MIDDLE AVE & BIKE LANES GENERALLY
I was impressed that the Council spent so much time examining the various options for Middle Ave, and that Council member Drew was solicitous about the apartment dwellers who only have one parking spot.
Middle Ave does at least have the basic legal bike lanes whereas other streets that kids use do not. Some of these however, are in the County jurisdiction. The biggest problem is in West Menlo Park, particularly along Santa Cruz (from Sand Hill) and Alameda (from the “Y” junction with Santa Cruz) where there is not even a sidewalk in many areas.
Despite this being within the County jurisdiction many of the kids that go to La Entrada and Philips Brooks schools are City residents. There have been numerous accidents, a couple fatal, and many involving kids on bikes, in this vicinity,. I would hope that the safety concerns expressed last night could be communicated to the County, who have been (decades) tardy in addressing this issue. Residents in that area have collected accident data over the last few years and have participated in meetings with the county. A while back Council member Jen Wolosin was a participant in the Task Force formed to address the problems. Neighbors have a website at Univpark.org that itemizes problems.
Safe Biking on Santa Cruz:
It would be wonderful if some Hillview parents or a City Community Affairs person could work with the kids that bike down Santa Cruz. Despite the bike lanes that exist I have witnessed, for example, kids doing the following:
Riding 3 to a bike (one on handlebars, one on the cross bar) with no helmets, on the sidewalk and in the car lane on both sides of the street
Riding in groups all over the car lanes
Riding with no helmet and no hands on the handlebars
Riding on both sidewalks and endangering pedestrians
Swerving across all lanes of traffic to make a turn, with no signal
Falling off bikes in car lanes
Doing tricks
Crossing at points other than where the monitor is
And other unsafe behavior that I am sure their parents would not want.
Bike Lane Protection Systems:
I have seen two systems that seem really great.
1. Just north of the intersection with Woodside Road along the Alameda (in RWC) on the left side there are chunky/sturdy bollards with reflectors that at night are clearly visible
2. Along Middlefield Road in Palo Alto there are taller bollards and at corners there are green markings plus bollards protecting turning cyclists.
Either system would provide good protection and increase adult cyclist visibility at night.
