Mayor Nash and Council Members,
I am writing to support the Grand Boulevard Initiative and to urge the
Council to utilize a quick build effort, from Palo Alto to Roble Ave.
Reversibility is an argument for quick-build here, not against it. Staff
notes that our quick-build projects have been small, simple, and
reversible. That is exactly what you want when no preferred alternative has
been selected and none will be selected until 2027. Install an interim
facility now, measure what actually happens to ridership, to parking
occupancy, and to collisions, and walk into the Project Approval and
Environmental Document phase with evidence instead of speculation. That
strengthens our position in GBI rather than competing with it. It also
gives residents who are worried about parking something real to react like
any form of change is the sky falling while looking at only a rendering.
Second, the report says the segment from Roble to Glenwood would get
pedestrian improvements only, with bicyclists directed to parallel streets.
That downtown section is the densest and most useful stretch of the
corridor, and it is the one segment where the concepts give up. Whatever
happens on timing, I would ask that a separated facility through Roble to
Glenwood be carried forward as a studied alternative in the PID, even if it
is not the preferred one. Council cannot choose in 2027 from a menu that
was narrowed in 2026.
I would ask Council to direct staff to return within 90 days with a scoped
interim project for El Camino Real from the Palo Alto city limit to Roble
Avenue: cost, the Caltrans encroachment permit path, parking impact, and
earliest delivery date. If staffs view is that other projects would have
to be delayed to do this, tell Council which ones and by how much, and let
Council make that tradeoff in public. That is a Council decision, not a
scheduling detail.
I truly appreciate all the work you do on behalf of our city. We know the
concerns are many and that deliberation is helpful and good, but also it
seems like so many of our projects just keep getting pushed down the road
several years in advance (2030+?) while we struggle with inertia. Making
these changes give us measurable data so we can make informed decisions,
taking action.
Thank you for prioritizing our Safe Routes initiatives for all our
residents, including those of us who are not car-centric.
Best,
Heather Duke
District 4 (but a biker all over Menlo Park)
