Dear San Mateo County, city of Menlo Park, and Menlo Park School district officials,
I wanted to express my frustration and strong opposition to the one-way pilot that was discussed at the Menlo Park City Council meeting this week. This almost two-year-long project has been hijacked by a few loud voices who are pushing for a solution that is neither the safest nor the one supported by the broader community.
The one-and-only survey conducted last December to identify viable short-term solutions as part of this project received responses from 265 community members. Of these, 45% supported closing Coleman to vehicular traffic, while the one-way option came in third with 15%.
Furthermore, the one-way pilot would actually create two-way bike lanes, which studies have shown can result in increased incidents and injuries.
At the BPAC meeting on September 17, Ms. Carolyn Bloede, the San Mateo County Sustainability Director, commented: “that for any of the pilot concepts to move forward, the plans would need to be refined, and data collection metrics would need to be established.” This was then amended to support the one-way pilot in the letter drafted during the October 17 meeting. What transpired between September 17 and October 17 to change the recommendation, other than back-room lobbying?
In addition, the broader community will need to be involved. For most pilot options, traffic patterns will change, and the project team will need to evaluate the potential changes, ideally before implementation.
I have lived on Coleman for more than 20 years, and both my children attended our local schools, commuting either on bike or by foot. The problem is most acute during drop-off times and to a lesser extent during pick-up times. There are no traffic issues other than these windows on Coleman. If the county and city feel compelled to act now, why not just install inexpensive traffic calming devices and increase enforcement? I have personally never seen a county sheriff or Menlo Park police officer on Coleman.
This is not how democracy works. If you want to implement these changes, then you need to either respect the community or go back to the drawing board.
Sincerely,
Ted Sapountzis
