A Valparaiso-Glenwood Bike Corridor is the most natural place to cross El Camino Real at the north end of Menlo Park.
- Valparaiso extends more than a mile to the popular north-south bike lanes on Alameda de Las Pugas.
- Glenwood connects to popular bike lanes on Laurel St which in turn connect to bike lanes on Encinal, Ravenswood and Willow.
Menlo Park: Grant pays for safer routes to school
by Kate Bradshaw / Almanac – February 2, 2016
The city of Menlo Park has received a $498,783 grant from OneBayArea, a transportation fund of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, to pay most of the cost of a project to increase bike and pedestrian safety for Menlo Park and Atherton students.
The project will create a continuous pedestrian pathway along Valparaiso Avenue that will be clear of vegetation or other obstacles, enhance bike lanes with a “green” road treatment to increase vehicle awareness, and improve pedestrian and bicycle crossings along Valparaiso Avenue.
Total cost of the project is expected to be about $564,000; the city will pay the remaining $65,000 or so.
Per the City: this project will add dashed green bicycle lane markings on Valparaiso between Elder and El Camino Real, on Glenwood between El Camino and Laurel, and on Middlefield between Encinal and Oak Grove. We are also adding signs on Valparaiso that state “Do Not Pass in Bike Lane.”
Advantages/Drawbacks of A Valparaiso-Glenwood Bike Corridor
(Plus) Increases the safety and comfort for the large number of bicyclists who already ride on this avenue.
(Plus) Most convenient route for bike trips with BOTH origins and destinations north of a Menlo-Ravenswood Bike Corridor.
(Plus) Increases the safety and comfort for students riding to Encinal School, Menlo-Atherton High School, Menlo School, Sacred Heart and Hillview.
(Plus) Little or no impact on street parking.
(Minus) Existing speed limit of 35 mph is too stressful for many bicyclists. Should reduce to 25 mph between El Camino Real and either San Mateo Drive or Cotton where bicyclists can easily cross to Santa Cruz Avenue near Hillview School.