Dear Menlo Park City Council Members,
My name is Laura Low Ah Kee. I am the parent of three young children, ages 6, 8 and 10, who all attend Oak Knoll Elementary School. We have lived in the Allied Arts neighborhood of Menlo Park for over 8 years.
I understand that the City Council will be discussing and voting on the issue of whether to restrict parking along Middle Avenue on both sides at your upcoming February 14th meeting. I fervently support the removal of all parking along Middle Avenue during weekdays (in particular) -- a time when floods of Oak Knoll and Hillview students are biking to and from school. In fact, the lack of space due to parked cars along Middle has informed our decision as a family to NOT bike to and from school due to safety concerns. We understand all of the many benefits of children biking to school, but do not feel it is a safe enough option for them at this time. I worry about our children getting "doored," or having to dart a bit too far into the car lane to skirt around a parked car.
It is equally terrifying as a motorist, driving to and from Oak Knoll along Middle Avenue every day -- as cyclists maneuver around parked cars.
My children attended New Beginnings Preschool from 2015 to 2022, and I always parked in the back parking lot for drop off and pick up, for fear of accidentally dooring a cyclist on Middle Avenue. Removing the option of parking on Middle altogether (at least during weekdays) would be a prudent step to protect our youngest cyclists, and an important demonstration of the Councils support of bicycle safety.
Thank you for your consideration,
Laura Low Ah Kee
