Those residents met with representatives from various city, county and state agencies and governmental bodies June 17 in the Monte Sereno City Council chambers to air their concerns about safety along the four-mile stretch of the highway that connects Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga. Some of those representatives also shared information about completed, ongoing and planned measures to improve safety along the road.

Dana Cowell, Caltrans deputy district director of transportation planning, said the agency has done some field review of the highway and identified both problem areas and possible solutions. He said Caltrans, which owns and maintains Highway 9, has already trimmed some brush and cleared debris from the side of the road. Ladder striping will be added to crosswalks to improve visibility, new pedestrian crossings will be installed and three "speed feedback" signs, which display drivers' speeds compared to the speed limit, will be placed along the corridor.

The three municipalities through which the highway passes are in the process of contracting with a firm to do a preliminary study of safety needs and possible improvements. Cowell said Caltrans would use the results of that study to plan any changes. He said the agency would not overlook the fact that the road is not only a highway, but also a residential street.

"Caltrans does not have any plans for widening," he said. "We understand that this is a facility that mostly services these communities."

Celia Chung, Valley Transportation Authority senior transportation planner, said her organization provided some of the funding for the upcoming preliminary study and planned to pursue grant money for future improvements. The state Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which coordinates transportation planning for the nine Bay Area counties, has adopted a project that will provide approximately $2 million per year to Santa Clara County for several years. Chung said VTA would apply for some of this funding to be allocated to Highway 9 improvements and said the project had a "pretty good" chance of receiving money from that source.

Community members in attendance took the opportunity to point out a laundry list of concerns. Monte Sereno City Engineer Gordon Siebert filled seven pages of poster-size paper with complaints and suggestions from concerned residents.

One couple said truck drivers traveling up the highway often turn off at Quito Road and use the wide shoulder to stop and rest or unhitch their trailers. Another man confirmed that complaint.

"It's literally a truck stop, not just one guy having a bad day," he said, jokingly adding that he was "thinking about opening up a shop, selling some diesel."

Saratoga Parks and Public Works Director John Cherbone said increased truck traffic is probably a result of Highway 85's closure to large trucks. Residents suggested that a vehicle weight limit also be imposed on Highway 9.

Los Gatos resident Craig Steen said that he once lived in Australia, and that roads with pedestrian and bicycle traffic often used a patch of Bott's dots—the round bumps used to divide lanes—to alert drivers that they should slow down. If that was not feasible along the highway, he suggested installing signs for a similar effect.

"You need signage of some type," he said. "A cheap way is to either say, 'You're entering a pedestrian zone,' or have a sign saying, 'Report speeders,' with a big phone number to call."

Other suggestions included discouraging bicyclists and pedestrians from using the highway until improvements are made, making the speed limit more consistent along the whole length of the road and installing crosswalks that use flashing lights to notify drivers of the pedestrian crossings.