Dear Council Members,
* I believe removal of all parking from Middle Avenue will actually make Middle Avenue more dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. I have walked along Santa Cruz and Valparaiso outside of downtown and have seen many cars speeding well over the speed limit. I believe that since there are no parked cars, the road is wide, and visibility is good, many drivers feel they can safely speed along these streets. With the current proposal of no parking on either side of Middle, I expect and fear that drivers will also speed on the new Middle Avenue, making it more dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists, alike.
* I support maintaining parking for at least one side of Middle Avenue. Currently many drivers park upon Middle Avenue including home owners, the many renters, service personnel (e.g. lawn care, plumbers, roofers, handymen, and the like.) Even if the city council takes away parking from both sides, it is not going to stop people from parking there. For example, I have not doubt postal service carriers, Door dash drivers, Uber drivers, Amazon and UPS drivers, Police and Fire personnel, and the like will still stop on Middle Avenue. Without one side being designated for parking, such drivers will be parking in an active bicycle lane, and will force bicyclists to swerve out into the street to pass the parked vehicle. This situation thus becomes much more dangerous for bicyclists than having a bicycle lane in addition to a parking lane.
* I see little in the proposed configuration that provides real bicycle safety at intersections. I believe the most dangerous parts of bicycling are the intersections – drivers rushing to make a right on red, without looking for bicycles; drivers hurrying to complete their left turn in the face of oncoming cars, only to overlook oncoming bicyclists; etc. Marked lanes for bicyclists on straight aways seem like a good idea, but further solutions are required on how to effectively protect bicyclists at intersections.
* Lastly, I support the proposal of having paved sidewalks upon both sides of Middle Avenue. On a daily basis, I come across many houses without sidewalks on the south side of Middle. The lack of sidewalks forces me to go into the street, duck oncoming traffic, and dart to find the next section of sidewalk. As an adult, doing this is very dangerous, and I imagine for families with children doing this daily must be terrifying. Contiguous paved sidewalks on the south side of Middle will make it safer for us all.
Thank you for your consideration.
Steve Pang
Menlo Park, CA
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