I am writing to ask that the number of parking spaces in Nealon Park NOT be reduced by about 20+ spaces to accommodate a bike lane. While I am all for safe routes for bikes to school, I would think that a detour for bike routes to smaller, less travelled streets would be easy enough to manage relative to whatever stretch of road is deemed particularly hazardous; parking to accommodate usage of one of the main city parks is much more difficult to manage.
Nealon Park draws from all areas of the city and then some. The park is well used virtually at all times of day, and parking is a necessity to accommodate the users of this park. I use Nealon Park during weekdays 3 times each week for both tennis and pickleball. During the times I am there between 8 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. kids are already on the playground with their parents/nannies, the dog park is hopping, preschool dropoff is in progress, pickleball and tennis courts are in use. Cars are parked in the parks spaces fronting Middle Road, reflecting this usage of the park, throughout the day and evening. The Little House lot is also filled with cars starting in the morning. Driving during the rest of the day past the park does not show it is any less busy by my observation. The loss of 20+ spaces is too much for the citys main, well-utilized park to absorb.
Thank you for your consideration.
Best,
Nancy Hosay
Menlo Park resident
