I would like to provide City Council some of my thoughts on possible changes to Middle Avenue that are being proposed by the Complete Streets Commission. I am a property owner with frontage on Middle Avenue and San Mateo Drive and I have been following this issue and attended meetings at Nealon Park and Lyle Park.
Relative to the proposal to eliminate on-street parking on one or both sides of Middle Avenue, I counted 73 parcels on Middle Avenue that only have street frontage on Middle (not those having frontage on Middle and a side street ). Having street parking in front of your house, in my opinion, is essential for the occasional services of gardening maintenance, cleaning services, care givers, house maintenance and for visitors. It is also extremely important for remodeling services and new house construction which seems to be happening in abundance on the west side of Menlo. In my mind, the blanket elimination of on-street parking on Middle Avenue would have substantial impact on the property owners of those 73 parcels, as would the elimination of parking on just one side of Middle Avenue (for a lesser number of parcels). And if on-street parking is allowed on only one side of the Middle dangerous jay-walking will be encouraged.
To follow this issue, I have a friend who is a licensed real estate appraiser, and I asked her the following question. “Would the elimination of on-street parking, in front of a residence having only that frontage for on-street parking, have an impact on the value of that property?” Her response was “Yes, it would have a negative impact on the value of the property.”
Then a question comes to mind. Does the City bare any liability for that lost property value should street parking be taken away? Something to consider.
Here is my compromise suggestion: I believe the primary purpose of eliminating on-street parking on Middle Avenue is for children to safely ride their bicycles to school in the morning and from school in the afternoon. For mature and experienced bike riders this is less of an issue. My suggestion is to restrict on-street parking on Middle Avenue for a two-hour period in the morning and a two-hour period in the afternoon on weekdays. This would certainly provide inexperienced bike riders greater safety yet not unduly penalize homeowners. Please give this some consideration in your deliberations on this matter.
The mini round-about at University, in my mind, is a non-starter. I think I would slow traffic flow and create more danger to all that use this intersection. And a 4-way stop at Middle and San Mateo Drive is not necessary if vehicle speeds on Middle can be effectively be reduced by speed limit reductions.
It seems that what is being proposed is a change in the character of the street to the detriment of those who live on it and for the benefit of those who don’t live on it. And I don’t believe that that is a fair proposition. This is a very important issue and I would like to see a Win-Win outcome for all.
Another issue that I have is the condition of the Middle Avenue roadway. Over the years the crown in the road has increased, in some locations dramatically. This is a direct result of repaving where the curbs have remained unchanged in elevation and increasing layers of asphalt paving have been added to the center of the roadway. I would venture a guess that the roadway crown exceeds Caltrans specifications for roadway design, and staff should look into this issue. The shoulders of the roadway in some locations are quite steep which I believe are not beneficial to safe bicycle riding, as well. Does this condition also pose a danger to the property owners living on Middle Avenue. My family and I have lived on the corner of Middle and San Mateo Drive for 76 years and over that period there have been three incidents of cars crashing through and destroying our Middle Avenue fence, largely due to the excessive roadway crown.
One final thought: vehicle speed on Middle Avenue. I was a member of the very first Safe Routes to School Committee over thirty years ago. As a result of those meetings, the Committee made two recommendations to the City for Middle Avenue safety improvements. One was placement of the white shoulder lines closer to the center to get vehicles closer to the center with the expectation of slowing traffic and allowing more space for bicycle riders on the shoulders, and the second was the reduction of posted speeds from 30 to 25. As you know the second recommendation was never enacted. If safety is important to you, please reduce the speed limit in Middle Avenue to 25 mph for the entire length and ENFORCE IT! Speed bumps are not the answer, as it penalizes good drivers as well as speeders it is intending to slow.
Respectfully,
Michael Lambert
