Menlo Park City Council:
I just realized I failed to copy the entire City Council on my earlier email to Maria Doerr.
Dana Hendrickson
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: dana hendrickson >
Date: Mon, May 6, 2024 at 10:07 AM
Subject: Re: Middle Avenue Bike Projects
To: Doerr, Maria >
Hi Maria:
Just a short follow-up note about our brief meeting last week.
1. I remain disappointed that you could not answer my sole PIVOTAL question: How does the elimination of all street parking on Middle materially improve bike safety?
2. You represent me and our entire community, and so I reasonably expect you would want to know and actually understand the key trade-offs before supporting this draconian decision.
3. You claimed to have embraced the design of the pilot bike lanes because it was/is recommended by city staff BUT this is a POLICY decision made solely by Jen, Betsy and you in February 2023. So your claim cannot be true. ( FYI: city staff recommendations are strictly limited to technical information about the design alternatives that the Council has instructed them to study.)
5. There is lots of evidence that Jen and Betsy were determined to eliminate all street parking well before the February 2023 meeting and have never genuinely considered any alternative bike lane design. This is obvious. Just listen to the meeting video.
6. Unfortunately, after you were appointed as a new council member (and perhaps because you were viewed as a potential supporter), they took advantage of BOTH your lack of knowledge about bike safety and the design alternatives for Middle Avenue bike lanes AND your unfamiliarity with this project to garner your support.
6. Since then, none of you have shown any GENUINE interest in communicating to our community well-founded reasons for eliminating all street parking.
7. Why not? Because it is impossible, i.e., its an "inconvenient" truth.
Based on this experience, I could never support your re-election to City Council as a representative for District 5. We deserve stronger leadership
Dana
