Comments for “Palo Alto Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan (BPTP) Update (ARCHIVE)”
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The bike box here is an extreme hazard for cars turning left the rest of the day and seems to be teaching kids to zoom across car bumpers at other intersections. National standards for bike boxes are for intersections **with good visibility in all directions** which is not the case here. The DMV emphasizes that cars should not just trust a light while turning but drivers should look both directions before pulling into an intersection, but this is not possible at all because the bike box allows almost zero visibility for cars to the left. A light does not protect cars as our transportation department keeps insisting as this intersection light is frequently run. I have myself nearly been broadsided more than once by cars running the light at full speed on Arastradero. If you stop at the line during the 23.5 hours of the day when there are almost never bikes present, when the light turns, you have to drive up and stop to check for cross traffic which puts you in danger of being rear ended by someone behind who would not expect that behavior which has also happened. Worst of all, when that bike box went in, all over town, kids on bikes began racing across car bumpers to pull ahead of them at intersections, assuming even tiny spaces of inches with a bike in the paint means it’s a bike box and they are supposed to pull in front. I’ve also seen kids pull into Arastradero from Donald against the light more than once, mimicking behavior based on the light conditions in the morning that are not standard to favor getting them across. Only by shear luck are they alive today. I’ve also seen adult bikers on the sidewalk to cross at the light—when I asked why they didn’t use the bike box, they said it was confusing. When told this, the City dropped full page color instructions on doorsteps—traffic conditions should never require nonintuitive full page instructions, assuming no one new will ever use the road. Lastly, this intersection is still extremely hazardous for young bikers despite the bike box and in some ways because of it. It needs a redesign that takes the need for car passenger safety into account too, the need for visibility when turning, and the need for safety of bikes at that intersection in the morning where parents are still dropping their kids off at the corner and then pulling into Donald to turn onto Arastradero creating danger for the bikes including because of them pulling around for the bike box (also leaving those who can’t fit stuck behind alone amid large buses and cars.)
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The light going across Sand Hill Road here takes forever to change to green even when you press the pedestrian button.
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Although there is a bicycle trigger for the left turn arrow from Quarry Road (biking towards El Camino) into Vineyard Lane, the trigger often does not work unless the bike is in exactly the right position. I either have waited multiple cycles for a car to come (rare at some times of the day) or get off my bike and push the walk button that is on the median. (Sorry, I also made this comment by mistake at the intersection of Welch and Quarry Road)
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Although there is a bicycle trigger for the left turn arrow from Quarry Road (biking towards El Camino) into Vineyard Lane, the trigger often does not work unless the bike is in exactly the right position. I either have waited multiple cycles for a car to come (rare at some times of the day) or get off my bike and push the walk button that is on the median.
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For decades, this intersection has been a problem for elementary school kids walking to school from the neighborhood.Large groups of bike going to Gunn treat the stop sign like it doesn’t exist. If little kids try to cross they are swarmed and have been hit. Parents have to walk their kids instead of sending them independently. It can be virtually impossible to cross safely or at all sometime even accompanied. Police have come out and given tickets but all it does is make students cry and if they stop from then on they risk being hurt by the students who don’t stop. Complaints to the high school and promises of better education never change things. This location needs a crossing guard so little kids from the neighborhood can walk to school by themselves.
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Please put in bike lanes on BRYANT street. Cars are parked along Bryant but there are no bike lane markings.
BRYANT Street is a safe routes to school street, just like North California ave, but only North California has bike lane markings. Put in bike lanes pleaseLiked 3 times -
Going north on bike path between the soccer field and El Camino. When one comes to Palo Alto Ave it makes sense to turn right into Palo Alto Ave. then one must go 1/2 block across the tracks and then cross Palo Alto Ave to get into the path over San Francisquito Creek. Otherwise one has to go across the intersection of El Camino and Palo Alto Ave and then go against traffic and in the wrong way in the bike lane to access the bike bridge to Menlo Park and Alan Ave.
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put in a bike lane - on the east side of Stanford ave (direction going north towards El Camino) - otherwise kids will continue to bike on the sidewalk.
This puts the kids' lives at risk when they bike up Stanford Ave towards El Camino as they bike on sidewalk and traverse intersections (hopping on and off sidewalks) because there is no designated bike laneLiked 3 times -
even though Embarcadero is not a safe routes to school, Palo Alto high kids will constantly use Embarcadero sidewalk to walk and run or jog along the sidewalk of Embarcdero Road to get to Paly.
IN THE Mornings, you will notice the "northern" side of Embarcadero road (car direction south-west) is very packed with Paly students using the sidewalk to walk or run to school.However there is very little barrier between the incredibly buisy and fast cars on Embarcadero and the sidewalk. Consider putting in a barrier - metal fencing. Lives will be saved - pedestrian lives.
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this intersection needs to stop all traffic on El Camino and Stanford ave to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross.
There are new stop signs on El Camino in Barron Park that completely stop traffic on El Camino for long lengths of time, but at Stanford x EL Camino where you get lots of Palo Alto high students and Stanford students crossing and navigating this incredibly busy intersection, the lights are super short for pedestrians or cyclists and it is not pedestrian cyclist protectedLiked 1 time -
can we add more lighting and cameras here in this underground tunnel? Many Palo Alto high students use this underpass to bike or walk to Palo Alto high, but there have been a few cases of Palo Alto citizens being mugged in this underpass and robbed of their iphones etc.
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The entire length of Embarcadero Road going west direction has no fencing between the sidewalk curb and Embarcadero street. Cars whip along Embarcadero at extremely high speeds all hours of the day, and if they should jump the curb, students walking and biking to Paly could easily be killed.
Likewise if a student trips and falls, they can easily fall towards the side of the road with traffic on Embarcadero road (north side of Embarcadero road) which travels in the westerly direction, and be killed. There needs to be a barrier of some sort - metal fencing or railing to divide both cars and pedestrian walkwyaLiked 1 time -
There is not enough street lighting on Addison between Ramona and Ln D E. Because Ln D E is an ally way, and homes often have only their car driveways and garages face east side of Addison road, so the "front yard" of PROPERTIES FACING ADDISON ave on the east side of Addison Ave are not lit up. At night time, the entire east side of Addison Ave is dimly lit and more street lamp posts should be installed along Addison Ave between Ramona AND BRYANT given many students cycle north along Addison towards Bryant (as it is a safe routes to school street). Also many elementary kids bike, walk or scooter on the side walk of Addison (going north east) where the street and intersections are dimly lit.
Given day light savings time, and winter making things darker in the evenings, consider adding more street light on Addison ave (between Bryant & RAMONA)Liked 2 times -
Consider putting speed bumps ON Bryant close to the roundabout.
A few months ago, a clinic worker who works in one of the facilities in downtown Palo Alto and often takes Bryant Street, was rounding the corner of the roundabout so fast, his car jumped the curb and hit the lamppost on the north east corner of Addison x Bryant, and completaely severed the STEEL LAMPPOST In half. Thankfully this was erly moraninag on Saturady.
IF this had been any other school day, a child or middle schooler or high schooler or walker or jogger could have easily been hit by this car turning the corner at such top notch speed, and killed someone.People familiar with this roundabout, go around it at breakneack speeds. There needs to be a speed bump right as cars enter the round about ON BRYANT in both directions, which forces cars to SLOW DOWN
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Consider putting in speed bumps along Addison. Children often bike up and down Addison to go to Greene Middle School, Addison Elementary school, or Palo Alto High, especially because Bryant is a safe routes to school road.
However because ADDISON is open to both Almaand Middlefield road, cars speed along Addison like they are on the race tracks. Especially along Ramona - cars also whip by as they cross Addison Ave.Liked 1 time -
Taverna blocking the sidewalk is really getting a bit much. How long is the road and sidewalk going to be blocked? The pandemic is long over, can we go back to normal already.
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cars parked on College ave on the southbound side (west side of College ave) are so close to the stop sign (2-way stop) that cars, pedestrians and cyclists have trouble having a clear line of vision along Williams when going south-east along Williams street.
Both sides of the south bound curb (west side of the street) on College ave, at the intersection of College x Williams MUST BE PAINTED RED SO CARS DO NOT PARK RIGHT UP TO THE STOP SIGN and block the line of vision
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There needs to be a speed bump at Williams x Stanford because there is one stop sign at Stanford x Yale and then only a tiny speed bump at Wellesley x Stanford. So cars hit maximal speed on Stanford (north and south bound) ON STANFORD WHEN THEY REACH WILLIAMS street and literally whip past WIlliams x Stanford at extremely high rates.
SPEED BUMPS AND BIKe lanes need to be created along Stanford because it is a high pedestrian, jogger and middle and high school bicyclist route.
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There is a stop sign at Yale x Stanford and a speed bump at Wellesley x Stanford. However, between Yale and Wellesley Ave ON STANFORD, there is neither a stop sign or a speed bump and carps whip past Stanford at high speeds in both directions at Williams x Stanford ave. It's both dangerous and there needs to be a stop sign or a speed bump at Stanford x Williams to slow down traffic.
Also the speed bumps are so small, that cars go at high speeds over the existing speed bump at Wellesley x Stanford.
Furthermore, parked cars on Stanford block the line of vision for the many cyclists that exit out of Williams onto Stanford ave.
There is also a tendancy for the elementary, Greene middle and Palo Alto high school students who bike North on Stanford Ave towards El Camino to use the pedestrian side walks as there is no clear bike lane ont he east side of Stanford Ave for cyclists to bike towards El Camino (towards Palo Alto High or Greene Middle School), leading to increased danger for both pedestrians and cyclists.
A BIKE Lane must be created on the east side of Stanford so cyclists biking north on Stanford towards Paly high or Greene Middle school are more protected.
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I've repeated near-misses as right-turning motorists weren't aware of cyclists in the separated bike lane due to a lack of visibility
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Homer and Channing should be redrawn to allow for a single vehicle lane and a dedicated bike lane. This would provide a much needed route for bikes to / from Bryant. There is not enough traffic to warrent two vehicle lanes on these streets and we would be better served to have dedicated bike lanes.
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Suggest adapting the traffic pattern to include a left turn lane for westbound traffic on University.
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This is the intersection is pitch dark for Paly kids who are walking and crossing or biking and crossing making it very unsafe for them. Install street lights on both sides on this intersections where kids are visible when they are walking/bining across.
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This intersection is very unsafe for Paly students who are walking or biking across this intersection. This should be a 4 way stop.
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Palo Alto Police or Palo alto traffic control should be present more often in the morning between 8:30am -- 9:15am at this intersection to give tickets to the cars who violate traffic rule where they shouldn't be going straight on Alma towards Paly during this time.
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