Menlo Park's Middle Avenue pilot project is getting a mixed reaction, so commissioners at a Nov. 8 Complete Streets meeting came up with a plan to track its success and conduct outreach.
The City Council voted to remove street parking along sections of Middle Avenue in September. The pilot project aimed to increase street safety, particularly for cyclists who could be injured by a car door opening into the bike lane.
Residents complained about a perceived lack of community outreach, many of whom showed up to council meetings to say they hadn't heard about the parking removal proposal until the last few council meetings held on the topic.
Staffers said they had received several emails from people who use Middle Avenue about the pilot project, with about half positive and half negative. Many of those concerned questioned whether the project was accomplishing anything, and wondering how many cyclists benefited.
The commissioners said that they saw a community survey as an opportunity to also inform residents about Menlo Park's Vision Zero plan, which aims to reduce collision-related fatalities in the city to zero and injuries by 50% by 2040.
The city plans to collect data about the pilot project, including traffic volume, in early 2024 with a focus on February. The timing of data collection was a concern because fewer families use Nealon Park, located on Middle Avenue, in the winter, while fewer children are biking in the summer as school is out.
The commission also set out to survey residents in early 2024, saying that they heard from 700 residents last time. Since a core goal of the pilot project is to protect children who bike to and from school, the commission decided to work with schools to reach them.
The data collected will aid city staff in determining whether the changes to Middle Avenue should become permanent.
City staff will also evaluate parking occupancy to ensure that the removal of parking isn't overly detrimental to residents and users of Middle Avenue. City staff are also planning two community meetings for early 2024, one in-person and one online.
The Middle Avenue pilot project is currently in effect for a minimum of six months, but does not have a specific end date.
Comments
Registered user
Menlo Park: other
on Nov 20, 2023 at 5:52 pm
Registered user
on Nov 20, 2023 at 5:52 pm
Hello,
As the grandmother of a 3.5 year old frequent user of Nealon Park I am not crazy about the loss of parking spaces on Middle Ave. I imagine the drivers of the swarms of children there feel the same way.
I also notice that people are parking in the bike lane across the street from the park.
Registered user
Menlo Park: other
on Nov 20, 2023 at 6:18 pm
Registered user
on Nov 20, 2023 at 6:18 pm
Usually when you propose a major change and are actually interested in the effect it will have, as opposed to assuming it will do what you want, you develop a method to evaluate the effectiveness of the change BEFORE you implement the change. The fact it didn't occur until AFTER the major change just highlights the fact the progressives are taking control of the town. And in typical progressive fashion they KNOW what is better than anyone else what is best for us. The fact that the changes are causing unexpected problems was totally predictable. In fact, it was predicted by a number of people on this very forum.
Registered user
Las Lomitas School
on Nov 21, 2023 at 8:22 am
Registered user
on Nov 21, 2023 at 8:22 am
Your photo captioning AI lied. "A cyclist rides past an SUV" is not accurate.
The cyclist is not passing anyone. The monster truck with a front hood so high that it leads to instant death for anyone it runs into and a complete inability for a driver of such vehicle to see anyone shorter than four feet tall is passing the cyclist.
Registered user
Menlo Park: Central Menlo Park
on Nov 22, 2023 at 9:57 am
Registered user
on Nov 22, 2023 at 9:57 am
I agree that such studies typically occur prior to expensive pilots being implemented. I don't recall exactly what was measured prior to the pilot being agreed to but I do remember the Council meeting being a free-for-all.
I drive Middle daily. I have only seen a handful of bikers using the new bike lanes to date and more often see cars parked in the bike lanes. If we are not going to allow parking, we should at least enforce it.
Regarding the stop sign at San Mateo, that is ridiculous. I have seen approximately two cars come from San Mateo since the implementation and less than five bikers, two of which ignored the stop sign altogether and proceeded through it without breaking or slowing down. The stop sign at San Mateo should be removed immediately and replaced with a lighted crosswalk (RRFB's), like the ones on Santa Cruz. RRFB's are incredibly effective at alerting drivers and getting them to stop at crosswalks. Perhaps it also makes sense to implement RRFB's on all crosswalks on Middle given that it is a main thoroughfare and the recent accident at the Middle/Cotton crosswalk.