March 2021

Complete Streets Commission to hear plan to close bike lane gap on Ravenswood Avenue

At its regular meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 10, the Complete Streets Commission will hear a plan to close the bike lane gap on Ravenswood Avenue between Alma Street and Noel Drive. Ravenswood Avenue, from El Camino Real to Middlefield Road, is one of the main east-west routes and provides access to key destinations including the Menlo Park Caltrain Station, downtown Menlo Park, Burgess Park, Civic Center and Menlo-Atherton High School. This route also serves many local businesses and residential units.

The Ravenswood Avenue Bike Lane project, from El Camino Real to Noel Drive, is included as part of project No. 78 in the Transportation Master Plan. Staff seek to complete this project along with the Ravenswood Avenue resurfacing project, which spans from Alma Street to Marcussen Drive, and is included in the city’s fiscal year 2020-21 Capital Improvement Program.

Review the agenda and staff report on the city website.

Save the date: March 16 virtual walk audit at Belle Haven Elementary

As part of its countywide Safe Routes to School program, the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) is conducting an online walk audit of Belle Haven School. A walk audit assesses streets in a particular study area, to see how safe and comfortable conditions are for walking and bicycling. The SMCOE is inviting the public to submit feedback in order to better understand the streets in the Belle Haven neighborhood.

This online walk audit survey is available in both English and Spanish, and is open until Friday, March 12, 2021. Users are able to submit feedback on topics related to streets in Belle Haven such as sidewalks, street crossings/intersections, comfort, driver behavior and safety. Users will be able to assist the SMCOE by plotting specific issues on a map imbedded in the survey and also submitting pictures.

Once the survey closes, the SMCOE will host a virtual walk audit for the Belle Haven School, on March 16, at 5 p.m.

What’s a walk audit? A walk audit allows to identify walking and biking challenges and assess how safe, comfortable and easy it is to walk or bike to a specific location. A walk audit usually gathers a small group of stakeholders (school staff, parents, students, City staff, officials elected) to make observations on the site and discuss potential solutions, e.g., installing a pedestrian crosswalk, improving the school drop off/pick up procedure, adding a curb extension, etc.

For more information about the SMCOE’s survey or the City of Menlo Park Safe Routes to School Program, please contact the Safe Routes to School Coordinator Andre-Anne Cadieux.

Upcoming bike safety classes by the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition

Prepping for Everyday Biking - Register online
Tuesday, March 16
6-7 p.m.
Come learn the ins and outs of biking for everyday use — grocery shopping, errands, and how to get wherever you are going safely and not break a sweat. Experienced commuters and new riders are encouraged to attend! SVBC staff will cover ride prep, gear, route planning and road navigation.   

Family Biking - Register online
Tuesday, April 27
6-7 p.m.
How to bike safely with children of any age. We’ll cover gear and equipment options to help you have a safe and enjoyable riding adventures! Presentation followed by time for Q&A with experienced family riders who are ready to share their experiences.

There are many other upcoming classes to find the best bike for you and women and biking. For more information, visit the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition webpage.

Safe Routes to School resources and events for students, parents and educators

The City and many organizations in and around our community are dedicated to Safe Routes to School and the education of our children. This can help them learn, be prepared and be safe when going to school. 

WheelKids, an organization dedicated to youth bicycling and hands-on learning, provides Middle School Bike Skills workshops in Menlo Park. Previous sessions were organized in 2019 and 2020 where many Menlo Park families gathered in the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center’s parking lot to attend the half-day class. The classroom portion of the workshop is done online before the in-person activity. The day of the workshop, participants learn about ABC quick check, hand signals, power starts, how to stop and traffic rules. New skills are then practiced during a two-hour on street ride in Menlo Park. The structure of the workshop was modified to follow the County guidelines regarding COVID-19, maintain physical distancing and ensure the safety of the participants and instructors. If you are interested in attending a future workshop in spring 2021, please email the Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator.

The class covers:

• Basic traffic laws
• Busy intersections
• The most common types of bike crashes and how to avoid them
• How to position yourself on the road
• How to let drivers know your intentions
• Proper hand signals for cyclists
• Basic bike and helmet fitting

Free virtual lessons with BikeMobile:
Want to know how to fix a flat tire, do a pre-ride ABC safety check, or choose the right bicycle for you? Check out the Bay Area Bike Mobile on Facebook for free virtual lessons  

Pedestrian safety education videos to exercise:
Orange County Transportation Authority developed two videos on pedestrian and bicycle safety as part of their project STEP (Safe Transportation Education Program). These two videos target grades K-2 and 3-6 and are great resources for teachers or parents to teach students about safe walking and biking while moving and social distancing.

• Grades K-2 video
• Grades 3-6 video

Drivers: Slowing down by just 5 mph makes a big difference to children walking and biking

More and more students are walking and biking to school! With your help, we can help our children feel safe and comfortable on their way to school. Here are a few tips for a safer drive: 

• Watch for children on bikes coming from driveways
  Look for bicyclists entering your travel lane from driveways and behind parked cars, and go slowly so you can stop quickly if children turn without looking or signaling.
• Avoid dooring and protect bicyclists
  Look around you and check your side mirrors before opening your door. Be extra careful in school zones and residential neighborhoods. "Dooring" refers to a collision where a bicyclist rides into a vehicle’s door or when a bicyclist changes his trajectory to avoid a door that was opened quickly by the driver or a passage. 
• Practice the “Dutch Reach” to open your door
  The Dutch Reach consists in using your far hand to open the car door. Reaching across for the door handle forces the driver or the passenger to swivel and automatically look out and back for bikes and traffic. 
• Slow down and keep your distance
  Slow down and give people biking plenty of space when passing. California law prescribes 3 feet minimum when passing a bicycle riding in the same direction (Cal. Veh. Code Art. III).  

Speed is directly related to crash severity and is also a likely factor in crash causation. Just a 5 or 10 mph difference in speed can greatly affect a vehicle’s stopping distance and reduce injury severity in the event that pedestrians are struck by a car. 

Help up reducing the barriers children face getting to school and reduces stress for families.

Pedestrian safety improvements near Sharon Road

On Jan. 26, 2021, the City Council selected a raised concrete sidewalk as the preferred alternative on Sharon Road, from Alameda de las Pulgas to Altschul Avenue. The project aims improve pedestrian safety and the connection to La Entrada Middle School. It also includes a new 15 miles per hour school zone speed limit.

Currently, the shoulder of the roadway is only partially paved and unsuitable for wheelchairs. During winter months, rain creates large puddles that pedestrians try to avoid by stepping into the street.

City staff collected feedback from residents and La Entrada parents, leading to a recommendation by the Complete Streets Commission before the City Council action in January. The new sidewalk is now in design and should be installed before next school year.

The Safe Routes to School program want to hear from you!

The purpose of Menlo Park's Safe Routes to Schools program is to enhance access to all schools that serve Menlo Park residents. The City leads the preparation of a Safe Routes to Schools plan with a particular focus on gathering input and feedback from school students, parents and residents near the school. The plans are also prepared in close coordination with the school district and administration.

We would like to hear your story! Walking and rolling to school or around your community is an opportunity to safely socialize and connect with your loved ones, (re)discover your neighborhood and get some fresh air. All those benefits are especially important during these challenging times. The Safe Routes to School team would like to share with the Menlo Park community moments and anecdotes where walking and biking was a joyful moment. Let us know what you like about walking or rolling to school or anywhere. Please send your story with a photo to Safe Routes to School Coordinator Andre-Anne Cadieux.

Please remember during these times practice safety precautions like staying home if you feel sick, wearing a mask in public and washing your hands often.