So CalTrans just lost over $20M if I read this correct, but did offer $20k. Seems about right. California does not employ a reasonable sense standard. We, taxpayers, pay that price. This cross-walk has and is been a source of many accidents and far more 'close' calls. Nothing new, they just wait until the fines are so hefty and possibly court requirements to make changes. I feel for the families as this was a preventable accident(s). The state made the choice not to address (and still has not fixed, planned, but not fixed).

I am so sorry for these accidents - I have seen so many near hits at this exact location and I can't believe nothing has been done to improve peoples safety - there is an inherent blind spot when you are the car driving along El Camino that you just cannot see the pedestrian and are not sure why the other cars have stopped - it's just crazy unsafe!

A new pedestrian beacon was just installed at the Almendral intersection. Next year, pedestrian beacons will be installed on the Isabella and Alejandra intersections. These should make El Camino much safer for pedestrians.

For $20 million CalTrans could have installed a traffic light controlled sidewalk in at every ECR intersection in Atherton. Saving several lives and a number of injuries. Gov't works in strange ways.

As thankful as I am that there's a marked crossing at Middlefield & Linfield, I am terrified of a similar tragedy taking place there. Please add a light to that intersection or remove the crossing.

Teach your children never assume cars will stop for people in a crosswalk. Wait for no cars or make eye contact with the drivers and Aways assume there will be another car in the blind spot on a multi lane road. [part removed.]

@aware, victim blaming does not add value to the discussion. I drive over that crosswalk three times a week and its design is inexcusable; I have witnessed several close calls.

El Camino Real is unfortunately a fine example of a "stroad", a term the Strong Towns organization (see http://www.strongtowns.org) has coined to describe a hybrid between a "street" (think Santa Cruz Avenue in downtown Menlo Park) and a "road" (think Foothill Expressway in Los Altos or Central Expressway in Mountain View). See Web Link for a description of stroads and why they should be eliminated, not the least because they are demonstrably dangerous, expensive, and financially unproductive.

I personally would prefer to see El Camino Real become more of a "street", at least in Menlo Park. If Atherton residents would prefer ECR to become more of a "road", they should consider significantly limiting access (for both pedestrians AND cars) and re-engineering the road for expressway speeds. Adding pedestrian beacons without a complete re-design of the stroad to decrease traffic speeds will make absolutely no difference in pedestrian safety. As Strong Towns points out: if you need a sign to tell people to slow down, you designed the street wrong. #SlowTheCars

@David
Atherton wants ECR to be a "street." I believe they have a proposal to remove one lane of traffic in each direction to be replaced with a bike lane and sidewalk. The town wants make ECR more accommodating for non-drivers and safer. A key point to remember is that Atherton's constituency are its residents who vote and pay taxes to the town.

OTOH, Caltrans wants ECR to be a "road". Its constituency is drivers. They fund Caltrans through gas taxes, bridge tolls, etc. and make their desires well-known by complaining about road conditions. Caltrans' goal is to make travel up and down the peninsula as fast and efficient as possible.

What you have here are two constituencies with conflicting goals. They each control a political entity that has significant, but incomplete control over ECR.

Caltrans owns ECR. They have final say over what changes happen to it. Atherton exerts influence over what happens to ECR because a stretch of it is within the town. Caltrans have to work with the town to get any changes as well.

And that is why we have a stroad and will always have a stroad.

The widow had said that "the money from the settlement is not what she really wants. "It doesn't bring him back." and that "she hopes, however, that the verdict will get Caltrans' attention. "The whole reason we did this is to get Caltrans to start listening to people and not pretend they have to wait" to make safety improvements."

If she really felt this way then she would give the $9 million back demanding that it be used specifically for the lights that she really wants to save lives.

@Atherton Resident: You're suggesting that the family give the money back to Caltrans? It's not the obligation or duty of the surviving family members to use the money they received for THEIR loss to fund Caltrans to do what Caltrans should have done YEARS ago.

When will these lights be installed at the crosswalk at Isabella Ave.?

Earlier this week I witnessed a near fatal accident when a car driving north on El Camino did not stop for a teenager crossing the street in the crosswalk. This is an extremely dangerous crosswalk and Caltrans has a moral and legal obligation to install lights ASAP.