Dear Council,
Thank you for considering safety improvements for Middle Ave. Transportation staff has presented a well-thought out menu of recommendations. During my time on the Bicycle Commission and Complete Streets Commission, the city removed parking on both sides of the street on Santa Cruz Ave, University Drive and Oak Grove Ave for bike lanes to great effect. Collisions dropped, bicycling increased, and speeding decreased leading to greater safety for all users.
Middle Ave should build on this demonstrated success by eliminating parking on both sides of the street. There is a huge experiential difference between riding a bike in a 5 bike lane with 2 buffers vs 7 and 4 buffers. On a corridor with three schools and two parks, it is crucial that we provide the safest possible implementation which is forgiving, comfortable bike lanes without dooring hazards.
Regards,
Jonathan Weiner
