I can visualize the offenders on Menlo Park's streets, in their expensive SUVs (mostly) upon being informed that their driving habits are grossly unsafe, scoffing and telling their interlocutor to get a life. As if they have one themselves, imprisoned as they appear to be by disrespect and mediocrity.

What bike riders experience every day in Menlo Park has driven me off most streets in this city. I stick to bike paths and winding routes that rigorously avoid thoroughfares.

The offending drivers here -- and they are a minority albeit a dangerous minority -- need the instructional equivalent of a hard slap.

The answer is not to banish bikes to bike paths. The answer is to design safer streets and intersections, and to increase traffic law enforcement.
Too many motorists in MP think they own the road exclusively.

This has been an ignored problem for decades at this point. Specifically those areas mentioned east of Middlefield with it only getting worse with each passing year and with much needed yet overbuilt density housing it’s zero bike safety improvements to an already known dangerous routes. The only routes to take. Talk is cheap. I’ll believe when I see it.

This is pretty horrific that this town in an area known for cycling is so dangerous. But frankly I'm not surprised. I am out 3x a week and constantly find issues:
- Trash cans and other items left in the bike lane on Santa Cruz where nearly a thousand kids travel to Hillview
- Hindered sitelines at entry streets to Santa Cruz encouraging car drivers to encroach even when a bike is coming.
- Lack of a proper bike route to access Ravenswood at El Camino from downtown.

I'm also troubled by the jump to educating riders/walkers (the section about outreach to schools etc.) instead of car drivers. Educate the victims to avoid being killed? Really? I'm not opposed to such programs to encourage safe operation but they should not be seen as a solution to a high death/injury rate.

Lastly, the Woodland/Middlefield intersection is wonky and spooky. But it can be fixed rather than abandoned. It is in fact a PREFERRED routing for bikes since Willow is scary for many even with the bike lanes and Middlefield toward Palo Alto is also scary for many.
- Clean up the markings for the turn lane and the filter from 1 lane to the multi lane queue for the light at Willow. Keep it clearly ONE lane until just past Woodland (NB Middlefield).
- Better paint and some plastic (or metal) bollards or curbs to enforce it. Then there wouldn't be the chaos of trying to cross 1.5 lanes as oncoming drivers get confused.
- Mark a no-stop zone at the intersection.
- Create a raised refuge in the middle to shape the SB left turn onto Woodland
- SB Middlefield, narrow to 1 lane almost immediately after Willow. It will work fine since PA is one lane and upstream MP is as well. The double lane is ONLY needed for the queue and transition zones to make the light work.
- Add a green bike crossing zone mid block to transition to a left turn waiting zone
- Add a cross walk with island just before (NB) Woodland on Middlefield

@TR well said! All, if you cannot make it, I encourage you to write Hugh Louch from the Transportation Department with your comments a HLouch@menlopark.gov.

The City Council should also be discussing this plan at one of its upcoming meetings. I encourage you to write them as well.
city.council@menlopark.gov

"Educate the victims to avoid being killed?"

Yes. Even when a pedestrian or cyclist is right in a collision with a car, the ped or cyclist will lose.

Also, pedestrians can be at fault in auto/ped accidents: Web Link

A.Z. & TR well said I couldn’t agree more! I encourage all to write the Menlo Park city council to express the urgency of equality for bicyclists in our community.

The best solution for the Woodland/Middlefield intersection ( and many other busy intersections in Menlo Park)would be to add a "scramble" to the traffic light sequence where all cars would be stopped while pedestrians and cyclists would be able to cross in all directions without any moving cars being present.

Web Link

@Peter my suggestion for the Woodland / Middlefield intersection would be a roundabout with crosswalks and bike lanes. They are safer, better allow the flow of traffic, and there's plenty of room there.

Middlefield already narrows to one lane in Palo Alto so doing so right before that intersection wouldn't be any different from a traffic perspective.

"my suggestion for the Woodland / Middlefield intersection would be a roundabout with crosswalks and bike lanes."

Bike lanes IN roundabouts do NOT work because they involve bicycles entering and crossing moving lines of traffic.

Web Link

"Bike lanes are not recommended in the circulatory roadway of the roundabout."

Here is a roundabout with separate bike lanes:

Web Link

"The success depends on the fact that most car-drivers are also cyclists vice versa. If the rules favor the weakest in traffic and you know how it feels you behave correct. Almost every Dutch person grew up with a bicycle.."

When tried in the UK this design was labelled a "bicycle killing zone".