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Council Members:
I am a Menlo Park resident and live on the corner of San Mateo Drive and Middle Avenue. I was also a member of the first “Safe Routes to School Task Force” in the mid 1980s. I recall one of the recommendations the Task Force made was to reduce the posted speed limit to 25 MPH on Middle Avenue from Olive to El Camino. At the time it was posted at 30 MPH. It was obvious in my mind why the Task Force made this recommendation…. SAFETY OF OUR SCHOOL CHILDREN!
This recommendation was not implemented and the speed limits remain unchanged. I think one additional reason why the Task Force made this recommendation was the excessive roadway crown and the slope of the shoulders of the street that likely exceed Caltrans standards, which we believed made the riding of a bicycle the the bike lanes a bit more treacherous.
What in my mind seems very strange is the staff recommendation that the posted speed limit on Middle Avenue from University Avenue to El Camino Real change from 30 to 25 MPH, yet remain unchanged at 30 MPH from Olive to University. I would like to encourage City Council to change the speed limit on the entire length of Middle Avenue from Olive to El Camino Real from 30 MPH to 25 MPH. This is a long overdue change which would increase safety of all who use this avenue.
Just a footnote, as stated above, I am a long time resident of Menlo Park and have lived on the corner of San Mateo Drive and Middle Avenue since 1946. Over those years we have had three separate occurrences of vehicles crashing through our Middle Avenue fence. Speed was a contributing factor! In the 1990’s I built a concrete wall to replace the wooden fence for the sole purpose of providing protection for our home.
Please give some serious consideration to lowering the speed limit on Middle for the entire length of the street.
Respectfully,
Michael Lambert
