Twenty-six people have died on Highways 35, 84 and 9 in the Santa Cruz Mountains over the past five years, and more than 500 Peninsula residents are pushing San Mateo County officials to do something about it.
The Safe Corridor Initiative, a petition started by Woodside resident and Woodside Circulation Committee member Walker Wells, has collected hundreds of personal testimonials from people who say reckless drivers treat the curving two-lane mountain roads like a racetrack, according to the Almanac. The highways, controlled by Caltrans, are the primary routes San Mateo County residents use to reach the coast, passing through Woodside, Portola Valley and La Honda. The petition targets Caltrans, Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) and state Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park), demanding safer road designs, stronger enforcement and public acknowledgment of the danger.
The deaths cluster near the Four Corners intersection in Woodside, where Highways 35 and 84 meet. On weekends, the area draws hundreds of car enthusiasts and motorcyclists. Wells told the Almanac that the rise of car clubs and social media accounts dedicated to roadside photography has encouraged more people to use the highways for joyrides.
Two cyclist deaths in less than 12 months sharpened the urgency. Redwood City cyclist Eric Biron, 53, was struck by a pickup truck at Four Corners on Aug. 29, 2025, and died the next day. Then on July 11, Jakub Solovsky, 34, an East Palo Alto cyclist and postdoctoral research scientist originally from the Czech Republic, died after a speeding Porsche lost control on Highway 35 and struck him. The 28-year-old driver was not injured.
Wells told the Almanac that Biron's blood stained the pavement for weeks after his death.
Officials respond
San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller formed the South Coast Traffic Advisory Panel roughly three years ago. The panel released a safety report in May with short-term recommendations including safe turnouts, improved signage and stronger enforcement, plus long-term measures such as speed limit reductions, blinking warning lights near pedestrian crossings, textured pavement and painted crosswalks.
"We're going to get very aggressive with those who are violating the law out there and putting people's lives at risk," Mueller told the Almanac.
Mueller said he is exploring increased fines, car impoundment and speed traps, and plans to ask the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors to officially adopt the panel's recommendations and submit them to the state.
Berman and Becker sent a joint letter to Caltrans asking the agency to implement the panel's suggestions. Berman also backs installing speed cameras on Highway 35.
Caltrans said in a written response to petitioners that it would hold a community meeting to update residents on safety efforts and gather feedback. No date for that meeting has been announced.
What's next
Caltrans is planning a $500,000 project to install a four-way stop at Four Corners, with construction set to begin in fall 2026. Wells said none of the community feedback from an October 2025 public meeting at Woodside Town Hall was incorporated into the project's design.
Motorists near Four Corners frequently exceed 40 mph through the intersection, according to a February Woodside Town Council meeting where the council unanimously voted to ask Caltrans to lower speed limits near the intersection and Woodside Elementary School.
As of Aug. 11, the Safe Corridor Initiative website had drawn 5,000 visitors. Residents can add their names at safecorridorinitiative.com. Mueller's push to bring the panel's recommendations before the full Board of Supervisors for adoption is the next official action to watch.
