Item 1 Public Comment — Palo Alto City Council, April 15, 2026

From: promiserani
To: Council, City
Subject: Means restriction at Churchill and other crossings Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 11:12:46 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Palo Alto City Council Members,
Thank you for your recent efforts in ensuring paid guards are watching our crossings to keep our community safe. As one of the organizers of the community-led Trackwatch and a parent of two teenagers in the district, I am writing to urge you to continue to take action for the sake of our young people, in particular by closing the Churchill crossing. Our family lives in Midtown and would be affected by the change, but every one of us is willing and even happy to do so if it means that students at Paly are no longer subjected to the daily reminder of lethal means and the past suicide deaths that have occurred there. Like Trackwatch, and like the paid guards, this would be one part of a larger effort across our community, continuing to have guards beyond the one year timeline, ensuring that there is grade separation at the other crossings, making sure bikes and pedestrians are safe, and continuing to provide support at local places like allcove, schools, and Teen centers for young people to find mental health support. All of these are needed to help keep our community safe, but we can only act on what is in front of us. Right now, that is the closure of Churchill, which will not only send a decisive signal to our teens that we care, but will also keep them from physical harm, much as we would take a weapon from their hands to keep them safe, while also holding them close and helping them find their footing again.

We can, indeed, take action at the same time as learning more about how to mitigate the effects. We can build a tunnel at Seale to keep bikers and pedestrians safe while we find other ways to get around. We can watch how kids get to school help them make wise choices, even when there is a road closure, while we find ways to reroute the displaced traffic to Embarcadero Rd and Oregon Expressway.

For the sake of my kids, yours, and all those in our community who continue to struggle, please take swift action to ensure the trains can pass safely without causing further harm to our community.

Thank you,
rani Jayakumar
Midtown
From: Barbara Wallace
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Temporary Closure
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 11:12:20 AM
Importance: High
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear Mayor and Members of City Council,

I am opposed to the temporary closure of the Churchill crossing without the mitigations identified several years ago by XCAP and the consultants who reported to City officials.

I am a longtime resident of Lincoln Avenue, a street broad enough to accommodate two-way traffic and parking on both sides. For generations, Lincoln has been a walking and bicycle route for students and workers heading to Addison, Castilleja, Paly, and Stanford.

Lincoln is next to the Alma-High-Emerson-Kingsley-Bryant (bike boulevard) network of streets adjacent to Embarcadero. On occasion Lincoln has received a flood of traffic temporarily diverted from Embarcadero.

When I foresee a daily repetition of overflow congestion from Embarcadero and driver frustration at the tight network of neighborhood stop signs, I worry for the safety of walkers, bikers, pram-pushers, dogwalkers, drivers trying to back out of driveways, downtown workers, and elderly walkers like me.

Deaths on our train tracks, accidental or intentional, are always tragic. Level crossings in Palo Alto are hazardous. Opposing closure does not indicate insensitivity to student wellness and safety. Closing the Churchill crossing without mitigations is reckless. XCAP and the consultants show us why.

Sincerely,

Barbara Wallace
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to you.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: bill Powar
To: Council, City
Subject: Don"t Close Churchill
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 10:54:33 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Embarcadero traffic is already a nightmare at key times, with backups often reaching Bryant or further. The Paly High/T&C traffic issues have never been addressed and closing Churchill will do nothing but make it worse. To increase the traffic burden particularly at key rush hour times would be like throwing gasoline on a fire.

Suicide is a mental health issue, not to be solved by traffic changes. Closing off one option (and one that is used infrequently) would just cause impacted people to pursue other options. It really won't address the problem. That requires a commitment to address the causes of depression, not the actions taken by people looking for a way out.

Furthermore, Embarcadero is not set up for bikes, scooters, etc. Traffic coming from El Camino goes at speeds significantly above the posted 25 MPH limit. I would expect many more injuries and even deaths to result if all current Churchill traffic, including non-vehicular, were forced onto Embarcadero and would far outweigh the very small number of suicides that occur at the Churchill crossing, let alone the number that would not find another outlet for their depression.

Given that you are concerned with trains being used to commit suicide, why not just outlaw trains passing through Palo Alto. But I guess that is just as unrealistic as closing Churchill.

If the council does take such a foolish step, I would not be surprised to see a ballot measure filed to have the voters set aside your action.

Sincerely,
William Powar
1310 Emerson Street
From: Annette Glanckopf
To: Council, City
Subject: ABSOLUTELY NO on Churchill Ave Rail Closure
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 10:15:15 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Mayor Veenker and Council,
I am totally opposed to closing Churchill. Previous email below.

Reasons include
* Unbelievable disruption to cars and pedestrians who currently use Churchill. Closing Churchill will force unnecessary detours (especially for the multitude of students who transverse Churchill, will now have to go via Embarcadero), extra gas (for those who still drive gas cars),
* Excessive traffic on side streets and Embarcadero (which is already clogged) * Frustration with increased risk of accidents.
* Increased time for police and fire to arrive at their destinations with potential loss of life or property
* I support what Nadia Naik will say tonight " Why the XCAP and Consultant Work Shows Closure
Cannot Occur Without Full Mitigations"
* Track watch works. It is cost effective and has proven to work. * If someone (and not just a teen) wants to end their life, they will find a way. There are other rail crossings, and easier means to do so.

In conclusion, IMHO, closing Churchill is a Knee Jerk reaction to a tragic incident. The community is mourning, as we should, but please re-think the decision and DO NOT CLOSE CHURCHILL. Do the most good for the most people. Keep what works (track watch) and don't throw away all the work and recommendations from the XCAP and consultant. Let's work together as a community to identify and support those individuals who are at risk.

I know this is a difficult decision, but I trust that reason will prevail and the road will remain open.
thanks for considering my opinion.

Annette
On Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 11:12:16 AM PST, Annette Glanckopf <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Mayor Veenker and council members,
I am opposed to closing Churchill Ave to cars.

I realize that Palo Alto teens are under incredible pressures, but closing Churchill is not the solution, especially without a plan to mitigate this closure. I thought today's Daily article was timely, and I support the suggestions made in the article.

Looking at closing Churchill: The statistics in the Daily pointed out that not all of the suicides were teens. Frankly, and not politically correct, if someone wants to commit suicide they will find a way or another rail crossing.

A better solution is to support our teens, and adults too. There is a crisis of loneliness, not just teens but adults, especially older ones. We are living in stressful times.

I applaud and recommend attending the Mental Health Awareness talk on March 18th at Mitchell Park for anyone who cares about this issue. thanks for listening
Annette Glanckopf
From: Frank Viggiano
To: [email protected]
Cc: Council, City
Subject: Re: [SVBC PALO ALTO] Churchill Closure goes to City Council - ACTION ITEM #1 TOMORROW night, Weds, April 15 Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 9:37:47 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
I also find Ken K.'s proposal of interest.

And I agree that a trial closure to car traffic would be a good check of how it impacts traffic on other nearby roads. The closure should be preceded by a traffic count to compare against the after-closure traffic count.
- Frank
On Wed, Apr 15, 2026 at 9:15 AM David Coale <[email protected] > wrote:

Hi Ken,
Thanks for your thoughts on this. I think this could work and it moves all issues forward in my mind. While I have not read the report, it seems that closure to cars would tend to increase mode shift to biking, not decrease it as implied by some. This would also allow for more data to see if closure at Churchill is the right solution for grade separation, which will not happen anytime soon, and where other solutions are more expensive.

Thanks,
David
PS. I am not able to make the meeting this evening.

On Apr 14, 2026, at 10:00 PM, Ken Kershner <[email protected] > wrote:

Subject: Re: Churchill Closure — Council Vote Tomorrow Night — Why Couldn't This Work?
Thanks Penny. This is moving fast and cycling voices need to be heard — not just opposing closure but advocating for a solution that actually works for everyone.

After reading the staff report, I keep coming back to one question:

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first mail to some recipients.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
Why couldn't the City close Churchill to cars while keeping it open to bikes and pedestrians?
Seriously. Walk me through why this doesn't work.

Lethal means restriction requires fencing, gates, and monitoring staff at the crossing. It doesn't require removing 714 student cyclists from their safest most direct route to school. A properly designed channelized bike and pedestrian corridor with four-quadrant gates, high security fencing, and monitoring staff achieves the suicide prevention goal. The cars are gone. The bikes keep moving.

The staff report dismisses this option in essentially one paragraph. That's not good enough for a decision that affects hundreds of student cyclists and one of the most important active transportation corridors in the city.

Why the phased hybrid approach is better — on every dimension that matters:

It's faster on suicide prevention. Vehicle closure with temporary barriers is a traffic control measure that can happen now — not in September after the school year ends and the most acute phase of the postvention window has passed.

It protects student cyclists during the transition. Full closure routes 714 students onto Embarcadero — which the City's own Safe Routes program won't recommend — before the improvements are even in the Capital Improvement Program. The California Avenue tunnel runs at 12% grade, exceeding ADA standards. The hybrid approach keeps students on the route that actually works while the permanent solution (Seale undercrossing) is built.

It avoids the mode shift trap. The staff report itself acknowledges full closure may convert bike trips to car trips. If even a quarter of 714 student cyclists switch to being driven to school that's hundreds of additional vehicles on corridors already projected to hit Level of Service F. The hybrid approach keeps bike trips as bikes. Or hundreds of students bike north to Embarcadero and then ride the shortest route on the south sidewalk (contraflow) directly to Paly.

That's a disaster from a Safe Routes perspective.

It may solve the Federal Railroad Administration permanence problem. A vehicle-restricted crossing that remains open to bikes and pedestrians may not trigger the FRA's permanent closure classification — keeping the Quiet Zone timeline intact and preserving regulatory optionality for the long term.

It generates real data for a permanent decision. Nobody actually knows what full closure does to cycling mode share, substitution at other crossings, or emergency response under real conditions. The hybrid approach runs that experiment in real time while keeping the network functional.

And Seale Avenue underpass makes everything work permanently. Fund design asap with a 2027 construction start. A bike and pedestrian underpass — not a vehicle underpass — is buildable in the $8-15 million range and fundable through Measure K and federal active transportation grants. Without Seale we are having this exact conversation again in two years. With Seale, there is a permanent answer that upgrades the active transportation network regardless of what ultimately happens at Churchill.

Let's not defend the status quo. We want Churchill safer. We want the suicide cluster to end. But we represent the students on bikes, and we shouldn't accept a solution that protects one group of students by creating foreseeable safety risks for another.

Close it to cars if you must. Keep it safe for bikes. Build Seale asap. That's an answer that works.

On Tue, Apr 14, 2026 at 6:15 PM <[email protected] > wrote:

PABAC and SVBC Palo Alto Local Team,

Churchill Closure will go to City Council as an ACTION Item (Agenda Item #1) tomorrow night, Weds, April 15.
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?
meetingTemplateId=20077 Today’s Weekly article says that temporary closure is more likely to be permanent closure.

Penny Ellson

Virus-free.www.avg.com
--
Topics posted to this list are visible to the public.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SVBC Palo Alto Team" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]
.

To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/a/bikesiliconvalley.org/d/msgid/paloalto/045f01dcc c75%245d0b3dd0%241721b970%24%40gmail.com.
--
Ken Kershner | Co-Founder & CEO
Cell 650-248-9059 | Email k [email protected]
Trio Motors | Menlo Park
--
Topics posted to this list are visible to the public.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SVBC Palo Alto Team" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]
.

To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/a/bikesiliconvalley.org/d/msgid/paloalto/CAGzb2G1 giNPcTLrLwKBL9ceK3k5wGdDwRfeap4mLMsK5pDreew%40mail.gmail.co m.
--
Topics posted to this list are visible to the public.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SVBC Palo Alto Team" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]
.

To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/a/bikesiliconvalley.org/d/msgid/paloalto/2B4CDB8B-F7BC- 4997-A38E-42346BE74265%40evcl.com.

From: David Coale
To: [email protected]
Cc: Council, City
Subject: Re: [SVBC PALO ALTO] Churchill Closure goes to City Council - ACTION ITEM #1 TOMORROW night, Weds, April 15 Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 9:19:45 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
!
Hi Ken,
Thanks for your thoughts on this. I think this could work and it moves all issues forward in my mind. While I have not read the report, it seems that closure to cars would tend to increase mode shift to biking, not decrease it as implied by some. This would also allow for more data to see if closure at Churchill is the right solution for grade separation, which will not happen anytime soon, and where other solutions are more expensive.

Thanks,
David
PS. I am not able to make the meeting this evening.

On Apr 14, 2026, at 10:00 PM, Ken Kershner <[email protected] > wrote:

After reading the staff report, I keep coming back to one question:

Why couldn't the City close Churchill to cars while keeping it open to bikes and pedestrians?
Seriously. Walk me through why this doesn't work.

Lethal means restriction requires fencing, gates, and monitoring staff at the crossing. It doesn't require removing 714 student cyclists from their safest most This message could be suspicious
The sender's email address couldn't be verified.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
direct route to school. A properly designed channelized bike and pedestrian corridor with four-quadrant gates, high security fencing, and monitoring staff achieves the suicide prevention goal. The cars are gone. The bikes keep moving.

Why the phased hybrid approach is better — on every dimension that matters:

Or hundreds of students bike north to Embarcadero and then ride the shortest route on the south sidewalk (contraflow) directly to Paly. That's a disaster from a Safe Routes perspective.

Close it to cars if you must. Keep it safe for bikes. Build Seale asap. That's an answer that works.

On Tue, Apr 14, 2026 at 6:15 PM <[email protected]> wrote:

PABAC and SVBC Palo Alto Local Team,

Churchill Closure will go to City Council as an ACTION Item (Agenda Item #1) tomorrow night, Weds, April 15.
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=20077 Today’s Weekly article says that temporary closure is more likely to be permanent closure.

Penny Ellson

Virus-free.www.avg.com
--
Topics posted to this list are visible to the public.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SVBC Palo Alto Team" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]
.

To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/a/bikesiliconvalley.org/d/msgid/paloalto/045f01dccc 75%245d0b3dd0%241721b970%24%40gmail.com.
--
Ken Kershner | Co-Founder & CEO
Cell 650-248-9059 | Email k [email protected]
Trio Motors | Menlo Park
--
Topics posted to this list are visible to the public.
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SVBC Palo Alto Team" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

To view this discussion visit
https://groups.google.com/a/bikesiliconvalley.org/d/msgid/paloalto/CAGzb2G1gi NPcTLrLwKBL9ceK3k5wGdDwRfeap4mLMsK5pDreew%40mail.gmail.com.

From: Amie Ashton
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Safety for Bikes/Peds
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 12:29:20 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Honorable Mayor Veenker and City Council,
We need a solution that actually works for everyone at Churchill.

Why not close Churchill to cars while keeping it open to bikes and pedestrians? Lethal means restriction requires fencing, gates, and monitoring staff at the crossing. It doesn't require removing 714 student cyclists from their safest most direct route to school.

A properly designed channelized bike and pedestrian corridor with four-quadrant gates, high security fencing, and monitoring staff achieves the suicide prevention goal. The cars are gone. The bikes keep moving.

The staff report dismisses this option. That's not good enough for a decision that affects hundreds of student cyclists and one of the most important active transportation corridors in the city.

A hybrid approach is better:

It protects student cyclists during the transition. Full closure routes 714 students onto Embarcadero — which the City's own Safe Routes program won't recommend — before the improvements are even in the Capital Improvement Program. The hybrid approach keeps students on the route that actually works while the permanent solution is built.

The hybrid approach keeps bike trips as bikes.

It keeps kids safe. Hundreds of students bike north to Embarcadero and then ride the shortest route on the south sidewalk (contraflow) directly to Paly. That's a dangerous disaster from a Safe Routes perspective.

It may solve the Federal Railroad Administration permanence problem. A vehicle- restricted crossing that remains open to bikes and pedestrians may not trigger the FRA's permanent closure classification — keeping the Quiet Zone timeline intact.

Seale Avenue underpass makes everything work permanently. Fund design asap with a 2027 construction start. A bike and pedestrian underpass — not a vehicle underpass — is buildable in the $8-15 million range and fundable through Measure K and federal active transportation grants.

Close it to cars if you must. Keep it safe for bikes. Build Seale asap. That's an answer that works.

Amie Ashton
From: Julia Curtis
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill crossing closure
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 10:04:49 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
City Council,
I hope you have had a well-rested weekend.

Before tomorrow's meeting, I wanted to reiterate how important it is to temporarily close the Churchill crossing.

Paly is the only school in California that borders a railroad crossing without grade separation, and, not coincidentally, is simultaneously in the school district with the highest teen suicide rate in the country — four times the national average, according to NPR.

We know that without accessible lethal means, suicide decreases. It has been proven time and time again. We know that staff and students, as well as parents, have been and continue to be working on mental health and are still innovating new mental health resources as we speak.

But we have also seen that as the security guard contracts end, suicide does not. We need something bigger to keep Paly students safe.

Just like any development, people will adapt, because prioritizing student safety over inconvenience is the most important goal of both the school board and the city council — is it not?
I stand with the Paly community when I say that I hope you consider the decision to move forward with every perspective in mind, including the students who have lost friends, parents who have lost children, teachers who have lost students, and neighbors who jump at the sound of train whistles blowing.

Thank you,
Julia Curtis
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Bill Zaumen
To: Council, City
Subject: Possible Churchill closing
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 7:46:00 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

This is merely a technical comment.

A possible closing of Churchill is apparently apparently a response to suicides involving high-school students, with some concern about "clusters". Such events - a low rate, with each independent of the other - have a Poisson
distribution. That distribution tends to randomly produce bursts or clumping, in this case a completely random
process. Particularly when concerned, there is a natural human tendency to assume a cause for the clustering when there really isn't one. The way to check is to use
various statistical tests that can determine if the observed distribution fits a Poisson distribution. Without doing that, there is a risk of making suboptimal decisions.

Easy to read references:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson_clumping
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson_process
Regards,
Bill Zaumen
From: Melinda McGee
To: Council, City
Subject: Support for Option B – Maintain Churchill Crossing with Enhanced Measures Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 5:09:13 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
We all share the urgent goal of reducing and ultimately eliminating teen suicide in our community. However, closing the Churchill crossing is not the solution and may unintentionally create additional harm.

After carefully reviewing the Rail Safety Ad Hoc Committee’s thoughtful and well-written report, I strongly support Option B: Maintain the Crossing with Enhanced Measures.

While continuing 24/7 monitoring is costly, it is practical and responsive. Most importantly, accelerating implementation of the Quiet Zone should be the City’s top priority. As the report clearly states, “Quiet Zone acceleration can address long-term trauma-reduction and environmental health goals at lower cost and disruption,” and if accelerated, “would permanently eliminate routine train horn use at Churchill without closing the crossing.” Eliminating routine train horns is critical. The horns disrupt instruction throughout the school day at Palo Alto High School and serve as a constant reminder of the nearby tracks. Reducing that noise will reduce ongoing stress and trauma for students and staff.

Closing Churchill would also have significant unintended consequences for students. My son rode his bike to Paly every day, rain or shine. Closing the crossing would force students to find longer, more time-consuming routes to school. It would also serve as a daily, physical reminder of past tragedies. In addition, alternative routes currently pose greater safety risks, and as the report notes, making those routes safer will require substantial time and funding.

Improvements to Embarcadero are needed, but they will not happen overnight.

Accelerating the Quiet Zone project — something that has been needed for decades — would provide citywide benefits. Residents living near Caltrain would experience improved sleep and quality of life, and the school environment would be less disrupted.

Finally, closing Churchill would negatively impact local businesses, particularly Town & Country Village. Traffic and parking are already challenging. Diverting additional cars to Embarcadero could discourage shoppers and push them to alternatives in neighboring communities, such as Mountain View or Menlo Park.

We can pursue meaningful suicide prevention strategies without creating new risks and disruptions. I urge the Council to adopt Option B and prioritize accelerated Quiet Zone implementation while maintaining the Churchill crossing.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Melinda McGee
650-704-6236
From: Nancy Krop
To: Council, City
Subject: Closing Churchill: Seale Ave Bike/Pedestrian Safety Mitigation Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 4:32:06 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear City Council,
Regardless of how you vote on closing the Churchill Caltrain crossing, I write to request you direct staff to immediately start work on implementing the Seale Ave bike/pedestrian public safety mitigation.

The Churchill/Alma intersection is currently a dangerous public safety hazard - with bikes and pedestrians piled up at that intersection - that you have the power to address and remedy.

It’s my understanding this public safety mitigation could be accomplished before the new school year this Fall.

It’s my understanding staff is already familiar with, and has demo’d the technology that would make this public safety mitigation possible - called “hydraulic box- jacking.”
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration to getting this pedestrian/bike safety mitigation implemented now - and done before the school year starts in the Fall.

Nancy Krop
Barron Park resident
From: Vincent Croce
To: Council, City
Subject: Don"t Close Churchill!
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 1:59:11 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Good evening,
I would like to voice my opposition to the closure of the Churchill train crossing. I am writing from the perspective of a recent Paly graduate (class of 2020), a retired student board member of Paly’s Theatre Arts program (of which Ash He and Summer Mehta were involved), and a transgender adult. Additionally, my family and I have lived on Emerson Street near both the Churchill crossing as well as the Embarcadero underpass for the past 8 years, and are intimately familiar with traffic patterns at both locations.

The loss of a student is undeniably a tragedy. However, I am concerned that the proposed solution is a band-aid to a much deeper problem in our community. I believe that the closure will be the first piece in a domino effect leading to new problems placing more lives at risk.

Heavy traffic congestion at the beginning and end of the school day is inevitable for all commuters. Should the Churchill crossing be closed, the alternate crossings available to biking and pedestrian students include the Cal Ave and Embarcadero underpasses. I am familiar with the Embarcadero underpass as the route I walked to school for years; the underpass is a tight squeeze next to fast traffic that is already shared by pedestrians and bikes passing at full speed in both directions. The underpass leads to and from sidewalks with overgrown foliage (decreasing the available space even more) and an often-blind turn across Kingsley where cars stopping for pedestrians, in my experience, is rare. The underpass at Cal Ave is similarly tight, and while there are barricades intended to encourage commuters to walk their bikes, it is not uncommon for these to be ignored. An increase in traffic in these locations will undoubtedly lead to an increase in accidental collisions, particularly during these hours. Additionally, as car traffic increases near and on Embarcadero with Castilleja’s recently constructed parking garage, an even greater number of students will be competing for the same limited space. This competition poses a safety risk to all students commuting to both Paly and Castilleja.

Meanwhile, the Churchill crossing provides the necessary infrastructure to accommodate pedestrians, bikers, and cars for safe passage.

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
Paly and Gunn high school share a history of suicide clusters, but it is important to note that Gunn’s suicide rate is comparable to Paly’s despite its campus being farther away from the Caltrain tracks. It is also important to note that in both 2026 cases, the students were members of the transgender community. It is an exceptionally difficult time in American history for the community, and especially so for transgender minors. It is crucial that Paly takes this into consideration when working to support its student body. A lack of support and safe spaces for transgender students and other vulnerable demographics, especially when simultaneously suffering from bullying, will contribute to isolation and higher rates of suicidal ideation.

For these reasons, I hope that you will reconsider the closure of the Churchill crossing.

We share the same goal of creating the safest community possible for all members, which is why I urge you to take the necessary time to examine all potential consequences of this decision.

Thank you for your consideration,
Vincent Croce
From: Cynthia Bright
To: Council, City
Subject: Prospective Churchill Closure
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 12:29:54 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Hello. My husband and I are residents of Southgate. We understand the desire to close Churchill as a temporary measure to mitigate the risk of further teen suicides. We are also sympathetic to our neighbors who are concerned that the closure will create serious access issues for residents on both sides of Alma. We believe this decision is extremely difficult. That said, ee are willing to live with the temporary closure as an experimental measure, provided it is truly an experiment.

If closure is your collective decision, please consider the following: (1) commit to revisit the decision at least at 6 and 12 months, (2) understand how important the bike path will become for residents to access down town (I.e., for the farmers market, Whole Foods, restaurants, friends) east of Alma, (3) do not “open up” Southgate to unlimited two-way travel at Park — that would allow car traffic from Oregon Expressway to zoom through the small streets of our neighborhood, (4) consider additional ways to calm the traffic flowing onto Embarcadero — red-light running through the left-hand turn lane from El Camino onto Embarcadero has been horrific for years, (5) consider timing lights on Embarcadero to better move traffic through the city, especially around Paly and Town & Country, (6) solicit feedback from high school students at Paly for the impact of the prospective closure, and (7) please share your decision process with the city.

Thank you.

Cynthia
Southgate Resident
From: Susan L M
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Crossing Closure
Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 11:29:39 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear City Council,
I am opposed to the closing of the Churchill Rail Crossing at Alma. I strongly agree and sympathize with the families and friends who have lost children who died by suicide at the Churchill crossing that we must prevent immediate access to the railroad tracks.

The important concern here is the easy immediate access to the tracks. The Track Watch with security guards has been effective in deterring suicides in the past. Caltrain has implemented measures to make it harder to access the tracks in a suicide attempt and easier to detect "track intrusion" and warn train operators.

Installing nets across the Golden Gate Bridge has been used as an example of successful suicide prevention of easy access to the water without closing the bridge. There are other ways to prevent access without the permanent closure of Churchill Ave.

Easy Immediate Access is the crucial point here, similar to easy access to guns in the home. What we should consider is Easy Immediate Access to in-person counseling, listening, and help at a moment’s notice. Multiple chool counseling offices should be in sight with easy access. Student counsellors are trained to notice who among their peers may be having trouble, depressed, being bullied. They will both notify adult counselors, teachers, and connect with that friend to prevent an immediate disastrous permanent decision.

The city can use the funds for closing Churchill to help work with PAUSD to set up more counseling services on campus. As a citizen of Palo Alto, I strongly agree to using my tax dollars for this purpose, not for closing Churchill.

Thank you,
Susan Mitchell
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to you.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
High Street.

From: Lisa Nissim
To: Council, City
Subject: Creating a Safe Forum @ Wednesday Study Session Date: Tuesday, April 14, 2026 9:46:37 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers,

Thank you for scheduling Wednesday’s study session considering closure of the Churchill crossing. I am writing to ask you to focus special attention on making this forum a place where all people feel safe in expressing their views. Unfortunately, this was not the case at the April listening session. I am aware of several residents who had planned to speak at the April meeting but chose not to because they were intimidated by the cheers and clapping in support of those favoring closure.

Everyone has a right to be heard. As stated in Section 5.1 in the Council Protocols and Procedures Handbook regarding Public Participation during City Council Meetings: Open government meetings must allow everyone to be heard without fear of cheers or jeers. For these reasons, the Council takes these rules seriously. Disruptive or unruly behavior in violation of the law can result in removal from the Council meeting and/or arrest and prosecution.

Using the authority you have as prescribed by these Council Protocols, I urge you not to tolerate cheers, jeers, clapping or any other disruptive behavior on Wednesday.

No matter what side people choose on this emotional issue, we can all agree everyone attending the Wednesday study session cares deeply about our Palo Alto community, especially about students and adults with mental health issues. Without a safe environment for the Council to hear what residents have to say, Councilmembers will not get all the information you need to make a decision about this important issue.

Thank you in advance for your efforts to ensure the Wednesday study session affords our community a safe place for rational and respectful discussion.

Sincerely,
Lisa Nissim

From: Cordell Ratzlaff
To: Council, City; City Mgr
Subject: Closing Churchill Avenue is the wrong response Date: Monday, April 13, 2026 5:33:09 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear Mayor Veenker and Members of the City Council,
I am writing to urge you to reject the proposal to close the Churchill Avenue railroad crossing.

I share the community's grief over the deaths of Palo Alto students (my daughter lost a good friend to suicide on the Caltrain tracks in the 2009 student suicide cluster). It is precisely because these young lives matter that the Council must resist actions that feel meaningful but are not, and instead invest its energy where it will make a real difference.

Closing the Churchill crossing is suicide prevention theater. It gives the appearance of bold action while not addressing the underlying cause, which is a mental health emergency driven by academic pressure, isolation, and depression. None of these issues will be cured by a road closure. The train will still run. The tracks will still be accessible at Embarcadero, East Meadow Drive, Charleston Road, and elsewhere along the corridor. Between 2009 and 2020, most fatalities at Palo Alto at-grade crossings occurred at Charleston and East Meadow, not Churchill. A student in crisis will not be stopped; they will simply be redirected.

Closing Churchill does not treat the disease; it moves the symptom.

The traffic consequences are serious and well-documented. Churchill carries roughly 10,000 cars per day. The city's own prior traffic studies confirmed that diverting that volume would severely snarl Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway. Residents and commuters will bear that cost daily, and longer emergency response times to Stanford Hospital and other facilities pose a real risk to anyone in a medical crisis.

The time, money, and political capital being spent on this debate should go to mental health resources. The city should expand school counseling, invest in accessible crisis services, accelerate the installation of quad gates to create a quiet zone at Churchill, and pursue the long-term grade separation work that has been studied for years. These interventions address causes, not just locations.

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first mail to some recipients.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast

I urge the Council to vote against the Churchill closure and direct the community's energy toward solutions that will actually save lives.

Respectfully,

Cordell Ratzlaff
760 Chimalus Drive
Palo Alto, CA
[email protected]
From: David Lee
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Closure Comments 4/13/26
Date: Monday, April 13, 2026 5:24:10 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
> Hi, I am a resident of Southgate, having lived here since 1991. Churchill is a vital street for residents of Southgate and also for east-west traffic essential for people going to and coming home from work, as well as for Paly students, which included my children who graduated a few years ago. I feel deeply for the suicide victims of the past years, but root cause must be addressed, not a knee-jerk band aid. Root cause is the emotional state of the victims, not the Churchill crossing or the trains. Many years ago I remember a Gunn student took his life by taking medicine. The solution was not to ban medicine. Research what the emotional state of the student was, why it happened, and what real changes must be addressed to change the state of mind of those who are affected and feel that suicide is the only escape. Do this if you truly want to save the children in the future who contemplate this desperate and devastating measure.

David Lee
1531 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, CA 94306
From: Barbara Ann Hazlett
To: Council, City
Subject: Urgent Public Safety Concerns Regarding Churchill Ave. Closure Date: Monday, April 13, 2026 4:14:27 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear Palo Alto City Council Members:

I am Barbara Hazlett, a 45 year resident in Professorville. I am writing in opposition to any proposal to close Churchill Avenue, at the rail crossing, due to significant safety concerns for the community. As has been well documented, the closure will result in rerouting thousands more cars, bicyclists and pedestrians a day onto Embarcadero, already a highly congested road. Both the Palo Alto Police and Fire Departments have expressed “significant concerns” that this will impact their ability to reach incident locations.

Thus, there is a terrible trifecta of harm to all North Palo Alto residents.

1. There will be delays in emergency response times where minutes can make the difference between life and death.

2. Frustrated drivers, caught in gridlock, will divert and speed through neighborhood streets imperiling bikers, walkers and residents.

3. An exponential increase in risk to our children will be created by thousands more cars speeding past the three schools that border Embarcadero. In particular, the hundreds of Paly students biking, walking, skateboarding and driving to school each morning will be in direct competition with cars for space on this street. This is clearly NOT a safe route to school.

The City will face liability for a Churchill closure if injuries or death ensue based on three important facts:

1. They will be rerouting a traffic count of thousands a day onto Embarcadero Road comprised of cars, bicyclists and pedestrians into a known hazardous corridor.

2. The risk is clearly foreseeable.

3. They have failed to implement reasonable safety measures.

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to you.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
Bottom line: You can’t eliminate a high intensity, multi-modal thoroughfare and not expect harmful fall out. A sound approach to deterring future suicides has been implemented, in accordance with both the widely signed petition requesting 24 hour security guards at this and other Palo Alto rail crossings, and the JED Foundation’s recommendation of “sustained staffing of trained security personnel at high-risk crossings”. The call for a Churchill closure, while emotionally understandable, is irrational, and the City will be held to account for the harm it causes. Thank you for your attention to this critical public safety matter.

Barbara Hazlett
Professorville Neighborhood
Palo Alto, CA
From: James ODonohue
To: Council, City
Subject: re: Churchill rail crossing closure discussion Date: Monday, April 13, 2026 1:51:13 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear PA City Council members,
My family has lived on Waverley St. near Embarcadero in Professorville for 40 years. Both my children attended Paly.

Two families we know well each lost a son to suicide on the tracks, one at the Meadow or Charleston crossing 15 years ago, and the other was a Stanford student who committed suicide at the Alma crossing just a few years ago. We knew both boys well.

Every suicide is a tragic loss, but if the Churchill crossing is closed, any person, student or adult, who decides to commit suicide on the tracks will go to another crossing, or climb a fence.

I believe that the only real solution to preventing these tragic suicides is 24 x 7 crossing guards.

The best argument against closure, besides the lack of efficacy, is cost. For every 1000 commuters who lose 10 minutes a day, that is 10,000 minutes, way more that the 1440 minutes of 24 x 7 crossing guards.

The resulting traffic congestion and driver frustration will probably result in an increase in accidents involving cars, bikes, and pedestrians, certainly injuries, and possibly deaths. There are the additional "invisible" costs of increased traffic congestion pollution, resulting in economic and medical costs impossible to calculate.

If the Palo Alto city council really wants to save lives, you could do what you to ensure that the existing laws governing speed, red light and stop-sign runners are actually enforced. And please stop the proliferation of 200 pound e-bikes traveling at 20 mph on sidewalks because children riding them will be killed.

It will be tempting from a political perspective for any council member to vote in favor of closure, because that will prove that they are "a member of the community of the virtuous" and sensitive to the outpouring of grief that naturally follows suicides. But this will just be political theater, not true political leadership.

Real leadership involves looking at the proven efficacy of solutions and their direct and indirect costs to the community.

Respectfully submitted,
James O'Donohue
1321 Waverley St
Palo Alto, CA
I live in Professorville, a few houses away from Embarcadero. I personally would tolerate the This message needs your attention
This is their first email to you.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
inconvenience of increased traffic if it would save a young life or two, but there is no evidence that it will.

From: Lee Christel
To: Council, City
Subject: Don"t Close Churchill Crossing
Date: Monday, April 6, 2026 2:42:11 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Council Members,
The closure of the Churchill crossing would not eliminate access to the train tracks for a person intent upon ending their life. The 24 hour guards are far more effective.

The closure would snarl east west traffic in Palo Alto, at a time when Embarcadero and Oregon Expressway are already ridiculously busy at rush times.

The closure would divert vehicle and bike traffic to less controlled routes through residential neighborhoods that are not designed for such traffic and are not safer for bikes.

The closure would increase emergency response vehicle times, which could result far more city-wide tragedy and loss of life.

Please, do not revisit decisions already made about this crossing following the last protracted and comprehensive community discussion. Closing the Churchill rail crossing is not the most direct way to address the problem of suicide in this city.

SIncerely,
Lee Christel
Midtown
From: Alan Cooper
To: Council, City
Cc: Alan COOPER
Subject: Please do not close Churchill Ave.

Date: Monday, April 13, 2026 11:48:40 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear City Council,
I wish to express my strong opposition to closing Churchill Ave.

The only reason for closure is to prevent a possible future student suicide. Suicide, which is a mental illness with MANY different underlying causes is tragic! And suicides will continue to happen regardless of whether or not Churchill is closed. The focus should be on addressing underlying causes of the mental illness.

Closure of Churchill will definitely create widespread traffic congestion, likely enhanced auto/bike accidents and frustration of drivers and student bikers in attempts to cross town and get to Paly High.

Potential alternative solutions:

1. Close Churchill to pedestrians (but not to autos) and

2. Employ a crossing guard 24/7 year round and

3. Fund and require all parents/students to attend special suicide awareness classes.

I live two blocks from the Churchill crossing, and every day see the auto/bike traffic congestion from Paly and Castilleja schools. Please do not enhance this onerous traffic situation by closing Churchill.

Thank you,
Alan Cooper
270 Kellogg Ave.

This message needs your attention
This is their first mail to some recipients.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Lu, George; [email protected]; Reckdahl, Keith; [email protected]; Council, City
Cc: Clerk, City
Subject: Don"t close Churchill
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026 6:17:35 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Mayor Veenker, Vice Mayor Stone and Councilmembers Burt, Lauing, Lu, Lythcott-Haims, and Reckdahl,

I am writing to add my voice to those of the hundreds of Palo Altans who have already contacted you to call for Churchill to remain open. As you well know, Churchill is a critical artery for cars, emergency vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.

Closing it is asking for big trouble, including litigation against the city.

I do hope, however, that you will consider offering every parent of a troubled Palo Alto High School student the option of transferring their child to Gunn.

Sincerely,

Jeanne Fleming

Jeanne Fleming, PhD
[email protected]
650-325-5151
From: Jim Poppy
To: Council, City
Subject: DO NOT CLOSE CHURCHILL
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026 11:52:43 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

This is an overreaction to tragic occurrences. There are other ways to help prevent suicides.

Regards,
Jim Poppy
Melville Avenue
From: Craig Moye
To: Council, City; [email protected]
Subject: Churchill crossing comments
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026 11:38:35 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Hello Palo Alto City Council members and PAUSD board members, The loss of any child, especially from suicide, brings with it the deepest and most profound sadness possible.

I have lived in Palo Alto for nearly 20 years now and have had one child go through Palo Alto’s public schools and one currently at Paly. I have now lived through 3 suicide clusters here and my heart has broken with each student death. I live near the Churchill tracks so tend to be aware of what happens at that intersection including the most recent suicides.

Palo Alto obviously has a tragic history of suicides, so this is indeed an issue for all of us in the community. However, I fear the emotional reaction to close the Churchill crossing is not a solution to this ongoing crisis and is an attempt at a quick fix that distracts from the solutions that must be examined and thoughtfully evaluated.

As our elected leaders, I implore you to look at facts, not the emotions that run high at times like this. Here are some facts to consider:
- There is no “mandate” from citizens to close the Churchill crossing as mentioned at the “listening session” on March 12th. The petition that was signed by 3700+ people (including me) called for trained in-person guards who can de-escalate suicide to be put in place immediately to reduce access to lethal means at all train crossings in Palo Alto. Here is the most pertinent excerpt from the petition:
o I propose a reinstatement of in-person guards, trained professionals, who can de-escalate suicide in-person, until a more permanent solution—like grade separation (separating rail from commuters with underpasses, overpasses, etc.)—is put into place. Having safety precautions will prevent any more tragedies until then.

The petition is marked as a “victory” because that was done quickly by your joint efforts. Thank you.
- This content of the petition was misrepresented by This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
councilmember Julia Lythcott-Haims in her opening remarks at the listening session – she said it called for the immediate closure of the Churchill crossing. It did not. The video of those comments is here - you can forward to 34:05 to hear this specifically. I hope it was not intentional…else it may show bias within the rail committee. -
Although complete data on the guard’s deterrence is unavailable to the public, evidence over the years suggests that the trained professionals stationed at the track crossings create a powerful reduction to lethal means at ALL crossings in Palo Alto. I believe this is the real goal and perhaps they should remain in place permanently or at least until the currently proposed grade separations can be built as planned.
-
Closing the Churchill crossing leaves the East Meadow
crossing a short bike ride away. Over the years, the East Meadow train crossing has at least a 2x higher rate of suicides than Churchill…so closing one access point leaves others available…including the overpass at the other end of the Paly campus.
-
The rail committee and XCAP spent a significant amount of time studying the closure of the Churchill crossing and the mitigations that would be necessary were significant and costly. This is NOT a quick and easy fix. The XCAP report calls out at least 30 mitigations required to close the Churchill crossing. I will not call them out here but encourage reading the report. The most knowledgeable people on this subject at the time voted for a partial underpass as a better solution. Let’s not dismiss their diligent work in favor of an uninformed emotional “quick fix.”
-
Palo Alto High School is NOT the only school in California or the USA located in close proximity to train tracks. This was another misrepresentation from the listening session by a parent. An easy AI search can confirm this. Also, the East Meadow crossing is not in close proximity to Gunn High School and has sadly been used more often for suicides. That suggests proximity is not the most important factor. -
We should return to safe messaging and reporting about
suicides. The front page story about the most recent suicide goes against all suicide prevention recommendations and are noted to be very influential for youth. Having photos and news of suicides in local media, especially highlighting methods used, can create contagion around suicides. The front-page news is dangerous. Again, drawing from the CDC report (page 117):
o media reporting has been implicated in the increased use of train as a method of suicide and as a risk factor for rail suicide.

As a community, we owe it to our students and families to do what is best for the mental health of our children. Here are the top level recommendations to help prevent suicides of youth (details start at page 103 in the CDC repo ):
- Access to Evidence-Based Mental Health Care - Family Relationships and Family-Based Programs - Connection to School and School-Based Programs - Identify and Support People At-Risk
- Crisis Intervention
- Suicide Postvention
- Prevention of Other Forms of Violence (such as bullying) - Reducing Access to Lethal Means for Youth At-Risk A specific note was included about rail crossings – closing train crossings was not recommended by the CDC after their in-depth investigation as it calls out that most youth suicides are in the home. It does suggest the following (see pages 116-117):

Finally, more than a quarter of suicide decedents in Santa Clara County that used train as the method of suicide had a current mental health problem, current depressed mood, a history of suicidal thoughts and attempts, and current or past treatment for mental health problems. Therefore, reducing access to lethal means related to trains could be focused on youth with existing mental health problems and/or a history of suicidal behavior.

As mentioned above, trained guards achieve the goal of reducing lethal means and that was part of their recommendation. Again, please consider making this a permanent solution that is not subject to budget cuts.

There is no easy fix here. Ideally, accelerating the grade separation options that allow traffic to flow as well as enhance safety, should be prioritized. The CDC report is over 200 pages long. It is data driven and makes complex recommendations that require strategic planning.

I applaud the efforts of PAUSD to enhance the focus on mental health for students and especially the trained guards at the train crossings. Perhaps we can send a signal that this is permanent and important by transitioning from tents to more permanent structures…but this too, deserves evaluation.

Thank you.

Craig Moye
From: Martin J Sommer
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Crossing
Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026 10:07:43 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear City Council,
In your discussions this week on wheather the Churchill Crossing should be closed to auto traffic, I would recommend "no".

As a Palo Alto High School parent, I believe that this issue should be broken into two parts, a) better mental health services for the students, and b) sustained traffic flow, to and from the High School.

My son recommends that mental heath service be "mandatory", and not optional, for students in need. Perhaps the challenge, is determining "when" someone is in need.

Regarding traffic, Alma/Churchill is a major artery for access into the campus. This needs to remain open.

Thank you,
Martin
--
Martin Sommer
650-346-5307
[email protected]
www.linkedin.com/in/martinsommer
"Turn technical vision into reality."
This message needs your attention
This is their first email to you.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Francis Larkin
To: Council, City
Subject: Please do not close Churchill Avenue
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026 9:40:52 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I'm writing to oppose the proposed closure of Churchill Avenue.

Like everyone in our community, I'm heartbroken by the recent losses and want the city to respond meaningfully. But closing Churchill is the wrong tool. It pushes heavy student, bike, and pedestrian traffic onto an already overloaded Embarcadero corridor, splits our neighborhoods, isolates Southgate, and risks becoming permanent under the label of "temporary."
The interventions that actually match the problem — in-person crossing guards, school and family mental health support, and the long-planned pedestrian/bike tunnel and grade separations — deserve our focus and funding. The XCAP process already studied this crossing in depth; please don't set that work aside under time pressure.

I respectfully ask Council to vote no on the closure and instead direct staff to accelerate guarding, mental health resources, and grade-separation planning.

Thank you,
Francis Larkin
951 Bryant St., Palo Alto
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Mary Hanks
To: Council, City
Subject: NO to closing Churchill
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026 9:26:11 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear City Council,
My name is Mary Hanks and my husband and I have lived on the 100 block of Melville Ave for the last 10 years. I use the Churchill crossing to bike to Stanford Hospital where I work as a nurse (as well as daily for other walking/biking/driving trips around Palo Alto).

Closing Churchill is the wrong response to a tragedy. It’s natural for the parents & students to want to take some kind of action but closing the crossing entirely would be ineffective and overly burdensome to the rest of the community. Trains will continue to pass though Palo Alto, so closing the crossing does not remove lethal means.

There is alternate access to the tracks within an easy walk/bike ride from the school. Burdens to the community would be numerous, but if we are focusing on preventing loss of life, we should consider the fact that 3 students have perished in a 2 year period but how many people would suffer as a result of delayed emergency transport? There are times of day when the Embarcadero & University underpasses are so jammed up that even with lights and sirens, it’s difficult to get emergency vehicles through. There is abundant data proving that TIME is a primary driver in stroke & heart attack outcomes. Speedy patient transport to Stanford must be prioritized.

Less importantly, but still a safety factor - closing the Churchill crossing would render the bike path between Churchill & Homer useless. This is going to divert bike traffic into the neighborhoods, where cyclists share the road with motorists. In my almost 10 years of biking to work in Palo Alto, I observe a significant portion of PALY students riding without bike helmets or lights, and frequently running stop signs or riding on the sidewalks where they are less visible before entering an intersection at speed. The Bryant “bike boulevard” has fewer stop signs which results in motorists speeding in that corridor. Adding additional bike traffic to the neighborhoods where there are no marked lanes is likely to increase accidents. Accidents (not suicides) are the leading cause of death in teenagers according to the CDC. These are just a few downstream effects that all relate to safety. The nuisance of having to reroute/general traffic impacts would also be unreasonably burdensome to the community at large.

Between PALY & the city, we’re already spending $1.7 million on safety officers at all 4 crossings. Let us observe the results of this investment before adding interventions.

The toll of student suicides is heart-wrenching for our whole community, there’s no denying that. And while the potential lives lost to other causes (delayed emergency transport, accidents) can only be predicted, not quantified, they are no less worthy of your consideration. We must continue to hold the needs of the community as a whole while we comfort those grieving loss and allow our crossing guards to do their jobs.

Thank you,
Mary
From: Hank Sousa
To: Council, City
Subject: DON"T CLOSE CHURCHILL
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026 5:25:18 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Hello Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers:

Closing Churchill is not the solution. I suggest working with Caltrain to implement a quiet zone on both sides of Paly. Does it make sense to close off the entrance to Paly on the Churchill side except for permitted parkers and large event parking (like football games, etc.)? It sounds like you are already working on the quad gate safety solution, so that is appreciated. Spend some additional time re-reading the Mike Price letter as he did a marvelous job summing up the whole issue.

Urge parents to lighten up on the kid pressure to get into the most prestigious universities.

When I told my pop I got accepted to San Jose State and the University of Arizona he was thrilled. Urge PAUSD to institute a rule that students' cell phones be in locked pockets during the school day. Don't let the students decide cell phone policy.

What about a low sound wall running along the Paly side of the tracks? The guards at the crossings seem like a good, proven idea. The cost seems manageable as well. Extend the contract to five years?
Many thanks for evaluating solutions to the difficult problems facing the city.

Regards,
Hank Sousa
Melville Ave.

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Andie Reed
To: Council, City
Subject: DON"T CLOSE CHURCHILL
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026 3:28:29 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Council Members:

Thank you for taking on this issue so quickly, and inviting public comment. Here in North Old Palo Alto, we are deep in texts, emails and conversations with each other, as we are surrounded by Alma, Embarcadero, Kingsley, Emerson and Churchill and we host entryways to two schools, Palo Alto High and Castilleja. We are exceedingly familiar with the car and foot/bike traffic during commute time for students. What I hear from my neighbors are fearful concerns about safety, not inconvenience, if Churchill is closed at Alma.

Please don't close Churchill!
I want to emphasize my experience from running across the Churchill RR crossing and walking the sidewalk under Embarcadero to Town & Country many times per week.

Currently, Churchill carries the load of student peds/bikes/e-bikes/scooters mornings and afternoons, which would likely switch to Embarcadero. There are no bike lanes or shoulders on Embarcadero, but kids will need to get under the tracks via the tunnel to get to Paly.

Kids on bikes on Embarcadero sidewalks is frightening, as driveway vehicles don't expect them. If they instead approach Embarcadero via Emerson, from either the north or south, peds/bikes/scooters will have to cross two Embarcadero merge lanes to get onto the sidewalk under the tunnel. The below grade Embarcadero sidewalks are not built for the masses of students I see crossing at Churchill, and will become a recipe for disaster. Also, eastbound Embarcadero car traffic, including traffic merging onto Embarcadero at Alma, gets backed up at Emerson and Bryant, with cars turning right to drop-off students at Castilleja during the same times as the Paly students are at those corners trying to get to the tunnel at Embarcadero. I fear the results presented by this magnitude of unsafe conditions.

DON'T CLOSE CHURCHILL: here is a summary of salient points gathered from neighbors and friends who are gnashing teeth and revving up their opposition closing Churchill.
- where will students/staff currently using Churchill to cross the tracks go? Cars, bikes, scooters and peds will all be competing to get under the tracks on the elevated sidewalk along Embarcadero to get to and from the school (already not recommended by Safe Routes to School program due to high-speed vehicle slip lanes)
- suicide clusters have appeared in Palo Alto in the past, Paly (twice), Gunn (twice), why would now be a good time to take away an important artery?
- most suicides are adults; these events occur using other RR crossings and other means (guns and pills being prominent)
- in-person safety guards appeared quickly on all RR crossings; they have worked in the past and need to be given time to work again - schools and parents need to determine how to find solutions to the tragic teen mental health issues, "bullying" in school, acceptance of all kids, etc. - what happened to plans to build a pedestrian/bike tunnel for this exceedingly well-used crossing, even as the City continues to plan for grade separations?
- closing Churchill has been studied and modeled at length during XCAP hearings, which carefully reported numerous mitigations required and long-term planning
- additional cars on Embarcadero, already a traffic nightmare, will increase emissions and long waits
- police and fire emergency vehicles will be slowed by the additional distance and the increase in traffic
- what does "temporary" mean; residents fear that once it gets closed, Churchill may never get reopened
- closing Churchill splits our community in two; isolates Southgate Thank you for your hard work.

Andie Reed
Palo Alto, CA 94301
530-401-3809
From: Michele Gibson
To: Council, City
Subject: Thoughts on closing Churchill
Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026 9:40:23 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Closing Churchill was the recommendation of the city-appointed XCAP committee in 2021.

This group studied these issues in detail. The current situation could be seen as a nudge to do the right thing and follow this recommendation.

I strongly favor closing Churchill, with the caveat that traffic calming measures on Alma need to be taken.

And long term Churchill Ave is an ideal place for a bike/pedestrian tunnel.

I live in Old Palo Alto & use Churchill for biking (often) & by car (rarely). Our kids went to Paly & biked (or walked) using Churchill daily.

Good luck with your decision. Thanks for asking for our input.

Michele Gibson
Old Palo Alto
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to you.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Sheri Furman
To: Council, City
Subject: April 15 Item 1 Letter re Churchill Crossing
Date: Friday, April 10, 2026 9:30:06 PM
Attachments: Churchill Xing PAN letter.docx
Please see the attached letter from PAN regarding the Churchill Crossing item.

Thank you.

Sheri Furman
PAN Co-chair
To: Palo Alto City Council
From: PAN - Palo Alto Neighborhoods
Date: April 7, 2026
Subject: Why PAN Disagrees with the Closure of the Churchill Caltrain Crossing Dear Honorable City Council Members, At our recent PAN meeting, we discussed the City’s consideration of closing the Churchill Caltrain crossing, and we are writing to share our perspective.

Based on available information and prior analysis, PAN does not believe that closing the Churchill crossing is the right approach at this time.

We appreciate the City Council’s swift response to the student-led petition to add 24/7 security guards to the grade crossings, along with additional physical security measures by Caltrain. At the same time, we are concerned that a closure, particularly without significant mitigation measures in place, could shift risk rather than reduce it, displacing impacts to other roads and neighborhoods.

This perspective is not about traffic convenience, but about overall student and public safety and avoiding actions that could unintentionally increase risk elsewhere. We believe there is a better path that improves safety more comprehensively across the city while minimizing unintended consequences.

We respectfully offer the following points for consideration:

1. Near-term safety measures and path forward
We appreciate the City Council’s quick action, supported by the student-led petition from over 3,000 signatories, to deploy 24/7 in-person guards at the track at all grade separations along the corridor.

This approach has proven effective in the past and provides immediate protection, while also creating space to carefully evaluate longer-term solutions. Several efforts to further reduce risk are already underway, and we encourage continued focus on these strategies. In addition, options such as horn silencing may be achievable without requiring closure. We encourage fast-tracking the work needed to create quiet zones citywide.

2. Significant mitigations previously identified
The potential impacts of a Churchill closure have been studied previously as part of grade separation planning. Those analyses identified a number of mitigation measures that would likely be necessary to address the resulting traffic and safety impacts, including:
● Reconstruction of the Alma bridge over Embarcadero to support four lanes and a southbound left turn pocket at Alma and Kipling
● Tunnel at Churchill for pedestrians and bicycles
● Add a pedestrian and bicycle overcrossing above Embarcadero at Town & Country ● Add a traffic signal at Alma and Kipling
● Add a traffic signal at Alma and the Embarcadero slip ramp to allow left turns onto Alma ● Reconfigure the intersection at Kipling and Embarcadero to allow left turns from Kipling and add a traffic signal
● Adjust signal timing at Oregon and El Camino and add turning lanes ● Add traffic signals at the exit and on-ramps at Oregon and Alma ● Reconfigure the California Avenue bike and pedestrian tunnel to support increased users (e.g., requiring cyclists to walk bikes, adding lighting, and possibly cameras) ● Add turn lanes on Embarcadero at El Camino (which may require use of PAUSD property) A 2024 City report estimated that implementing many of these mitigations could cost up to $115 million.

These measures were identified to prevent significant new congestion delaying emergency response times and new safety hazards for pedestrians, cyclists, and students, and without them, closing Churchill would likely introduce significant new risks.

3. Safety considerations without mitigations in place
Without these mitigations, increased traffic on Embarcadero would likely interact with students traveling by foot and bicycle, creating safety concerns. Similarly, diverting students to the California Avenue tunnel or Embarcadero underpass could introduce additional congestion and conflicts, given that the Cal Ave tunnel and both Embarcadero sidewalks under Alma are relatively narrow and not designed to accommodate safe two-way pedestrians and bikes. In short, a closure without mitigations would create new safety hazards and put people at risk in other ways.

4. Emergency access considerations
Changes to circulation could affect first responders, ambulance service to Stanford Hospital, and evacuation routes, particularly in neighborhoods such as Southgate. The delay in emergency response should consider not only the longer distances of more circuitous routes, but also the overall increase in traffic along the remaining primary crossings (Oregon/Page Mill and Embarcadero), which are already known pinch points in the City’s network.

5. Timing and decision-making
Given these considerations, we do not believe that a closure would improve overall safety under current conditions. Efforts should instead focus now on advancing proven safety measures, including expanded on-site supervision, mental health supports, and citywide prevention strategies, while continuing to evaluate solutions that improve outcomes across all crossings.

6. Equity and resource allocation
We recognize that this issue is part of a broader and deeply important challenge related to student well-being. Continued investment in mental health resources, along with stronger community support systems, is essential alongside any infrastructure decisions. What is needed is a thoughtful, comprehensive approach to youth mental health and suicide prevention that brings these efforts together. The City’s long-term planning has emphasized the importance of east–west connectivity.

Any changes to the Churchill crossing should be evaluated in that broader context.

Focusing primarily on a single location risks overlooking the broader, citywide nature of this challenge.

With limited resources and funding, we encourage the City to make decisions that reflect the needs of the entire community.

Transportation mitigations are, unfortunately, slow to implement and very expensive. Funding significant mitigation measures could affect other priority projects, including the Charleston crossing, which the City Council had already identified as a priority for grade separations, given historic safety concerns, expected housing growth, and the lack of any grade separations in south Palo Alto.

Our concern throughout is not about preserving existing traffic patterns, but about ensuring that any action taken meaningfully improves safety for students across the entire city.

We appreciate the Council’s attention to these complex issues and encourage a thoughtful, comprehensive approach that balances safety, equity, and long-term community needs.

Sincerely,
Becky Saunders & Sheri Furman, PAN Co-chairs

From: Elizabeth Lee
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Ave.

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026 6:58:29 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear PACC,
Please find another solution to preventing suicide other than closing Churchill. Security guards, effective student mental health services, changing cultural expectations . . . thank you.

Elizabeth Lee, LMFT
650 346-4071
[email protected]
Author of The House at 844 1/2 http://goo.gl/BauAk
From: Jan Strohecker
To: Council, City
Subject: Don’t close Churchill
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026 6:43:59 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear City Council,
Don’t close Churchill.

Mental health classes should be taught
In schools. NO BUlling Allowed! If a student
Is bulling someone they should be held accountable…ie, suspended …. Put on their School record which follows to college applications!
Closing Churchill divides Palo Alto communities!
Please don’t close Churchill.

Jan Strohecker
Hamilton Ave
Put crossing guards in place again
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: [email protected]
To: Council, City
Subject: Potential adverse impact of closing Churchill especially for cyclists Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026 5:23:22 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
By way of introduction, my wife and I live on Waverley Street in old Palo Alto. We have had three children graduate from Paly and are deeply saddened by the suicides which have occurred along the tracks. There don’t seem to be any good actions for the City Council to take in stemming them. I do think that among them closing Churchill permanently is the worst.

Many reasons have been given regarding the cost/hardship it would impose on city residents and non-residents who use Churchill. While I am not privy to the data or the expertise that the Council and staff have, I want to highlight a couple of negative effects. One is the increased traffic that will be occur on Waverley as (in our case) northbound traffic on Alma switches over to Waverley to make the left hand (westbound) turn onto Embarcadero. This could be especially problematic in the morning right before classes start. The second and more potentially troubling effect is what closure will do the bike traffic which uses Churchill. I have cycled for 30 years and from experience of riding on the sidewalks under Embarcadero to get to/from El Camino, cyclists particularly on the south side will converge on to the narrow sidewalks. It’s particularly problematic along Embarcadero where the sidewalk on the southside intersects the exit to Alma and where there is a concrete island. It’s not a straightforward transition plus there’s a blind curve just beyond it due to shrubs on one of the properties. The sidewalks between Alma and Emerson and Emerson and Bryant are not designed to handle the increased bike traffic that is likely to result. I know of at least one crash between cyclists at that curve going in opposite directions one of whom wasn’t paying attention. And this happened not at the beginning or end of the school day when the students congregate. You should ride it some time to see what I mean. If you decide to close Churchill, then the responsible thing to do would be to put significant resources into mitigating this problem.

Thank you.

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
John Schniedwind
From: Val Steil
To: Council, City
Subject: I am in favor of closing Churchill Ave and construction of the Seale Avenue Tunnel - April 15 Meeting to Close Churchill
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026 8:46:19 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
To Palo Alto City council:

The most important reason to close Churchill avenue is for the students of Palo Alto High School for this generation and for the next and many other future generations of High school Students , also the bicycle tunnel at Seale avenue once done is going to be used by everyone , including obviously students, but also community members , bicyclists, children and adults, and at the other end of the tunnel is going to be a peaceful place to walk and bike in the Peers Park and from there to Paly High ,and many other places, like the restaurants and the commercial area at California Avenue, the Seale avenue bike and pedestrian tunnel will be a great addition together with closing of Churchill Avenue to form a complete Opening of a new walkable area connecting both sides of Alma
Thanks
Val Steil
114 Kellogg Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 84301
650–387-4852
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Debby Fife
To: Council, City
Subject: Against Churchill closing
Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026 8:24:23 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

I agree with those arguments already put forth against closing Churchill, and would add that more time, money, and effort should go into rooting out the causes of the suicides. Parenting is very hard, perhaps nowhere more so than in the kind of entitled, me centered community that Palo Alto has become.

Sent from my iPhone
From: Nadia Naik
To: Council, City; Clerk, City
Subject: Public Comment: Evaluation of the Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 10:05:37 PM
Attachments: Subject_ Churchill Crossing – Why the XCAP and Consultant Work Shows Closure Cannot Occur Without Full Mitigations.pdf
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
!
Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
Please find attached my public comment regarding the Evaluation of the Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing for your Special Meeting on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

This comment reflects careful review of the XCAP report and the supporting consultant analyses, and is intended to help inform your deliberations on the potential impacts of a temporary closure.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Nadia Naik
This message could be suspicious
Similar name as someone in your company.

This is a personal email address.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
Subject: Churchill Crossing – Why the XCAP and Consultant Work Shows Closure Cannot

Occur

Without

Full

Mitigations

Dear Mayor and Members of the City Council,
As you consider the possibility of a temporary closure of the Churchill Avenue crossing, it is important

ground

that

discussion

the

extensive

work

already

completed

the

Expanded

Community

Advisory

Panel

(XCAP)

and

the

City’s

consultants.

For those who may not know, the XCAP was created by the City of Palo Alto in 2019 to evaluate options

for

grade

separations

the

city’s

rail

crossings.

The

panel

consisted

community

representatives

and

worked

intensively

over

approximately

18 months
,

holding

47 meetings

and

contributing

roughly

1,500

volunteer

hours
,

with

support

from

detailed

technical

analysis

City

consultants.

Taken together, the XCAP process represents the culmination of years of policy discussion, technical

study,

and

community

engagement
,

rather

than

one-off

analysis.

The

length

this

process

reflects

the

reality

that

these

are

complex,

citywide

infrastructure

decisions

that

require

coordination

across

multiple

agencies

and

involve

high

cost

and

long-term

consequences.

The work done on grade-separations, taken as a whole, leads to a clear and consistent conclusion:

Churchill

cannot

closed,

even

temporarily,

without

first

implementing

comprehensive

set

infrastructure

improvements,

including

grade-separated

bicycle

and

pedestrian

crossing,

without

creating

significant

disruptions

and

safety

risks

across

the

network.

This conclusion does not rely on a single viewpoint. Rather, it emerges from the full body of analysis,

including

traffic

modeling,

engineering

concepts,

and

policy

evaluation,

which

together

demonstrate

how

interconnected

Palo

Alto’s

east–west

transportation

system

and

how

dependent

the

closure

concept

mitigation.

Churchill Is a Critical Link in a Constrained Network The XCAP report emphasizes a fundamental constraint: Palo Alto has only seven crossings of the

Caltrain

corridor
,

and

changes

one

crossing

affect

the

others.

Closing Churchill removes one of those limited connections. The consultant's work (Hexagon and

AECOM)

makes

clear

that

the

result

not

reduced

demand,

but

redistributed

demand
,

primarily

onto

Embarcadero

Road

and

Oregon

Expressway.

The Closure Concept Was Always Dependent on Extensive Mitigations The XCAP process did not evaluate closure as a standalone action. It evaluated “Closure with Mitigations”

complete

package.

Based on traffic studies, the consultants identified a coordinated set of required improvements across

multiple

corridors,

including:

( XCAP Report, Section 4.1.1, pp. 23–24 )
A. Construction of a bike/pedestrian overcrossing at Embarcadero Road and Alma Street. B. Reconstructing or replacing the existing Alma Street overpass over Embarcadero Road. C. Adding a right-turn lane from eastbound Embarcadero Road to Kingsley Avenue. D. Adding a left turn lane from southbound Alma Street to Kingsley Avenue. E. Installation of two new signal lights on the Alma Street overpass at Embarcadero Road, at

the

Embarcadero

slip

road,

and

Kingsley

Avenue.

F. Installing a new signal at Embarcadero Road/Kingsley Avenue/High Street with two possible

options:

one

that

provides

full

connectivity

and

from

High

Street,

option

that

maintains

the

movements

and

from

High

Street

they

are

today.

G. Improvements at Embarcadero Road/High Street for bicycles and pedestrians per the Neighborhood

Traffic

Safety

and

Bicycle

Boulevard

(NTSBB)

projects

plans.

H. OptimizesignaltimingatElCaminoandEmbarcaderoandinstallanadditional westbound left turn

lane

Embarcadero

onto

Camino

and

northbound

right

turn

lane

Camino

onto

Embarcadero

Road.

I. Signalize on Alma Street both on/off ramps at Alma and Oregon Expressway. J. Optimize signal timing and install a westbound right turn lane and northbound right turn lane

from

Oregon

Expressway

Camino

Real.

These mitigations are visible in the figures below.

Figure 8 shows Mitigations A through G, Figure 9 shows Mitigation H, Figure 11 shows Mitigation

and

Figure

10 shows

Mitigation

These are not incremental changes. They are system-level interventions , intended to absorb the

traffic

that

would

displaced

from

Churchill

and

maintain

safe

operations

across

the

network.

The fact that such a large package of improvements was identified is itself evidence that closure

cannot

function

safely

effectively

without

them
.

XCAP Identified Additional Needs Beyond the Consultant Package Even with the consultant-recommended mitigations, XCAP concluded that further measures were

likely

necessary

make

the

system

function

safely

and

effectively.

These include:
● A comprehensive bike and pedestrian connectivity plan ● A new bike/ped crossing at Seale to relieve pressure on other crossings ● Improvements to the Embarcadero/High/Emerson corridor ● Redesign of the Lincoln/Kingsley/High intersection to manage traffic spillover ● Addressing student pick-up/drop-off conflicts along the Embarcadero slip road ● Evaluating additional signalization and network adjustments , including at North California/Alma

( XCAP Report, Section 4.6.1, p. 69 )
This reinforces a key point: the consultant package was necessary, but not sufficient , and closure

depends

broader

set

coordinated

improvements.

Bike and Pedestrian Separation at Churchill Is Foundational A central element of the Closure with Mitigations concept is the assumption that people walking

and

biking

would

still

have

safe,

direct

crossing

Churchill
,

even

vehicles

not.

XCAP specifically supported a grade-separated bicycle and pedestrian undercrossing that would

pass

under

both

the

rail

line

and

Alma

Street,

fully

separating

users

from

vehicle

traffic

(Executive

Summary,

vii;

Section

4.1.1)

This is critical. Without that facility:
● Students and cyclists would be diverted to longer, less direct routes ● Existing crossings such as California Avenue and Embarcadero would see increased pressure
● Conflicts between pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles would increase In other words, the safety rationale for closure depends directly on building the bike/ped undercrossing

first
.

The Analysis Shows Network Effects Were Significant and Not Fully Modeled

The work completed through XCAP and the consultants also makes clear that the impacts of closure

extend

beyond

single

intersection.

Different analyses within the report highlight that:
● Traffic redistribution would affect multiple corridors simultaneously ● Some impacts, such as network-wide congestion and queuing , were not fully modeled
● Effects on school traffic, transit operations, and long-term conditions require further study

( XCAP Report, pp. 68–69 )
Rather than undermining the conclusions, these findings reinforce them: if anything, the risks of

closure

without

mitigations

may

understated

rather

than

overstated
.

The Key Takeaway for Council
The XCAP and consultant work does not support the idea that Churchill can be closed first and mitigations

added

later.

shows

the

opposite:

● Closure was only ever studied as part of a full mitigation package ● That package includes major infrastructure investments across multiple corridors ● Even with those measures, additional improvements were identified as necessary ● A grade-separated bike/ped crossing at Churchill is essential , not optional Taken together, this body of work demonstrates that closing Churchill without these improvements

would

not

neutral

reversible

step
.

would

create

immediate

and

predictable

impacts

connectivity,

congestion,

and

safety

across

the

city.

Temporary Closure

A closure without mitigations, even if temporary, would create unacceptable safety risks by forcing

hundreds

cyclists

and

pedestrians

onto

the

two

nearest

crossings:

Embarcadero

and

the

California

Avenue

bike/pedestrian

tunnel.

Neither

equipped

safely

absorb

that

volume.

At Embarcadero, cyclists heading to Palo Alto High School would be pushed into a highly constrained

environment

where

the

most

direct

route

requires

riding

the

south-side

sidewalk.

unlikely

that

riders

would

cross

the

north-side

bike

lane

only

cross

back

again,

meaning

bikes

and

pedestrians

would

mixed

narrow

space

along

busy

arterial.

This

creates

predictable

conflicts

and

unsafe

conditions,

particularly

during

peak

school

commute

times.

The California Avenue tunnel presents a different but equally serious problem. Its grade is approximately

12%,

well

above

the

ADA

standard,

which

causes

cyclists

pick

speed

they

descend.

While

signage

instructs

riders

dismount

when

pedestrians

are

present,

practice

many

not.

The

combination

steep

grade,

limited

visibility,

and

high

volumes

bikes,

pedestrians,

and

e-bikes

regularly

results

unsafe

interactions.

attempts

control

speed,

such

installing

metal

maze

force

dismounting,

were

removed

because

they

created

congestion

within

the

tunnel.

In short, diverting significant additional traffic to either of these crossings would not be a manageable

inconvenience,

would

concentrate

users

into

already

constrained

facilities

and

create

conditions

that

are

demonstrably

unsafe.

If the City moves forward with closing Churchill without the mitigations identified through the consultant

and

XCAP

process,

risks

shifting

one

set

safety

concerns

another.

Any

resulting

accidents

could

foreseeable,

and

proceeding

under

those

conditions

may

raise

concerns

about

potential

liability.

Conclusion

Any consideration of the closure of Churchill should remain grounded in the full framework developed

through

the

XCAP

and

consultant

process,

and

closure

should

pursued

without

first

implementing

the

infrastructure

and

safety

measures

that

make

that

concept

viable.

Thank you for your careful attention to this issue and for your continued commitment to data-driven

decision-making.

Sincerely,
Nadia

Naik

Former Chair of XCAP
From: Eduardo F. Llach
To: Council, City
Cc: Teri Llach
Subject: We Advocate to temporarily close Churchill to Save Lives Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 4:08:40 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
!
Thank you, Council Members, for your time and interest in our opinions on Churchill Ave We are advocating for the temporary closure of Churchill Ave to Save Lives.

We attended the PAUSD meeting with the students and parents of suicide victims.

I know the mother of a child who, unfortunately, died on Churchill Ave a few years back. She, her family, friends, and schoolmates are devastated by the unnecessary death caused by the train.

There are 10,478 at-grade rail crossings in CA. Palo Alto High is the only school with one next to it. We have 1,817 kids crossing the tracks an average of 1,000 times daily.

With the 6 remaining Palo Alto Crossings, we'll have the same # of residents per crossing as our neighbors - approximately 11,000 PA residents per crossing, which matches the number of residents per crossing for Redwood City, Menlo Park, and Mountain View. They manage their traffic and cross the railroad tracks without issue, so we should also be fine with 6 remaining crossings for the 68,000 residents in PA.

The 6 other options to cross the tracks are on average every 2/3rds of a mile. This takes a bit over a minute by car and over two minutes by bike, barely enough time to hear a song on your AirPods.

No other schools have rail horns blaring just yards away, reminding students of the imminent danger next door and the annual loss of their friends and teammates.

Let’s do the right thing and focus on student safety and mental health.

Let’s not choose ease of driving or time to cross the tracks over the safety and mental health of our students. There are plenty of options to drive, bike, or walk to an appointment, making it fast and easy to get to where you want to go in Palo Alto.

Let’s temporarily close Churchill Ave to see the actual impacts, see the results of quieting the This message could be suspicious
The sender's email address couldn't be verified.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
railroad horns on the students, and the increased safety of kids getting to school without having to cross the tracks.

Thank you, Eduardo
Eduardo F. Llach
36 Churchill Ave, Palo Alto
From: Alice Smith
To: Council, City
Subject: Please close Churchill crossing
Date: Tuesday, April 7, 2026 1:23:14 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

To the City Council and the City of Palo Alto Residents.

The safety of children far exceeds the inconvenience to the community. Please close Churchill between Alma and an appropriate place beyond the tracks, thus blocking off access to the tracks. If needs be, build a cement/metal bike/footbridge above the train like the bike/walking bridge over 101. We need to progress the under track or over track car system at Charleston and East Meadow whether or not there is ever a high speed train system. We have prevaricated for far too long.

Alice Schaffer Smith
850 Webster Street #520
Palo Alto, CA 94301
(c) 650 283 2822
“If the meanest man in the republic is deprived of his rights then every man in the republic is deprived of his rights.”
—Jane Addams, 1903
From: Deborah Bennett
To: Council, City
Subject: Proposed Closure of Churchill rail crossing
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 11:58:57 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Members of the Council:

I am a homeowner in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood. I live on Emerson St near Seale Av. I ask that you do NOT close the Churchill rail crossing at this time.

The CalTrain grade separation project has been examining this crossing, and what the impact of a permanent closure of this crossing would be. I ask that you respect and consult the project data as part of your decision. Instead, I see a “knee jerk” reaction of closing the crossing without considering mitigating the effects of the closure.

The temporary closing of this crossing you are considering seems to be motivated by a recent student suicide. The suicide of a student is tragic. Citizens want to do SOMETHING in response. Unfortunately, I believe a temporary closure of the Churchill rail crossing is unlikely to prevent future student suicides, and will have many negative effects.

The proposed closure would cause a large impact on my street and neighborhood. It will cause greater traffic congestion on Alma and Churchill streets. When Alma becomes congested, many motorists use Emerson St as a throughway. Cars exceed the speed limit and run the stop signs. Emerson is not designed for this kind of traffic load.

Congestion on Churchill also impacts my neighborhood, as drivers get frustrated with waiting in line and seek other routes through the neighborhood. Many drivers will use Embarcadero as their alternate route, increasing the already heavy congestion near Town and Country.

The Churchill crossing is used by a huge number of students on bicycles and on foot on their school commute.

Those students would be forced to use alternate routes like Embarcadero or California Ave. Riding a bicycle on Embarcadero is very dangerous, and will be more dangerous with the increased number of drivers diverted from Churchill. Impatient students are less likely to commute via California Ave since it takes longer. Finally, many parents will decide that driving their students to school is safer. These cars will also increase congestion on Embarcadero and in the PALY parking lot. I see the convergence of all this traffic as a disaster waiting to happen.

In conclusion, I believe that the temporary closure of the Churchill would have too many negative effects to be approved. It is being rushed through the council without due deliberation.

Thank You.

Deborah Bennett, 1800 block Emerson St.

From: Jo Ann Mandinach
To: Council, City
Subject: Please do not close Churchill
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 1:16:45 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
!
Dear Leaders,
Please don't close the Churchill railroad crossing in a misguided attempt to stop teen suicide when you should be focusing on meaningful change at Paly to stop bullying where and when it occurs.

Closing Churchill misses the point that the average age of PA suicide is 44 -- DECADES older than high school students -- with majority occurring among the elderly, those in their 60s and 70s.

Closing Churchill is not only unproductive but it's dangerous -- slowing emergency vehicles forced to detour and sending traffic onto already gridlocked Embarcadero where vehicles are CURRENTLY sitting through 3 or more GREEN LIGHTS to TRY to get to El Camino, a situation that will only get worse as the population and development keeps growing.

Palo Alto is supposed to be an educated logical community, not one that reflexively throws the baby out with the bath water instead of solving real problems.

Most sincerely,
Jo Ann Mandinach
Palo Alto CA 94301
This message could be suspicious
The sender's email address couldn't be verified.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: [email protected]
To: Council, City
Subject: Proposed Churchill Closing
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 2:05:15 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Hello,
I graduated from Cubberley HS, then Stanford. I practiced law from my office on El Camino Real in Palo Alto for forty years.

I still live here.

The idea of closing the Churchill crossing is monumentally bad.

There is no actual danger from this crossing. In all the time I've lived here there has never been a car--train collision at this crossing.

If the notion is that it's dangerous because people can throw themselves in front of a train, they can throw themselves in front of a train anywhere.

Closing this one rail crossing will just make a dedicated person in front of a train at any one of three or four other locations just in Palo Alto alone not to mention the many other ways that people can commit suicide.

The effect of such a closing on traffic will be horrendous.

How can any person with even a tiny fragment of common
sense think closing the crossing is a good idea?
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
--David Alexander
From: David Greene
To: Council, City
Cc: Jane David
Subject: Churchill Crossing Closure Decision
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 2:08:04 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear City Council Members,
With due respect for the seriousness of the teen suicide problem the City faces, and with due respect for the challenges of decision-making when two powerful political forces collide, my wife and I urge you NOT to close the Churchill Crossing.

We live in Channing House, on Webster St between Homer and Channing. We travel frequently across town. So, yes, we are older residents and more focussed on the traffic and daily life implications than on the teen suicide implications. But that is not the basis of our argument.

Instead it comes from our both having had careers in public policy implementation research, and our consequent dispositions to appreciate the problems of implementing broad changes, and, mainly, to look at solutions from the perspective of the appropriateness of the proposed solution to the problem.

The Churchill Crossing is implicated as the physical location attractive/tempting to those perhaps impulsively inclined to suicide. At a minimum, it merits a significant investment in fencing off physical access to the tracks and around-the-clock security guards. But if those measures are not sufficient, what is the marginal increment of the wholesale closure?
What evidence is there to support the appropriateness of the wholesale closure strategy? There are so many pieces of the larger problem of teen suicide that this solution does NOT address. This specific strategy is overkill in large proportion to the marginal increment it may make in reducing teen suicide.

In contrast, the evidence is powerful that closing the crossing will exacerbate This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
problems already known throughout the city.

We hope you will frame the decision in these terms.

Sincerely,
David Greene and Jane L. David
From: Reid Kleckner
To: Council, City
Subject: Feedback on temporary Churchill closure
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 2:09:04 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Honorable city council members,
Regarding the temporary Churchill closure, I encourage you to run the experiment of closing Churchill temporarily. This is an opportunity to gather real data on traffic flows from actual city streets instead of expensive inaccurate consultant traffic flow models. I encourage you to add a project phase where Churchill is open to bike/ped traffic for at least one week. This will allow us to separate the impact of closing Churchill to car traffic from closing it to active transportation.

I believe that the proposed grade crossing designs for Churchill are overly complicated and expensive. I urge the city to consider harder choices, such as eliminating car access on this route. The grade separation proposals I've seen so far force bikes and pedestrians through a long switchback, which I consider undignified and inconvenient. Streets are for people, not cars, and we should prioritize direct access to the school for students on foot and bike.

I believe indefinitely closing Churchill to bikes and pedestrians isn't feasible, but I'd rather run the experiment so we know for sure one way or the other.

In general, I think if we want more from our city—if we want to see city staff accomplish more—we need to be more open to running experiments that risk creating backlash and opposition. Attempting and abandoning experiments is a sign of vitality and state capacity. It's easy for me to say this from my position, but I'd rather see our city get caught trying to create change than to stick with the business-as-usual of endless feedback-gathering exercises.

Thank you for your service,
Reid
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Sharleen Fiddaman
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 2:57:42 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Do NOT close Churchill. It is a needed route between Alma and El Camino!! This would impact Embarcadero traffic worse, esp with condo construction & T&C.

Old Palo Alto and Southgate use it regularly.

Sharleen Fiddaman
2255 Webster Street.

From: mickie winkler
To: Council, City
Subject: do not close churchill street crossing
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 3:18:31 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear city council members,
Please do not close the crossing at Churchill.

Given the declining enrollment, think instead about moving the school.

· Alma street, which is by any standards, is a narrow street, is not capable of handling the traffic intensity that closing the Churchill St crossing would cause. · The teachers, as well as parents and students, would need significantly more time to get to work.
·
Ambulance times on both Alma and ECR will be negatively affected. · Students, including those on bikes would not be able to cross—and if they could suicides will not be discouraged.
·
Middlefield is already deadlocked during the morning school traffic. · The left-hand turn time from ECR to Alma street to Palo Alto avenue, is always long, and the left hand turn lane is already full.

Raising the tracks from Churchill to Ravenswood is also a good alternative and can be done more economically and with less disruption than believed but is beyond the capability of our local governments to achieve.

Thanks for your consideration.

Mickie Winkler

Mickie Winkler
650-324-7444 office
650-335-5540 cell
MickieWinkler.com
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Radhika Shah
To: Council, City; Veenker, Vicki
Subject: Input on Churchill crossing temporary closure decision from 2 long time Palo Alto residents Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 3:22:03 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear Mayor Veenker, Palo Alto City Council members,
I am a very long time (about 3 decades) resident of Palo Alto from the Barron Park area. I saw a note being passed around that the city is welcoming input from citizens on the temporary Churchill crossing closure from Palo Alto residents.

My opinion on this issue is that the life of our vulnerable youth matters significantly more than traffic inconvenience or increased commute times. Considering the significant rise in the number of youth deaths (suicides) in our city on the tracks in the past couple of years, and the proximity of Palo Alto High School being right next to the Churchhill crossing, in our opinion it is critical to close the crossing as soon as possible and for as long as possible until a safe solution can be found. Clearly having people watching the crossing has not been effective in preventing the suicides. Teenagers can move very fast (faster than adults) so I am not convinced that just having someone watch the crossing is going to be an effective enough solution. Each young life lost matters and we can easily save them if we stop that crossing. In this age of ubiquitous social media access for youth including when in Pausd schools and the copycat nature of youth suicides, my husband Ashit Patel (cc'd) and I personally want to cast our vote for saving young lives to the degree you are taking input from Palo Alto residents. I know that many of my friends from the local Stanford alumni community who are also long time Palo Alto residents feel the same way on this matter. Considering the very high prevalence of acute depression in so many youth in our city, so many parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, siblings in our small city live every day in fear that their young family member might not come back home alive as the tracks have become an easy way for a young person to quickly end their life in a moment of acute distress.

My understanding is that key National Government agencies are studying our city right now/or have very recently as there has been almost an epidemic level of rise in youth suicides.

You might want to speak with the Stanford Psychology Departments program that helps suicidal teens with holistic treatment. They have a lot of data on the risks as their program works hard to save many of these fragile lives including in Palo Alto.

I would also encourage getting PAUSD to take enforcing social media bans in schools for young kids more seriously (especially middle schools). My understanding and my own experience is that this is being very poorly done in our school district. Some Pausd school leadership give grand talks about the harms of social media on TV etc., however even when parents request removing Tiktok etc. from mentally fragile and depressed children's school laptops there is apathy in the best case and resistance (not from IT but from top school leadership at times, even when the children's doctors give a note asking to remove social media from school laptops).

This message needs your attention
No employee in your company has ever replied to this person.

This is a personal email address.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
Happy to provide further input if need be.
warm regards
Radhika Shah
From: Tom Martin
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 3:45:04 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Council men and ladies,
I have been a tax paying resident of Palo Alto since 1980. We live in old Palo Alto and use Churchill as a primary road to get across the tracks from east to west and vice versa. I can't imagine going to University or to Oregon and creating more traffic at those crossings in order to go to Stanford, Paly, the hills, friends houses, etc.

I understand the feelings of those who are trying to save one or more lives. But anyone wanting to die can easily find another way without greatly inconveniencing every PA resident and Paly student. The proposed closing of Churchill has to be the craziest consideration ever.

Tom Martin
--
Tom Martin
Palo Alto, Ca
Home phone 650-324-7489
From: Julie Nolan
To: Council, City
Subject: Don"t close Churchill -- elevate the tracks
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 3:55:00 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
I just sent this letter to the editor of the Palo Alto Weekly:

I see that there is considerable pressure now to close Churchill. When my daughter was at Paly in 2000, she came home and told us that one of the boys in her German class had committed suicide on the tracks. There were other Paly suicides around that time, but it wasn't very long before Gunn also had a cluster. If the intention of closing Churchill is to prevent suicides, then Meadow and Charleston would also have to be closed. I see that there are guards at all three intersections in acknowledgment of the concern. There is another long- term solution: move the tracks. How?? Elevate them through Palo Alto. It would be costly and take time, but it would make suicides unlikely and would keep cross-Palo Alto traffic open rather than dividing the city. It's time for Palo Alto to "think outside the box" and choose a long- term solution that will benefit the city.

Julie Nolan
2935 Waverley St., Palo Alto
650-269-5089
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: edna jamati
To: Council, City
Subject: Closure of Churchill RR crossing
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 4:11:28 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Members of PA City Council,
I would just like to express that as someone who uses that crossing frequently and who has a child at Palo Alto high with three siblings to follow it would be very inconvenient for our family.

I appreciate you wanting to improve the safety at that intersection … perhaps a bridge might be feasible ? I feel the inconvenience to not only our family but the hundreds of my neighbors and their families must be high on your priority list when considering this.

With appreciation and hope for the best outcome,
Sincerely,
Edna Jamati
Waverley St
Sent from my iPhone
From: Karen Ambrose Hickey
To: Council, City
Subject: I oppose the closing of Churchill Road
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2026 8:05:55 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Hello City Council,
I live on Newell Road. For 23 years, I have watched the bike and foot traffic to Walter Hays, Greene and Paly. My kids were part of those bikers and walkers. When we moved here we knew it was a busier street, but I love watching the kids going by every day.

Now, is a different story. Our neighborhood, particularly Newell, is a cut-through-short-cut for parents, commuters, landscapers, construction trucks, etc. that want to avoid the Middlefield light. Embarcadero can be backed up past Newell most mornings around 8:30 am. When I volunteer at Paly or Stanford, I am often late due to the traffic. I see kids jumping out of cars just to get to school on time.

Separately, drivers RACE down our street and around the kids. I get honked at for trying to pull out of my own driveway. Or I can't pull out because the traffic from the light is backed up; or mostly the volume and speed of cars does not stop. I had someone so angry that they drove in the opposite lane. Within this week, there was a 2-car collision during the afternoon school traffic at Embarcadero/Newell.

My kids went to Paly and still talk about the stress. It's terrible and needs to be addressed. But closing Churchill is not the root of the problem and will cause a detrimental ripple effect. I think we all share the goal of preventing further tragedies at Churchill, and the emotional toll on our community is undeniable. However, I’m concerned that closing the crossing is a reactionary measure that shifts the danger rather than eliminating it. By forcing that heavy traffic onto Embarcadero, which is already at the limit, we are introducing high-stress congestion into areas with more pedestrians and cyclists, potentially trading one tragedy for another.

We need a solution that addresses the mental health crisis without inadvertently increasing the likelihood of traffic fatalities on our city streets.

I am here for the long term and want to look out what's best for the broader community.

Thank you,
Karen Hickey
Newell Road
From: Mashru6
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Closure
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 12:17:55 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Council Members,
We live within 5 blocks of the crossing. We use it regularly. However, for all the reasons already mentioned by numerous members and city officials, we support the temporary closure of Churchill Crossing. Every human life is invaluable, and if we can even save one by the temporary inconvenience of closing for 8,000 motorists, it's worth it.

I also urge the city to pick a permanent solution. We have debated options for a dozen years.

All options have benefits and costs. The city council’s job is to select the best, considering all the factors. Every delay in that decision kills lives. So, please pick a permanent solution without further delay.

We elected you to make decisions and take a position. Time is now.

Raj Mashruwala
Matra Majmundar
Melville Ave
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Chacon, Mary
To: Council, City
Cc: Mary Chacon
Subject: Potential Churchill Crossing Closure
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 9:14:36 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Hi,

Dear City of Palo Alto Officials,

My name is Mary Chacon, and I live at 1148 High Street, at the corner of Embarcadero Road and the northbound slip road to Alma Street. I am writing to express serious safety concerns regarding the proposal to close Churchill Avenue and the likely impacts this would have on surrounding arterial and residential streets.

Even under current conditions, with Churchill Avenue open, traffic exiting Embarcadero onto the Alma slip road is already fast-moving and dangerous. This intersection is a well‑known conflict point and a major route for Palo Alto High School students, cyclists, and nearby residents. Over the years, there have been numerous bicycle and vehicle accidents at this location.

The City has taken steps to improve safety by installing flashing lights and large Botts’ dots prior to the crosswalk. While these measures appear to have reduced some incidents, they do not address the fundamental issue of vehicle speed as cars come off the Embarcadero exit. Speeds remain excessive and hazardous, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists.

We are deeply concerned that closing Churchill Avenue will significantly worsen conditions on Embarcadero Road and the Alma slip road. The northbound merge onto Alma Street is already extremely dangerous. Alma traffic routinely travels above the posted speed limit, and the tight curvature of the slip road creates a high‑risk merge. This location has experienced multiple collisions, and the fire hydrant at this corner has been struck two or three times, underscoring how unsafe this geometry already is.

If Churchill Avenue is closed, a critical question remains unanswered: Where will this traffic go?

We live just one block from Lincoln Avenue, which is already heavily used as a cut‑through by drivers traveling north and south to avoid Alma Street. That intersection is also unsafe, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. Closing Churchill will inevitably divert more vehicles into residential neighborhoods that are not designed to carry arterial‑level traffic, increasing congestion, speeding, and the likelihood of serious accidents.

Rather than improving safety, closing Churchill risks shifting existing hazards to other locations, including residential streets and school routes. In my view, this approach increases the potential for severe injuries—or worse—elsewhere in the city without meaningfully addressing the root safety issues.

For these reasons, I strongly believe that closing Churchill Avenue is not the right solution. I urge the City to reconsider this proposal and instead pursue alternatives such as:

A comprehensive traffic and safety impact study of Embarcadero, Alma, and nearby residential streets
Speed management and enforcement along Alma Street
Design improvements to the slip road and merge area
Any changes being fully evaluated before implementation, rather than after harm occurs

Thank you for considering the perspective of residents who experience these conditions daily. I appreciate your attention to public safety and hope the City will take a cautious and data‑driven approach before making changes that could have long‑lasting consequences.

Sincerely,
Mary Chacon
1148 High Street
Palo Alto, CA
(650) 862‑9972

From: Jim Poppy
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill closure impact on neighborhood
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 9:43:08 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Hello,
When considering the closure of Churchill, please bear in mind that the neighborhood along Alma and several blocks inward will become a new parking lot for the school. This must be avoided with the addition of resident-only parking permits. Even this measure would have a limited effect unless it is strictly enforced, which is not currently the case with many restricted parking areas throughout the city.

Regards,
Jim Poppy
Melville Avenue
From: Stepheny McGraw
To: Council, City
Subject: No on RR Crossing Closures!
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 11:43:26 AM
As one of many who frequently uses the Churchill RR Crossing to get from El Camino to Alma and vis versa, I ask, please don’t close this crossing. There will always be those who are sick and/or tired of this world and need to escape. Don’t punish the rest of us for their unhappiness.

Stepheny McGraw
3303 Thomas Drive 94303
From: Anne Colby
To: Council, City
Subject: PLEASE DO NOT CLOSE THE CHURCHILL TRAIN CROSSING Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 4:20:22 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear City Council members:

Like everyone involved in the decision about whether to close the Churchill rail crossing, I know that the worst tragedy a family can face is the death by suicide of one of their children. I agree that the city should take steps to help prevent these tragedies. I walk frequently across the Churchill crossing and am pleased to see the attentive guards there to protect troubled young people. I don't know how long the proposed temporary closing is expected to last. But it would seem to me that guards could be kept in place for at least that period of time, if not longer.

Continuing to use guards at the closing would be greatly preferable to closing the rail crossing to foot and auto traffic. I live in the Southgate neighborhood, which is accessible only via Churchill. To close access between Southgate and areas to the east on Churchill would radically change our neighborhood, as well as causing serious problems for the already highly congested traffic flow between El Camino and 101 via other routes. I'm not understanding how it can even be legal to change our neighborhood so radically without our consent.

Emergency access is an urgent consideration for me and others in my neighborhood. A few years ago, a large man broke into my bedroom while I was asleep. Even after I screamed and screamed, he would not leave and kept coming toward me. My husband was in another part of the house and called the police. Fortunately, the police came quickly. The large, threatening man refused to leave our home; he left only when the police arrived. An extra 5-10 minutes could have made a horrifying difference in that event. I'm also concerned about fires and other emergencies. A few years ago, I suffered a very serious medical emergency. The ambulance arrived very quickly and got me right into Stanford Hospital. Again, I hate to think what would have happened if that ambulance had been delayed. Like others in my neighborhood, my husband and I bought our house in Southgate largely because of the location — the neighborhood's convenient access to everywhere we wanted to go on foot and by car. I can't see how it would be justified or even legal to remove significant value from our homes by enacting a unilateral decision, not supported by the Southgate residents who are so severely affected by it.

PLEASE BE CREATIVE IN FINDING OTHER WAYS TO PROTECT OUR YOUTH. It strikes me that it's a short walk from the Paly campus to the University Ave railroad crossing and also to the one at California Avenue. If a troubled young person is intent on suicide, she/he will find a way. It would not be difficult. So much better to have guards and also to try to change the culture of intense pressure on these students. We must find ways to help these deeply unhappy children to feel good about their lives and have hope for the future. To accomplish this, the families and schools must work together to address the students' mental health.

Closing Churchill Ave will do nothing to address these mental health issues. A closure would cause great harm to the larger surrounding community without addressing the heart of the matter in any meaningful way.

Thank you for considering these comments.

Sincerely,
Anne Colby
Southgate home-owner
From: Brigid Barton
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill closure
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 2026 8:27:10 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Hello—I am a resident in Old Palo Alto with a husband in the Sequoias Residential Living, and I visit him at least four times a week. He is wheelchair bound and needs a caregiver with him in the apartment, so I live here instead. I am 82 and drive, but my commute would be really horrific if Churchill is closed. Please, please do not take this step! The 24 hour guards should be enough. Respectfully, Brigid Barton Sent from my iPad
From: Theo Nissim
To: Council, City
Subject: Please do not close Churchill crossing
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2026 7:34:47 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Council Members,
I am writing to urge you to not close the Churchill rail crossing.

Each suicide is an unspeakable tragedy, that
should be prevented by understanding and addressing its root causes. Closing the Churchill rail crossing does not address that need, and is an emotional reaction during a very raw time for our community.

People who intend to commit suicide can find train track access a few hundred feet in each direction from the Churchill crossing, at the Caltrain Stations at University and California.

Closing Churchill will unleash chaos in our town, with all the neighborhoods in North Palo Alto facing delays in emergency vehicle access, and in getting to the medical facilities at Stanford etc.

Virtually all Palo Alto residents and people visiting our town for business or recreation will face havoc. Just imagine how Embarcadero and Oregon, already beyond the point of saturation will look after a potential Churchill closure, with thousands of additional vehicles, bikes and pedestrians added to traffic.

Understanding and addressing the root causes for these tragedies is key, as is what PAUSD was and is doing to prevent suicides in its student population. This is IMO the most important issue and the one that should be the focus for our community discussion.

Closing Churchill will not address and solve that.

I urge you to keep Churchill open and focus on finding and addressing the core issues mentioned above.

Thank you,
- Theo Nissim
[email protected]
+16507407851
From: Jane Stocklin
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill crossing
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2026 10:16:56 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
We are very opposed to the Churchill train crossing closing to car traffic. It would cause such disarray for the entire community…..thousands of people daily. There will have to be a pedestrian way to cross the tracks anyway? The option to use the train tracks for nefarious reasons will still be there regardless of how much effort is put into trying to restrict accessibility.

We are saddened by the deaths of high school students. Those who choose to take their life often have made the decision and they find a way to make that happen. The train tracks will always be there.

Help needs to come much earlier for these vulnerable young people to identify whatever is causing such unrest in the first place.

Counseling, academic assistance, education for parents, students and teachers around the topic could be instituted. Needs must be addressed in a personal way, early and with professional guidance. In reading about these young people, signs were there. More aggressive action needs to be taken to intervene early.

The Palo Alto Community Fund has just funded alcove Palo Alto with a $100,000 grant. An integrated, youth-centered model designed with, by and for youths a welcoming space where young people can access mental, physical and social support on their own terms. These are the kinds of solutions that will really make a difference.

Thank you for requesting input before this enormous decision is made.

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: David Schnedler
To: Council, City
Cc: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Crossing
Date: Thursday, April 2, 2026 10:52:32 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

I am astonished that City Council is even giving serious consideration to closing the Churchill crossing. To do so would have disastrous consequences for thousands of people and defects attention to the root causes of teen suicides in Palo Alto.

A reasonable short term remedy is exactly what Palo Alto is presently doing — stationing a crossing guard at the crossing, and while this may seem expensive and wasteful to some, I can actually remember back to the 1950’s, before automatic railroad crossing were invented, where there was a tower and a crossing guard on duty at all times to lower the crossing guards whenever a train approached. Compared to the massive impact the city and the region by closing this crossing, a single person is entirely reasonable.

Longer term I would like to suggest that perhaps the children who are killing themselves are canaries in the coal mine, and rather than focusing on the canaries we need to examine the coal mine and not the canaries. As you well know, across the United States there are hundreds of schools next to railroad crossings where suicides are unheard of, and likewise there are high performance schools where suicides are not only uncommon but unheard of.* The root causes of these teen suicides are many and I will not hypothesize on them, but I would suggest that by addressing these root causes we will not only reducing these suicides but dramatically improving the lives of ALL of the children in our community.

Now is the time for city council to commission an urgent and proactive assessment of how to make Palo Alto a better place to raise children while keeping the Churchill Crossing opening and the crossing guards in place.

Best Regards,
Dave Schnedler
p.s. I have lived in Southgate from 1988 until present, but from 2007 to 2012 we moved back to my home town for our daughter’s education because we did not what we saw in the Palo Alto school system. The per capita incomes in Ladue Missouri and Clayton Missouri are roughly the same as Palo Alto, and they have two excellent public school systems well as two of the best private schools in the region: MICDS and John Burroughs School (JBS), which our daughter attended 7-12th grade.

When we moved there I inquired about teen suicides, and everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. No one could remember there ever having been there, nor were there any during the seven years we lived there.

In his farewell address the nation’s departing surgeon general talked about the level of unhappiness in the nation, and the remedy he prescribed was three fold: fellowship, service and purpose. I can tell you how these were realized at JBS:
1) Every freshman was assigned a senior “buddy” to introduce them to the school and look after them 2) Each week students were randomly assigned seating at the lunch room so they met new students and make new friends
3) Participation in an after school sports program was mandatory as a way of getting exercise and making friends 4) The school had multiple clubs and volunteer activities. 5) Every class participated in a service project every year for the community 6) “Purpose” was addressed by asking the question “how are you going to use this education to make the world a better place?"
From: Irene Beardsley
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill crossing
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026 12:05:36 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

I would be impacted whenever I to/go from home in Barron Park to the University area. I would hope that full time monitoring would work.with other suicide prevention methods.

Irene Beardsley
[email protected]
(650) 493-8383
(307) 733-2039
From: chapin Chet
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill and other rail crossing closure
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026 1:27:05 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear Palo Alto City Council members,

I strongly oppose proposed "temporary" closure of rail crossings as a response to suicide-by-train events. My resistance to the Churchill and other suicide-impacted rail crossings suggested closure is not about "convenience".

This issue is about the everyday safety of all of our neighbors and our children on our impacted residential streets.

With all due respect to those who have lost their lives to suicide by train, and their loved ones they have left behind, the closing of the Churchill crossing and other nearby rail crossings is neither a guaranteed necessary, nor a guaranteed sufficient, way to assure amelioration or prevention of more suicide by train tragedies in our community in the future.

Risk to the community: Closure of even one crossing (Churchill) will almost certainly lead to more automobile- bicycle and -pedestrian accidents, due to the additional 8,500-10,000 more cars per day that are diverted into the nearby residential neighborhoods (traffic-increase numbers based on models prepared for and examined by the City and the School District previously).

This safety impact was estimated to be due to the closure of just one rail crossing where suicide-by-train has occurred in our corridor area (Churchill); closure of all crossings with suicides in our area (2 or more) would multiply that negative safety impact due to increased-residential-traffic danger.

4 Key Points:
1) Closing Churchill has been suggested previously, and extensively modeled, and it was found that closure would funnel thousands (8,500-10,000) of cars per day onto residential streets where children and adults ride bicycles and walk across streets with vehicular traffic, many street corner crossings that do not have stop signs. 2) Suicide by train has occurred repeatedly at other nearby crossings besides Churchill, such as Meadow crossing, so we must consider these 2 questions:

Question1: would those 2 rail crossings and even other rail crossings need to be considered to be closed before or at the same time if the same rationale as for just Churchill was used? Question2: Would suicide by train event clusters always just move to the next open crossings?
3) Crossing Guards (which have recently been re-deployed at multiple crossings) being present at rail crossings have been shown in years past to be coincident with effectively dampening suicide-by-train cluster numbers, even after the deployment of the crossing guards was discontinued/removed from the crossings later. Deploying Crossing Guards works. This current Crossing Guard deployment gives us the needed time to consider all community-offered solutions that can actually work for the entire community, including those at risk of suicide by train at these crossings.

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
4) The triggering of survivor students on Palo Alto High School campus by train horns can and should be remedied by cooperation with CalTrain, especially at the disused Stanford train stop near the high school campus.

For those suggesting we try closure “temporarily” and “see if it works”, Question3: can anyone provide an example from anywhere in the entire state of California where a “temporary” train crossing closure was later reopened? If not, it is disingenuous to pretend that any closure will be temporary, and these suggestions ignore the other crossings in the area that have had suicides occur at them, and ignores the large negative impact on the safety of the entire community that would result due to diverted traffic into residential neighborhoods.

Let's continue to use the proven method of Cross Guard deployments as we improve bike and pedestrian traffic management and separation from automobile, while keeping traffic out of our neighborhood streets that were never designed or intended to have the influx of thousands of extra impatient drivers every day.

Thank you for your attention to these viewpoints.

Carl Dowds
Palo Alto
From: Amy Christel
To: Council, City
Subject: Proposed Churchill Av Closure
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026 4:23:11 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear Council Members,
While it is a tragedy that any life is lost at any rail crossing, the proposed closure of Churchill Ave at the tracks would be foolish.

1. The closure of one crossing would not eliminate access to the train tracks for a person intent upon ending their life. The 24 hour guards are far more effective.

2. The closure would snarl east west traffic in Palo Alto, at a time when Embarcadero and Oregon Expressway are already ridiculously busy at rush times. Forcing student bike traffic to alternate routes would be adding transit time and create more vehicle/bike accidents. Turns onto Alma are perilous and Middlefield is a nightmare, and the closure would result in many more such turns.

3. The closure would divert vehicle and bike traffic to less controlled routes through residential neighborhoods that are not designed for such traffic and are not safer for bikes.

4. The closure would increase emergency response vehicle times, which could result far more tragedy and loss of life City wide.

Please, do not revisit decisions already made about this crossing following the last protracted and comprehensive community discussion. The rail crossing is not the most direct way to address the problem of suicide in this city.

Thank you for your service on Council.

SIncerely,
Amy Christel
Resident of Midtown
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to you.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Margaret Kim
To: Council, City
Subject: Against Closure of Churchill Rail Crossing
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026 4:24:41 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Members of the City Council,
I am against the closing of the Churchill Ave. crossing, temporary or permanent.

1. We already have a solution in place right now. Each crossing has a human attendant, which has proven to be effective. They should be made permanent. They are a proven "barrier”. Closing Churchill will not stop suicides at rail crossings, unless you are willing to close East Meadow and Charleston too.

2. The traffic on Embarcadero is not a future inconvenience, it is impassible right now. Especially where Embarcadero, the Paly High parking lot egress, and the Town & Country egress come together. (There is also an unsafe pedestrian crossing.) The issues with that intersection are exacerbated by the intersection of El Camino and Embarcadero backing up. (Will Caltrans and Palo Alto ever be able to figure this out?) And the only way for traffic on Alma to get to Paly, Town & Country, El Camino, and Stanford from Embarcadero is through residential streets, creating an extremely unsafe situation for an entire neighborhood.

Our block on High Street is already a drop-off and pick-up point for parents and Ubers providing transportation for Paly High students avoiding the nightmare traffic on Embarcadero.

3. We have plans for a bike & pedestrian underpass at Seale Ave. This should be done right away. We don't have to solve grade separation issues at every crossing to build this underpass. Do it now! Building a bike & pedestrian underpass should not replace human attendants. Let’s budget for them instead wasting money on more studies, when we already know that 8,500-10,000 cars will be diverted into adjacent neighborhoods if the Churchill crossing is closed.

4. The Embarcadero underpass is too narrow and unsafe to accommodate increased pedestrian & bicycle traffic.

If you want to test something that works and maximizes safety—to see if it could be a permanent solution—keep the human crossing attendants and build the Seale Ave. pedestrian/bicycle underpass. It just might work.

Sincerely,
Margaret Kim
1111 High Street, Palo Alto
From: William Damon
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill closure
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026 8:48:43 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear City Council members,
I respectively request that you decline the proposal to close Churchill Avenue, even for a brief period of time. Of course the thought of young people hurting themselves is awful, and very serious steps must be taken to prevent this. But it is highly speculative that closing this one particular crossing would do anything to prevent this problem. What is not speculative is that residents along the passageway will experience the need for emergency services on many occasions. If the crossing is closed, it will only be a matter of time until someone dies from a heart attack or a stroke because the ambulance couldn't reach them in time. Does the City want to take responsibility for such unnecessary health disasters? Keeping the crossing guards on-site and active seems like a safer and more realistic way to address the safety needs of troubled young people. We all want to do anything that actually works to prevent harm to young people. There is no need to put neighborhood residents at grave risk in order to accomplish this important mission.

Sincerely,
William Damon
Palo Alto resident
From: Shannon Rose
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Crossing
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026 10:42:20 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Dear Palo Alto City Council,
Please do not close the Churchill Caltrain crossing. It is already difficult to move from east to west in Palo Alto. By closing Churchill drivers would need more time to move across the city. That means time wasted, frustrated drivers, and MORE DANGEROUS EMISSIONS. The residents of Southgate would be almost locked in and terribly inconvenienced. This is all much too high a price to pay for a problem it won’t solve.

Palo Alto would be much wiser to provide therapy, counseling and better resources to students and to the teachers and others who support our teens. What programs for parents can we provide in order to teach them how to recognize when their children are having psychological programs and then, how they can best assist and find help for their children?
Closing Churchill will not solve the problem of teen anguish and suicide. It will create a big inconvenience for the students, teachers and staff who use Churchill to get to Paly almost every day, not to mention the many drivers who are on their way to Stanford or other parts of town.

Sincerely,
Shannon McEntee
410 Sheridan Avenue
Palo Alto
From: Leah Russin
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Closure
Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026 10:13:34 AM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

To City Council:

To me, closing the Churchill Crossing is an easy choice, even if we don’t know for sure how much it will help. Our children are dying. They are asking us, the adults in the room, to help. They have even identified a measure they believe will help. Our own adult-led efforts have failed. How can we ignore them??? Our indecision and analysis- paralysis has cost too many lives over the past decades. We must show our children that their lives matter. That act, of listening and acting, may be more meaningful than the closure itself.

Yes of course there are better solutions out there, but none are immediately actionable. We’d all love a buried tunnel without any construction or costs, and we’d all love for the culture of our schools to magically change. But we live in the real world where children are dying at our train crossings. Let’s make them safer. Planning for slightly longer drive times is worth it.

The only arguments against closure amount to convenience. A life is worth that inconvenience. I have not seen evidence that closure would result in a longer 911 response time or have some other safety impact. We can make the Homer and California bike crossings easier for bike trailers and cargo bikes. We can adjust light times on Alma to allow more cars through. We cannot bring back a dead child.

Let’s tell our community’s children we love them, and we support them, and we see them. Let’s close Churchill.

Thank you.

Leah Russin
Parent and voter.

From: Cedric de La Beaujardiere
To: Council, City
Cc: Star-Lack, Sylvia; Lo, Ria; Safe Routes
Subject: 2026.04.15 Council mtg RE Temporary Closure of Churchill Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026 2:03:47 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Honorable Council Members,
Dedicated Transportation Staff,
Thank you as always for your conscientious service to the Palo Alto community. I'm writing in regards to your upcoming April 15th meeting regarding a potential temporary closure of the Churchill crossing of the Caltrain right of way, recently proposed in response to the recent tragic suicides at that location. I'm sharing my perspective by email as I won't be able to join your meeting.

I believe the restoration of human monitors is a helpful step.

In case you decide that a "temporary" closure is the best path forward, I would like to remind you that it was Council intent that new bike/ped railroad undercrossings in the vicinities of Grade Separations be completed BEFORE these larger works commence so as to enable and encourage these active transportation modes while existing RR crossings are disrupted during construction. Without them being in place, people will switch to driving to deal with long detours around the closures and safety issues with the existing alternatives. Thus if a "temporary" closure at Churchill is directed, then the proposed undercrossing at Peers Park should be decoupled from the Churchill Grade Separation project and it's implementation should be accelerated to ideally be completed before the closure, or ASAP after.

I put "temporary" in quotes because realistically it will be politically difficult to reopen as the danger of suicide and accidents will still exist until a permanent solution is implemented. (Viaduct anyone? Still IMHO the best solution...)
I'm sure others will comment on the issues with the existing alternatives to the crossing at Churchill: the Embarcadero and Cal Ave undercrossings. Both of these are already heavily used with concerns of bike / ped conflicts and ADA inaccessibility. Both however have the benefit of crossing Alma as well, and the proposed crossing at Peers Park must do the same for greatest safety and efficiency of all modes of travel.

Embarcadero in particular is problematic due to the lack of bike lanes, two lanes of high speed traffic in each direction, innumerable driveways, and poor sightlines at most intersections.

This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first mail to some recipients.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
Dropping to one lane in each direction with a continuous dedicated left turn lane down the center, and buffered-by-striping bike lanes in each direction might be an appropriate and long- overdue solution for Embarcadero, but obviously this would require study, including the addition of spillover traffic from Churchill.

In the meantime or in addition, prioritizing a new undercrossing of Alma and Caltrain at Peers Park would help address many of the issues we face with the existing crossings in this area, whether or not Churchill is "temporarily" closed.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Cedric de La Beaujardiere
Palo Alto resident and bicyclist
From: Brent Barker
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill
Date: Saturday, April 4, 2026 5:46:29 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
The Guards are very useful and should not have been removed! I think the opportunity for personal interaction with a Guard is very helpful to vulnerable people; more so that just forcing the vulnerable person to find another railroad crossing.

Thanks,
Jane Radford-Barker
This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
From: Karen Lawrence
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill closure
Date: Sunday, April 5, 2026 12:42:17 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Closing Churchill will impact not just the local neighbors but will ripple traffic congestion to other arterials like Embracadero Road and Oregon Expressway. And it is unlikely to prevent suicide attempts as there are many other ways to access the tracks.

The planned grade separation will eliminate this track access point track. But do not create many years of traffic disruption (and no real benefit for suicide prevention) in the meantime.

Karen Lawrence
Sent from my iPhone
From: Brittany McLaren
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Railroad Crossing - neighborhood input Date: Sunday, April 5, 2026 11:01:45 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.
i
Dear Members of the City Council,
I am writing regarding the proposal to close the local rail crossing in response to the tragic history of teen suicides in our community. I was born and raised in Palo Alto, attended Paly, and have lived off/on in the Southgate neighborhood for over 40 years.

First, I want to acknowledge the seriousness of this issue and the importance of taking action to protect our children. I also recognize that restricting access to specific locations can reduce harm in some cases. However, I am concerned that closing the crossing is really only addressing the location of these tragedies rather than their underlying causes. I am old enough to remember the 2009-2010 school year, with a cluster for suicides that took place at the East Meadow crossing. And was affected when one of my own classmates took his life a few years after graduation (also not at the Churchill crossing.)
Suicide is a deep, complex issue that has plagued our community for years now. It feels like more attention is being placed on the tracks than our community looking inward and shifting the cultural narrative here. Without addressing the root factors—the intense academic pressure that pervades here, mental health challenges, and feelings of isolation—we may simply shift the risk elsewhere rather than meaningfully reduce it. At the same time, closing the crossing would have significant unintended consequences, including increased traffic congestion, potential impacts on emergency response times, and disruption to daily life for residents. I suspect that people that do not live near this area don't realize HOW much traffic pours through Churchill everyday, and how greatly this will affect the residents who live nearby and commute through here daily. The Embarcadero Tunnel is already overloaded as is; at peak hours it is going to become a frustrating and dangerous bottleneck.

I respectfully urge the Council to consider a more comprehensive, balanced approach that includes:

Continuing the targeted safety improvements at the crossing (such as the barriers, detection systems, and recent addition of increased monitoring) rather than full closure. We have only recently implemented many of the new safety features, including 24/7 security service. Also stop the train horns by the high school This message needs your attention
This is a personal email address.

This is their first email to your company.

Mark Safe Report
Powered by Mimecast
Increased investment in school-based mental health resources, including counselors and on-campus support. We need to work more on early intervention than crisis control
Community education for parents and caregivers, such as workshops to recognize and address warning signs, provide emotional support, and reduce academic pressure Efforts to address the culture of extreme academic pressure and promote healthier, more balanced definitions of success. This may include celebrating non-academic paths and trying to de-emphasize our fixation on class rank and competition Expanded peer support programs and more accessible crisis resources for students.

This might include earlier screenings for depression, anxiety, and burnout at a younger age, and normalizing regular mental health check-ins as opposed to just crisis response.

If resources are available for infrastructure changes, I hope the City will consider directing equal urgency and funding toward prevention and early intervention efforts that can support students before they reach a crisis point. This is an opportunity for our community to lead with a thoughtful, multi-layered response—one that improves safety while also addressing the deeper challenges our young people face.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Brittany
From: Mark C Lawrence
To: Council, City
Subject: Churchill Avenue Crossing
Date: Sunday, April 5, 2026 11:39:12 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Be cautious of opening attachments and clicking on links.

Closing this crossing is, to put it bluntly, a really terrible idea. It would disrupt the lives of tens of thousands of people for the next ten years, and is not likely to prevent any suicides. If someone wants to jump in front of a train, the tracks are accessible at the stations at University Avenue and California Avenue, and the grade crossings at Palo Alto Avenue, Meadow Drive, and Charleston Road. None of these is as close to Palo Alto High School — but are we saying that Paly is driving its students to suicide? If so, the problem is not the railroad crossing! A closure would affect many more than the thousands who currently use Churchill; all those cars will then take Oregon Expressway or Embarcadero Road, both already heavily used.

Much of this traffic will go through nearby residential neighborhoods. What about the students who use that crossing to get to school, they will take longer (and possibly more dangerous) routes. Emergency response by fire and police will be delayed, and this can have fatal consequences. Closure is more likely to cost lives than to save any.

The closure plan appears to be driven more by emotion than reason. I don’t mean to belittle the emotional impacts of the recent tragedy — I know. personally, how it feels to lose a daughter. But creating a massive community disruption for years to come seems like a perverse memorial.

Mark C. Lawrence
Palo Alto, CA
650 725 4867 office
650 269 1713 mobile
[email protected]

Palo Alto City CouncilApril 15, 2026

Palo Alto City Council
April 15, 2026