Peter C. you had some knowledgeable opinions on this. What say you especially re emergency vehicles.

Council member Widmer asked the staff the very simple question - "Have you talked to the Fire District about this'?

Sadly, in spite of the Fire District having expressed its concerns numerous times to the Town, the answer was No.

What a refreshing view from the Atherton Council, in stark contrast to efforts being headed by Ohtaki, which in Menlo Park seek to expand El Camino from 4 lanes to 6 lanes. This goes along with his views on development which can be summarized by "build bigger and denser". (and BTW, "please developers contribute to my campaign")

Ohtaki should not be re-elected period.

Vote Yes on M

Do not vote for any of the incumbents.

Traffic can be bad enough. I'm failing to see the benefits of reducing the lanes.

"In his report on the proposed study, Mr. Kashiwagi said that even though 31,000 vehicles pass through Atherton on El Camino Real each day, the town has only one traffic signal."

Me thinks the Town of Atherton needs a new Community Services Director. hasn't done his homework. The town has two traffic signals. For some reason Kashiwagi is nor aware of the signal at Menlo College (Encinal) and El Camino.

oops, let me provide a corrected version without all the typos.

"In his report on the proposed study, Mr. Kashiwagi said that even though 31,000 vehicles pass through Atherton on El Camino Real each day, the town has only one traffic signal."

Kashiwagi needs to recount his town's traffic signals. The town actually has several traffic signals, two of which are on ECR. For some reason Kashiwagi is not aware of the signal at Menlo College (Encinal) and El Camino. The other signals are at Marsh and Middlefield and Oak Grove and Middlefield.

In October 2012, two women were seriously injured by an SUV driver while walking together across El Camino, in the crosswalk at Isabella Avenue. In 2010 55-year-old Honofre Mendoza and 62-year-old Christopher Chandler were killed by drivers in separate crashes at the same intersection. And on July 23, 2014 Shahriar Rahimzadeh was killed crossing at Almendral Avenue.

An excellent article re Atherton traffic safety and plans is found at Web Link

I don't even know why Atherton is considering this. I can understand why Atherton would want to make the commute for out of towners terrible, but Atherton residents use El Camino too, and this would greatly worsen traffic on El Camino, which is already pretty bad.

Atherton and Caltrans probably don't want to go to the trouble of installing a bunch of signals, but that's probably the only long term solution.

It would have been nice if Atherton had published this report before I mailed in my ballot, then I would have known to not vote for any incumbents.

Reduce the lanes on El Camino and I (and many others) will just drive through Atherton.

It's great news that Atherton is willing to study putting El Camino on a road diet. Road diets have been proven to improve safety for all users. From the Federal Highway Administration:

"Road diets have multiple safety and operational benefits for vehicles as well as pedestrians, such as:

-Decreasing vehicle travel lanes for pedestrians to cross, therefore reducing the multiple-threat crash (when one vehicle stops for a pedestrian in a travel lane on a multi-lane road, but the motorist in the next lane does not, resulting in a crash) for pedestrians,
-Providing room for a pedestrian crossing island,
-Improving safety for bicyclists when bike lanes are added (such lanes also create a buffer space between pedestrians and vehicles),
-Providing the opportunity for on-street parking (also a buffer between pedestrians and vehicles),
- Reducing rear-end and side-swipe crashes, and
- Improving speed limit compliance and decreasing crash severity when crashes do occur." (source: Web Link

(more here: Web Link and here: Web Link

In short, before everyone sets their hair on fire about this, it would be wise to learn a little more about *why* Atherton is studying something that sounds so counter-intuitive. El Camino is, in its current configuration, a hazard to pedestrians and people on bicycles and to the motorists who have the misfortune of hitting them.

Mr Wells:

reducing lanes isn't going to fix the problem. It will simply impact your neighbors with even worse traffic. Of course, as is par for the course for most Atherton residents, you could care less how it effects your neighbors.

If you choke ECR down to 4 lanes through Atherton all will you do is make traffic to the north and south MUCH worse. Then again you may also increase cut through traffic on your own side streets. That would be your come upance.

Bottom line, reducing the lanes on a state highway is a STUPID idea. Menlo Park is even starting to figure that one out. I know Athertonians would like to pretend they exist in a vacuum, but you don't. ECR is a state highway running the full length of the peninsula.

So whats the big deal? There are only 4 lanes in Menlo Park and 4 lanes in RWC to the north past target. The 6 in Atherton only make for a drag strip, which is no big deal except its apparently getting dangerous. And that goes for fire trucks too, and they seem to be fine with it in those cities. Peter really do you think they will try and do this without asking the fire department?

You want safety, its the only answer. Plus you get a nice bike path to boot. Atherton is spot on with this leave them follow it for a while with a little support. or do you have a better idea?

" Peter really do you think they will try and do this without asking the fire department?"

Perhaps but, under State law, the Fire District must approve any ECR lane reduction.

Just a clarification - The staff report refers to signalized intersections completely within the town's boundaries. Only one is not shared with one or more other jurisdictions - Menlo Park or San Mateo County in most cases.

Thanks Barbara.
Yes, on ECR Atherton Ave is the only signal completely within Atherton. However, Marsh/Middlefield, Encinal/Middlefield and Oak Grove/Middlefield are also completely within Atherton's boundaries.

But for the city to say there is only one signal controlling traffic through town even on ECR is totally inaccurate when the topic is safety as the Encinal signal provides control for exiting and entering sections of Atherton. Also Atherton is responsible for traffic/police control of the western half of ECR from Valpariso to Watkins, which includes the ECR/Encinal signal.

To Menlo Voter, if you think more lanes is solution add more to your town. RC and Menlo have 4 lanes leading into Atherton. It's time Atherton joined your elite 4 lane club and stop the spending through our town. Boo-hoo you have to wait 30 seconds more in traffic. Oh wait, maybe you want to speed out of Menlo to get away from the blight on El Camino in your special town.

Let me do some rough estimates. 31000 divided by 6 = 5100 cars per lane and divided by 4 = 7750 cars per lane. So each lane carries 2650 more cars daily. And these are daily not commute time numbers. Caltran would never allow this. Period. It would be regressing. I expect Menlo Park will move to 6 lanes before long.

Hey:

in case you didn't know MP is studying opening up to three lanes in each direction. Then we'll tie nicely into Palo Alto and the only remaining choke point will be RWC. Unless of course, Atherton is stupid enough to reduce lanes to four. Cut through traffic anyone?

SM County is going to spend $12.5 million to redo seven short blocks of Middlefield in Fair Oaks between 5th Ave and Pacific. Reducing it to three lanes, parallel parking and a bike lane. Using that 1/2 cent sales tax that was voted in.

I understand ECR is a state road but for crying out loud what's the holdup on ECR for all these years. Even Middlefield received numerous in road flashing crosswalks several years ago. It's almost like ignore ECR in Atherton to keep the walking and biking proletariat out of the town so they don't have the opportunity to lower the Athertonian standards, whatever those may be.

Web Link

Just to keep the lawyers happy, I have an open mind on this issue but I have yet to see any data that shows reducing the number of lanes will not also increase emergency response times.

Actually, I have not even seen the issue of emergency response times included in the RFP.

Having lived here in Atherton all of my life, and sadly remembering when Menlo Park reduced their lanes from 6 to 4 choking traffic for blocks, I am totally against reducing Atherton's ECR to 4 lanes. I am in favor of those wonderful blinking pedestrian street lights which are on Middlefield Road in Redwood City. I truly believe that would solve all of the problems for pedestrians and cyclists crossing. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater !!

alright ladies and gents, time again for a lesson about el camino. It is state highway 82. As a state highway, have you noticed that you have NEVER seen blinking lights going across it, anywhere up or down the peninsula. They dont put those lights across 6 lanes of highway traffic, someone will get killed thinking because they pushed the button they're safe. And have you noticed how almost anywhere you've seen them on city streets, there are inoperative ones? Caltrans would go nuts trying to keep those working, because if just one is malfunctioning, they'll get sued if theres an accident.

Once and foreall, enough about the blinking lights.They will not happen.

The County will reduce Middlefield Road from 4 to 3 lanes in North Fair Oaks. Their rationale is the same -- safety for bikes and pedestrians.

The Fire Department is throwing a hissy fit:

Jon Johnston, a senior fire inspector with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, brought up another concern -- the district wasn't consulted about the redesign.

"Middlefield Road is a primary response route," Johnston said. "The district is not in favor of any road design that slows emergency response."

En Fuego - What part of "slowing down fire engines is not a good idea" do you not understand?

Peter
If the density in the area keeps rising and the roads become parking lots the FD might want to think beyond that little drone to full-fledged flying fire trucks.

"If the density in the area keeps rising and the roads become parking lots the FD might want to think beyond that little drone to full-fledged flying fire trucks."

You are absolutely correct. I have been pushing for years to get MPFPD to adopt the MotoMedic model pioneered by Daytona Beach Fla in which two EMT/Paramedics are dispatched on motorcycles to any medical call with the fire engine only following along if needed. Change is slow in the fire service and I am pleased to see the overhead perspective drone program being launched at MPFPD.

Interestingly I began my career as a US Forest Service Smokejumper so I really get finding better and quicker ways to to the scene of an emergency.