Dear Mayor Combs, Vice Mayor Nash and esteemed Council Members,

We are writing on behalf of more than one thousand Menlo Park residents represented by our HOAs, and others, spanning every block in proximity to the Caltrain line from the Atherton border to the San Francisquito Creek, including the 150+ residents who have submitted comments or spoken at Council meetings, to request that Council designate an independent engineering assessment of the City’s four crossings for Quiet Zone status a top priority for calendar year 2021.

Quiet Zones, which eliminate train horn blasts except in limited circumstances, meet Federal safety requirements, and are growing in number throughout the US, especially in residential communities. Recently, QZs have been established in Marin County, San Diego and other areas of Southern California. Atherton Council Member DeGolia refers to the designation of a QZ at Fair Oaks Avenue as the single most positively received decision made by Council during his tenure.

Horn noise in Menlo Park is a major problem for thousands of people who live and work within earshot of the trains, with detrimental impacts on health and safety, and quality of life. Unsafe decibel levels have been verifiably recorded, and medical professionals have referenced numerous scholarly studies on the negative impacts of excessive noise on physical and mental wellness. Residents have shared personal stories of chronically disrupted sleep, children unable to play outdoors without covering their ears, challenges with working and learning at home, inability to hear intruders and vehicular hazards, and difficult choices about moving away from Menlo Park in order to find quiet. We also heard of residents in older rentals with thin windows and walls who cannot afford to move to quieter homes.

As Menlo Park seeks to add housing density in proximity to transit, and Caltrain ramps up its schedule, the already negative impacts of horn noise will worsen significantly.

Establishing a Quiet Zone in Menlo Park would enhance our City in untold ways. It is easy to imagine how much more desirable it would be to live, work, shop and recreate in proximity to the train, but without incessant horn noise.

In 2022, Atherton will extend their QZ to Watkins Avenue. By acting in 2021, Menlo Park can take the first steps to extend Atherton’s Quiet Mile south to our city. We fervently request that you designate the study of our four crossings for QZ status a top priority for this calendar year. Thank you for your consideration.

Respectfully,

Marcy Abramowitz, Maria Amundson, Joshua Gossett, Felton Gables HOA
Scott Barnum, Park Forest HOA
Alex Beltramo, Mills Street / San Antonio Avenue
JoAnne Goldberg, Linfield Oaks Neighborhood Association
Amy Mushlin, Mills Court
Matt Normington, Marquis HOA