Dana Hendrickson


The Menlo Park “Complete Street” Policy Does NOT Require Bike Facilities on El Camino.

Original Comment

By Tunbridge Wells, a resident of Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park, in The Almanac.  (March 24, 2015)

“What both Dana Hendrickson and Peter Carpenter are overlooking is that Menlo Park has adopted a Complete Streets policy:  Web Link and that Caltrans is also supportive of Complete Streets on its facilities:  Web Link El Camino Real, in its current state, serves only automobile traffic well. It is an important connector that despite being used by pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users, it does not do well by them. That needs to change. Despite their protests to the contrary, studies show that adding traffic lanes does not fix congestion, it just makes more of the same. Studies also show that adding bicycle infrastructure enhances safety not just for people on bikes, but pedestrians and also reduces collisions between cars. Roads are for people. El Camino Real existed before cars did.”

My Response

Mr. Wells, I have read the Complete Streets Policy adopted by the City of Menlo Park and do not interpret it to mean that El Camino Real must or should be included in our city bike network. Perhaps, we need an official interpretation from the City

Principles

“Complete Streets Serving All Users. City of Menlo Park expresses its commitment to creating and maintaining Complete Streets that provide safe, comfortable, and convenient travel along and across streets (including streets, roads, highways, bridges, and other portions of the transportation system) through a comprehensive, integrated transportation NETWORK that serves all categories of users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, persons with disabilities, motorists, movers of commercial goods, users and operators of public transportation, seniors, children, youth, and families, emergency vehicles and freight.”

The policy focus is on a safe and convenient NETWORK for users. This does not mean that every street either should or must become a “complete street”. Nor does it imply that every street could become a complete street. It also seems to say that whenever either new street construction or major physical modifications are planned on an existing one “multi-modal usage” must be CONSIDERED but not required.

“As feasible, the City of Menlo Park should incorporate Complete Streets infrastructure into existing streets to improve the safety and convenience of users and to create employment, with the particular goal of creating a connected network of facilities accommodating each category of users, and increasing connectivity across jurisdictional boundaries and for existing and anticipated future areas of travel origination or destination.”

Please note the term “feasible”. I believe we can create a safer yet still acceptably convenient bike NETWORK without including El Camino Real. 

Bike/car accidents are rare on El Camino today because so few riders risk riding on it. I can imagine the public outcry if young or inexperienced riders were encouraged to do so by new bike facilities and one or two accidents cause major injuries to cyclists or pedestrians. There would likely be a call for the complete separation of cars and bikes. Does that sound familiar?

El Camino Real is THE main VEHICLE ARTERY in Menlo Park and our city should be focused on making it handle vehicles better in order to reduce existing and future congestion. I highly recommend that we not try to re-purpose it for greater cyclist usage. I would much prefer the explore expanding it to three lanes in both directions its entire length. Unlike Palo Alto we do not have additional major north-south arteries like Foothill expressway and Alma Street. Let’s implement a well-designed trial and see if additional lanes north of Ravenswood Avenue would provide significant benefits. Cars are NOT going away; let’s encourage them to stay on our arteries and collectors.


Almanac Post – March 23, 2015

I am an experienced cyclist who frequently rides 40 to 60 miles a week and would not ride on El Camino regardless of the type of bike facilities.  Nor would I recommend that inexperienced cyclists ride on this highway. The significant additional risk versus other available bike routes is simply too high.

Much of the discussion about the El Camino Real Corridor Study has centered on the needs of cyclists who maintain that ADDING bike facilities to this highway and REDUCING the number of vehicle lanes to two in each direction would make bike riding more convenient, Unfortunately, this is too narrow a view. Instead, our residents and City Council should consider the interests and well being of cyclists, drivers and pedestrians. Any major changes to El Camino Real will entail compromises, all SIGNIFICANT trade-offs warrant consideration, and personal safety is THE critical criteria. Our decisions also need to be well informed and well reasoned.

There about 60 spots on El Camino where cars would cross paths with cyclists riding in either bike lanes or bike paths and cars can be traveling fast when they exit the highway. This is a dangerous situation for both drivers and cyclists, and the latter bears the greater risk of personal injury. When either a driver or cyclist is not cautious or is distracted the risk of an accident or collision climbs dramatically.

If bike facilities were added to El Camino cyclists and pedestrians would mix at busy intersections; this is a dangerous situation for both EVEN IF separate crossing lanes are marked. Human behavior = cannot count on compliance and good judgment.

If bike riding on El Camino were a good idea Palo Alto would already provide this capacity. Both Palo Alto and Menlo Park have relied on the same “bike plan” consultant (Alta Planning + Design) and they have NOT recommended including El Camino Real in the two bike networks as a high priority.

Reducing the vehicle lanes on El Camino to accommodate bike facilities will likely increase congestion and generate more cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods like Allied Arts. Today there are about 45,000 daily vehicle trips on El Camino between Sand Hill Road and Ravenswood Avenue. Where will these vehicles go if lane capacity is reduced by 33%? No one really knows. But the negative impact could be large and the risk high.

Finally, while I have heard a great deal about the general issue of cyclist inconvenience I have not heard any actual examples of routes that would be significantly more convenient if El Camino was included.  Menlo Park has a fine existing bike network, and many ways to make it even more convenient and safer without encouraging cyclists to ride on El Camino have already been identified.

Making bike riding a LITTLE more convenient for some cyclists who wish to travel between certain points in Menlo Park does NOT justify exposing all riders to GREATER danger and SIGNIFICANTLY penalizing drivers and our neighborhoods.


A Yes To More Outdoor Dining in Downtown Menlo Park

View Comments on the Nextdoor neighborhood network.

In January our city council agreed to move forward with its experiment of adding temporary outdoor street dining in downtown, an idea I hope most Menlo Park residents wholeheartedly support, as I do. This could be the first of many significant steps that enhance the economic and social vitality of our city, and I encourage our city council to take more of them.

Menlo Park has the opportunity to enliven its downtown in ways more difficult for neighboring cities. Rooftop dining like what is being proposed by the new owners of the former British Bankers Club and attractive and comfortable permanent sidewalk dining are just two examples. The creation of a pedestrian-friendly street is another.

I applaud the city council actions and look forward to many more bold ones.

 

 


El Camino Real Corridor Study: Let’s Try Three Lanes Each Way And See How Well It Works.

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I confess to NOT trusting the vehicle traffic projections that have been supplied by the consultant who is currently helping Menlo Park on its El Camino Real Corridor Study. Even he admitted some of the projections are counter-intuitive. For example, by adding a third lane in each direction north of Ravenswood the consultant projects that the 50% increase in lane capacity would simply induce 50% more vehicle trips on an average day. So there would be no benefit, traffic congestion on El Camino Real would remain.

While I do not doubt the idea of induced demand I do not find assumption. The total number of existing average daily trips on the north end of El Camino Real is about 36000. So a 50% increase would equal 18000 more vehicle trips on El Camino Real. (Note: traffic in both directions is included.) That is, an additional northbound and southbound lane would “induce” 9000 more trips in each direction.

It is NOT clear where these additional vehicles are either originating or going; they simply appear out of thin air. If existing drivers are changing their routes which ones now have less traffic? Is this a good trade-off? Also, it is impossible to evaluate the consultant projections without understanding risk. I believe the consultant’s traffic projections are ONLY the “expected values” of a range of possible outcomes. What is his confidence level, i.e., the actual range of likely outcomes? Standard deviation?

So what should Menlo Park do? The best way to find out what would happen if El Camino Real had three lanes in both directions its entire length is to run a well-designed experiment. I recommend that Menlo Park do so in 2015 and carefully monitor the impact on El Camino Real and other street that might be impacted. Then we could make well-founded decisions.


Why Adding Bike Facilities On El Camino Real Would Needlessly Jeopardize Cyclist, Driver And Pedestrian Safety.

 

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Menlo Park is a fine place to ride a bike. Our official bike network is generally quite safe and convenient, our neighborhood streets offer many safe and convenient alternatives, and both our Specific Plan and 2005 Comprehensive Bike Development Plan outline excellent ideas on how to improve the cycling experience and encourage greater bike usage. Menlo Park also has a resident-based advisory bike commission that assists our city council . However, I strongly oppose the current idea being studied by our city that would add bike facilities to El Camino Real because these would unnecessarily jeopardize cyclist, driver and pedestrian SAFETY.

In a nutshell, El Camino Real cannot be made sufficiently safe for most cyclists; bike facilities would create the illusion of safety and encourage people to ride beyond their capabilities, and safer options either exist or can easily be added without large city expenditures.

1.    A suburban highway lined with densely packed businesses is an environment that cannot be made safe for biking.

       There are too may places where cyclists and drivers can cross paths and “cut-off” each other. ·      On El Camino there are more than 60 such spots, and since cars can travel over 30 miles per hour mid-block unexpected turns can be especially dangerous.

       The mixing of pedestrians, drivers and cyclists at major intersections, e.g. Santa Cruz Avenue, makes all more vulnerable to accidents.

       There are simply too many distractions for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists everywhere along El Camino Real.

2.    The illusion of safety created by marked bike lanes and separate paths easily leads to misjudgments and bad decisions by both cyclists and drivers.

       Most vehicle-bike accidents do not occur on unbroken stretches of streets

       Cyclists and drivers can easily assume they are visible at crossing points. Drivers and cyclists can easily assume the others will make good judgments and behave defensively.

3.    Safer riding options either already exist or new bike lanes and routes can be easily added. 

       These are primarily in residential neighborhoods bordering downtown and El Camino Real.

       There are fewer busy intersections and public vehicle access points.

       There is much less vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

       There are fewer stop lights with associated delays

Seasoned cyclists can already ride on El Camino Real because they know how to assess risk and minimize it by riding alertly and defensively. However, I do not recommend riding on El Camino Real nor do it myself, as I am unwilling to accept the additional level of risk in order to potentially safe a few minutes.


Your Voice Needs To Be Heard On The El Camino Real Corridor Study

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March 9, 2015

Menlo Park Friends & Neighbors

I would like to call your attention to an important study and an online survey currently being conducted by the City of Menlo Park that could significantly impact your safety and convenience when traveling on El Camino Real. I recommend that you learn about the changes that are being considered and share your concerns and preferences directly with our city council at city.council@menlopark.org.

The El Camino Real Corridor Study is evaluating three alternative ways to reconfigure the lanes on El Camino Real (ECR) and would like resident feedback. Alternative 1 would provide three vehicle lanes each way on its entire length by adding one north of Ravenswood Avenue. Alternative 2 would provide two vehicle lanes each way on its entire length by eliminating one south of Ravenswood AND adding bike lanes. Alternative 3 would be similar to Alternative 2 except physically separate bike paths would be provided.

Unfortunately, there are many fundamental problems with this study and survey.  First, it asks residents to express their preference without providing adequate information about how the alternative designs would impact the safety and convenience of pedestrians, drivers and cyclists. Instead, residents are left on their own to assess these important considerations, and I believe too few residents are knowledgeable enough to do so. Next, the study does NOT assess how changes in the number of vehicle lanes would likely impact traffic patterns including neighborhood “cut-thru” traffic. This should be a big concern, as the actual traffic impacts of the planned Greenheart and Stanford development projects at 1300 and 500 El Camino Real will remain unknown until these projects are completed. Also, a fourth alternative, leaving the vehicle lanes unchanged for now and focusing on the safer bike route included in the Specific Plan, has NOT been presented as a viable option. And finally, too few residents are even aware of this study and survey so polling results will likely NOT represent the views of most Menlo Park residents. Instead, experienced cyclists who might confidently ride on El Camino will likely be well represented, as will non-cyclists who simply want to constrain vehicle traffic on this primary artery.

I recommend that you directly contact your city council to express your concerns with this study and survey and ask they consider a fourth alternative, leaving ECR as is, and carefully weigh the impact of all four alternatives on safety and convenience of all potential users.

You can view an in-depth analysis of the four alternatives and my personal recommendations for making Menlo Park more bike-friendly.

Please also share this message with your Menlo Park friends, family members and neighbors to ensure all resident voices are heard.

Best regards,

Dana Hendrickson

Editor

Re-Imagine Menlo Park

Inspire. Inform. Advocate.

www.reimaginemenlopark.com


El Camino Real Corridor Study: Do Not Sacrifice Bicyclist Safety

bike family

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– Latest Update: March 8, 2015

– Original Post: February 22, 2015


Note: I am a 30-year Menlo Park resident, an experienced cyclist, and a frequent local driver who rides neither in busy urban settings nor on highways unless  it’s practically unavoidable.


Background

During the Specific Planning process Menlo Park studied ways to improve its bike network in and around El Camino Real and our central downtown business districts, and this work benefited from significant resident input. However, the City is currently conducting an El Camino Real Corridor Study that appears to be totally out of synch with general – not bike enthusiast – resident expectations. Read my post The Future Of El Camino Real to understand my perspectives on this study.

This post focuses more tightly on the need to provide safe and convenient options for both inexperienced and experienced cyclists.


Option 1 – Build A Bike Lane or Separate Path on El Camino Real

El Camino Real is a state highway with heavy vehicle traffic crossing or turning at intersections where there would be either bike paths or lanes.

  • Southbound : Thirteen intersections including three arteries and three collectors.
  • Northbound: Eight intersections including two arteries and three collectors.

Option 2 – Keep Cyclists In Bike Lanes that are largely on Residential Streets

An alternative bike route that used Alma, Greenheart, and Garwood Street would cross fewer vehicle lanes of all kinds.

  • Southbound and northbound: Ten intersections including one vehicle artery and four collectors
  • Southbound: Vehicles DO NOT cross bike route at four intersections (Willow, Sherwood, Waverly and Burgess)

Important Details

.

El Camino Real Vehicle Arteries And Collectors
Screen Shot 2015-01-22 at 5.34.16 PM


Menlo Park Bike Network (Specific Plan)
North South Bike Route


Intersections Where Cyclists Riding On ECR Encounter Vehicle
MP ECR Vehicle Circulation


Intersections Where Cyclists Riding On non-ECR Route Encounter Vehicle
Bike Lanes Alma+


Considerations

  • A bike network should be viewed as a system for safely routing cyclists with a sensitivity to convenience.
  • Experienced cyclists will always pick safety over convenience when selecting a bike route and inexperienced cyclists should never be trusted to make the correct decision.
  • Most bike-car collisions occur either at intersections – regardless of signaling – and mid-block where vehicles cross paths with cyclists when either entering or exiting public areas, e.g., parking lots, gas stations, retail malls.
  • In some circumstances either walking or riding a bike for a short distance on a sidewalk is safer than riding on a street, and it’s not significantly less convenient.
  • Riding on residential neighborhood streets is generally safer that riding on highways and urban streets as the latter has busy intersections, mid-block side “pull-ins and pull-outs”, and cars either entering or leaving parking spaces opening car doors.
  • I believe projections for vehicle and bike traffic volumes and circulation paths are extremely unreliable. Both expected and ranges of possible outcomes must be carefully considered when potential outcomes are significantly negative.
  • Palo Alto is one of the most progressive bike communities in the country and it has chosen NOT to build either bike paths or lanes on El Camino Real. This city has more experience with biking issues and a much better understanding of bike circulation challenges and solutions than Menlo Park. A case study of the Palo Alto Bryant Street Bike Boulevard is available at www.bikesafe.org

My Recommendations:

  • Menlo Park should NOT add either bike lanes or bike paths to El Camino Real as these facilities are much less safe for riders of all levels than bike lanes on convenient alternative streets. El Camino Real is a busy state highway with more than 60 intersections and mid-block driveways where vehicles would cross paths with bikes, and most do not have any traffic signals nor stop signs
  • Two safer north-south alternative bike facilities can be provided on the east side of El Camino Real between Encinal Avenue and Sand Hill Road.

–       Laurel Street, Burgess Drive and Alma Street (existing)

–       Alma Street, Greenheart connector, and Garwood Street (proposed)

  • Menlo Park should require Greenheart to provide a temporary bike route across its property until a permanent connector is built.
  • Two safer north-south alternative bike facilities can be provided on the west side of El Camino Real between Middle Avenue and Valparaiso.

–       University, Live Oak and Crane (existing)

–       Fremont Avenue (proposed)

  • Menlo Park should require Stanford to provide a temporary north-south bike route across its property until a Middle Avenue-Alma connector is built under the train tracks. An alternative would be a dual use sidewalk built on the east side of ECR between Cambridge and Ravenswood.

Summary of Arguments For & Against Bike Facilities on El Camino Real

 

CLAIM #1 More bike riders would use El Camino IF it were safer.

My Assessment: Bike-vehicle collisions occur most often when the two objects cross paths even when suitable signaling is provided, and adding pedestrian to the mix increases the risk to all parties. Busy intersections are particularly dangerous especially whenever EITHER cyclists, pedestrians or drivers are distracted, misjudge either their own capabilities or the actions of others, daydream or simply act impatiently. Mid-block points where vehicles enter or exit the highway are also dangerous. Inexperienced cyclists are the most vulnerable as they can easily be distracted, misjudge situations and feel safer than they really are. Unfortunately, bike lanes and paths reinforce this illusion. Bike lanes and paths on mostly residential streets offer the greatest opportunity to create safe environments for cyclists, vehicles and pedestrians.

El Camino is a MAIN artery with three minor arterial connections, three collectors, and five additional intersections. Plus, about sixty mid-block vehicle driveways serve local businesses. Together these represent about seventy potential collision points.

In contrast, the bike lane that already exists on Alma between Creek Drive and Ravenswood Avenue could be (a) extended to Oak Grove, (b) connected to Glenwood via a connector on the Greenheart property and (c) lengthened by adding bike lanes on Garwood. This route would cross one minor artery, two connectors and less than ten business “driveways”, and none involve a MAIN artery (El Camino Real).

I personally would not recommend that friends or family members of any age or experience bike on El Camino regardless of the bike facilities.


CLAIM #2: El Camino is more convenient than either existing or planned biking alternatives.

My Assessment: I believe this statement is NOT meaningful. Whether one bike option is more convenient than another depends many factors, e.g., the distance between a rider’s points of origin and destination, the abilities of the rider, the number of required or potential stopping points, and the number and length of time delays at stopping points. The existing Menlo Park bike network includes many popular north-south and east-west bike lanes and routes, and the City plans on adding more facilities when the Greenheart and Stanford projects are built. Adding a bike lane on University between Middle and at least Robles Avenue is worth exploring as is the alternative of creating bike lanes on Fremont between Middle and Santa Cruz Avenues.

Cyclist should never expect to ride safely on ALL available streets nor always the entire distance between their origins and destinations. For example, it is safer and not much less convenient to walk a bike a short distance on a sidewalk from the nearest side street to a store on this highway.

 

Additional Information

Menlo Park Comprehensive Bicycle Development Plan – 2005 – Alta Planning + Design

Palo Alto Bicycle Transportation Plan (2003)

(Palo Alto) Bryant Street Boulevard Case Study



It’s Time To Eliminate Unnecessary Traffic On El Camino

“After three decades of lobbying, negotiation, and litigation, the (Sand Hiil) road was finally completed to El Camino Real in 2001. Only the existing portion from just north of Alameda de las Pulgas to just south of Stanford Shopping Center was widened to four lanes; the new extension past the shopping center was built only as two lanes.” – Wikipedia

What’s Wrong With The Current Intersection At Sand Hill And El Camino Real

When you read the traffic circulation section of the Specific Plan you immediately notice that there is no treatment of the major El Camino Real intersection which lies just south of the Menlo Park-Palo Alto border.

This is a big omission because the existing configuration UNNECESSARILY causes Palo Alto Alma – Sand Hill Road traffic to travel twice (a) through the intersection and (b) on El Camino Real between Sand Hill Road and Cambridge. Effectively, Cambridge Avenue becomes a virtual pivot point for a traffic loop and the short length of El Camino Real part of an ingress and exit to and from Sand Hill and Alma. Effectively, the u-turn at Cambridge Avenue and a short length of El Camino Real are parts of an artificial traffic loop. Also, the traffic coming from Alma must cross multiple lanes of ECR to reach the left turn at Cambridge, and at peak traffic times this can be extremely unsafe and difficult. If a westbound driver either cannot safely reach this left turn or the left turn line is too long, she likely continues and either makes a u-turn back to Sand Hill at Middle Ave OR turns left and travels west on Oak to reach Sand Hill Road. This configuration already contributes significantly to current Menlo Park traffic congestion on a stretch of El Camino that is expected to carry much more when the 500 ECR development is completed.

This connection was controversial when built, and it will become a much bigger problem when Stanford completes its development at 500 ECR in Menlo Park. Palo Alto fought against a direct connection between Alma and Sand Hill, and Caltrans yielded to its demands. While Menlo Park clearly had skin in the game it lacked any authority to stop this decision. Why Caltrans accepted this odd solution remains a mystery to me. There is substantial traffic flowing through this intersection.

I estimate about 2700 vehicles per day based on the traffic volumes provided in the ECR Corridor Study. (The difference between the traffic at Sand Hill Road and Middle Avenue which likely represents vehicles reversing direction at Cambridge Avenue.)

 

What Menlo Park Should Do About This Problem

Since Stanford must perform a project-level Environmental Impact Report for 500 ECR, Menlo Park should require Stanford to study the expected impact of the current configuration and a direct connection between Alma and Sand Hill Road. It should also require Stanford to study the impact of making the narrow two-lane section of Sand Hill Road between El Camino and Arboretum four lanes wide.

 


The Future El Camino Real – Bikes Or No Bikes?

Ravenswood Corner

View comments on the Nextdoor neighborhood network.

Also view the post How To Make Menlo Park More Bike-Friendly.

On February 19 the City of Menlo Park held a community workshop to update residents on the status of the El Camino Real Corridor Study.  “This study is reviewing potential transportation and traffic safety improvements to El Camino Real between Sand Hill Road and Encinal Avenue.” I strongly encourage Menlo Park residents to become informed about this study and express their views as the choices our city makes about future lane configurations on El Camino Real will dramatically impact the safety of cyclists and convenience of drivers.

View my impressions of the workshop by downloading an update of this post.

Current Situation – Vehicle Traffic on El Camino Real

El Camino Real is a state highway that runs through Menlo Park and serves as the primary north-south vehicle route that parallels Highways 101 and 280. It is heavily traveled because of the large number of workers who commute through Menlo Park who do not have alternatives like Foothill Expressway and Alma Street in Palo Alto, and there is no convenient east-west access to both 101 and 280 from El Camino Real between Page Mill Expressway and Woodside Road (Highway 84). The average daily traffic at the north end of El Camino is 34,600 vehicles; at the south end it is 46,700 vehicles.

 

Existing Vehicle Lane Configurations

To better understand the impact of the three alternatives one needs to know what vehicle lane configurations exist today and the different classifications for bike routes. 

Current North-South Bike Routes on El Camino Real and Nearby

Few cyclists ride on El Camino Real in either Menlo Park or in adjacent Atherton and Palo Alto as there are no separate bike lanes. Likely less than 50 riders use this route today, and there is no reliable estimate of the number of riders who would ride on El Camino Real IF a separate bike lane were built in Menlo Park.

Cyclists currently have a number of north-south routes close to El Camino Real.

  •  They can travel on Alma Street from Sand Hill Road to Ravenswood and Oak Grove where they can either return to El Camino Real or use nearby Laurel Avenue to reach Encinal. And from Encinal return to El Camino Real.
  • They can travel from Sand Hill Road to Laurel Street (via Alma) and continue to Encinal. And from Encinal return to El Camino Real.
  • While traveling on El Camino Real between Encinal and Watkins is less than ideal, there is little parking along either side. This is a plus for cyclists.


Bike Lane Classifications

Class I Bikeway (Bike Path) provides a completely separate right-of-way and is designated for the exclusive use of bicycles and pedestrians with vehicle and pedestrian cross-flow minimized. 

Class II Bikeway (Bike Lane) provides a restricted right-of-way and is designated for the use of bicycles with a striped lane on a street or highway. Bicycle lanes are generally five (5) feet wide. Adjacent vehicle parking and vehicle/pedestrian cross-flow are permitted. 
Class III Bikeway (Bike Route) provides for a right-of-way designated by signs or pavement markings for shared use with pedestrians or motor vehicles.

Specific Plan & El Camino Real Corridor Study Bike Routes

The Specific Plan proposed two different north-south options for adding bike lanes to El Camino Real, and both would reduce the number of vehicle lanes to two in each direction for its entire length.

Three Alternatives In El Camino Real Corridor Study

 

Alternative 1:  Make El Camino Real three-lanes in both direction and create a mostly Class III bike route that parallels El Camino and relies on Alma Street. This route

is one recommended in the Specific Plan.

            Sand Hill Road to Ravenswood via Alma Street – Existing Class II

            Ravenswood to Oak Grove via Alma Street – Planned

            Oak Grove to Glenwood via Greenheart property – Planned

            Glenwood to Encinal via Garwood – Planned

            Encinal to El Camino Real – Planned

            El Camino North to Watkins – Planned Class II

 

Alternative 2:  Adds a single Class II/Minimum Class III bike lane to each side of El Camino Real for its entire length. Vehicle traffic would be reduced to two lanes in each direction. This alternative is recommended in the Specific Plan.

 

Alternative 3:  Adds a Class I bike lane to each side of El Camino Real for its entire length. This includes a physical separation between bike and vehicle lanes. This alternative is not recommended in the Specific Plan. Rather, a Class II bike lane is recommended.

My Personal Views:

I strongly prefer leaving El Camino Real “as is” and creating a safe and convenient bike route that stays off this multi-lane highway. Cyclists can have a convenient and safe north-south route that parallels El Camino and largely relies on nearby Alma Street, Garwood Street and a connection through the private Greenheart property at 1300 El Camino Real. The City can revisit the option of expanding ECR to 3 lanes in each direction once the Greenheart and Stanford projects are completed and start with a six to nine month test.

  • Highway 82 already carries about 35,000 daily vehicles north of Ravenswood and about 45,000 on the south end. If the north end of El Camino Real were 6 lanes there would be about 6000 vehicles per lane per day; and at the south end about 7500 vehicles per lane per day.
  • Additional traffic will be generated by the planned Greenheart and Stanford multiuse developments, and the actual impact will no be known until these are completed four to five years from now. Together the two projects will add about 700 new residents and 1500 new workers. Beyond this, new developments already underway in Redwood City and on the north side of Stanford University campus will create additional “pass through” traffic.
  • The total number of cyclists who would actually ride on El Camino Real for any significant distance would likely be small (100 to 125 per day???) does not justify throttling thousands of vehicles.

  • Once a pedestrian/bike crossing is build under the tracks near Middle Avenue cyclists will have another convenient route to Alma Street. Until then, Menlo Park should encourage cyclists to share the sidewalks on El Camino Real between Sand Hill Road and Ravenswood, especially on the east side where there is little foot traffic.
  • Finally, few cyclists ride on El Camino Real in either Atherton or Palo Alto so a Menlo Park bike lane would be an anomaly.


 


 


Put Downtown Parking Underground

Peter Carpenter – January 2015

It would be a tragic mistake if Menlo Park chooses a short term solution (one parking lot) to solve a small part of a long term problem (a more vibrant downtown).

Take all the public property including all the parking lots, all of Santa Cruz Ave and all the cross streets between ECR and University and Menlo and Oak Grove and put it into a design competition to create a totally walkable, bikable, playable, shopable surface area with ALL the parking underground. This total publicly owned land is incredible valuable and developing it in three dimensions could provide an exciting opportunity that would attract capital and encourage the current downtown property owners to either find ways to connect their current buildings to this project or allow their properties to be acquired by the City via eminent domain (which has great tax advantages to the current owners) and then placed into the pool for the new integrated design.

All it would take is vision, leadership and courage.