Dear City Council Members, While I am very sympathetic to the traffic crisis facing the Willows neighborhood, I am very concerned about the unintended consequences that may follow the implementation of the proposed "short term" traffic calming measures outlined in the Staff Report for Agenda Item H-1, specifically those related to Safe Routes. While traffic alleviation is of utmost importance, the safety of children traveling to and home from school is even more critical. I am worried that traffic will be diverted to Gilbert Avenue, Coleman Avenue and Santa Monica Avenue. Many children travel along Gilbert and Coleman avenues, and Santa Monica Avenue is one of the only "safe" streets for many to travel to Middlefield Ave. In addition, Santa Monica Avenue is used by the Fire District to exit their main station. Adding traffic to these streets could have very dire consequences. While I don't have a perfect solution, perhaps police could be directed to manually direct traffic along Willow Road, especially closer to Hwy 101, during this construction period's peak hours.Surly all of the traffic restrictions proposed will already require increased law enforcement resources. Redirecting them to traffic flow management might be a better use of resources. Whatever you decide, please think about this issue as comprehensively as possible. Thank you, Rachel Rosner Menlo Park Resident *Please note that although this a copy of a letter written by Jennifer Wolosin, I wholeheartedly agree with each of her points and so chose to include her letter in its entirety as my own as well. Sent from my iPhone Please excuse any typos... Received on Sun Dec 03 2017 - 18:35:03 PST
