Mayor Wolosin and City Council,



Yesterday I had a coffee at Menlo Cafe on Santa Cruz Ave. and watched the bikes fly out of the new bike lane into the middle of the Doyle St. intersection.



No bikes stopped. Most didn’t even slow down. And if one of them did have to suddenly stop for a car or pedestrian, they could have easily been hit by the bikes right behind them.



Meanwhile, people at that intersection are not expecting cyclists to pop out of a road which is otherwise closed for dining. Signage might help, but it will not fully address a situation which is so unexpected and dangerous.



Here’s a 30 second video I took of the scene.



https://drive.google.com/file/d/19itW4b8Vk4CXLkWf4mio4STOfp2S5x47/view?usp=sharing



So before your Tuesday meeting about making the lane closure permanent (Item H2), I ask that you spend some time at the Doyle St. intersection, after school, to assess the situation first-hand.



And please do some soul searching about the wisdom of turning a commercial street into an afterschool playground.



Thank you,



Alex Beltramo

Downtown Menlo Park resident