Gentle Councilmembers,
Once again I urge you all to approach the proposed permanent closure the eastbound lane of the 600 block of Santa Cruz Ave. with great caution.
Getting Bistro Vida to give up just 6 more feet of outdoor dining space will allow this critical lane to safely reopen to auto and bicycle traffic, restoring badly needed circulation to eastbound Oak Grove and Menlo Avenues as well as making Downtown more accessible to shoppers and diners from adjacent areas. Autos can easily and safely share the resulting full-width traffic lane with bicycles as they have done along that block for decades.
Please consider downtown Los Altos as an example of balancing a small town atmosphere with attractive retail and entertainment establishments that are fully accessible to patrons who prefer to (or must) drive or be driven to or through downtown.
Such a compromise solution as I propose doesnt significantly reduce outdoor dining for either Bistro Vida or Left Bank nor does it preclude a short closure for a few hours to accommodate Bon Marche or other civic events on that side of that block.
In the spirit of incremental and reversible change I highly recommend consideration of this traffic lane reopening option instead of a permanent or semi-permanent closure of any portion of Santa Cruz Ave. to auto traffic in any direction.
Thank you for your consideration,
Rich Wipfler
1045 Valparaiso Ave
(downtown) Menlo Park
