has not responded to several requests to provide supporting documentation to show how that delay was calculated. See attached email to Fire Chief Abraham Roman which he has not responded to.
Given the "gaps" in the traffic analysis of conflict points and emergency response times, I question whether the City will be able to defend itself using a "design immunity" defense, should a medical emergency or accident occur at any of these intersections affected by this design, including the alternate routes where traffic is being diverted as a result of the changes in design. Some think an accident is inevitable.
4) Other Safety issues
Parametrix was hired to assess safety of the alternate routes and recommend traffic improvements. However, Parametrix did not address the safety of all intersections involved with the alternate routes on narrow neighborhood streets nor has the City committed to a time-line for the “more involved fixes”, primarily sticking to painting curbs, striping and signage improvements.
The current design includes a bike bay just past Marquard which reduces the sidewalk width, making it less safe for pedestrians. This is the location where a car jumped the curb and landed in front of what is now the bilingual school for children. The sidewalk here needs to be wide enough to protect pedestrians from errant vehicles and speeding bicyclists. Pedestrians are more vulnerable to risk of fatality by fast moving cars or bicycles and should be provided priority protection. If there isn’t enough room for a bike bay without compromising pedestrian safety, then the bike bay should be eliminated, prioritizing pedestrian safety, especially considering the large number of seniors living in the area.
On June 20,2022, I wrote to then City Manager, Jim Schutz, about dangers of a bicycle/vehicle collision at West End and Marquard, because of impeded visibility from the tall utility box in front of 55 Marquard. On August 10, 2022, I met “on-site” with Rafat Raie, Deputy Public Works Director, and Lauren Davini, Sr. Traffic Engineer, to show how the tall utility box impedes visibility at the corner of Marquard/2nd/West End Ave, blocking visibility of on-coming cyclists on West End Ave, who frequently do not stop at the STOP sign and speed thru the intersection. I understood from our meeting that the tall utility box would be moved to an entirely different location, away from this intersection. I again described this safety issue to City Council members at a regular meeting of the City Council on April 21, 2025. I also discussed the issue with Director April Miller, so I am glad to see that this utility box will be relocated, according to the final plans.
Several residents met “on-site” with Mark Kyle, then president of BPAC, to discuss neighborhood access issues. Three residents met with Fire Chief Roman and the City Manager to discuss the closure of Marquard and I met on-site with the Police Traffic Sergeant. However, residents have been frustrated with the lack of access to our elected representatives and public works staff. Our district elected council member, Eli Hill, has recused himself because of FPPC (Fair Political Practices Commission) rules regarding conflicts of interest. Several requests to meet with Mayor Kate Colin have been ignored or declined. Requests to meet with other council members from other districts have been largely ignored. City Traffic Engineer, Sayed Fakhry, has declined to meet with residents or even talk about the project on the telephone. Requests to meet with Grey Melgard to discuss safety on alternate routes was declined. This understandably leaves residents feeling “stone walled” by the City.
San Rafael Traffic Engineer (prior) Rafat Raie said that this is the most critical intersection design that the City will see in a long. “We only have one chance to get it right.” This is NOT the right design for this intersection.
The City has failed to provide the comprehensive analysis required of a major intersection redesign of this magnitude. This design focuses on one thing, closing the left-turn lane on Second Street, and leaves many pieces “hanging” without fully assessing the changes in traffic flow and overall safety for all modes of transportation.
This design does not meet “Vision Zero” goals of reducing collisions, it just transfers the risk.
This is a major intersection which requires a comprehensive analysis of changes in conflict points, emergency response times and safe access for all modes of transportation before being approved. This design lacks the confidence of residents that they will be safe when navigating the neighborhood. By approving this design, you are turning your back on the neighborhood.
I urge you to deny approval of this flawed design.
Thank you for placing my comments and the attached documents into the public record.
Victoria DeWitt
Att:
• Petition with 106 supporters
• Email to Public Works Director April Miller
• Former Fire Chief Bob Marcucci 2-page report
• Email to Fire Chief Abraham Roman
bcc: City Council
PETITION
We OPPOSE the closure
of the westbound LEFT TURN LANE on Second Street
at Marquard and West End Avenues
for these reasons:
• More than 300 vehicles use it daily
• Provides critical access to residences and local businesses • Converting it to a median is unsafe for pedestrians
• Proposed barricade at Marquard can be easily violated • Increases congestion at 5 other intersections
• Increases collision risk by diverting traffic to an unsignalized intersection • Increases risk of rear-end collisions at rerouted intersections • Reduced capacity for 2-way traffic on alternate routes • Difficult to impossible to navigate narrow hairpin bends on alternate routes • Impedes access for delivery vehicles and construction equipment • No history of pedestrian or bicycle collisions with left turning vehicles here • The City’s Traffic Engineer, Raffat Raie, advised keeping this left turn lane open We encourage the City to work with the community to come up with a better solution for the redesign of the “Second and Fourth Street Intersection”.
Victoria DeWitt Marley Brezzo Teal Collins
Maren DeGraff Jessica Brezzo Jay Brusseau
Adam DeGraff Lori Davis Ashley Einhaus
Anne Bowen Mike Davis Josh Zee
Tim Bowen Rena Harel Tracy Chayet
Stacy Clement Maria Narayan Lenka Cernicka
Jon Kramer Fred Cushing Matthew Chayet
Steve Thomson Michael Smith Kimberley Areton
Jasmin Thomson Sylvia Burgess Holly Stanaland
Eric Mayer Julie K Murphy Beth Levison
Kristen Vyas & family Julia Burgess Diane Faulkner
Charles F. Powers III Linda Lieberman Frank Faulkner
Amy Powers Ray Nelson Margarita Marin
Vanessa Powers Hans Aartman Dennis Aquino
Alex Rockas Megan Pease Andrew Faulkner
Teri Rockas Mike Moore Alexis Palefsky
Susan Montana Morgan Moore Beth Schaffer
Ron & Nina Marelli Martin Hanken Ben Negrete
Tom Oppenheim Jeff Eader Vicki Fernandez
Susan Bradford Julia Eader Cynthia Mueller
PETITION (cont.)
Jason Blackman Dennis Marelli Brett Fawley
Jeremy Royall Jeanne Tumpane Caroline Fawley
Barbra Royall Siobhan Edmondson Greg Swartz
Steve Halford Joel Hillman Liza Ryan
Marcia Jacobs Richard Wagner Joyce Cohen
Lisa Hamilton Jim Petrak Michael Simmons
Joe Hamilton Rebecca Petrak Dr Kimberly Haas, DDS
Carlos Quezada Karen Ward Susanne Whelan
Suzanne Ord Rachel Montana Jane Teitelbaum
Ehsan Gorjizadeh Ryan Wozniak Alan Teitelbaum
Barbara Eagle-Lindsay Lynn MacDermott
Barbara Corley Davis Perkins
Barbie Kuhn Crystal Wright
Elisa Safanda Michael Bott
Michael Lee Jacqueline Bott
Gia Camiccia Sharlene Moss
Richard Alsterlind
Marta Alsterlind
Andrea Davison
Gordy MacDermott
Subject:Re: 2nd and 4th Street Intersection Improvement Project - conflict points Date:2026-05-08 10:52
From:Hillside Neighbors
To:April Miller <[email protected]>
Cc:Angela Robinson Pinon <[email protected]>, Paul Navazio <[email protected]>, Rob Epstein <[email protected]> Director Miller:
Thank you for your response but you did not answer my question.
The existing westbound left-turn lane on Second Street to Marquard is a major access point for residents living on this hillside. However, in direct opposition to the City traffic engineer, Rafat Raie's, advice to keep the left turn lane OPEN; in opposition to 103 individuals who placed their names on a petition OPPOSING the closure of this left-turn lane, and without regard to the increased DELAYS in emergency response time (per Public Works and the Fire Chief), you decided to close the left-turn lane anyway.
In your email, you explain that design decisions are informed by data, observations, safety, guidelines, judgment and experience. And in your letter to CalTrans dated October 23, 2025, you provide the exact reason for your decision to close the westbound left-turn lane on Second Street. You explain that in order to reinstate the eastbound through movement from West End to Second Street, expressly desired by "some" in the community, you need "TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CONFLICT POINTS" by closing the westbound left-turn lane on Second Street. You make it sound like an "either/or" situation - either the left-turn lane on Second Street remains open or the through movement on West End Avenue to Second is reopened, but not both. So, I'm assuming your decision was not a casual decision but based on data, specifically an analysis of "conflict points" as you clearly stated in your letter to CalTrans.
So, I am asking you to be OPEN and TRANSPARENT with the public about your critical decision to close the westbound left-turn lane on Second Street to Marquard, by providing your analysis of "conflict points" at this intersection that drove your decision. Specifically, reopening the through movement from West End Avenue to Second Street will INCREASE conflict points as an increased number of vehicles cross the bicycle track to merge onto Second Street. Where is the data that projects the increase in vehicles traveling eastbound on West End Avenue to merge onto Second Street, after reinstating this through movement? I don't see it in the Kimley-Horn traffic analysis and I have asked for it many times, without response. In addition, some vehicles blocked from turning left at Second and Marquard will circle back around to Marquard from West End Avenue, increasing conflict points at the same intersection they're being diverted from. I would appreciate you providing your thorough analysis of "conflict points" at this intersection or the analysis prepared by others that you relied on to conclude that a reduction in overall "conflict points" will result by closing the westbound left-turn lane on Second Street.
I assume, as Public Works Director, that you are a licensed engineer and responsible for the design of this project and will sign and provide your license stamp on the final design documents before presenting to the City Council.
I'm a little confused by your statement that "the City is not required to retain "interim" or "draft" documents." Please explain what you mean by this statement. I assume you ARE NOT referring to documents containing critical analysis of "conflict points" that support your decision to close the westbound left-turn lane on Second Street, in opposition to the City Traffic Engineer, Rafat Raie's advice, community opposition, and increased delays in emergency response times. I would think you would retain those technical documents that aid you in your critical decision making for the design of this project to support you in a "design immunity" defense, should that occur.
Thank you,
Victoria
Subject:PLEASE RESPOND - Emergency response calculation for 2nd/4th Street Intersection Project Date:2026-05-26 11:16
From:Hillside Neighbors
To:Abraham Roman <[email protected]>
Cc:Angela Robinson Pinon <[email protected]>, Paul Navazio <[email protected]>
Good morning Chief Roman,
Since our meeting in January, I have asked you to provide your analysis/calculation on how you arrived at a delay of 9 seconds for emergency responders who will be delayed by the barrier or "mountable curb" at Marquard which is being proposed as part of the redesign of the Second and Fourth Street Intersection.
Such analysis would include a history of current response times, including dates, times, type of response (fire, medical), and location and over what period of time, ie. 10 years. What analysis led you to the conclusion that a "mountable curb" at Marquard would result in a 9 second delay. Please provide the data you relied on for this conclusion.
I understand that response times in this area have been a persistent challenge for the fire department because of the narrow roadways making it difficult for fire apparatus to operate efficiently. The only access to this hillside for fire apparatus is at Second and Marquard which is why the City cannot block access at this intersection.
According to retired Fire Chief Robert E. Marcucci, he believes that Fremont Road and Upper Fremont Drive may possess the longest response times in the City. As you know, seconds can make a difference in emergency response, not only for wildfires but also medical emergencies where longer delays in response time could be life threatening. The National Fire Protection Association's data indicates that residential fires can double in size every 30 to 60 seconds and medical emergencies, such as a heart attack, can cause brain damage within 6 minutes without oxygen. This data underscores the importance of rapid response times.
Even if the Mayor says she wants this project, you are still held to the highest standard of protecting the public and advising public officials when a project could be detrimental to public safety and is ill advised. So, I am asking you again to provide your analysis of the installation of a barrier to the entrance to Marquard and Second Street and how you calculated the 9 second delay in response time.
Thank you for addressing this important issue. Once I receive your answer, I will share it with other concerned residents in the neighborhood.
-Victoria