Dear Menlo Park City Council,
Ive been a resident of West Menlo Park for over 30 years. Im writing to object to the proposal that at the intersection of Middle Avenue and Olive Street, an extremely unsafe scheme be adopted for left turns by bicycles traveling west on Middle.
Specifically, in Staff Report No. 24-073-CC, the Complete Streets Commission proposes selecting Option A of the two options in Attachment C (see pages N-1.5 and N-1.13). Option A permits bicycles to turn left from the far right lane. The Council should instead adopt Option B, which has a right turn pocket for cars, allowing bicycles to safely turn left from a middle lane between the two lanes for cars. Option B is a similar configuration used elsewhere in Silicon Valley.
Option A is dangerous and unsafe for several reasons:
-- It violates existing guidance from the California DMV on left turns:
Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety - California DMV
Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety - California DMV
DMV encourages everyone using the roads to respect each other, share the road, and travel safely, whether you ar...
At this link, if you expand "Making Left Turns Using Traffic Lanes" it says:
"Never make a left turn from the right side of the road, even if you are in a bicycle lane."
-- It will teach a generation of Menlo Park school-aged bicycle riders that its safe to turn left from the far right lane. Do you want our children to learn this?
-- Its not clear what a "protected intersection" is in Option A. That alone should be sent back to the CSC for more study and explanation. Will there be a traffic light at Middle and Olive? Thats ridiculous.
-- As a drive who turns right at that intersection several times a week, Im really scared about hitting a bicycle that zooms up from Middle and cuts across my right turn. Will the City be liable for such accidents?
Please reject Option A and instead pick Option B. At a minimum, send Option A back to the CSC for more study.
Thank you.
Michael Barclay
1854 Doris Drive
