November 9, 2012
The situation on MacArthur is now worse then before! Since this notice was first posted (Dec 2010-2yrs ago), the nearby Medical Center constructed a huge parking structure with a new street (Ginger) for the entrance which is directly off our street (at Moorpark and MacArthur) and a new street light was aslo added at this location.

This has encourage many more drivers to use MacArthur as a bypass for Bascom and Winchester. The traffic has increased dramatically! Also, the speed limit goes completely ignored as people fly down the street, barely slowing for the stop sign at Scott. We are resigned to the increased traffic but can we at least slow people down with speed bumps or turnabouts as have been utilized in other neighborhoods? (For example please see Central Ave between Hamiliton and Payne)

I agree that the traffic situation on MacArthur has increased as has the speed of the drivers. Cars speed down the street between the stop signs, drive practically on the bumpers of those driving the speed limit, roll through stop signs, pass stopped school busses, and do not abide by the 25 mph speed limit. I have even been PASSED by speeders on MacArthur Ave. We have attempted to bring this up over the years with Santa Clara County, the party line is that this area is "radar enforced." We see an occasional sheriff pulling speeders over (which is great!), but something MORE must be done to slow these people down and force them to stop at the stop signs. Earlier this year, a speeder drove into a parked car on MacArthur which forced the car onto the sidewalk, into a driveway, and into a fence. Thankfully, children were not present or there would have been SERIOUS injuries. Speed mounds or turnabouts would help.

Our street has plenty of foot traffic, including the bookmobile stop and the school bus pickup and drop off for the entire neighborhood. Kids and families routinely traverse our street however the increased traffic now makes this neighborhood practice unsafe.

We need to set up a meeting with our county supervisor Ken Yeager. It had become very unsafe and the number of little children in the neighborhood has grown! I would also like to get the data from the traffic readers they put out about three or four months ago and compare it to other neighborhoods and see if we can get speed bumps or a one way traffic. We need to find a way to make driving MacArthur annoying to cummuters. MacArthur Ave was not designed for the level of traffic it sees on a daily basis. It will get worse as they redo the 280/17/880/Stevens Creek interchange which is going to be a huge project.

I lived on MacArthur for years and witnessed many people speed by. It's always been a dicey street for kids to live on as well.

My parents bought one of the houses at the corner of Scott and MacArthur inthe 1940's. I grew up in this house and it was always safe for me to ride my bike in the street. Now I feel sorry for the children and parents of children living on this street, because they can't dare go in the street. Mac Arthur is not that wide especially when a lot of people are home and cars are parked on the street. I see the Highway Patrol and the Sheriff parked by my house, but they are not there in the morning or evening when people are going to or returning from work. Everyday I see most people only slow down for the Stop sign. Another thing that annoys me are the number of large trucks that use the street as a thourough-fare. There have even been 18 wheel trucks using MacArthur as a through street.

I moved to MacArthur about 2 years ago and have noticed only an increase in the amount of traffic and speeding since I have lived there. Not only do cars use the street as a pass way which is in large part due to the new light on Moorpark they are speeding down the street. I have had a vehicle side swipe one of my cars and continue to drive away at about 7 p.m. one night. I agree that speed bumps or a turn about would be very beneficial. I am also very concerned that MacArthur will be used as a detour with all the 280/880 Stevens Creek interchange construction

Approaching our county supervisor is a good idea. I've only been here four years but traffic is noticeably worse--many more cars, going a lot faster. The long line at the light at Stevens Creek is a good index--this used to be maybe four cars long during peak times and now it goes the whole block. I would like to see speed bumps or something to divert through traffic out to Bascom where it belongs.

One way to do this would be to change the traffic light and pavement markings at Moorpark to allow right or left turns (southbound) only but not allow cars to go straight through to the hospital. That would increase the safety of the intersection but would also force people to use Bascom, as they are supposed to.

Ditto the light at Stevens Creek--traffic southbound on Bellerose would have to go right or left but not straight across.

Another is to make MacArthur a one way street (southbound) with a barrier allowing right turns only at Moorpark....

If we are stuck with the increased traffic then I would like to see speed bumps!

I have lived on MacArthur for four plus years. It used to be that it was patrolled regularly and I witnessed many people getting tickets. Even though it was not a quiet lazy residential street, it was bearable. It has become ridiculous this year. Way worse since the traffic light added on MacArthur and Moorpark. And now there seems to be almost no patrolling of the street. Tons of cars, tons of speeders, people running right through the stop signs! It is getting harder and harder for me to pull out of my own driveway. More and more I see people from a distance speed up to try and get by me as I pull out of my driveway so they won't have to wait, even though I have allowed plenty of time IF they were following the speed limit. People, this is a residential street!!

I walk my dog in the mornings, and the line is getting longer and longer going north on MacArthur toward Stevens Creek Boulevard!

Speed bumps at a minimum!! More patrolling. Let's figure out a way to discourage using MacArthur as a thoroughfare and use Bascom Avenue. I would be all for approaching the county supervisor.

I'm a new owner on MacArthur. I don't know what the traffic was prior to September. It seems busy, but it's also a fairly direct conduit to 280 so I'm not overly surprised. I just moved here from a neighborhood that also went through the pains of traffic calming. It was a long process, and eventually provided some results. But many unreasonable and irrational ideas were floated. Care must be taken to not jump to "solutions" without giving them a lot of thought. Many calming efforts can also inhibit progress of emergency vehicles like fire and ambulance. We don't want to solve one problem only to replace it with another.
Now, I'm also a motorcyclist, and I was a motorcycle safety instructor for 12 years. I have noticed quite a few loud motorcycles traveling up and down our streets. I know what legal motorcycle exhaust systems sound like, and the ones I hear clearly do not meet noise restriction guidelines.
Discussing the issues with the city of San Jose would be a good place to start.

We are not in the City of San Jose.

My email is mmcottrell@gmail.com I will reach out to Supervisor Yeager to start the process. Who would like to join? Please send me an email.
Matthew

Yeah, I know we're unincorporated. New here, still learning. The ZIP code says San Jose. :-)

This is a residential street!! We should not be busy like Bascom or Steven Creek. Let's figure out a way to discourage using MacArthur as a thoroughfare and use Bascom Avenue. I would be all for approaching the county supervisor. We have huge number of small children living on this street and with this huge traffic, we are waiting accidents to happen, and than is too late....

I work at home most days so I see the pedestrian traffic right outside my window--in addition to many children walking to and from school, playing on the sidewalks and in driveways, people walking their dogs, etc., we also have a significant number of senior citizens.

We've lived here 4 years. Traffic circles on MacArthur at the corners of Los Coches and Scott might help. But this issue is tricky. A lot of people will just whiz around the traffic circles, and speed bumps/humps can lead to honking campaigns as happened in Saratoga some years back. Couldn't find that old Mercury News article, but typing/pasting this into your Google search box will give a hint of how a lot of people feel about them --

people honking car horns after speed bumps installed

Traffic circles might be the lesser of two evils.

We are also sick of hearing people floor it from the corner and roar down the street. Police presence hasn't been nearly enough.

I think that fixing the lights at Bellvue and Moorpark would help--right turn only out of Bellvue (southbound) and right or left only (but not straight, except for emergency vehicles) at Moorpark (southbound). A stop sign at MacArthur and Los Coches might help, too.

Hello everyone. I received a reply from Yeager today. I have pasted his reply below. I also responded about meeting and he said contact him after the new year to set up a time. We should meet and discuss ideas and what we want before we meet with the supervisors office.

On Dec 21, 2012 1:30 PM, "Shoor, Alex" wrote:

Dear Mr. Cottrell,

 

My name is Alex Shoor and I am a Policy Aide for Supervisor Yeager. Thank you for your recent email to Supervisor Yeager regarding speeding in your area. Supervisor Yeager forwarded your email to me and asked that I respond. Forgive me for the delayed response; I have been waiting to hear back from some other agencies.

 

I shared your concerns with my contact in our Sheriff’s Office, who passed it on to the Sheriff’s deputies who patrol your area as a heads up. However, the Sheriff’s Office also referred me to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), as it is CHP’s job and jurisdiction to patrol this area for traffic violations. Upon forwarding your email to CHP, I received the following response:

 

Just wanted to let you know that this is a ongoing complaint from this community. My partner and I work this area for a couple of hours almost every day for an existing complaint.

 

During these enforcement times we find that speed is not the biggest problem in the area. Average speed of vehicles is approximately 33 miles per hour.

 

We do find that the Stop signs on this street are not even considered a suggestion. While doing enforcement on MacArthur we tend to issue, on average, 6 to 10 citations per visit. The residents are aware of our presence and voice their appreciation on a regular basis.

So there are two law enforcement agencies aware of the issues you raised. I hope this information is useful. Please let me know if you would like to discuss this issue further. If you have future questions or concerns on this issue or any other, please feel free to contact us. 

Thanks and Best,

Alex

 

_________________________________________

Alex Shoor | Policy Aide

Office of Supervisor Ken Yeager, District 4

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

70 West Hedding St., 10th Floor, East Wing

San Jose, CA  95110

p: (408) 299-5040 | f: (408) 299-2038

alex.shoor@bos.sccgov.org

On Dec 21, 2012 1:30 PM, "Shoor, Alex" wrote:

Dear Mr. Cottrell,

 

My name is Alex Shoor and I am a Policy Aide for Supervisor Yeager. Thank you for your recent email to Supervisor Yeager regarding speeding in your area. Supervisor Yeager forwarded your email to me and asked that I respond. Forgive me for the delayed response; I have been waiting to hear back from some other agencies.

 

I shared your concerns with my contact in our Sheriff’s Office, who passed it on to the Sheriff’s deputies who patrol your area as a heads up. However, the Sheriff’s Office also referred me to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), as it is CHP’s job and jurisdiction to patrol this area for traffic violations. Upon forwarding your email to CHP, I received the following response:

 

Just wanted to let you know that this is a ongoing complaint from this community. My partner and I work this area for a couple of hours almost every day for an existing complaint.

 

During these enforcement times we find that speed is not the biggest problem in the area. Average speed of vehicles is approximately 33 miles per hour.

 

We do find that the Stop signs on this street are not even considered a suggestion. While doing enforcement on MacArthur we tend to issue, on average, 6 to 10 citations per visit. The residents are aware of our presence and voice their appreciation on a regular basis.

So there are two law enforcement agencies aware of the issues you raised. I hope this information is useful. Please let me know if you would like to discuss this issue further. If you have future questions or concerns on this issue or any other, please feel free to contact us. 

Thanks and Best,

Alex

 

_________________________________________

Alex Shoor | Policy Aide

Office of Supervisor Ken Yeager, District 4

Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

70 West Hedding St., 10th Floor, East Wing

San Jose, CA  95110

p: (408) 299-5040 | f: (408) 299-2038

alex.shoor@bos.sccgov.org

This is useful info--and it's good to know we are on the radar. Yes, we should try to get some consensus or list of possible solutions before meeting with Sup. Yeager. I'm not sure what to do about the stop sign problem--add one at Los Coches to make it less convenient to use this street? A barrier at Scott to force northbound traffic to turn left to Bascom? I work at home and see the cops issuing tickets--seems like most of the problem is with northbound traffic....though I live near Los Coches--does anyone at the southern end of the street have observations as to whether n-bound or s-bound traffic "misbehaves" more?

Andrea

As MacArthur Ave residents of over 10 years we also have concerns with the amount, as well as the speed, of automobiles on and around MacArthur Ave due to the completion of the Moorpark and MacArthur streetlight. Noting the significant increase in traffic which was likely inevitable with the installation of that streetlight, we strongly support any methods that would slow down the many speeding cars to an acceptable speed and thereby preserving the safety and possibly the lives of all people/animals concerned, especially the many children living on MacArthur Ave. We ourselves have 3 young children and have reason to be worried. We believe that using something along the lines of turnarounds and/or speed bumps will help accomplish this goal, and may even deter the usage of MacArthur as a main thoroughfare, which it now seems to have become.

One of the people commenting on this issue said that when speed bumps are installed, people often beep their horn as they go over the speed bump to show their dissatisfaction with the new deterrant to their speed and usage of the street. I think I woulde rather put up with horns beeping than what we have now.

My husband and I are not in favor of speed bumps--and the honking would drive us crazy (we work at home several days a week). I don't think any of us want to listen to honking at night or starting at 4:30-5:00 am (when traffic picks up on the street). The report we got from law enforcement indicates that it's not speeding so much as stop-sign running that's the problem, though I also think the sheer increase in traffic volume is a problem too (if nothing else, it's more people running the stop signs).

From my end (I live near Los Coches) the problem is northbound, rather than southbound traffic--it sometimes backs up halfway to Scott). I think the only long term solution is to deter non-residents from using the street as a thoroughfare. A diverter at Scott so that northbound traffic has to turn right toward Bascom would take care of this. (Emergency vehicles could go around it--I've seen many of these in Berkeley.) I doubt people will wait for the light on Bascom at Scott to make a left to access MacArthur. It would be somewhat inconvenient for those us who live north of MacArthur to get to our driveways from Moorpark--we'd have to go around either by making a left on Scott or by going all the way to Bascom. But I'd way rather do this than deal with speed bumps and honking.

I'd also like to see the light at Moorpark be changed to left and right turns both northbound and southbound--with an exception for emergency vehicles to cross Moorpark. This would stop people from using MacArthur as a shortcut between the two hospitals. And it would also deter people using Pfeffer as a shortcut to MacArthur from Moorpark.

I have a question: can someone who lives near Moorpark post an assessment of the length of the backup at the light there? Does it back up over the bridge?

Thanks!

I am so happy that so many people are getting fired up over this! The only way we are going to be able to get anything changed is by working together and supporting what probably will probably be a long process. We recently had our home appraised for a refinance, and the appraiser who is familiar with the area, commented on how busy the street has gotten, and it would have a small negative impact on our appraisal. I know that no homeowner on the street wants that!

More importantly though is the safety of the neighborhood. I am home during the day and I have regularly been seeing the CHP at the Parkmoor/MacArthur intersection and also the Scott/MacArthur intersection. I have made a point to speak to every officer I have seen and thank them for coming out. Two so far have commented on BOTH the high speed AND the rolling of stop signs and provided helpful suggestions on how to combat this issue. Another CHP officer- the one that the aforementioned report came from was less supportive and empathetic to the situation. This particular officer was sitting at the intersection on the corner curb for all to see- pointing his radar gun at folks. You could see him from down the block on both sides. With that extremely visible effort, he was not bothered that he was still pulling people over left and right for running stop signs and with speeds that were still 8 miles OVER our posted speed limit.

The way I see it, the speed and amount of traffic are two separate issues that need to be dealt with.

Although I truly appreciate and am thankful for the attention of the already spread thin CHP officers, I have to take issue with the time of day and method of their patrolling thus far. When I see them in the neighborhood- they are usually visibly positioned and there mid to late morning after commute hours have passed. I have yet to see them in the evening when traffic is at its worst. Therefore, I don't see how they fully can speak to the increased traffic in our neighborhood yet. One officer said that we need to demand an updated traffic and speed study be done in our neighborhood with up to date equipment.

As for speed, the worst offenses I have seen occur throughout the day- not always during commute time. Just two days ago, I was going the speed limit through our neighborhood at 2pm, and SOMEONE PASSED ME! This behavior is only increasing and one day it will lead to an injury or worse.

As best as I can tell from talking to neighbors on both ends of MacArthur- the traffic buildup is occurring at both ends. If we are hopefully able to take this to the point of the county acting on our behaIf, the traffic calming measures used may not be up to us. In the brief research I have done on traffic calming measures, there are numerous methods that can be employed, but we need a professional to assess our situation properly. I welcome anything that will lower both the AMOUNT and SPEED of the cars in our neighborhood- whether they are passing through or residing here. I would much rather an occasionally disgruntled driver honking because they don’t like our speed bump, then not have any at all. One of the CHP officers suggested the installation of the shorter speed bumps that don’t impact vehicles like ambulances, so that those vehicles can continue to use our road if they insist. But again, at this point, we just need to get our voice heard and get a real traffic study done so that a professional can figure out our needs.

So many folks that have responded in posts have had such wonderful suggestions- and I hope everyone continues to support this effort. It will take a united and strong voice to move this forward. To that end, please also talk to your surrounding neighbors and encourage them to lend their support as well. Our neighbor Matthew Cottrell, who works for Councilman Yeager would also appreciate your contacting him at mcottrell@gmail.com as your support will no doubt be needed in the future!

Kel,
Thanks for your thoughtful and informative post. It looks like our first two steps would be to a) lobby for traffic patrols at rush hour and b) lobby for a new, follow-up traffic study!
Matthew, do you have any knowledge of how we would go about this?
Andrea

Hi Neighbors!

I really appreciate the response we have had to this posting. Thank you for your input. I thought I would just add a few more comments.

No doubt you have noticed the construction taking place related to the 280/880/Steven Creek connections. For the details from CalTrans and VTA, check out the PDF:

http://www.vta.org/projects/280_880_stevens_creek_blvd_improvements/1_28_%2009_scoping_mtg_presentation_.pdf

On some level this a welcome improvement. However, what will be the impact related to the traffic coming through our small neighborhood? I am concerned that with increase efficiency it will attract even more drivers to use MacArthur as a shortcut to getting onto NB & SB 880 and SB 280. Our street is becoming a extended on ramp to the freeways for Santa Clara Valley Medical Center employees and patients, as well as savy drivers trying to avoid Bascom. As far as I can tell NB 280 is still only accessible via Winchester, which is good.

On another note, the direct connect "fly over" overpass between NB 280 to NB 880 will increase noise in our neighborhood. I do not believe a sound wall has been planned or approved. A neighbor that attended this meeting told me that some neighbors brought up that with the Santana Row project years ago our neighborhood was supposed to get a sound wall like the neighborhood has on the opposite side of 880. The committee members were not moved and our neighborhood will continue to be exposed to raw freeway. I really feel for people living near Parkmoor in the corner of the neighborhood. All our property values are sure to take a hit.

In our Bradley Manor section of the Burbank we are an island surrounding by Stevens Creek, Bascom, Moorpark/Parkmoor, 280 and 880. We all knew this when we moved here, however with the recent addition of the large parking lot at VMC, the light at Moorpark/MacArthur/Ginger and now the new interconnection construction we really need attention to the impact on our neighborhood's traffic flow and hopefully receive some relief through traffic calming methods that have been employed successfully in many other neighborhoods in our similar situation. There is a variety of things that can be done. For examples see the San Jose Traffic Calming Toolkit:

http://www.sanjoseca.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/235

I can't see why that is not a reasonable proposition.

Thank you Matthew for establishing contact with Councilman Yeager's office. Please let us know what else is necessary. Do we need to have a petition signing effort, or schedule a meeting?

Thanks again!
Josh

Pretty cool article regarding SeeClickFix:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2013/01/ben-berkowitz.html

Josh,
Very useful info in the Traffic Calming Toolkit. Looks like we qualify for something based on the percentage of cut-through traffic alone!
Andrea

Having been a homeowner here for almost a year now (at MacArthur & Scott), I find that there's more than just the speed. People DO blow right through the intersection here a lot. While that is indeed quite important, I find what I notice most is the NOISE. Not the freeway noise, but that on MacArthur and Scott.

I find we have a lot of motorcycles and cars with loud exhaust systems passing through. Once in awhile a passing loud vehicle isn't a problem, but wow, it's almost CONSTANT. Additionally, it seems that many people who stop at the stop signs on my corner hammer the throttle for a "jackrabbit" start from that stop.

We've all seen "speed cameras" for issuing tickets for excessive speed. Is there such a thing as a "sound camera" to cite vehicles over the allowable decibel level? If so, can we get one?
Thanks,
Kelly

Three accidents on or near the corner of MacArthur and Scott that we know of -- one where the car drove through the front yard of the corner house; one (this May) where a kid launched off the corner and drove through the yard two doors down from the corner, taking out the fence and (ironically) the speed-limit sign; and one this week (Sept. 9). Here's the email exchange between my fiancé and officer D.J. Sarabia. Including Officer Sarabia's information, because when I talked to him in May about the May incident, he indicated that anyone in the neighborhood can contact him:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sarabia, D.J.@CHP
Date: Wed, Sep 10, 2014 at 1:40 PM
Subject: RE: Traffic at Scott St. and MacArthur Ave.
To: Dave Allender

Good afternoon Dave,

As far as traffic circles or speed bumps are concerned, I cannot do anything about that. That is for legislatures or roads and airports. I am only the enforcement part of the equation. I do believe that those things work in other neighborhoods where I’ve seen them implemented, but I don’t have the juice to say where and when they are put in. And I’m also not sure what the criteria is for change other than the community getting together and bugging the people in charge of those things. Wish I could be more help Dave. I have been out there almost every day for the past week, moving between Leland and your location. I was working speed enforcement on Thursday at Leland and Basile, and not a half hour later after I left, a really big crash happened there. And I was there or about 4 hours total out of my day. I will continue to go to Scott and MacArthur as much as I can. Feel free to call me anytime on my cell as well. 408-681-8603

Have a great day!

D.J.

D.J. Sarabia #13959

Community Outreach Officer

408-467-5400 Ext. 253

408-467-5404 Fax

408-681-8603 Cell

DSarabia@chp.ca.gov