Letter: Disappointed in Stanford stance on trail

I disagree with your assertion that there is "unanimous public support against the trail".

Stanford has built a very useful trail to bypass the Junipero Serra/Alpine traffic lights when going downhill. It is also helping Portola Valley improve its trail along Alpine.

We need a wide trail with a yellow line down the middle - anyone on Sawyer Camp Trail knows you need room to pass strollers, bikes, pedestrians, roller bladers and more. It needs to cross 280 safely. I agree that with roads off Alpine between 280 and Junipero Serra that there can be a false sense of security for trail users, especially when either trail users or drivers are aggressive or distracted. I also note that the stream is very close to the trail.

If I had unlimited funds I'd take the trail across Alpine at the Ladera Shopping Center on a bridge and then take it through Webb Ranch and build another bridge to cross back near the current trail at Junipero Serra.

The trails for Santa Clara hiking are a past issue which should be negotiated seperately from this particular trail. Let's look at each trail as a separate project, rather than as a quid pro quo, going forward.

This is a new trail to connect Portola Valley to Stanford. It gives Stanford residents freedom to explore beyond the campus - to enjoy the Alpine Inn, Windy Hill and other amenities. It encourages residents of Portola Valley and Ladera to use bikes or walk to the Stanford Mall and University.

I urge the Board of Supervisors of San Mateo County to back Stanford's plan for a decent paved, multi-use trail - it will be a wonderful community asset that can be replicated by surrounding communities to make biking safer for all.

As a resident of Menlo Park, I am very excited about the prospect of an improved trail along Alpine Road. I would love to have a safe biking, running, and walking trail along that route, and I find it appalling that some of the residents in Weekend Acres/Ladera see that trail as their own private path. This trail is a community resource for residents throughout southern San Mateo County, and I hope the Supervisors will not let the nimbys rule the day on this opportunity.