Comments for “Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan Update”
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This intersection presently has no bike lanes on three of its Middlefield approaches. I walk it frequently with trepidation. I don't bike it any more.Too many close call experiences. What about bike boxes? I'm concerned about making left turns at this intersection as a bicyclist. Also, I am concerned about drivers right hooking me in a protected bike lane. What will prevent that? In addition, as a pedestrian, I got stuck on the east side San Antonio median one time and a turning truck's flatbed almost swiped me as it ran over the median. I had to jump behind the light pole. Good thing I am nimble. That hazard needs to be fixed.
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Nelson Drive carries a lot of bike traffic and Cubberley field user auto traffic. Blind curves (currently posted 15MPH-a generally ignored restriction) need traffic calming. It should be a Bike Boulevard that should connect all the way to San Antonio Avenue via Ferne and Shasta, providing bike connections to back bike routes into Greendell, Cubberley, Charleston Shopping Center, and across Charleston to the super block schools, library, playing fields, and park facilities. Bike/ped connections to Nelson from Middlefield through the Cubberley campus should be greatly improved as part of the Cubberley master planning process. This could be a great bike connection for future San Antonio Rd. housing residents. Future Nelson BB should also connect to the Creekside bridge to Walnut Grove and Carlson school route crossing of Charleston Road. A Ferne connection will augment the proposed connection at Mackay which is less direct for some trips (like Greendell and Cubberley, for instance.
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Middlefield Rd is very inappropriate for any type of bike lane protection. It is hazardous for cars, and even more so for bicyclists. No removal of parking and addition of a bike lane would make it safer for bicyclists.
Other North/South corridors are much better. Bryant is decent. Pope/Newel/Louis are much better than Middlefield to consider for other N/S bicycling. Improve/replace the Hwy 101 bridge at California to expand onto better pathways on the bay side.
I am a regular bicycle commuter. I use (safer) corridors throughout Palo Alto on a near daily basis.
Middlefield, like Alma, is not a place for bicyclists. -
Going into/coming out of the tunnel, especially on the W side, there is no visibility. Cyclists (usually PALY students) bike down the ramp at great speed – just yesterday, one almost ran into me as I was approaching the ramp coming from Homer. I have previously reported this spot and saw a number of comments expressing the same concern, so I am surprised not to see it addressed.
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Can we consider a traffic diverter like the one installed on Palo Alto Ave for Hawthorne and Everett. Both streets get a lot of cut through traffic that would be better accommodated by Lytton which will have protected bike facilities. Otherwise, some other way to slow traffic down along both streets would be desirable during the AM/PM rush.
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This whole complex would be so much easier (safer) to get to by bike if Middlefield had bike lane along it.
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This intersection of Palo Alto Avenue and Alma Street sees bicyclists making several movements exposed to vehicle traffic. Bicyclists coming from Menlo Park sometimes use the sidewalk along Alma headed South, the plan to create protected bike lanes along Alma will address this, but thought should be given to how a cyclist heading southbound will cross Palo Alto Avenue and enter the correct southbound bike lane as opposed to using the crosswalk to enter the sidewalk abutting the eastern side of Alma Street.
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I concur with most of the others that have commented before me that encouraging cyclists to use the quieter parallel streets makes much more sense than looking to have Middlefield Rd be a major bike thorougfare. When I bicycle through north Palo Alto to destintions along Middlefield, I take Webster, darting across Embarcadero when traffic allows (this intersection could be improved to be like the one at Bryant, but I usually don't have to wait long for a coincident break in traffic in both directions, as the Middlefield light is a block away), and then use Cowper or Garland and Ross to cross Oregon Expwy and continue on my way.
When I'd like a more direct and priveleged ride with fewer stop signs and unchecked cross traffic, I go a few extra blocks and take the Bryant bike boulevard. -
I oppose Middlefield Rd north of Oregon Expressway having separated bike lanes with no parking.
This section of Middlefield Rd is a main throughfare with one lane in each direction where it's rare that cars go at or below the posted 25mph speed limit. Even with separated bike lanes, the intersections would be very hazardous to cyclists, as fast cross and turning traffic are very dangerous.
As well, parking is at a premium, given the predominance of older houses that face Middlefield with mimimal offstreet parking and tiny or converted garages. Not to mention the many public facilities that rely on street parking. -
Removing parking on one side of E Meadow is a bad idea. Please survey the number of parked cars especially with all the construction on the street, constant park usage, and on Sunday morning when the many churches hold services.
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I strongly oppose the removal of parking on Middlefield Road to make room for bike lanes.
1. Parking is already extremely limited for residents along Middlefield Rd. Taking away the parking lane will only push cars into surrounding residential streets, which are already crowded. That’s going to lead to frustration, arguments over space, and people having to walk long distances — sometimes even crossing a busy street without a safe crosswalk — just to get home. It’s not just inconvenient; it’s dangerous.
2. Middlefield Rd is not a safe environment for biking. It is a high-traffic road where drivers often speed. I honestly don’t think it’s responsible to encourage people to bike on a street like this. It puts cyclists at risk and adds to the stress on an already chaotic road.
I truly believe there are better, safer places for bike lanes - and Middlefield Rd just isn’t one of them. I hope the city will listen to the people who live here and think carefully about the real-world effects of this change. -
Drivers frequently ignore the pedestrian right of way at the crosswalks at both Middlefield & Everett and Middlefield & Hawthorne. Part of the problem is poor visibility as the driver's view of pedestrians is blocked by nearby street trees. Also part of the problem is the blatant disregard for pedestrian right of way by drivers and there is almost never any enforcement for the crosswalks or the turn restriction. We are teaching drivers and they can do anything with no fear of accountability.
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Adding protected bike lanes to an already overburdened residential arterial just invites more conflict. This would likely require removal of the center turn lane and the turn restrictions which have both contributed to the dramatic reduction in vehicle collisions on this short stretch of Middlefield (Collisions were once the highest number of any 2 blocks in Palo Alto). The center lane also gives delivery vehicles a place to briefly stop where no parking near homes is allowed. It makes no sense to concentrate cars and bikes on one road where resident parking was removed many years ago and and where residents already endure long traffic backups daily during commute hours.
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Provide a bike lane on Louis all the way to E. Charleston. It's ridiculously dangerous to have a full lane shared at an intersection; people whip around the corner and don't look for bicycles.
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Please consider putting a crosswalk here. There is a lot of foot traffic crossing Stanford Ave here (despite the lack of a crosswalk( to access the Stanford campus, Escondido Elementary, EVGR, the Stanford shuttle, etc.
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I frequently walk, bike, and drive at this intersection. Please consider installing a proper sidewalk along Bowdoin for all the foot/bike traffic to and from SCRA, Stanford, Escondido, etc.
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Dangerous corner, Lincoln and Middlefield. Numerous accidents happen here weekly, city is aware of this. DO NOT suggest a bike lane on busy Middlefield, also where will the residents park?
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The intersection of Lincoln and Middlefield is very dangerous. Numerous crashes take place monthly. This is currently being looked at by the city, DO NOT recomend bike lane on Middlefield!
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Develop policy to minimize curb cuts within the downtown and Cal Ave pedestrian zones. There are many curb cuts for driveways/parking entrances which make it less safe for pedestrian travel.
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I strongly opposed the concept of suppressing parking along Middlefield and creating protected bike lanes instead. More often than not, cars are not respecting the speed limit which will make the proximity of kids on bike extremely dangerous to them. In addition to this, parking in the area is proving challenging with the success of the Junior Zoo that is bringing cars from everywhere and makes street-side parking already challenging enough. The recent dedication of a turning lane to enter Walter Hayes has proven how apparently smart approaches can backfire. The traffic sign is knocked down on a monthly basis, confused drivers are entering the school parking lot to continue their way to downtown and near collisions with speeding cars happen daily. Dont make this worse!
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Homer tunnel is a key crossing in this area but traveling north east is difficult due to the one block contraflow protected bike lane. Extend or modify this and other one-way streets to two way street to make more bike friendly and improve network.
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Middlefield Rd between Embarcadero and Oregon is a relatively narrow street. Creating a protected bike lane by removing parking will force residents along Middlefield to park on either only one side of Middlefield or side streets. This will increase pedestrians crossing Middlefield to get to or unload their cars as well as increase tensions with residents in side streets.
As a residential and school adjacent street, as well as a main thoroughfare, Middlefield sees a high volume of traffic as well as high speed traffic. When I biked along Middlefield to get to and from school, I never biked on Middlefield the street. I always biked on the sidewalk or along parallel side streets - it's just safer. Making protected bike lanes won't reduce the volume or speed of traffic on Middlefield. In fact, if parking is removed, it would make drivers faster.
In regards to parking, biker safety, resident safety, neighbor tensions, a protected bike lane along Middlefield doesn't make sense. . . .unless we're talking about reconstructing this section of Middlefield into a wider street.
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Please be aware that Don Ramos Park only has street parking near it so any it is a SUPER bad idea to restrict parking on E. Meadow near the park. It would be prioritizing bikes over park access - bikes can go on other routes but the park is where it is.
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I strongly oppose removing street parking on Middlefield Road, especially near Greene Middle School. Installing a protected Class IV bike lane here will:
Create safety issues for homeowners and cyclists due to driveway conflicts and narrow lanes.
Eliminate essential parking for renters, ADU residents, visitors, and school events, pushing overflow into already crowded neighborhood streets.
Reduce accessibility and equity, especially for families with mobility challenges or time constraints.
Undermine emergency access and deter civic participation due to limited parking.
Contradict Palo Alto’s bike planning, which favors safer, quieter streets like Park Lane for bike routes.
Middlefield is too busy and narrow for this change. Please protect parking and consider alternate bike paths on less-trafficked streets.Project: 11a–11d
Position: Opposed -
Please do not make East Meadow the same mess that is around Green Middle school. The circle at Ross & Meadow is already much more dangerous than it was as a plain 4-way stop. Removing parking on the street around JLS will make an already difficult area after school impossible. The only way to fix this is to make the driveway into JLS go through, past new Hoover so cars can come in on E. Meadow and exit on Charleston. Then there is a good path for cars to be out of the way of bikes. Have the kids on bikes go through Mitchell Park and cross Middlefield at Mayview.