Caltrain project critiqued

BURLINGAME

Caltrain's proposal to improve the Burlingame Avenue train station raised concerns among residents and area business owners at a community meeting Thursday. While the idea is to improve traffic around the station and make it safer for pedestrians, those attending said closing lanes and preventing people from crossing tracks to get to Burlingame Avenue are no-nos.

Mike Harvey, owner of a Honda dealership next to the tracks, said closing the south lanes would have an economic impact on his business and others, with a loss of parking on both sides of the tracks.

"The impact would be quite significant. Basically, you've taken away my ability to operate, but that's OK," he said.

Some people wanted Caltrain engineers to look at moving the platform anywhere north of North Street, making it easier for people to get to Burlingame Avenue.

"It's an option. It just proves that there are other places for the platform that they can look at," said business owner Frankie Meyer.

I can just see it, said Dan Anderson of Citizens for a Better Burlingame. It would be an exciting start to revitalizing downtown Burlingame.

The $5.1 million project would provide pedestrian gates, signals and an access path. By closing the south lanes, new platforms from the north lane to Howard Avenue would be extended, which would reduce gate-down time. A pedestrian crossing on Morrell Avenue, near Burlingame High School, would also be improved.

Caltrain officials said they would try to incorporate the suggestions in their plan. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2005 and last about 10 months.

A meeting to consider improvements for the Broadway train station is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Burlingame Recreation Center, 850 Burlingame Ave., Lounge 2.