Hello – my name is Sal Arora, and Im a resident of Coleman Ave. on the county side.
I’d like to share a little about myself and my family to give context to my perspective. In 2004, my wife and I, along with our two toddlers, moved to Menlo Oaks from San Francisco because we wanted our children to have easier access to their schools and neighborhood. Over the years, they walked to Laurel, biked or took the bus to Hillview, and then walked to MA. I’m sharing this because making our roads and neighborhood safer and more suitable for active transportation has always been a priority for me.
With that in mind, I’ve participated fully and in good faith in the Coleman/Ringwood Transportation Study, along with many of my neighbors. After nearly two years of discussions, the study proposed four pilot options for Coleman. Following community input and surveys, the "No Through Traffic/Road Closure" option was selected as the pilot to move forward.
This option emerged as the best choice because it met the Study’s goals more effectively than any other. Forty-five percent of survey respondents supported it, compared to only 15% for the one-way option. Initially when the Study started, I supported the one-way solution. However, as more data emerged, it became clear that two-way bike lanes on streets with multiple driveways and intersections can actually increase the risk of injuries, including higher chance of head-on collisions between cyclists (link below). With this new information, I became convinced that the "No Through Traffic" option offers a better chance of improving active transportation, compared to the one-way.
In short, after two years of study, I believed we had arrived at a well-researched, carefully considered pilot option that balanced the needs of traffic experts, best practices in active transportation, and the local community. Unfortunately, the past two months have been disappointing. It’s frustrating to see that a few loud voices can derail a thoughtful, community-driven process and push for an option that research suggests could be more dangerous than doing nothing.
I strongly urge the community to move forward with the "No Through Traffic" pilot recommended in the Coleman/Ringwood Transportation Study. Alternatively, we could consider the second most voted option: "No Turns on Coleman during School Hours," which would also significantly improve active transportation, and offer surgical relief during the brief morning and afternoon traffic periods.
Best regards,
Sal Arora
Study: Two-Way Bike Lanes Produce More Injuries: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2019/08/16/study-two-way-bike-lanes-produce-more-injuries
Notable Quotes: "Researchers found that calm, residential streets were the safest places for riding." (No-Through-Traffic and No-Turns-During-School Hours options help achieve this)
