Dear Council Members,
Following up on last nights discussion, Im sharing three resources that
can help the Council move from framework to action: a visual map, a
starting street list (from the proposed framework), and a Caltrans research
report that includes recommendations for how cities can move faster and
more cost-effectively using validated, modern approaches to traffic safety.
The map: lovemenlo.org applies the staff reports criteria to the city and
states publicly available data (street classifications, 85th percentile
speeds, TIMS injury crashes, and existing resident requests). The map is a
transparency tool with a goal to make it easier to understand what the
program design means in practice.
The streets: Based on the staff reports framework, here are candidates
across all five districts where the criteria are already met and residents
have already asked for help. These are ready for action under the proposed
framework:
• District 1: Terminal Ave (speed, injury, existing request)
• District 2: Gilbert Ave (speed, injury, existing request);
OKeefe-Menalto-Walnut-Central network (3 injuries, existing requests)
• District 3: Coleman Ave (in progress; speed, injury); Linfield Oaks
network (speed, existing requests)
• District 4: Elder Ave / Hillview Dr network (speed, injury, existing
request); Partridge-College-Cambridge-University-Arbor network (injury,
existing requests)
• District 5: Olive St (speed, injury, existing request); Oak Ave (speed,
existing request); Monterosa Dr/Avy Ave (injury, existing requests)
The 85th percentile: The 85th percentile reports the speed that 85% of
drivers stay at or below but tells us nothing about how fast the remaining
15% are going. On neighborhood streets, those fastest drivers are the
safety problem. StreetLight can provide citywide coverage of additional
useful metrics (95th/99th percentile speeds, speed distribution bins, pace
analysis) so we do not need to default to 85th percentile on the belief
its our only option for coverage. The FHWAs MUTCD (11th Edition), NACTO,
and Californias AB 43 all point toward context-based speed management
rather than reliance on the 85th percentile alone.
The fast path: The attached Caltrans report (A Safe System Approach to
Speed Limit Setting, 2023) includes a case study of San Franciscos Slow
Streets program, which used gateway signage, "Slow Street" signs, and
traffic diversion elements to achieve a 14% decrease in median speeds and a
36% decrease in collisions. Caltrans describes this as "quickly and easily
implementable." This is the model behind the in-street signage and gateway
pilot Allied Arts has previously proposed, which does not require
engineering elaborate countermeasures over many years. If Council wants
visible safety improvements this year while the longer-term framework takes
shape, this is how.
Thank you,
Laura Melahn
