Cars & small vehicles have always faced difficulty slowing down while coming down Highway 84 East in both directions (with tickets galore being handed out all the time). Use of this scenic road by out-of-town big rigs as a 5 mile shortcut with a miniscule gain in distance & time is a disproportionate risk for thousands of daily commuters & local families & children

1)       Out –of- town Big rigs : Danger to Daily Commuters, Local Families & Children

 Given that Hwy 84 barrels down the hill & immediately intersects the East Ruby Hill Blvd stoplight, big trucks presents a significant safety hazard to all local & Ruby Hill residents as they cannot slow down easily due to the winding turn & steep incline approaching that intersection. There has always existed the potential for jackknifing of big-rigs into oncoming & residential traffic as they attempt to speed through or violently brake to a stop at that light. With a lane merge also happening, immediately after the intersection, it has always been a potential tragedy waiting to happen. In addition to the above example; the potential for deadly head on collisions for big-rigs with oncoming daily commuters on the narrow two-lane Pigeon Pass road (esp. during winter fog, a regular occurrence in cold weather), do not balance the time savings potentially gained.

2)       Environmental & Traffic Congestion Impact

These minuscule time savings are often negated, as these slow moving hulks struggle to climb the steep hill (in both directions), often backing up & horribly worsening traffic congestion in this environmentally sensitive patch. (and is home to the San Antonio Reservoir which stores drinking water from the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and local wells and watersheds).  In the larger scheme of things, using this scenic road as a 5 mile shortcut with a miniscule gain in distance & 5.4 min in time is not worth subjecting thousands of local commuters & residents to the disproportionate risk from out-of-town big rigs which regularly travel hundreds & often thousands of miles.

3)       Local Wine Country & Quality of life Impact 

In addition to increased risk, continuous noise & worsening pollution for the adjacent homes & communities (more than 3000+ homes in Pleasanton & Livermore alone), these heaving big rigs will also adversely affect the charm of our local wineries (Mitchell Katz, Ruby Hill, Fenestra, Thomas Coyne & Tenuta wineries immediately abut Highway 84) & would irrevocably destroy the quality of life & character of our local wine country region as they trundle through.

Alternatives & Action Requested

There already exists a regular 580/680 freeway route for out- of- town big -rigs (as a ready alternative) & the current Highway 84 cut-through should be designated off limits. With more & more truck traffic taking Highway 84 due to the opening of the new 580/84 interchange at Isabel Ave, opening of the 200+ outlet stores in Livermore & it's designation as a 580/680 corridor, we request Caltrans & the Cities of Pleasanton & Livermore to take swift action to ban out-of-town (through) big rig traffic on Highway 84 East & potentially avert multiple local tragedies with very little to show as a gain.

Please support us in the above by signing this petition.

PS: Locally highways 84 West, 580 & 85 already have some form of such restrictions in place. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/trucks/routes/restrict-process.htm