Item 31 Public Comments — Palo Alto City Council, June 17, 2024

From: Allie H
To: Council, City
Subject: Concerning 6/17 Agenda item #31
Date: Monday, June 17, 2024 11:55:44 AM
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Dear Council Members,
I write as a concerned parent of school-aged children who are both walkers and cyclists in our community. I would like to state my unequivocal support in favor of No Right Turn on Red Restrictions. I feel privileged to live in Palo Alto, where, by-in-large, I feel that my children are relatively safe. Nonetheless, one of my biggest fears and concerns as a parent is their safety while riding their bikes and walking
due to distracted drivers. Studies show a
dramatic increase in distracted driving and related pedestrian/cyclist fatalities. As you are well aware, we've had several instances of children being hit, injured and killed in Palo Alto during school commute hours, which coincide with rush hour times. As a parent and community member, there is no greater loss than losing a child too soon. No amount of right turns or saving a few minutes for cars to get to work can justify the loss of life and safety for the children of our community. As a mother and commuter, I urge the city council to adopt the proposed restrictions to ensure the increased safety of our community. All of us know that distracted driving is not going away any time soon, if ever. We live in an increasingly distracted
world (1 in 10 drivers admit to getting in a car accident while on their cell phone), which our very own Silicon Valley is responsible for. The least we can do is try to minimize the resulting bodily injury and loss of human life. We know that El Camino is one of the most dangerous sites (labeled a "high collision corridor") in Palo Alto, particularly for cyclists. The proposed restriction is a no-brainer. Please adopt the proposed No Turn on Red restriction.

Thank you for your time and consideration of this urgent matter.

Alexandra Horevitz, LCSW
Nixon Elementary Parent
From: Daniel Hulse
To: Council, City
Subject: Public comment for #31: ECR Bikeways
Date: Monday, June 17, 2024 10:21:55 AM
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Dear City Council,
I live in the Del Medio neighborhood of Mountain View and I often bike to parts of Palo Alto.

One thing that is apparent to anyone who bikes in the area is that El Camino Real is a massive, gaping hole in our bike network because it is so central and so dangerous.

To fix this, I really hope that you will accept city staff's recommendation to move ahead with bike lanes on El Camino. These lanes will immediately improve safety on El Camino for all uses, including driving, biking, walking, taking transit.

Some people have said some bad things about these lanes in the past that are untrue:

1. First is that they are unneeded because there are "parallel routes" like the Park bike boulevard. However, these parallel routes are not especially visible and aren't going to serve the destinations on El Camino itself. Which is one of the reasons why people already cheat death and ride on the sidewalk. Another reason is that El Camino is a major transit corridor for the 522/22, which has a good amount of users who take their bikes on the bus. Without bike lanes, the "last mile" bike connection for these users is inherently unsafe. Finally, given how much of this corridor is being improved, people biking from adjacent cities like Mountain View will have an expectation that the bike infrastructure of El Camino will be as good as anywhere else. If their bike lane disappears suddenly, Palo Alto will have made their situation more dangerous, not less dangerous.

2. Another untrue thing is that the bike lane could make biking more dangerous somehow because people will ride it. Besides missing the point that increasing bike mode-share is inherently good for the climate, the point itself is untrue because the level of safety provided by this facility is relatively good, has been improved from its original form, and has many opportunities to get better in the future. There are several projects and sources of funds from the state and VTA level to improve bike safety on this corridor in the future. It is also clear that Caltrans has become a partner that is amenable to further improvements after the repaving project is completed. However, Palo Alto doesn't act now, they may miss out on these further safety improvements and remain stuck with the inherently unsafe status quo.

3. Finally, it's untrue that bike lanes will hurt small business owners. Palo Alto has one of the highest bike transportation mode shares in the country, and these improvements will unlock new markets who previously would be unable to frequent El Camino businesses.

Furthermore, the El Camino corridor is not set in amber, and is in fact set for increases in both residential and commercial density. Bike lanes will help businesses better serve these growing *local* markets in the future, as opposed to people who might be driving in and creating traffic in the process.

I really hope that you will agree to remove parking on El Camino. If we get this right, it will be possible to use El Camino to bike from Santa Clara to Millbrae on a single continuous, high-quality, comfortable, and safe bike corridor. Thank you for doing your part to make it happen.

Sincerely,
Daniel Hulse
From: Zafarali Ahmed
To: Council, City
Subject: Public comment for #31: ECR Bikeways
Date: Monday, June 17, 2024 9:33:23 AM
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Dear City Council,
What a historic night! I want to thank you and the ad hoc committee for the impressive work over the last 10 weeks. You have worked tirelessly with City Staff, Consultants, VTA, Caltrans, PA TMA in an impressively short time period to really up the safety of the Caltrans plan. Thank you for this transformative leadership!
I urge you to go ahead with this plan to remove parking to make space for the bikeways with utmost enthusiasm. Improvements that are not possible in this plan due to right of way restrictions should be funded and prioritized for the 2025 City Bike Plan. Parking removal ensures we have daylighting to improve sightlines along the entire corridor: at intersections, driveways and bus tops. This makes mixing zones more manageable until the next iteration of improvements can be made (for example in Walnut Ave in Fremont ).

I cannot wait to have a safe route to access:

Real International Produce to get my groceries.

Tofu House and Red Hot Wok to have an Asian feast
The Avis Car rental to pick up a car for road trips.

The Village Flower shop to brighten up my home with flowers OneMedical to improve my access to healthcare
Coupa Cafe and Fambrini's for a coffee
Downtown Los Altos without a massive detour.

Thank you once again for voting for a transformative future, Zafarali Ahmed
From: Catherine Wu
To: Council, City
Subject: Removal of Parking Spaces on El Camino Real - Oppose Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024 7:59:51 PM
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Dear City Council,
I strongly oppose removal of parking spaces along El Camino Real. My family has worked at or owned businesses along El Camino Real off and on since the 1970s. These are small family businesses with people looking to build something in Palo Alto. Taking away the access to these spaces will be detrimental. Much of the unilateral removal of parking spaces on busy corridors comes from organized bike coalitions that ignore how removal of these spaces affects those who do not fit into young fit bodies. They ignore those with children, those with elderly people to care for, and those with physical impairments who cannot just hop onto a bike to ride to these businesses or walk multiple blocks to said businesses. As someone who works in the service industry, taking away these spaces also ignores those who support these small businesses - such as truck drivers who deliver food ingredients or office supplies or business equipment. Amazon, UPS and FedEx drivers are still going to park illegally to get their jobs done, which creates a dangerous situation for both cars and bicycles, especially when vehicle lanes are decreased in quantity and width.

So many of these businesses were barely hanging on during the pandemic - anyone who actually lived in this area and knows these businesses knows this. Don’t disrupt the lives of many to acquiesce to the few.

Those who followed similar parking space removal changes in other cities such as in San Francisco, have seen how small businesses fell one by one and in its place empty storefronts - which already plague certain sections of El Camino Real - popped up along with blight.

Caltrans can’t even be bothered to repave or fix potholes that have plagued El Camino Real up and down the peninsula for five years, maybe more. They literally are painting new white lines into the potholes.

Additionally many of these businesses are owned by minorities who tend not to speak up and are not spoken for. As per usual the transportation planners seem to utilize little time for public comment and awareness and bully in their own agendas without consideration of small local business owners. These issues for increasing safety and transportation need further study and community engagement. Please reject the removal of parking spaces.

Catherine Wu
From: Robert Neff
To: Council, City
Cc: Neff, Robert
Subject: I Support Complete Streets CalTrans proposal on ECR at 6/17 Meeting Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024 7:15:19 PM
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6/16/2024
Honorable Members of Palo Alto City Council,
I write regarding the proposed complete streets improvements to El Camino Real.

I think the recently formed Ad Hoc committee has done an outstanding job working with CalTrans to improve the ECR plans beyond what was proposed earlier, particularly in measures to create safer crossings along the corridor. Removing parking near crossings, removing free right turns at key intersections, and other adjustments will make crossing safer and more comfortable. The latest lane width reductions should slow automobiles, and make the street safer for all as well.

I support implementing the current version of the plans developed with CalTrans, for better safety and comfort down the street, and better bicycle and pedestrian access to businesses on ECR.

But I think there are a lot of unknowns about the impacts of removing parking, including both where and when the free parking on ECR is being used, and then on the availability of other parking to replace those spaces if they are removed. How could I expect a member of city council to vote for this plan, without having a parking removal study available to describe the impacts? PABAC wrote to council in January, recommending at least a parking survey, but that was not requested by council, or advanced by city staff, then, or triggered much earlier in this process by the earlier Complete Streets communications from CalTrans.

So I think a best option at this point is to proceed with the CalTrans bike lanes and crossing improvements plans, excepting specific locations where mitigation options for parking removal cannot be identified. City staff can work to minimize this list before paving begins.

For example, here is a list of proposed locations for further study, based on a parking occupation survey done by me. Three caveats:

1. Other locations may be identified with a professional survey.

2. No analysis of the ability to mitigate these parking spaces is done. For example, Stanford visitors could pay for parking at Stanford instead of parking near Churchill.

Paly student drivers could drive their bikes.

3. A separate analysis of business parking is in this presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1A5mOhz8k4XWYwVLcuKUvEr1qgyk- 0ViQ6sFw3_k2U-U/edit?usp=sharing organized by volunteers Ken Kershner and Katherine Dumont. A key finding is a 9:1 ratio of off-street parking spaces to on- street spaces.

Blocks / Side Max Number / Occupancy
across 10 surveys
(unless noted.)
Notes
PAMF to Embarcadero (W) 15 / 58% Campers, and Stanford
daytime users.

Embarcadero to Churchill
(W)
60 / 85% Overnight and Stanford
daytime users.

Embarcadero to Churchill
(E)
61 / 87% Daytime Parking (Paly)
Cambridge to Park/Serra
(E)
47 / 80% combined peak. ** Daytime weekday/wkend
California to Soccer Park
(W)
17 / 95% Day and night. New
housing development.

Ventura to Los Robles to
Driscoll (W)
24 / 70% avg night Night parking near Buena
Vista, Apartments and
Vista Ct.

Vista to Los Robles (E) 16 /82% Avg. daytime Avg weekday parking.

Charleston to Dinahs Ct (W) 15 / 80% Observed on a weekday morning.
** Not all at the same time. Business daytime parking near Leland. Unrestricted parking Stanford to Oxford. Sunday parking from Oxford to Cambridge observed.

This survey is described here, based on 10 drives up and down ECR on weekdays, weekends, daytime and nighttime. Details are at this link, including an overview/summary, data analysis, and links to raw data and links to example parking surveys used in Los Altos and Santa Clara:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mVOq6in1BoVAOaXQgHIdF1tieVL4vXsRqu3hEtRo- Hg/edit?usp=sharing
The first version of this was shared with you, PTC and Transportation staff on March 25.

Thank you for your service to the city of Palo Alto. Sorry to take so long to write this. – Robert Neff
Emerson near Loma Verde
robert -at- neffs.net
650-804-1245
From: Ann Balin
To: Council, City
Subject: Retain parking on the ECR
Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024 6:34:30 PM
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Dear Mayor Stone, Vice-Mayor Lauing and Council Members, Is safety a priority for this council regarding the proposed bike lanes for the El Camino Real — a highway? Why hasn’t the public been informed concerning mitigating safety requirements from CALTRANS? I argue that the mitigating if any safety measures provided by CALTRANS should be discussed FIRST and made public before removing parking on the El Camino Real. Should the council weaken the parking permit programs you will put pressure on neighborhoods. Now with several Builders’ Remedy projects we will have bottlenecks contributing to unsafe conditions for cyclists and pedestrians.

The city engaged the consultants Fehr & Peers who ascertained that CALTRANS failed to address the dangerous high-speed conditions that are prevalent on the highway. They noted that these conditions would pose significant RISKS to vulnerable road users. The consultants cited that friction from driveways and buses were perilous. I have spoken with other Palo Altans who agree that putting bike lanes on the El Camino Real is folly and hazardous.

Alternative routes exist including Park Boulevard. The El Camino Real is not the Champs-Élysée.

What is going on here?
Many residents question the council’s goals. Is pressure from a lobbying concern of cyclists and CALTRANS pushing the council to ignore the needs of Palo Altans? Is it because we are in campaign season? Is it because the council wants to appear ‘progressive' and green? Has the council factored the data to see just how many cyclists are residents? How many Palo Altans want this corridor for cyclists, EV bikes, EV scooters, and skate boarders? Two of our intersections are grade F including Page Mill and Embarcadero at the El Camino Real.

Why didn’t the city do a survey of the businesses regarding this monumental proposition? The Bike Coalition informs the city and residents that everything is copacetic with the businesses. Kushner at the February 29th meeting said that it was a myth that retailers would lose business should parking be eliminated. In other words these lobbyists did their own survey. Are they not biased? Frankly, when you speak with the dentists, restaurant owners and others they are not in accord with the Bike Coalition lobby. One responsible and professional city council member did in fact go to speak with business owners.

You must support Palo Alto’s community and retain parking on the El Camino Real.

Respectfully,
Ann Lafargue Balin
From: Margaret Heath
To: Council, City
Subject: Parking on El Camino
Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024 5:32:10 PM
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Dear Mayor Stone and Council Members,
I urge you NOT to remove parking along El Camino. Unfortunately the city manager and his staff did not conduct any meaningful outreach to include either notification or a comprehensive survey of all the businesses along El Camino as to how they will be impacted if street parking is removed. I know because my dentist near the corner of El Camino and Park knew nothing about this proposal. He and the other medical practitioners and retail in the relatively new building need their private parking lot for patients and customers. Requiring all their staff to park on El Camino. Probably pretty typical of El Camino businesses even if they have some limited private parking.

Relying on hearsay by dedicated bicycle lane proponents that 80% of the El Camino businesses have adequate alternative parking is an insult to those businesses. As well as the neighbors living on nearby streets. Recently, a similar situation in San Francisco has so severely impacted businesses the new dedicated bicycle lane that replaced parking is/has been removed. Apparently, the argument that lost customers will be replaced by bicyclists is just wishful thinking.

Then there is the safety aspect. With all the traffic that needs to travel along El Camino, the many intersecting streets and driveways, as well as buses and electric bicycles, who are these dedicated bicycle lanes going to be safe for?
Certainly not safer than the existing situation where the majority of bicycle accidents occur from broadside contact at the many street and driveway intersections, which a dedicated bicycle lane won't change. And which will only get more and more unsafe with all the new driveways with additional vehicles to be added in the next few years because of the many new apartment buildings in the pipeline. With almost certainly more apartment buildings and driveways to come in future. All requiring vehicles to cut across bicyclists whether there is a dedicated bicycle lane or not.

Proponents of replacing all the parking along El Camino with dedicated bicycle lanes are looking at this through blinkered eyes. Filling the council chambers and no doubt your mail with passionate support for their own position. Unable to accept that there are some situations where replacing parking with dedicated bicycle lanes is not in the broader public interest. But you are elected to see the bigger picture.

In addition, for almost twenty years, Palo Alto's vision for El Camino has been to promote a walkable boulevard. But there needs to be something to walk to. Without street parking most of the small businesses and restaurants along El Camino know that it doesn't take much brains to predict that in a few years there will be few remaining businesses and restaurants along El Camino to bicycle to, let alone to walk to.

I ask all of you, even the most dedicated bicycle advocates serving on council, to weigh up if you can really find in good conscience that replacing all the El Camino parking between San Antonio and Sand Hill with dedicated bicycle lanes will be safe for adults and especially children to use, as well as serve the interests of the majority of residents and businesses that you represent.

Sincerely,
Margaret Heath
2140 Cornell Street
From: Alan Wachtel
To: Council, City
Subject: Proposed El Camino Real bikeways (June 17 meeting, agenda item 31) Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024 5:03:53 PM
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Members of the Council:

Agenda Item 31 for your Monday, June 17, meeting includes a discussion of the Caltrans project to replace existing parking on El Camino Real with bikeways and, among other things, approval of a resolution supporting the removal of on-street parking for this project.

On May 7, the Palo Alto Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PABAC), of which I'm a member, adopted by unanimous vote a resolution advising the City Council to:

1. Remove parking on El Camino Real and utilize the space for appropriate bikeways via Caltrans Paving Project EA 04-4J89U after modifications compatible with the Safe Systems approach

2. In the longer term, further expand the city’s bicycle network and work with regional partners to expand transit coverage and frequency, with the goal of reducing parking needs along El Camino

3. Work with Caltrans to improve the El Camino Real bikeway design around major intersections, roadway sections with limited width, and bus stops in follow-up projects.

The full text of this resolution, including the findings that precede these recommendations, was sent to the Council on May 10 by PABAC chair Bruce Arthur, under the subject line "PABAC Motion Calling for Bicycle Lanes on El Camino Real in Palo Alto," where you should be able to find additional detail. PABAC's recommendation does not seem to have been cited in staff reports for this item. It's important to note that this resolution endorses the concept of bikeways on El Camino, rather than any particular design, which was still under development.

As the staff report mentions, the Council ad hoc committee met on May 16 with City staff, Caltrans staff, VTA staff, consultant firm Fehr & Peers, and biking advocate stakeholders, including representatives of PABAC (I was one) and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, to review the design to that point. Since then, however, Fehr & Peers has provided additional recommendations, both for the key issue of bus stops and for the El Camino bikeway design itself, presented in a memo dated June 5 and included in your packet (Attachment A, Packet Pg. 771). The staff report asks the Council to consider transmitting this memo to Caltrans for a response to the suggested changes.

That would be appropriate, but since the design changes proposed are both material and substantial, it is important that the Council ad hoc committee continue its work and that bicycle advocate stakeholders, including PABAC, be given the opportunity to review and comment on these proposals and any revised designs before their final adoption. PABAC has already expressed concern, for instance, about certain features, such as two-stage turn queue boxes, that appear frequently in Fehr & Peers's drawings.

The Council meeting, of course, is not the place to discuss these technical details. Suitable opportunities need to be arranged before the plans can be considered complete. --
Alan Wachtel
Palo Alto
From: Jo Ann Mandinach
To: Council, City
Subject: Item 31 JUST SAY NO TO BANNING PARKING ON EL CAMINO REAL Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024 5:01:06 PM
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Dear City Council,
Just say no to Caltrans' proposal to ban parking on both sides of El Camino which will obviously destroy the 60 businesses there.

Tell them you won't even consider this plan until they FINALLY REPAVE EL CAMINO which for years has cost us $$$$$ in new tires and expensive car repairs.

Tell them to get their PRIORITIES STRAIGHT!!
In San Francisco, merchants have gone on 30-day hunger strikes to protest the replacement of parking with bike lanes,
If the city's going to destroy retail businesses without even bothering to do outreach to these businesses, at least save us some money and cancel the contracts with all the "retail consultants" and save us a few million dollars a year so you don't have to keep raising our utility rates!
At least put this to a vote so you can see how outraged the community is! Most sincerely,
Jo Ann Mandinach
From: Jeffrey Hook
To: Council, City
Subject: Don"t rob Peter to pay Paul with ECR bike lanes Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024 4:08:24 PM
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Honorable Councilmembers,
Once again, city staff is pulling in the wrong direction. They are recommending encroaching on Evergreen Park RPP to allow ECR business employees to park in our neighborhood
de-prioritizing Park Blvd as the main bicycle route between Palo Alto and Mountain View.

I align with the long term climate and pollution goals of the City. The Comprehensive Plan strongly supports reduction of car trips.

From the Sustainability-Mobility section: Road transportation represents the largest percentage of Palo Alto’s existing carbon footprint– and a congestion headache! Replacing a portion of vehicle trips with active transportation modes, such as walking, biking, and transit, is critical to reducing emissions in the transportation sector. Palo Alto has a strong biking community and multiple transit options, making it easy for residents to choose low- or zero-carbon transportation options.

Car trips account for a huge percentage of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution from tire wear, noise and congestion. Rather than encroaching on neighborhood safety and quiet, keep parking permit programs as they are. If necessary, provide subsidies to ECR businesses to allow their employees to commute by bike or public transportation. For example, ECR businesses are very close to CalTrain stations; bicycles are a perfect way to cover the "extra mile".

There is no need to go backward in order to move forward.

Keep the gains we have made in safety and quiet in Evergreen Park by making NO modification to the RPP.

Prioritize Park Blvd as the preferred bicycle route between Palo Alto and Mountain View.

If bike lanes are added to ECR, that is a bonus provided by CalTrans, and in no way is cause for the City to undermine its own programs to address climate change.

Don't let the Staff run the City! Be accountable to the residents and to our planet.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey Hook
resident, Evergreen Park neighborhood in Palo Alto
From: Rebecca Sanders
To: Council, City
Subject: June 17 - Item 31 - Bike Lanes
Date: Sunday, June 16, 2024 3:58:44 PM
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Dear Mayor Stone and City Council Members:

Thank you for your service and for taking up this matter of bike lanes on El Camino.

I love to ride my bike but I oppose this current offered plan:

1. This will hurt the already embattled small businesses along ECR who have very little off street parking and rely on ECR to provide the extra parking they need.

2. I think it's a terrible idea to roll back residential parking permit programs in Evergreen, Mayfield & Southgate neighborhoods whose residents worked for years to negotiate with employers along ECR to limit employee parking in the neighborhoods, by providing a certain number of parking permits to small business owners. If the parking on ECR is eliminated, the small businesses will need to recapture that parking in the neighborhoods. We should first be of service to the folks that live and work near ECR and not passersby.

3. Won't this de-emphasize/cancel the program to make Park Boulevard the preferred bike route from Mountain View to Peers Park - a route that we have been promised would be shorn up, but which never happened? A really good path already exists that could be made better for way less cost that building bike lanes on ECR. Why the duplication of effort here?

4. Finally, it's terribly inconsiderate that items that affect neighborhoods are often put late at night on the agenda. Why is that the case? Why can't our policy be to encourage participation rather than discouraging it? Please consider in August putting items of great public interest earlier in the evening.

Thank you for your consideration of my comments.

Becky Sanders
Ventura Neighborhood
From: Annette Glanckopf
To: Council, City; Clerk, City
Subject: Bike lanes on El Camino Real
Date: Saturday, June 15, 2024 8:05:53 PM
Attachments: letter to counicl on bike lanes - v2.docx
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Dear Mayor Stone and Council,
I am very concerned about bike lanes on El Camino. See my attached letter for my detailed comments.

Palo Alto has spent countless hours putting together a bicycle plan. Let's stick to what we have thoughtfully developed.

Thank you
Annette
Date: June 14, 2024
Subject: Bike Lanes on El Camino
To: Palo Alto City Council
Re: Item 31 on Council Agenda for 6/17/24Repaving El Camino Dear Council Members.

Bike lanes do not belong on El Camino Real. I ask you to reject the plan to do so. My concern is small business vitality and safety (bikes/pedestrians/vehicles).

Palo Alto has gone to great lengths to provide safe bike routes–on Park Boulevard as well as Bryant–which closely parallel El Camino.

CalTrans is holding Palo Alto hostage by demanding bike lanes on a transit corridor in order to repave El Camino Real (ECR), which is sorely needed. Don’t give in to the pleas of the avid bike community speakers, who are mostly from other cities and not Palo Alto. Bike lanes on ECR – a state highway - are not in the best interest of the entire community.

Retail: This will be the “nail in the coffin” for the many small businesses on El Camino, who depend on close- by parking or in front of their establishment. If it is too difficult to park, people just will find other places to go.

Ironically this is just at a time when the city is trying to encourage more retail, especially small independently owned businesses. Yes, some of these businesses do have parking lots, but is it sufficient? I think not, especially for those customers (elderly, disabled) who want to park in front of the establishments. Even Sundance, which has a parking lot, is concerned about the loss of ECR parking. Taking out a huge number of parking spaces in a major mistake. Small retail is truly the “silent majority”. They won’t show up at council; they aren’t represented by the Chamber. If their businesses fail, they will simply disappear–and “we” will lose more local retail.

Parking: Caltrans counts 600 vehicle parking spots on ECR, but hasn’t identified where these vehicles should/could go. The neighborhoods? ECR parking is also used as dwelling spaces. I understand that at least 41 spaces serve as dwelling spots for some of our neighbors. There are at least 50 parking spots on El Camino on the side of Paly. Again, where are those cars going to go? The Southgate Neighborhood? Town and Country Center, which currently lacks sufficient parking? Additionally, as we continue to build on this busy corridor, residential parking on ECR will be also be eliminated. Where will they park? In the adjacent neighborhoods?
Safety: With the numerous curb cuts, driveways, and streets on ECR, bike lanes are a recipe for disaster, especially with distracted drivers, speeders in a hurry, buses and trucks, as well as numerous traffic lights.

Also inexperienced youth bikes. Note that on Park Blvd, there are only a handful of lights and fewer driveways, streets, etc. to hamper bikers. This Park Blvd alternative route already has bollards (Ventura and near Mollie Stone’s) for bike safety. This route is much safer and FASTER as well. ECR accident reports show that a large majority of serious and fatal accidents between cars and bikes are broadsides, indicating that these accidents occurred when bikes were crossing ECR. This plan does not at all address this real and known fact.

Let’s not say “Yes” to bike lanes on every street, especially high traffic state highways as ECR. Let’s use the 2012 bike plan that was so carefully constructed,
Finally let's consider the greater good. The daily car, bus, and truck traffic is significant on ECR–in the high thousands–while bike traffic would be in the hundreds at best.

Should we inconvenience the far greater number of ECR users and businesses when there are alternative routes for cyclists that are faster and safer. Please take a strong stand against CalTrans and refuse bike lanes on El Camino.

Annette Glanckopf, Midtown resident
From: Annette Glanckopf
To: Council, City; Clerk, City
Subject: Bike lanes on El Camino Real
Date: Saturday, June 15, 2024 8:05:44 PM
Attachments: letter to counicl on bike lanes - v2.docx
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Dear Mayor Stone and Council,
I am very concerned about bike lanes on El Camino. See my attached letter for my detailed comments.

Palo Alto has spent countless hours putting together a bicycle plan. Let's stick to what we have thoughtfully developed.

Thank you
Annette
Date: June 14, 2024
Subject: Bike Lanes on El Camino
To: Palo Alto City Council
Re: Item 31 on Council Agenda for 6/17/24Repaving El Camino Dear Council Members.

Bike lanes do not belong on El Camino Real. I ask you to reject the plan to do so. My concern is small business vitality and safety (bikes/pedestrians/vehicles).

Palo Alto has gone to great lengths to provide safe bike routes–on Park Boulevard as well as Bryant–which closely parallel El Camino.

Annette Glanckopf, Midtown resident
From: [email protected]
To: Council, City
Subject: RE: El Camino Real Repaving (Agenda Item 31)
Date: Saturday, June 15, 2024 4:18:28 PM
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Honorable City Council Members,

RE: El Camino Real Repaving (Agenda Item 31), I am writing as an individual to ask you to:
support No Right Turn On Red Restrictions recommended in Attachment E by Caltrans and/or by city staff.

As you support bike lanes along ECR for strong and confident bicyclists, please also incorporate wayfinding signage from ECR at multiple locations to quieter parallel bike routes, especially Wilkie-Park Bicycle Boulevard, for people who are not comfortable riding in areas like ECR with high auto volumes and speeds. support Fehr & Peers-recommended improvements to the 5/20/2024 Caltrans ECR Repaving plans, especially at school commute crossings. direct staff to continue working with Caltrans to improve safety of the proposed bikeways, especially ECR school commute crossings
direct staff to engage in Caltrans-led planning for the ECR corridor for August 2024 with a strong focus on school commute crossing safety

Many individual community members and groups, including the city’s Safe Routes to School PTA partners together with the Palo Alto Council of PTAs Executive Board, have come together to identify improvements to create safer El Camino Real crossings for users of all ages and abilities, including people who cannot or choose not to drive a car. These road users include hundreds of PAUSD school children who have to cross the State Highway Route 82 each school day to get to:

Palo Alto High School
Henry M. Gunn High School
Ellen Fletcher Middle School
Frank Greene Middle School
Escondido Elementary School
Juana Briones Elementary School
Barron Park Elementary School

The report points to ECR intersections in Palo Alto that frequently are used by youth school commuters.

Current safety challenges young people face at these intersections cannot be understated. ECR crossings are long. Young people of shorter stature and with shorter legs scurry to cross as many as seven lanes of heavy motor vehicle traffic with no pedestrian refuge at most ECR intersections. Parked cars can obstruct driver views of young people of shorter stature and a shorter person’s view of a car. Both
drivers and pedestrians can be distracted by
the very high levels of activity and stimuli at ECR intersections.

From the report,
No Right Turn on Red restrictions eliminate conflict between right-turning vehicles and pedestrians and bicyclists traveling through an intersection. Multiple studies validate the
effectiveness of this low-cost, high-reward safety measure. Without this restriction, right turning
drivers look to the left to find a gap in traffic and may not look for people on foot or on bicycles coming from the right… This treatment is a best practice at locations where there is high pedestrian activity, school activity, older road users, and bicycle
facilities.
12 Current Allowed Right Turns On Red at ECR school route intersections present unnecessary risk for people on bikes and on foot, especially youth and people with disabilities or in wheelchairs who tend to be slower moving and less visible. Staff and the PTAs have offered strong data-based arguments regarding bike/ped collisions at these intersections.

Consistent with Council’s recent decision to adopt the Safe System Approach, No Right Turn on Red Restrictions slow speeds and reduce points of conflicts. Speed is the major factor in severe injury and death in traffic collisions.

You can make a decision to save lives and reduce injury collisions now. Please support No Right Turn On Red Restrictions recommended in Attachment E – all those recommended by Caltrans and/or by city staff. Again, please:
support No Right Turn On Red Restrictions recommended in Attachment E by Caltrans and/or by city staff.

As you support bike lanes along ECR for strong and confident bicyclists, please also incorporate wayfinding signage from ECR at multiple locations to quieter parallel bike routes, especially Wilkie-Park Bicycle Boulevard, for people who are not comfortable riding in areas with high auto volumes and speeds.
support Fehr & Peers-recommended improvements to the 5/20/2024 Caltrans ECR Repaving plans, especially at school commute crossings. direct staff to continue working with Caltrans to improve safety of the proposed bikeways, especially ECR school commute crossings
direct staff to engage in Caltrans-led planning for the ECR corridor for August 2024 with a strong focus on school commute crossing safety

Thank you for considering my comments and for your support of Safe Routes to School.

Families and children depend on your prioritization of their safety on public streets in Palo Alto.

With gratitude,

Penny Ellson

Virus-free.www.avg.com
From: Michael Regula
To: Council, City
Subject: Support ECR Bike Lanes
Date: Friday, June 14, 2024 6:29:52 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Honorable Mayor Stone and City Council Members,
I support removal of vehicle parking to implement protected bike lanes on El Camino Real as well as all the recommendations made by the volunteers on the SVBC local team and El Camino Real 2030 Campaign to ensure that these bike lanes are successfully implemented.

Climate Change has been at the forefront of the city council's 2024 agenda. Moving forward with this project would demonstrate the city's commitment to this priority. As a center of innovation, Palo Alto has the opportunity to take the lead yet again, this time in human- friendly, sustainable city design.

Thank you for your service to this community and for leading the way in making El Camino safe for bikes!
Michael Regula
University South Neighborhood Resident
From: Melissa Oliveira
To: Council, City
Cc: Lara Anthony
Subject: Item 31: Please Support "No Right Turn on Red" on El Camino School Crossings Date: Friday, June 14, 2024 5:05:30 PM
Attachments: SRTS Letter to Palo Alto City Council_ ECR Children"s Safey Prioritization.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Mayor Stone, Vice Mayor Lauing, and Honorable City Council Members, We are writing to you on behalf of the Palo Alto Council of PTAs Executive Board as the PTA Council Chairs for Safe Routes to School, to express our support for the prioritization of the safety of the thousands of children who walk and bike to school daily in our city.

In connection with Agenda Item 31, the El Camino Real Bikeway Project, the PTA Council Executive Board strongly encourages the City to adopt the No Right Turn On Red restrictions at the El Camino Real intersections frequently used by Palo Alto children to get to school. These are identified by City staff in the Council Staff Report Agenda Packet on page 763 and Attachment E (page 808), and also listed on the Attachment hereto for convenience.

SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
Safe Routes to School is a partnership among the City of Palo Alto, PAUSD, and community members working through school PTAs, whose mission is to reduce risk to students en route to and from school and to encourage families to choose healthy, active, sustainable alternatives to driving solo more often. Safe Routes to School has produced Walk and Roll suggested school routes (“Recommended School Routes”) to all PAUSD schools (for example, Palo Alto High School
). Years of data, research and management
have gone into determining which routes are safest for children biking and walking to and from each Palo Alto school to inform the Recommended School Routes. The percentage of students walking and biking to Palo Alto schools is among the highest in the nation, with over 50% of all PAUSD students biking to school by the time they reach middle school.

El Camino Real is a heavily-trafficked main vehicle artery running through the giant web of Recommended School Routes, which, unfortunately, thousands of our children must cross every day to get to school. ADDITIONAL NO RIGHT TURN ON RED RESTRICTIONS NEEDED ON EL CAMINO We commend the City and Caltrans for taking measures to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety on El Camino Real. That said, we strongly encourage the City of Palo Alto, in partnership with Caltrans, to add No Right Turn On Red restrictions at the additional intersections recommended by City staff in the Attachment to better protect the thousands of children that need to cross El Camino Real to get to school every day. Those include the following El Camino Real Recommended School Route intersections: Arastradero Rd./W. Charleston Rd., Los Robles Ave./ El Camino Way, Matadero Ave./Margarita Ave., Stanford Ave., Maybell Ave./El Camino Way, Cesano Ct./Los Altos Ave., Cambridge Ave., Curtner Ave., Ventura Ave.; as well as the following additional intersections heavily used by students, families, cyclists and pedestrians: Page Mill Rd./Oregon Expwy, Park Blvd./ Serra St., Churchill Ave., Galvez St./Embarcadero Rd., and California Avenue, as specified on the Attachment. Without No Right Turn on Red restrictions, right-turning drivers look to the left to find a gap in traffic and may not look for people on foot or on bicycles coming from the right. In particular, children crossing on bike or on foot may not be seen due to their height. It is critical that we have No Right Turn on Red restrictions on our Recommended School Routes where children must cross such a busy thoroughfare as El Camino Real. COLLISIONS & FATALITIES ON EL CAMINO REAL Currently we do not have No Right Turn On Red restrictions on El Camino Real Recommended School Route intersections. Between 2012 and 2022, there were 46 reported collisions on the Recommended School Route intersections with El Camino Real.

This averages out to about 4-5 collisions at El Camino Recommended School Route intersections per year. 79% of those collisions involved bicycles, and 22% involved pedestrians.

Intersection # Collisions 2012-2022
Cambridge 6
Charleston/Arastradero 6
Los Altos/Cesano 3
Los Robles 3
Matadero 5
Maybell 5
Stanford 13
Ventura 2
Curtner 3
Total 46
Additionally, tragically, there was a student fatality at the El Camino and California Avenue intersection in 2020. While this intersection is not on a recommended school route, the California Avenue business district is a popular and important destination for students and families and accordingly we strongly recommend the addition of a No Right Turn On Red restriction at this intersection. With Caltrans’ El Camino Real Bikeway Project, the City has an opportunity to make an enormous impact on public safety generally and the safety of our children by adding No Right Turn On Red restrictions on our Recommended School Routes and other heavily used bicycle and pedestrian El Camino Real crossings. The PTA Council Executive Board strongly urges the City to adopt No Right Turn on Red Restrictions at all of the locations specified on the Attachment. Thank you for your tremendous efforts to improve the safety of our community along the El Camino Real corridor, and particularly for prioritizing the safety of our children on their way to school each day.

Best regards,
Lara Anthony & Melissa Oliveira
Palo Alto PTAC Safe Routes to School Chairs, for and on behalf of the Palo Alto Council of PTAs Executive Board
El Camino Intersection
Location
Recommended
School
Commute
Route
Staff/Caltrans Recommended
Approaches for Adding No Right
Turn on Red Signage
*Note missing directions indicate that
a turn restriction is not feasible or
requested for that approach.

Arastradero Rd/ W Charleston
Rd

Y N, S, W
Los Robles Ave/ El Camino
Way

Y N, S, E, W
Matadero Ave/ Margarita Ave

Y N, S, E, W
Stanford Ave

Y N, S, E, W

Y N, S, E, W
Maybell Ave/ El Camino Way
Cesano Ct/ Los Altos Ave
Y N, W
Cambridge
Y (Pedestrians
only)

N, S, E, W
Curtner Avenue
Y (Pedestrians
only)
W
Ventura Avenue
Y N
California Ave
N (2020 student
fatality location)
S, E
Page Mill Rd/ Oregon Expwy
N N, S
Park Blvd/Serra St

N N, S, E, W
Churchill Ave
N N
Galvez St/ Embarcadero Rd
N W
From: Matt Bryant
To: Council, City
Subject: Item 31 - Supporting Bicycle lanes on El Camino Real Date: Friday, June 14, 2024 1:28:19 PM
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Dear Honorable Mayor Stone and Esteemed City Council Members, As the father of two kids who ride bicycles to Gunn High School/Fletcher Middle School and as a Palo Alto cyclist, I am writing you to support the addition of bicycle lanes on El Camino Real in Palo Alto, and I support the Palo Alto staff's safety recommendations.

I appreciate the new bicycle lanes, leading pedestrian intervals, and no right turn on red restrictions at key Safe Routes to Schools intersections along El Camino Real. I support the City of Palo Alto working with CalTrans to make bicycling and pedestrian safety improvements along the El Camino Real corridor.

No matter how you look at this, the CalTrans project adding bicycle lanes on El Camino Real is the right thing to do. It gives a safer passage for bicyclists and pedestrians traveling on ECR, it allows safer crossing for pedestrians and bicyclists across ECR, it improves access to schools (Paly, Keys) and parks (El Camino park, Mayfield soccer complex, Paly tennis/soccer, Stanford IM fields) located on ECR, it improves Safe Routes to Schools that cross ECR, it improves access to businesses on ECR including Stanford shopping mall, Cal Ave, and many other businesses, and it improves the environment by increasing bicycle and pedestrian traffic rather than motor vehicles.

Thank you for making El Camino Real safe for bicyclists and pedestrians! I look forward to celebrating the El Camino Real safety improvement project upon completion.

Best regards,
Matt
Matthew D. Bryant, PharmD
415-846-1239
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/drmattbryant
From: Ann Pianetta
To: Council, City
Subject: Bikes on El Camino Real
Date: Friday, June 14, 2024 10:39:12 AM
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Dear City Council:

I want to put my two cents in about bike lanes on El Camino Real even though it may be too late. What is the matter with people! Here are the reasons NOT to allow bike riders on this dangerous street.

1. El Camino Real is actually Highway 82. HIGHWAY, not a street but a 6 lane highway.

People travel anywhere from 35 to 50 mph. Don't you think that is too much for a bike rider to deal with?

2. The condition of the road is absolutely awful -- FULL of potholes and wear and tear. This makes for dangerous driving and the ruining of your car. For someone on a bike it is especially dangerous because the edge of the highway is not maintained. There is plenty of debris that get pushed over to the edge by cars.

3. When you open this highway up to people on bikes that will include children. How would you like to see a 7-year old riding down this street, having to manage all the big intersections and cars making right turns?

4. Bike riders over the age of 18 are not required to wear a helmet. I don't know why because to me that would only make sense. Bicycles are considered vehicles. Motorcyclists have to wear a helmet. It is the law.

5. What is the law for skateboards (electric or not), bikes (electric or not) and scooters (electric or not)? Should these things be in the bike lane. Are they considered vehicles? Should they wear helmets?

6. Bicyclists are more prone to not follow the law in stopping for lights and stops signs. They are often looking at their phones -- especially the teenagers and young adults.

7. Finally, what about the buses? How will they manage pulling over to pick up/drop off passengers? Adding bike riders would create a recipe for disaster.

What should really be considered is putting buses along that line if you are going to remove all parking. I think removing parking is a big mistake. Buses can maneuver around parked cars. If you want to help the bicyclists why not put in a separate roadway next to the train tracks? It could only be for bikes. That would be safer for them.

Please don’t cave in to the bicyclists. They have plenty of pathways to use when biking.

Sincerely,
Ann Pianetta
3815 La Donna Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
From: Elizabeth Rahn
To: Council, City
Subject: BICYCLE LANES ON EL CAMINO
Date: Friday, June 14, 2024 10:19:22 AM
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To Whom it Concerns:

I live in Cupertino. If these new bike lanes for El Camino Real are like the ones in Cupertino with a low barrier divider, please consider the following:

The barriers restrict a driver's ability to pull over for an emergency vehicle. I had a firetruck with flashing
lights come up behind me, and I quickly tried to pull over to the side of the road to let them pass. My front tire hit the barrier scrapping my tire rims and knocking out my
alignment. I ended up being a momentary obstacle.

Two teenage boys in the barrier bike lane are riding single file. The front rider is talking over his shoulder to the boy behind him, and hits the barrier. He falls off his bike into the road and quickly afterward the second boy hits the downed bike and also spills into the road. I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting two teenagers laying in the road directly ahead of me.

I suggest no low barriers, just paint something. Bikers do need protection on busy roads.

Elizabeth Rahn
From: Joseph Yoon
To: Council, City
Subject: City Council (June 17) Agenda Item No. 31 Comment Date: Thursday, June 13, 2024 8:36:23 PM
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Dear Palo Alto City Council,
No.

I oppose the enactment of this agenda item.

Sincerely,
Joseph Yoon
From: Raymond Wang
To: Council, City
Subject: Parking on El Camino
Date: Thursday, June 13, 2024 12:40:59 PM
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Hi,
I'm writing because I saw a notice that a bike lane would be added to the street to reduce traffic collisions with bikers. While I do appreciate the importance of this measure, I feel like it would make it significantly harder for me to patronize businesses that are adjacent to the street. Has there been any thought or consideration in how we could add bike lanes while preserving street parking?
Thank you for your time,
Raymond
From: Edouard Lafargue
To: Council, City; Mesterhazy, Rose
Cc: Gold, Audrey; Jules; Veronique Lafargue
Subject: Support for No Turns on Red
Date: Thursday, June 13, 2024 9:11:59 AM
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Dear Palo Alto City Council,
Audrey Gold recently told us about the No Turns on Red initiative that will be presented at the city council meeting on June 17th. I wanted to add our family's support to this project, as it look like it has the potential to significantly improve pedestriand and bike safety.

As you know, our son Paul was killed in 2020 by a truck driver at an intersection on El Camino Real as he was biking home and was crossing the street using the pedestrian crossing, like most children do in order to get more protection while crossing intersections.

A Traffic improvement plan that clearly:
- Prevents turning on red
- Gives pedestrian and vulnerable road users ample time to cross ... would go a long way to prevent more unecessary deaths, which unfortunately continue happening on a routine basis in Palo Alto, apparently to no one's great alarm apart from the families of victims.

I want to attract your attention to the fact that pedestrian crossing lights on El Camino real as set in a way that does not give time to pedestrians to cross the road in time before those lights start blinking red or turning red altogether. This is a very real safety concern that could easily be addressed, by prioritizing the life of vulnerable road users over the speed and flow of traffic that seems to take all precendence in decisions so far.

Thanks again for bringing this initiative before the city council. We will not be able to attend due to travel, but i am hoping that it will result in improved safety and quality of life for everyone in Palo Alto,
With regards,
Edouard, Véronique and Jules Lafargue
From: Audrey Gold
To: Council, City
Subject: Item 31: Please support No Right Turn on Red on El Camino school crossings Date: Thursday, June 13, 2024 8:25:19 AM
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Dear Honorable City Council members,
I passionately urge you to vote to support No Right Turn on Red on El Camino on the school commute crossings at your meeting on Monday June 17th.

For more than 15 years I have been an active volunteer for Safe Routes to School and this is one of the most remarkable opportunities to make meaningful change that I've seen.

I personally knew the student Paul Lafargue who was tragically killed in March 2020. Two years later another student in Mountain View lost his life in a similar collison. If there had been a No Turn on Right in place it may have saved their lives.

Please support the No Right Turn on Red now -- don't delay or postpone this important decision.

Regards,
Audrey Gold
Safe Routes to School volunteer
and long time PTA member
No Right Turn on Red restrictions eliminate conflict between right-turning vehicles and pedestrians and bicyclists traveling through an intersection. Multiple studies validate the effectiveness of this low-cost, high-reward safety measure. Without this restriction, right turning drivers look to the left to find a gap in traffic and may not look for people on foot or on bicycles coming from the right. In particular, children crossing in such a scenario may not be seen due to their height relative to larger vehicles.

From: Maria Cristina Abilock
To: Council, City
Subject: El Camino Real bikeway and No Turn on Red
Date: Wednesday, June 12, 2024 10:16:47 PM
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Dear Palo Alto City Council Members,
My name is Maria Abilock and I have been a resident of Palo Alto for almost 40 years. I ride a bicycle as my primary mode of transportation to work, for errands, and as recreation.

I am writing to express my support for two agenda items coming up at City Council on June

17. The first item is the proposed bikeway on El Camino Real. Any project that provides more safety protections and visibility for bicyclists is a great project. While I probably wouldn't use El Camino as extensively as a bike boulevard, there is a time and a place for riding stretches of El Camino to reach certain businesses, schools, and Stanford. I really appreciate the dashed green lanes for high visibility awareness of conflict zones and the buffered curbs between motorists and the bike lane. Removing parking along El Camino is a great step towards reducing the priority of parked cars over cyclists' access to roads.

The second item is the No Right Turn on Red signage along El Camino, particularly along school commute cross streets. Two of my son's friends have been hit at El Camino by right turning drivers not properly stopping and checking for cyclist traffic when they had red lights and the cyclists had green lights. It is a problem. The no right turn on red LED panels at Middlefield and Charleston have been really effective. I appreciate them as a cyclist and as a driver.

Thank you for your service to our community.

With appreciation,
Maria

Palo Alto City CouncilJune 17, 2024

Palo Alto City Council
June 17, 2024