The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday at noon.
Today’s question:
QUESTION: Clayton Road in Concord has its ups and downs. If you were in charge, and you could change anything, how would you change Clayton Rd. for the better?
Talk about it….
clean up some of the old buildings and outdated parking lots otherwise it’s not so bad, there are far worse roads.
it’s not Monument. If we are complaining then it is a higher point of the bottom rung. For a freeway through town just saying it’s not a bad street.
It’s very unfortunate, sad yet embarrassing that Concord has become one of the top prostitution centers in the Bay Area. Starting from around Concord BART Station, all the way up to Ygnacio Valley Rd. & Kirker Pass corner, there are countless massage parlors on Clayton Rd. and almost all of them are brothels. They lure underage kids. They charge exorbitant amounts for sex under the excuse of getting TIP. They evade taxes. They spread disease. I know several people died from COVID after visiting those parlors.
Besides the parlors, there are several cheap motels on Clayton Rd…any given time of the day, you can find a sex provider in those hotels.
The city of Concord, however, doesn’t move its finger about this huge difficult issue. Before the elections for the city officials, I sent letters to some of those candidates. Couple of them responded with lame explanations, didn’t even address the issue, they pretended like they never heard of it, then it’s all forgotten.
So, perhaps start with either closing those parlors or control them tightly, punish them with hefty penalties…. or think of something else, that’s why we elect you guys.
So AYAR…. how do you know so much about prostitution in Concord? What are you, a cab driver or something?
DR. JELLYFINGER,
.
Do you remember when former Concord Police Chief Guy Swanger was living in the Park Central Apartments on Galindo Street, practically across the street from the Concord Police Station, while a prostitution ring was being run iout of the same apartment complex that he was living in.
Which ones? All the parlors I visit have old hags, nothing younger then 45….please give me the 411 so I can get some quality massages. Yes I tip well also.
AYAR
If you know several people who died from COVID after visiting those places there are two options that are true. The first one, and probably the most likely, a big fat liar orrrrr you need to question what kind of company you keep.
City or contract workers can’t put down traffic cones before 9:00am. The same with Treat Blvd.
I’d pave it.
Yeah. Why not maintain what you already have?
There isn’t much on Clayton Rd that impresses me. I mean, it’s a street, it gets me from point A to point B, any improvements will have little effect on the quality of Concord overall. Maybe they can build an Olive Garden, I’m sure there are a few Claycordians that will be thrilled.
If any street in Concord is in need of improvement, it would be Monument Blvd. It’s the most congested and the filthiest street in town. Driving down Monument, it’s difficult to see all the filth, but when I park and walk around, the pee and vomit stains are repugnant.
Make it wider. Have areas for delivery trucks and buses to pull of for deliveries instead of the slow lane. Rent all of the vacant stores.
If they widen it…people will just drive faster than they already do.
Repave the northbound area near Kirker Pass, make it 3 lanes wide all the way from Kirker Pass to the downtown area near Big 5
We need speed cameras along Clayton road. It is a speed way.
Agreed. They should be there and at lots and lots of other locations too.
Don’t like the fines? Think they are just city revenue sources? Then abide by the traffic laws, don’t drive over the speed limit, don’t drive recklessly, and don’t break the law; then the fines won’t be an issue for you.
Dedicated bike/pedestrian lanes. I know people will scream about that suggestion, but they actually would be good for the businesses along Clayton Road. Over and over, it has been proven that bike/pedestrian infrastructure is good for businesses because people on bikes and foot actually see the shops/restaurants that they didn’t know were there when they were driving by at 35-40 mph (or illegally faster).
ha. It’s not even safe to be on a bike or walking out in the open anymore, ESPECIALLY not on Clayton Rd. No thanks, I’ll pass on drunk/high/crazy/texting people in 2 ton cars whizzing by me only a few feet away.
If you want to be targeted for something nefarious, just take a nice leisurely stroll along Clayton Rd…. Leave your wallet and cell phone at home.
Your right I have been riding my bikes on Concord Roads around the Concord Pavillion area for 35 years and I avoid riding Clayton Rd at all costs! very dangerous high speeds and too many driveways into businesses with cars entering at high speeds from both directions!!!
As a long time resident of Concord, I recall a movement years and years ago, making Clayton Rd. and Concord Blvd. one way streets. Well, that never happened, obviously, and here we are, again trying to figure out what to do with Clayton Road. Good luck. For my money, I’d start by eliminating that bumpy seam running down the middle of westbound Clayton Road, running right where my left front tire wants to travel,(westbound meaning toward downtown). Secondly, more radar speed enforcement, where, at present, there is NONE.
That’s crazy enough to be plausible.
Fix Monument Blvd. before looking at any other streets. A main thoroughfare through our city that is an abject embarrassment. Not only are the sidewalk vendors third world, so is the pavement and trash accumulated thereon.
This should be a wide, smooth, welcoming entrance to our police station and downtown area, instead…. it’s an armpit.
Think of what could have been done with the $25 BILLION dollars the CA government has lost track of that was thrown at homelessness… we’ve all been had. Government is thievery. It all went somewhere, and there are many people laughing on their yachts at us poor rubes that go to work and pay our taxes like good little boys and girls.
Just don’t make it like Concord Blvd. They ruined that road with their stupid bike lanes , and green zones.
A freaking men!!!
Synchronize the traffic lights.
This should be a priority! TOO much red light to red light stop & go. A lot of it is because of MINOR side street interruptions by traffic looking to turn right. Some stops are for absolutely no reason at all: no vehicle or pedestrian activity. NO BIKE LANES !! You see what happened to Concord Blvd. Total cluster f**k. I RARELY see bike riders using any of those lanes around town. Why are we causing great inconvenience to motorists in order to placate a tiny minority of road users?
A large portion of the road from YVR to Sunset needs serious attention. Some stretches are rough as a cob due to water damage from all the winter rain.
THE OTHER FRANK,
.
Bike lanes are required when certain roadways are repaved due to California’s “”Complete Streets” law. They’ve made a mess of Concord Boulevard and Meadow Lane!!! Bike lanes are largely underused and unused, they’re nothing but a waste, but they remain the cheapest option when cities and counties are complying with the law. They’re cheaper than adding sidewalks, carpool lanes, bus lanes, street cars/trams, light rail, rapid/mass transit, commuter rail, and/or passenger rail lines.
I see people on bikes, but mostly riding on the sidewalks where it is safer. If we had dedicated bike lanes, which keep SUVs away from bikers, then more people would ride on the street — plus more people would feel it is safe to ride their bikes at all. You should also know that the “rule of thumb” is that roadways cost $1 Million per mile to repave. One Million per mile! Those heavy SUVs and trucks are picking our pockets big-time. If we could get more people to walk and ride bikes, we could save a ton of money on road repair.
KPA,
.
The City of Concord gets most of its sales tax revenue from the sale of new and used vehicles. If people are walking and biking as their chosen modes of travel, and aren’t purchasing new and used vehicles, especially the more expensive full size SUVs and trucks, and aren’t purchasing fuel and therefore not paying the gas tax, then where exactly is this “ton of money” in savings going to come from?
Install speed cameras and red light cameras.
CONCORD GUY,
.
Why would you want more government surveillance of the population?
Easy pickings for re-dev below. How does Concord influence legacy commercial prop owners to make substantial investments in these lots with low-low prop tax revenue?
Treat and Clayton – Redevelop Bel Air shopping center, and adjacent BK shopping center. Merge into mixed use property to meet CA home quota.
Babel and Clayton – Buyout motel and church. Rebuild church further back in large lot, and open Clayton road section for businesses/offices/residential. This lot is very walkable for all Babel adjacent properties.
Roslyn/Clayton Road – remodel/expand shopping center/buyout homes behind lot to allow enough capacity for larger variety of businesses/homes. Another walk friendly lot for blocks of homes.
BFF Out.
Introduce and enforce fines for blight and vacant lots.
I’d also go for a 6-8 ft fence in the median to discourage the jaywalkers/suicide attempts.
Export the tweakers.
Clayton Road should be a minimum of 3-lanes in each direction.
Get some quality businesses in the empty lots would be a starter. Repave Clayton Road and level it correctly. Get rid of all the apartments that are stacking ppl on ppl causing overcrowding/crime/cultural rot. Any housing that you want to develop needs to go through a vote from the people. These council members in all these towns are shady especially after Walnut Creek allowed transformers to perform in front of children, I’m convinced corruption/degeneracy is extremely bad all over. It’s at the local levels. Personally I think democracy in it’s current form is a big joke. Monument just needs to be neutron, bombed, and rebuilt. Joking but would you actually miss the invasion zone. That part of the city should’ve been swept by immigration services and law-enforcement so efficiently/tactically that nobody would’ve wanted to live there illegally but again we don’t have real leadership. We have a bunch of sellout sissy’s.
The only thing I notice near Nations Giant Burgers on Clayton Road (and the Veranda shopping center across town) is my cell phone coverage is horrible there. I have AT&T and assume its specific to that service provider but since you are asking…
Ayar may be correct, but I really don’t know if these massage parlors are fronts for prostitution. What I do know is Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 357 into law in July 2022, repealing a statute that prohibited loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution. It became effective in January of 2023.
State law now prevents police from stopping minors or adults loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution. It has become an emerging public health and safety problem for many communities.
That said, I don’t believe this new law affects the Concord Police departments ability to enforce anti-prostitution or human trafficking laws in hotels or massage parlors.
There was a big sting operation a few years ago to break up a prostitution ring operating out of an apartment building in Concord., but I don’t know if CPD still has resources assigned to that crime.
Ayar, I would advise you to reach out to our chief of police and inquire about CPD enforcement efforts and staffing for anti prostitution/human trafficking. If you feel it is inadequate, then go to the city council meeting or email the council members.