Update: 6:00 p.m. Tuesday
Two women were injured Tuesday morning in two traffic related incidents along Ralston Avenue.
According to Belmont police, the first, a collision between a car and a bicyclist, occurred at approximately 8:25 a.m. on Ralston Avenue near Carlmont Shopping Center.
The bicyclist, a 62-year-old Belmont woman, was riding eastbound on Ralston Avenue when she collided with a Toyota sedan that was turning into the Carlmont Shopping Center, from westbound Ralston Avenue.
The bicyclist sustained serious, non life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital. The driver of the Toyota, a 42-year-old Belmont woman, was not injured.
As Belmont Fire Department paramedics were treating the bicyclist, the ambulance that was en route to the scene was involved in a collision on Ralston Avenue at Avon Street.
The ambulance was westbound Ralston, with its lights on and siren sounding, when a Nissan sedan, driven by a 64-year-old Belmont woman, pulled out onto Ralston Avenue from Avon Street, colliding with the ambulance.
As a result of the second collision, another ambulance had to be dispatched to the original incident involving the bicyclist.
Belmont fire department personnel and a third ambulance were sent to check on the driver of the Nissan, who was examined at the scene and released. The medics in the ambulance involved in the collision were not injured.
The initial collision, involving the bicyclist, is under investigation by the Belmont Police Department.
There is no bicycle lane in the area of Ralston Avenue where the collision occurred. The collision involving the ambulance is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol (CHP), at the request of the Belmont PD.
The CHP was called in as all the on-duty BPD units were committed to the first collision investigation.
In total, Ralston Avenue between Notre Dame Avenue and Alameda de las Pulgas was closed for approximately 90 minutes and was re-opened to all traffic at approx. 10:00am.
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Update: 10:00 a.m. Tuesday
Belmont police have reopened Ralston Avenue to traffic in both directions east of Alameda de las Pulgas at about 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning following two accidents, one involving a bicyclist and a car and the other involving a car and an ambulance on its way to transport the injured bicyclist.
Traffic was halted in both directions from Alameda de las Pulgas to Notre Dame Avenue from 8:30 to 10:00 a.m.
Patch will update this story as information becomes available.
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Tuesday 9:30 a.m.
Ralston Avenue was shut down this morning after a car hit a female bicyclist near Carlmont Shopping around 8:30 a.m. Both westbound and eastbound Ralston from Notre Dame Avenue to Alameda de Las Pulgas are now open.
The female’s condition is unknown, but the accident did not appear to be life threatening, according to Belmont Police Lt. Pat Halleran. Police do not know if the woman was riding in the bike lane or not.
While the police and injured woman were waiting for an ambulance to arrive, a woman in a blue car turning east onto Ralston Avenue from Avon pulled in front of the ambulance. The ambulance hit the woman’s car and she suffered a laceration.
CHP was called in to scene to help out with the second accident while Belmont Police were investigating the first.
Police cars and emergency vehicles are still on the scene.
Check back here for more updates from Patch.
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I've nearly been hit by cars making left turns from Ralston onto Chula Vista even though there is a clearly marked crosswalk. This has happened numerous times. Parts of the sidewalk along Ralston are so narrow, two people can’t pass abreast. Once I stepped off the sidewalk into the bicycle lane to let a couple pass on the sidewalk. An Avanti pizza delivery car was driving in the bicycle lane, nearly hit me and even honked their horn at me.
What is happening with the Ralston corridor study? Why is there no bicycle lane (or sharrows) in the area where the cyclist was seriously injured? How many people need to get seriously injured before the City does something?