Dear MP City Council, Traffic Corporal Adair, Sergeant Cowans, Sergeant Romero, et al, I sincerely hope this email finds you, your colleagues, and loved ones safe and healthy. Apologies for the late email, I recently got off the webinar of Ray Mueller and Mayor Cecilia Taylor. There are so many of you on this email because I am unsure who should be aware of the ongoing, unresolved problems we are subjected to 24/7. This email is very long because there is so much to say but allow me 7 minutes of your time to read it. We need more of this 2018 action link https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2018/09/21/menlo-park-atherton-nearly-200-traffic-citations-given-on-extra-enforcement-day >: In a statement, Menlo Park Police Chief Dave Bertini said, "Today’s traffic enforcement detail in Menlo Park and Atherton was a collaborative effort by law enforcement agencies throughout San Mateo County to increase public safety and awareness. High-visibility traffic enforcement helps us in our mission to provide a safer community for those who live, work and visit here." RE: Willow Road between Middlefield and Gilbert: From Middlefield until Gilbert, there are no calming measures or a safe place to cross for .5 miles. (I am specifically targeting this area as there are four traffic lights between Gilbert to Bay) We live here. We pay property taxes. We stimulate local businesses. I've invested over 20 years volunteering and supporting students of the MPCSD and M-A because this is my community. We donate funds to support our school district, including Ravenswood's, the 49er Academy, and M-A's, the hungry, and the underserved. You don't know me, so giving you this information will hopefully show you I'm more than someone that occupies an address. For decades we've only seen the city put a band-aid on the problem. The City Council has failed us. The Police Department has failed us. Neighborhood improvements during freeway reconstruction: The City had consultants to see how to deal with cut-through and calm traffic in surrounding neighborhoods and on Willow Road. Exactly who did this committee serve? Not the residents on Willow Road. Take away our bike lanes? Take away parking because we don't have visitors? Make room for buses? So they can continue speeding too? The tech buses and Dumbarton Express are the worst offenders. I didn't realize we were obligated to serve commuters who drive our city streets and violate the law on a daily. Why are there 18 wheelers on our streets? Years ago, police officers used to pull over several trucks and that seemed to calm it down but no longer. So as a result, the City added no-through traffic signs, speed bumps on Marmona and other streets. "Good for them!" I say, but what about us? Safety and concern for their children, of course! What does it say when ours can't even cross the street? That's a luxury that doesn't exist for us. If you drive westbound on Willow, pass Middlefield, you get a totally different vibe. Why is west of Middlefield on Willow Road have speed bumps, do they have more speeding traffic than we do? No, they do not. Then I ask myself, is this about equity? Does the City Council only help those depending on where they live? Now, have any of these ever happened on the street where you live? * Have you ever been honked at for driving the speed limit? * Get tailgated and being threatened? * Your children in your car screaming, "Mommy, I'm scared!!!!"? (heart-wrenching) * Have you ever had drivers pass you from either side of your car? * Corporal Ferguson is copied here because she called me on an incident with an angry driver * When you go on walks, are you anxiety-ridden? Safety Concerns: * Walking or biking on Willow Road when 99.9% of cars speeding along aside them, 10-20 miles over the speed limit. This is not an exaggeration but a fact. That is instant harm or death. * The speeding cars on our neighborhood/Willow Road have diminished the quality of life. * Children getting off the city buses can't walk across a shorter route if they live on Nash, Santa Margarita, Willow. * The street is so unsafe, we've never had children Trick or Treat on our street. * Before COVID, Lyft/Uber cars sped as fast as they could because that was the objective, quick service. * Since COVID, the stress of my daily walks having to step onto the bike lane to stay 6' distance from others has been dangerous for anyone who is using the street. * Our road has been the Wild, Wild, West, where there is no law or order. From the website https://www.menlopark.org/DocumentCenter/View/23232/Traffic-Strategic-Plan?bidId => for your Traffic Strategic Plan - Public Safety Your mission statement contradicts what we have received as to date in regards to enforcement. WHAT DOESN'T WORK: * Dynamic speed signs - completely ignored (Middlefield entering Palo Alto) * Radar speed trailer - stops working after a few days, later ignored * No speeding tickets issued - Between 2016-2018, I could only find 4 tickets given out. It's very difficult to see our police officers not respecting the speed limit. Our firetrucks don't respect the speed limit when they're returning to their station. Last Wednesday, (and not the first time), a police SUV traveling eastbound at 9:42 am was going with the flow at approximately 35 mph. Cars following also at the same speed because of the permission given by these officers. Not every passing police vehicle speeding is on an emergency for the last 20 years. LONG TERM, COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS: * Crosswalks on Blackburn with caution lights * Crosswalk on Nash with caution lights * Bring the speed sign to the median island of the road for visual effect * Speed bumps/humps/cushions after the merge near Clover and at least 4-5 more until Gilbert, that are emergency-vehicle friendly. Implementing the bumps, crosswalks, or stop signs will slow traffic down permanently. I know our police department is short-handed and extremely busy. With these solutions, this will help the city overall. This will also help change the mindset of all travelers that our street is comprised of families living here and to SLOW DOWN. Since the City Council ok's to cut the MPPD traffic budget https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2020/05/27/menlo-park-council-oks-cuts-to-traffic-enforcement-library-services?utm_source=express-2020-05-27&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=express >, this seems more needed and obvious as ever. MPPD: I really want our MPPD to look at us as their community too, not just a place of employment or a case #. For example. I attended a meeting at Upper Laurel Campus earlier this year. Ironically, the meeting was about how to improve the relationship between our community and the police. It was a failure before it began. I saw dogs on campus and asked if whoever was present can they have a word with the owners and they said they were "off-duty". When it comes to doing the right thing, we should never be "off-duty", I had to speak to the family. Willow Road is a residential road. If you know thousands of cars are using Willow Road, wouldn't that be enough of a motivator to keep it safe? The solution is not about how many cars are on the road, but at the speed they are, are not within the allowed limit. Years and years of offensives with zero consequences. If any of the members of the City Council and the Police Department (in plain clothes, last 1/2 hour of their shift?) are willing to spend 30 minutes with us, can we begin by making an arrangement for one or two of you to stop by (6' apart), sit and sip on lemonade and watch the cars go by? Weekday, weekend, early morning, or late at night, it does not matter. For those of you who drive on my street, or any street in Menlo Park, are you being a good citizen and following the speed limit? For all Menlo Park employees, challenge them to become better on all of our roads. It will be hard in the beginning because you will be tailgated and feel pressure but at what point is anyone going to take a stand and do the right thing? When the city you reside in has turned a blind eye to the ongoing problem without any action, enough is enough. I have about 50 more videos of cars speeding if you would like to view them. I do not know what else I can do or say, but this cannot go on for another 20 years. The times of compliancy has got to stop. Please, no more excuses, I want to hear and see solutions. There have been several complaints from the residents on Willow Road. Stop ignoring us and take action and make the permanent necessary and safety changes. I appreciate the time you've taken to read this extremely long email. But this is nothing compared to the complete nightmarish hell we've been putting up with for too many years. Sincerely, Alice Hom PS. I did hand in a petition years ago without any communication whatsoever. video/quicktime attachment: IMG_0421_Speeding_utlity_or_construction_truck.MOV application/pdf attachment: Nieghborhood_Action_Request_form___and_map.pdf
