Posted by Zolik Fichtenholz, a resident of the Menlo Park: Fair Oaks neighborhood, on May 31, 2012 at 10:53 am

Letter by Jade Dahl on May 30, 2012 contains significant factual errors, which have to be addressed.

Atherton has limited right hand turns from Holbrook onto Middlefield only from 7:30 to 9:30 am, Mon-Fri. This measure was approved after a 6 months study which showed (with a lot of data) that it decreased the cut-through traffic on Holbrook to Middlefield while NOT affecting any traffic on neighboring streets.

The cut-through traffic through the North Fair Oaks neighborhood originates from Marsh Road, turns into Fair Oaks avenue, and then turns onto Holbrook on its way to Middlefield. Atherton worked with the North Fair Oaks Council on this matter, and both asked the San Mateo County to block right turns from Marsh onto Fair Oaks avenue during the peak hours - but the County simply ignored the wishes of North Fair Oaks residents, and did nothing.

Our frustration should be pointed towards inept and incompetent San Mateo County officials who do not care about the North Fair Oaks neighborhood (a simple look at the state of the public areas there will remove all doubts) instead of diverting people's attention to a "bad neigbour" - like Atherton, or any other town.

Just as the comments about the right turn are deliberately misleading, so are the comments about the widening of Marsh road.

This tactics of manipulating facts and diverting attention is as shameful as it is old.

Responsible serious readers should be encouraged to go to prime sources and check facts carefully before publishing information on public forums.

Almanac should do a better job screening factually erroneous information from being published.

Everyone should be entitled to their own opinions - but not to their own facts.

Posted by another view, a resident of the Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park neighborhood, on Jun 1, 2012 at 6:57 am

Here is another letter, probably from someone in the development industry, trying to promote self interest. The real cause is Menlo Park whose council majority, although they ran and were elected on a different agenda, they now approve anything and everything, and hire a new City Manager who proposes even more dense and higher development. Quite frankly I don't know how long it will take, but eventually the silent majority in MP, will get their act together again, and perhaps a RECALL of the whole incompetent council will take place.

Not Atherton's fault; blame the MP council and it City Manager(s) and staff.