Dear Menlo Park City Council,
As an Allied Arts resident, I strongly support the upcoming Middle Ave Traffic Calming project scheduled for this summer. However, I think it is critical to include complementary traffic calming measures on adjacent residential streets in Allied Arts to mitigate increased cut-through traffic, the impact of which has already been acknowledged by the MPCC.
Key reasons include:
* Allied Arts is home to significant vulnerable populations: 33% of the citys seniors (85+), 23% of children ages 10-14, and 22% under age 5, despite representing only 18% of Menlo Park’s population.
* Recent collisions (cyclist hit on Partridge Ave, Oct 2024; collision on College Ave, summer 2024) highlight urgent safety needs.
* Excessive speeding is documented (85th percentile speed of 27 mph on College Ave, March 2024).
This request aligns fully with existing city policies:
* Menlo Park’s Vision Zero Action Plan emphasizes speed management to eliminate fatalities and severe injuries.
* The Environmental Justice Element prioritizes areas with vulnerable populations and increased hazards, criteria clearly met by Allied Arts.
* The Complete Streets Commission unanimously supports traffic calming measures in Allied Arts alongside Middle Avenue improvements.
This critical need is aligned with best practices outlined in the citys Vision Zero toolkit and supported by over 120 Allied Arts residents. Please direct staff to implement these necessary traffic calming measures in conjunction with the Middle Avenue project to effectively protect our community.
Thank you for addressing this important safety concern.
Sincerely,
Will Biederman
