Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers,
I am writing to support the Citys continued work on the Middle Avenue
Pedestrian and Bicycle Rail Crossing.
One of the most immediate, citywide benefits of this project is relieving
pedestrian and bicycle pressure at Ravenswood Avenue, which is already
congested and will only become more constrained as housing is added in
Central Menlo Park and on the Stanford Research Institute and United States
Geological Survey campuses. Today, Ravenswood functions as a catch-all
crossing because there are too few safe, convenient alternatives. The
Middle Avenue tunnel provides a direct parallel route, redistributing
demand rather than forcing everyone—cars, buses, pedestrians, and
cyclists—into the same choke point.
This project is therefore a network improvement, not a standalone amenity.
By removing the railroad as a barrier at Middle Avenue, it improves
east–west connectivity, shortens trips, and gives people a reason not to
funnel through Ravenswood for everyday walking and biking.
School access is an important secondary benefit. Hillview Middle School
serves students from neighborhoods on both sides of El Camino Real,
including Central Menlo, Lindenwood, and areas near Burgess Park. Oak Knoll
Elementary also serves some students who cross El Camino Real. While the
Middle Avenue project does not cross El Camino Real directly, it shortens
routes and channels travel to fewer, safer, signalized crossings, making
Safe Routes to School plans workable rather than aspirational.
From a policy standpoint, this approach is consistent with the City’s
Vision Zero and Safe System principles: reducing exposure, separating modes
where feasible, and relying on design solutions—not enforcement alone—to
manage inevitable human error.
At this study session, I encourage the Council to:
-
Continue advancing the project to the final design to preserve
flexibility and funding eligibility.
-
Direct staff to pursue the lowest-cost construction approach identified
in the staff analysis and compatible with Caltrain operations and
the suggestion
framework
below.
-
Keep funding options active, rather than pausing and increasing
long-term congestion, cost, and risk.
Continuing does not commit the City to construction today. It preserves
options and addresses a real, systemwide problem that already affects
everyone who uses Ravenswood Avenue.
Respectfully,
Ken Kershner
Heres the link to Advancing the Middle Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Rail
Crossing
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*Ken Kershner | Co-Founder & CEO*
Cell 650-248-9059 | Email k en@triomotors.co
Trio Motors | Menlo Park
