Peter Caryotakis
500 La Mesa Ct
Menlo Park, CA 94028
Cell 650 279 7411
Dear City Council,
I have two issues to bring up!
First, why is the the road construction work on Middlefield Road is unfinished!! Someone is going to get killed soon because its a MESS!
The work has erased a whole traffic lane on Middlefield at both the Ravenswood and Ringwood intersections. Many cars have no idea how to merge across two lanes of traffic to make a left turn to continue on to Ringwood Avenue to the current M-A campus entrance, parking lots, and gyms. This is how the current traffic is supposed to go everyday. Maybe some of Menlo-Parks southbound 101 traffic tries to do this same "short cut"
Continuing south on Middlefield from the Ringwood Avenue Intersection, the construction has merged all of the Middlefield Road since there are no yellow lines separating the North and Southbound traffic.
Did the budget for the project neglect to add the repainting the white lines for south board traffic or yellow lines further south? Is the lack of lines due to the rains that stopped any repainting?? Is it the Countys fault? When are you going to order someone to do the work?? Have they forgotten?? Did the rains give them too much to do elsewhere??
Please return the lines so we can go back to what was already a terrible traffic snarl!
The second issue
A previous principal at Menlo-Atherton, Matt Zito, said the City knows both of these intersections are rated "F" I assume that means they are dangerous, yet, the city if finally opening its new housing on El Camino and plans even more housing at the SRI site. (and USGS??) Dont you think you should FIX these two intersections BEFORE you allow any more traffic to flow through them??
I say "FLOW" because traffic does move. Yet these two intersections hold up traffic along Middlefield and on to the highway every single day. Right now, the usual risks for drivers has been increased while a HUGE percentage of the high school students in your city have to go through these intersection on foot, bike or car. Thats not counting all the teachers, workers, and parents who also have to get to M-A. Huge numbers of parents are forced to drive because the Sequoia Union High District uses its school busses elsewhere, rather than for its biggest school.
The Ringswood Intersection has a HUGE percentage or the SamTrans bussed students walking through it. If only those students could be dropped off on the schools own sidewalk next to the buildings where its safe? Perhaps even in nice yellow school busses?? (Yes, Im going to complain to the school board next!!)
Right now? YOU, yes, you the COUNCIL needs to get the work done to repaint the intersection !!
Or tell your mayor to get on the ball or the County.
NEXT? Before you consider even one more commuting resident in this area or person doing business in Menlo Park, and you are planning a FEW, you need to make the intersections WORK!
HOW? The Sequoia Union High School District has done its part by putting a HUGE entrance at the end of Ravenswood Avenue. Its been there for a decade? Ever since the PAC Center was put in. Have you connected to it? No. Have you fixed your "F" intersections? NO!! Matt Zito was principal when the district put in all its new construction, or oversaw it from the district office. Hes not at the district to push you anymore.
Dont you think its about time you put some money into this problem before you just make the traffic worse or a student gets killed?? When that happens? I will have this letter to show I tried to get you to act. How will you feel? Do you need members of the Sequoia Union High School District Board to come plead with you??
Find the money.
Get it done.
Ill see you at each and every one of your board meeting soon, until you announce plans to fix the intersections. Ill start with just me, then Ill add the whole Menlo-Atherton community.
In the meantime? Go out and REPAINT the lines that need to be on Middlefield Road... next week!!
Peter Caryotakis
Local Resident since 1969
M-A Teacher since 1987.
Retiring soon, so Ill have LOTS of time to sit in on every council meeting until you get around to this!
