A collection of guest opinions and posts published by Re-Imagine Menlo Park in The Almanac and local Nextdoor neighborhoods . Category topics are noted in parentheses.
(Caltrain Grade Separations) Future Long Train Trench Or Tunnel In Palo Alto Appears Unlikely
Menlo Park residents who continue to desire a future underground rail system that would separate trains from streets should pay attention to what residents in Palo Alto are learning about trenches and tunnels. The following is from a white paper funded by the city and published in February 2018 . Web Link
“The attached analysis assesses the technical feasibility of constructing a trench or a tunnel through all or a portion of Palo Alto to place Caltrain (and High Speed Rail) below ground. The analysis indicates that trenching and tunneling would be feasible from an engineering perspective. However, there are a number of significant issues associated with trenching or tunneling throughout the entire City, making it very difficult for the City to obtain approval for or construct these alternatives. Principal issues, which are identified below, include construction impacts, necessary agency approvals, construction costs, and on-going operational/maintenance costs.
Trenching under a portion of the City – specifically the Meadow and Charleston crossings or just the Charleston crossing may be more feasible, but would require further analysis as we continue our planning process including review by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of agency staff.”
(The Almanac – Original Post – February 18, 2018)
(Caltrain Grade Separations) Guest Opinion: There Must Be Somewhere Out of Here? (Menlo Park City Council Dilemma)
In October 2017 Menlo Park conducted its most recent public review of the “project” that could have the biggest long-term impact on the quality of life in our city than anything I can remember. At the meeting the City Council expressed strong discomfort with the two alternatives for separating streets from train tracks at as many as three crossings (Ravenswood, Oak Grove, Glenwood) that have been studied. Yet the Council would have approved the “least undesirable” one if there had been a quorum. Fortunately, it did not. So how does our city get out of the bind it’s in?
I am deeply concerned about the current state of the decision-making process for future grade separations in our city and find it troubling for two reasons.
First, a very promising solution, the full elevation of Caltrain tracks – with no lowering of Ravenswood, Oak Grove and Glenwood – continues to be treated as infeasible. Where is the analysis that establishes this position as either technically or politically infeasible? And how aggressively has this assumption been tested? If it is actually possible, then residents have been denied the opportunity to fairly consider a more promising alternative.
Secondly, the Council has paid too little attention to the negative impacts alternative grade separation solutions can have on the vibrancy and vitality of the Downtown/Train Area. This “core” commercial district is now enjoying a major economic transformation as developers invest in new offices, residential units and retail locations, and our city should do everything in its powers to encourage this progress. Dividing it with a physical barrier (or train trench) would be severely detrimental.
We recommend the City Council (a) truly understand the feasibility of the “full elevation” alternative and (b) carefully consider the need to enhance rather than diminish the future health of the Downtown/Train Area before deciding on a grade separation strategy.
A comprehensive analysis of Menlo Park grade separation alternatives is available at http://bit.ly/mpgradeseparation1.
Strong Council leadership is critical now, as our entire community will live with the consequences of its decisions for decades to come. Once again we invite the Council to discuss our concerns and recommendations, and we encourage residents who support a rigorous evaluation of the benefits and impacts of fully elevated grade separations to contact us via danahendrickson2009@gmail.com.
(The Almanac – February 11, 2018)
(Caltrain Grade Separations) Guest opinion: Grade separation is a golden opportunity for Menlo Park
Imagine yourself in an awful predicament when an unavoidable future event will have a large negative impact on you and many others unless you can identify a way to greatly minimize its consequences, but the most promising solutions also create big new problems. Plus, you doubt there is time to carefully evaluate additional options. Feel anxious, overwhelmed, and frustrated? The Menlo Park City Council is now in this unenviable position as it attempts to prepare our city for future increases in vehicle traffic, more frequent Caltrain trains, and high-speed rail.
(The Almanac – December 17, 2017)
(Downtown Vitality) Guest opinion: Curtis Street park trial failed; city needs to figure out why
(The Almanac – October 11, 2017 )
(City Bike Network) Why Doesn’t The (Oak Grove) Bike Project Field Trial Evaluate Bike Safety?
A few weeks ago, a collision between my road bike and a white pick-up truck on Woodside Road reminded me that even well marked bike lanes afford little safety and no protection. Seeing a narrow gap in the flow of vehicle traffic, the driver shot across the two-lane highway from a service station driveway on his way to the Pioneer Inn and did not spot me riding in a well-marked bike lane until it was too late. He braked hard but ended up straddling my lane less than 10 feet in front of my front wheel and our collision was unavoidable. If the truck had arrived a few seconds later, I might have ended up underneath. My bike was badly damaged, but fortunately, I was not seriously injured. Since this incident occurred as the Menlo Park prepares a plan for a one-year, field trial of the Oak Grove – Crane – University (“Oak Grove”) bike project, my accident caused me to reexamine the primary rationale for this city investment and the trial metrics that city staff has proposed to gauge potential benefits and negative impacts. So far, the City Council has accepted the bike commission’s claim that this bike project will greatly improve bike safety – especially for students who must cross El Camino to reach their schools. But how does anyone really know? This important claim remains unexamined, and the current field trial plan does not adequately address bike and motorist safety issues. Instead, the Council, bike commission and many residents have incorrectly accepted as an “article of faith” the belief that new bike lanes always create a much safer bike riding environment. While the Council in a March review instructed city staff to better understand the impact of lost street parking, it should also require that more attention be paid to understanding the safety attributes of the project design and NOT approve a final field trial plan before safety receives greater attention both before and during the field trial.
(The Almanac – Original Post – April 19, 2017)
(Downtown Vitality) Guest opinion: ‘Big ideas’ — and follow-through — needed for downtown Menlo Park
Four years ago Menlo Park residents identified a small number of bold civic projects they believed would greatly increase the vibrancy of our downtown business district, and these were included in the Downtown Specific Plan. Unfortunately, while the local economy remains strong, and the city is benefiting from an unexpectedly large budget surplus, no major new improvements have been made since 2012.
Overall progress is extremely disappointing. It’s time for the Menlo Park City Council to aggressively implement a few of the big ideas in the Specific Plan — for example: outdoor dining, appealing social spaces, and improved bike access. If the city cannot improve downtown during “good times,” why should residents be optimistic about our city’s future? More...
(The Almanac – July 20, 2016)
(Downtown Parking) Guest Opinion: Should Menlo Park Build A Downtown Parking Garage?
As a regular visitor to downtown Menlo Park, I generally find a convenient parking space in just a few minutes, so for me, current downtown parking seems adequate. However, residents, visitors and workers with different needs, expectations and experiences would likely disagree with my assessmen. More …
(The Almanac – March 23, 2016)
(City Bike Network) Guest opinion: Let’s build an effective east-west bike corridor
The Menlo Park Bicycle Commission has recently proposed the idea of adding bike lanes on Oak Grove Avenue. While I strongly favor a better east-west bike connection, an Oak Grove solution is suboptimal. Ravenswood and Menlo Avenues are naturally more convenient locations for an east-west bike corridor, as these streets are centrally located and close to popular destinations such as downtown, the Civic Center, various facilities at Burgess Park, the train station, and neighborhood schools. Re-Imagine Menlo Park has submitted a design that illustrates how a combination of state-of-the-art bike facilities on Menlo and Ravenswood avenues and El Camino would offer bike riders an attractive, safe, convenient and comfortable way to travel between the east and west sides of our city. More…
(The Almanac – October 12, 2015)
(City Bike Network) Guest opinion: How to make Menlo Park truly bike-friendly soon
Most Menlo Park residents recognize the recreational, health and environmental benefits of bike riding, and our city has repeatedly declared its desire to build an excellent community bike network, one that encourages both greater bike usage and fewer car trips. Unfortunately, the major gaps in our bike network remain, and I sense closing them is not a high priority for our City Council. More…
(The Almanac – August 19, 2015)
(City Bike Network) Guest opinion: Should we encourage more bicyclists to ride on El Camino Real?
Imagine you’re driving south on El Camino and about to turn right onto Santa Cruz Avenue, and during the approach you share a short section of the highway with cyclists who must leave a well-marked bike lane. You pass two riders spaced about 50 feet apart and traveling in the same direction at different speeds. The light is green and you do not know their intentions, or whether they see your car. At the intersection several pedestrians are about to enter the Santa Cruz crosswalk. What do you do? What will happen?
(The Almanac – August 19, 2015)