*Menlo Park City Council Meeting, August 25, 2026*
Mayor and Councilmembers,
Im writing on Item M2, the Grand Boulevard Initiative update. GBI is a
14-city, roughly $750 million corridor program with zero real-world pilots
anywhere on El Camino Real, and it wont have real operating data before
Council locks in Menlo Parks own design during the 2027-2028 PA&ED
process, unless a pilot runs before then.
Im asking Council to direct staff to prioritize applying to SMCTAs
Pedestrian and Bicycle Program (Cycle 8) for a scoped, externally-funded
quick-build pilot on El Camino Real (SR-82) from Sand Hill Road to Roble
Avenue: funding an outside project manager and design team, not City staff
or CIP dollars, so it doesnt draw on a Capital Project Delivery division
already at 50% vacancy. The Complete Streets Commission has already
endorsed this concept.
The benefits are substantial:
• A near-term Vision Zero improvement at Roble Avenue, one of the
Citys three Tier-1 “parallel routes” locations
• Real operating data on speeds, volumes, parking, and transit
interactions in hand before Councils 2027-2028 design decision, not after
• A funded demonstration at no capital cost and minimal staff time,
since delivery is outside-PM-led
• A live test case for Caltrans new SB 960 complete-streets intake
process ahead of its January 1, 2027 deadline to streamline encroachment
permits
• Calibration data feeding directly into the 2031 SR-82 pavement
rehabilitation already scheduled for this segment
• A reversible, time-limited (12 to 24 month), sub-$1M scope, with no
permanent commitment before results are in
If Council cannot reach consensus tonight to direct that prioritization, I
ask instead that you direct staff to send a letter formally offering this
segment to SamTrans/GBI, inviting the agency to lead a multi-agency
risk-reduction phase: SMCTA as funder, Caltrans as permitter, and Menlo
Parks role to approve reversible on-street parking changes the pilot
requires.
Fourteen cities and roughly $750 million committed over multiple years is a
heavy political lift to sustain with zero proof points anywhere on the
corridor. One successful pilot, in one cooperative city, is how GBI keeps
the other 13 councils support to finish the job.
Thank you,
Ken Kershner
Menlo Park Resident
