Two parking spots on Donnelly Avenue — the site of a car crash that killed 4-year-old Ayden Fang in August — have been removed as part of a resurfacing program, with Public Works Director Syed Murtuza citing visibility benefits from the removal that were identified last year.
Fang was struck and killed by a compact SUV while he stood on the sidewalk Aug. 8. He was struck by the vehicle driven by a 19-year-old woman who pulled out of an adjacent city parking lot and collided with an e-bike in the right-of-way traveling east on Donnelly Avenue before accelerating into the sidewalk.
One of the parking spots, which was removed this month, was directly to the left of the parking lot where the driver pulled out.
Jason Orloff, Burlingame police traffic division sergeant, said he could not comment on any matters pertaining to the pending investigation, including potential visibility issues generated by the parking spot playing a factor in the crash.
The Donnelly Avenue resurfacing was a component of Burlingame’s 2025 Street Resurfacing Program, which was approved in June 2024, Senior Civil Engineer Andrew Yang said via email.
A contractor began work on the citywide resurfacing program Aug. 8, and the Donnelly Avenue portion — including removal of two parking spaces, stall dimension adjustments and updated striping — occurred in September, Yang said.
The parking space removal was identified as part of a normal city process to provide “better site visibility” and make the area more safe, Murtuza said.
(2) comments
Donna Colson and the local press tried to pin this one on a 11-year old kid on an e-bike.
But this project is basically an admission of guilt that city staff (and Donna Colson) new all along that this was between a speeding, reckless driver not being careful enough around a parked car.
Sacramento wants cities to "Daylighting" areas like this and remove car-storage from public streets, but Burlingame couldn't let go of the few pennies they received from the meter here.
Democrats - like Donna Colson or Diana Papan - will always choose their money over the safety for our children.
Thanks, City of Burlingame, for making this street safer by removing parking spots that impair visibility. I hope that this occurs throughout the City.
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