I am very encouraged that the City Council is thinking in a forward-looking manner with regard to a traffic signal at Elder and Santa Cruz Avenue, coupled with the idea of eliminating the less effective one in front of the school gate on Santa Cruz Avenue. I was confused by the comment in the article about left-turns out of the school property. There already is a ban on left turns coming out of the school driveway on Elder towards Santa Cruz Avenue, or at least there was when my son went to the school three years ago. This was ineffective in traffic flow control, though, since many parents disobeyed the rule and many who followed it simply turned around on the nearby cul-de-sac or on Politzer Drive. A left-turn prohibition is no substitute for proper traffic control with a signal light, as Chip Taylor, city transportation manager, noted.

Traffic lights do not "solve" systemic traffic problems. They never do and they never will. For all the talk of solutions that only "shift" the traffic, not once did the city council or Chip Taylor consider that they need to provide alternative means & incentives for residents NOT to drive their car(s). The lack of actual sidewalks on Santa Cruz comes to mind...

The rush to install a traffic light smacks of insider politics and a focus on use it or lose it grant money rather than thinking about what is best for Menlo Park residents, parents, or students.

If you disagree, just stop by Hillview School during the morning/afternoon rush. Be on time though, it only lasts a few minutes (literally). Come and see for yourself - the real problem is too many cars in a physical space that cannot accommodate them. And adding another light will either have no impact or potentially make the situation worse.