So much is riding on Park Boulevard these days.
A popular bike route between south Palo Alto and the highly dynamic area around California Avenue, the street is at the center of both the city's development boom and the city's aggressive push to become a top-notch bicycling destination. It is also the city's second bike boulevard.
The first, on Bryant Street, was established in 1982.
Now, more improvements are on the way for the busy bike artery. On Wednesday night, the city's Planning and Transportation Commission reviewed and gave its own blessing to the latest proposal to make Park Boulevard more attractive to pedestrians and bicyclists. The list of amenities includes landscaping improvements, wider bike lanes, speed tables and a replacement of stop signs at the intersection of Park Boulevard and Stanford Avenue, with a traffic circle and all-way "yield" signs.
According to a report from Sarah Syed, senior transportation planner, the goal is to further reduce car speeds and "provide continuous, low-stress on-street bikeways with travel time and safety improvements to support healthy transportation."
On Wednesday, Syed told the commission that while the street is already fairly low-stress, there is a lot that the city can do to make it more attractive to people who walk and bike.
Park Boulevard is the main component of a broader commute route that also includes a stretch of Castilleja Avenue in the north and Wilkie Way in the south. At its busiest points, it already draws more than 1,000 daily bicyclists. The city's traffic counts indicate that in May 2014, an average of 1,804 bicyclists went through the intersection of Park and Cambridge Avenue daily, while another 1,547 went through Park and Sherman Avenue. In fact, according to the city, Park has already surpassed Bryant as the city's most traveled route.
"It's really a key north-south corridor in the city," Syed said of the 2.5-mile route. "It is our most used bicycle corridor in the city today."
Under the proposal, the northernmost portion of the route around Castilleja would see wider bicycle entrances on streets where car traffic is already blocked by bollards. A "high visibility" bike lane would be installed on the stretch of Park adjacent to Mollie Stone's Market. Most significantly, the intersection of Park and Stanford Avenue would be shifted from its current four-stop setup to one that includes a roundabout and yield signs.
This component of the plan is the only one that the commission struggled with. Commissioner Mark Michael said he was concerned that removing the stop signs would make the intersection more dangerous for bicyclists coming from Stanford Avenue.
"The size of the roundabout seems like it wouldn't really slow down an aggressive driver," Michael said.
In approving the project by a 5-0 vote, with Eric Rosenblum and Kate Downing absent, the commission directed staff to study further ways to make the intersection safer. These could include widening the traffic circle or adding traffic-calming measures near the approach to the intersection.
Other components of the project won a swift endorsement. These include a flashing beacon and a raised crosswalk at Grant Avenue and a highly visible crosswalk on Sheridan Avenue. Bike lanes will be widened between Page Mill Road and Olive Avenue and curb extensions installed at Olive.
Further south, the city proposes to install speed tables between Matadero Avenue and Maclane Street, remove a stop sign at Park and Ventura Avenue to give commuters on Park the right-of-way (Ventura would retain its stop sign) and create a landscaped median on Maclane.
On Wilkie Way, the city is planning to install new speed tables and remove stop signs at Wilkie Way and James Road, Wilkie Court and Carolina Lane (these small streets, meanwhile, would receive new stop signs as they cross Wilkie Way, giving the more prominent street the right-of-way). Similar treatment would be applied to the southernmost segment of Wilkie, between Charleston Road and the Mountain View border. New speed tables are also proposed for various sections of this area.
The commission swiftly approved the proposal, with Commissioner Przemak Gardias calling Park Boulevard a "natural route." The handful of residents and bike advocates who attended the hearing also voiced their enthusiastic support.
Ken Joy, a member of the Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee, said the plan would represent a "vast improvement" for the route and Emma Schlaes, policy manager at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, said the proposed improvements will create a "much better bicycle boulevard."
City planners expect to start making minor improvements, such as re-striping of lanes, over the next year. Some of the more significant improvements would take place later, as funding is identified.
The Park Boulevard plan is one of 21 bike-improvement projects currently in the pipeline as part of a Bike and Pedestrian Transportation Plan that the council adopted in 2012. The city's capital-improvement program allocates up to $1.2 million annually for the implementation of the plan.
Related content:
• Bike improvements eyed around Palo Alto high schools
Comments
Mountain View
on Jun 10, 2015 at 11:41 pm
on Jun 10, 2015 at 11:41 pm
Awesome to see that they are removing stop signs. We need more roundabouts. I think in the long term though, there needs to be a bike signal for crossing West Meadow and at Charleston. They're still pretty dangerous, especially at rush hour. I know it could lead to even more backups for cars, so maybe they could have a shorter signal just to ensure that bikes are safe crossing.
Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 6:21 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 6:21 am
This sounds positive. I would be careful with the speed tables though. The six new ones on Matadero are NOT a smooth ride. Speed tables should not jar your bike and all your bones.
Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 6:59 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 6:59 am
The improvements to Palo Alto's transportation for all modes is excellent. The City has experienced tremendous growth from development and we cannot keep our heads in the sand and wish for traffic patterns 20-30 years ago.
Having a clear plan to help make biking and walking safe is going to keep Palo Alto feeling like a community. Having a clear plan will help keep our streets moving with commute traffic.
It is great to have this progressive approach to keep our community safe and productive for all modes of transportation. Thank you to all the committees, City Staff, and transportation consultants for implementing smarter planning.
Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 7:13 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 7:13 am
The other day I saw a cyclist on Alma. He was creating a dangerous situation with drivers swerving around him. Eventually he sheepishly moved onto the sidewalk.
To further encourage people to use these bike routes, cycling should be made illegal on Alma and El Camino, as well as other roads.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 11, 2015 at 7:47 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 7:47 am
Roundabouts with internationally used yields rather than four way stops make so much more sense and should replace many of the four way stops around town.
Attracting bikes to bike boulevards make sense. Such a shame we cannot ban them from Alma.
Professorville
on Jun 11, 2015 at 9:03 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 9:03 am
o We live on Bryant Street between Embarcadero Road and University Avenue.
o Bryant street at present is only a "Bike Boulevard" in name but not in reality.
o The traffic from Embarcadero Road to University Avenue is heavy, and many cars and bikers often ignore the stop signs and drive through them at dangerous speeds.
o In addition, this part of the Bike Boulevard is extremely heavily parked, and it is challenging to cross Bryant Street. We have seen many accidents at the corner of Bryant and Lincoln because the parked cars are causing poor visibility.
What can we do to make it better:
o Make Bryant a true Bike Boulevard by providing traffic on Bryant Street the right of way.
o Make clearer/larger signs indicating that Bryant Street is a Bike Boulevard and what that means.
o Close entry to cars from Embarcadero to Bryant at certain times of the day, i.e., from 7:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M. and from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
o Eliminate parking at the street corners on Bryant Street, again, because of poor visibility.
o Encourage bikers to ride on Bryant Street, thereby reducing and/or eliminating biking traffic on busy streets like Alma.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Jun 11, 2015 at 9:05 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 9:05 am
Park would be safer if there were some way to prevent cars from going the wrong way through the one-way barriers. Maybe tire puncture strips like rental car parking areas.
Evergreen Park
on Jun 11, 2015 at 9:13 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 9:13 am
The Cal Ave. Park blvd intersection at Mollie Stone's is a danger zone. Bikers don't stop or signal. Pedestrians don't look, cars roll through stop signs also without signaling. We bike, drive and walk through this intersection daily and I really hope this will be a good solution but I'm still skeptical. Especially at peak commuter times there's waves of pedestrians who flood this area clogging cars and cyclists who just zoom through and throwing caution to the wind. There also have been a few times when my children and I are biking on Stanford or walking and crossing the cross walk across Park Blvd near Mollie Stone's and bikers fly around that corner and don't even watch out. Twice this week a cyclist almost took out my kid on his bike who was in the crosswalk trying to get to the other sidewalk. It pisses me off. I think that everyone needs to think like everything. When you're biking, think like a cyclists, pedestrian and driver, and visa versa. I'm all 3 all the time and am irritated when people think that they're the most important and always have the right of way.
And get we get a NO SMOKING sign up in the cal ave tunnel so my children and I aren't hot boxed when we go to the park.
South of Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 9:21 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 9:21 am
The Bryant bicycle boulevard is great, but it really only serves northern Palo Alto. Southern Palo Alto has been shut out until now. I'm glad that the city is finally creating safer bicycle routes in southern Palo Alto. This new bicycle boulevard, if designed carefully, can be a great family-safe bicycle route between Palo Alto and downtown Mountain View.
I'm looking forward to the Matadero Creek bicycle path/boulevard eventually being built, which connects the California Ave business district to southern Palo Alto and the Palo Alto baylands.
Ventura
on Jun 11, 2015 at 10:43 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 10:43 am
I have to conclude that the people who approved this have never watched traffic on Park Blvd between Matadero & Meadow Rd during "rush hour" This area is used completely as a short cut for cars to avoid the crossing guards on El Camino. Speed limits are meaningless and common driving & cycling courtesy is pretty hard to find at times. As someone who actually lives in this area, I do support making Park Blvd more *Bike* friendly, but several of these improvements will make car traffic worse. Don't take away stop signs on Park. Currently most cars whip down Matadero or other streets where there are no stop signs making it at hazard for traffic on those RESIDENTIAL streets. Then there's all the cars that ignore the "no through street sign" at Margarita and drive over the curb. Hello? was anyone paying attention. If you want this to work it has to be more like the "dead end" at Gryphon's music store. If you want Park to be better and safer, push the CARS to el Camino.
I completely agree bikes on Alma & El Camino are a hazard and should be banned!
University South
on Jun 11, 2015 at 10:46 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 10:46 am
Has there been any word about the or a rail trail? I cycle from University to Ravenswood in Menlo Park and have been thinking a bike trail along the rail from the University Ave-Palo Alto train station to the Menlo Park train station would be nice. Is there a rail bike trail? Is there a plan for a rail bike trail?
Ventura
on Jun 11, 2015 at 10:53 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 10:53 am
In total agreement with "biker." Since the city removed the stop signs at the Park Blvd./Matadero Ave intersection speeds have been steadily increasing on Park Blvd. It is now an everyday occurrence to have many cars travelling in the 45-50 MPH range on Park Blvd. during the evening commute times. The city told me that it was done to make it safer for cyclists, but with the speeds I am seeing it is actually more dangerous now than it ever was.
Leland Manor/Garland Drive
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:05 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:05 am
Installation of traffic circles and removal of stop signs seems like a worthless effort since most bicyclists ignore most stop signs anyway. You get the auto traffic calming effect from the four way stop, while bicyclists move freely despite the stop signs.
Barron Park
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:11 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:11 am
"The city's traffic counts indicate that in May 2014, an average of 1,804 bicyclists went through the intersection of Park and Cambridge Avenue daily, while another 1,547 went through Park and Sherman Avenue." and none of them obeyed the STOP signs
Old Palo Alto
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:12 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:12 am
Does anyone know if the former Transportation Director, Jaime Rodriguez, is under contract with the city to do traffic studies, traffic calming at Town and Country Village, etc? Just wondering if one of Rodriguez's private businesses is making money from contracts with Palo Alto.
Fairmeadow
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:18 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:18 am
We lived on Park Blvd until recently and still use this bike blvd to get to California Ave from our neighborhood. These are welcome improvements - if the Charleston/Arastradero Corridor plan is approved along with this proposal, the whole stretch will be so much safer for families that use it.
Ventura
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:24 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:24 am
Here's what I told the city transportation officials when they proposed removing the stop signs at Park Blvd. & Matadero Ave. 2 1/2 years ago.
"I recently observed the intersection of Park Boulevard and Matadero Avenue for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. During those two hours I saw 120 bicyclists enter the intersection. Three cyclists stopped at the signs in question. Yes, those 2.5% of cyclists would probably get to their destinations a few seconds faster if the stop signs are removed. And then us residents get to deal with increased vehicle speeds & the increased threat of an injury/accident day in and day out."
I think one of the problems is that nobody at City Hall remembers what Park Blvd. was like before the barricades were put in to deter through traffic. The traffic on Park Blvd. used to look like Alma during rush hour.
South of Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:30 am
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:30 am
waht a bunch of hooey. first we don't need this. second, bikes need to obey the laws of the road--and we need law enforcement to ensure that they do. police love to give tickets to cars--but, bikers are the ones that disobey every law of the road. where is all of this money coming from for all the needless studies, road "de-provements", bikes taking over every street in palo alto--or at least bike lanes are--and bikers don't stay in the bike lanes anyway. bikes and cars don't mix. bikes on alma street should be illegal--that is a disaster just waiting to happen. (and, it doesn't require a 6 month study to figure that one out.)
Registered user
Barron Park
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:42 am
Registered user
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:42 am
As a bicycle rider, with a modicum of concern for my safety (helmet, rear view mirror), I would NEVER ride on Alma. Two narrow lanes; traffic at 40+ mph. That's suicidal.
I occasionally ride a few hundred feet on El Camino if there's an empty parking lane, but it's generally not a good idea.
We don't need laws forbidding riding a bicycle on these streets. Bicyclists mostly use common sense, and if they don't -- should we really be meddling with Darwinian Selection?
Evergreen Park
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:03 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:03 pm
I live on Park Blvd. I have not problem with it becoming / being a bike route. But don't put all the safety and traffic issues on car drivers. Bikse race down our street, don't obey stop signs, don't seem to care about car entering or leaving resident driveways, or walkers trying to cross streets. At one of the early public comment sessions about the Park bike route - moderated by a very bored city employee - several representatives of the biking community flatly and blandly stated "bike riders don't pay attention to stop signs anyway" implying they are irrelevant and as fact, to simply be ignored - that doing so is something akin to a right of two wheel riders. Not long after my daughter, in front of our own house, was loading books into the backseat of or car and very athletic male rider looking to be in his 30s - old enough to know better - hit her, knocking her to the ground, bleeding profusely from at the mouth chin. He then collected himself, got his bike, and left the scene. Our priority was to get her to medical care - twelve stitches later and now scar on her face, it still leave a bitter taste in my mouth. So bring on the bikes, but it is time that these riders slow down - just like those of us who to drive (I know, it's a sin) from time-to-time from our homes to work or pick others up, or to bring bulky or heave packages back home - obey the rules of the road: stop at stop signs (really stop), signal at turns, and most of all, share the road with those on foot as well as those in cars and don't assume superior rights-of-way just because the sit atop a bike. And now there is talk of Park Blvd. becoming a "transportation corridor" - yet the California Avenue area and Park Blvd. in particular are being massively developed - lots of new office space - now go reconcile that! And please, spare us of all the empty talk about free train and bus passes and the hooey about how California Avenue is "transportation rich" - there is only so much this street and the entire area can handle, especially at the interchange with Oregon / Page Mill - STOP looking at this entire issue on a one building / development at time + one initiative at time basis, and own up to the aggregate results of all taken together.
Mayfield
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:03 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:03 pm
I cycle regularly, all over town. In addition to the physical traffic calming, we need the police to ticket both car drivers and bike riders for infractions. Last Friday, going in both directions on Bryant north of University Ave, cars ignored the stop signs and rolled right through -- not seeing me despite my bright-yellow jacket and bright-yellow helmet. This happens all the time, all over town! Traffic won't slow down and cyclists won't obey the laws until they get expensive tickets. We need to build a reputation as a city that does NOT tolerate dangerous driving nor cycling. Someone above suggested eliminating parking at the street corners on Bryant Street because of poor visibility. I agree. When cycling is safer, more people will ride -- reducing traffic and parking problems and improving health and mood. I thank the city for these initiatives to encourage cycling and make it safer. Let's everyone get out on our bikes!
South of Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:07 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:07 pm
Be realistic, the reason people bicycle on Alma and especially El Camino is that these are the best routes to their destinations. Many businesses along El Camino are really difficult or impossible to access without using El Camino.
Also, San Antonio Road has bike lanes west of El Camino, but not east of El Camino. If you're trying to reach the San Antonio bike lanes from southern Palo Alto, the wide shoulder lanes of El Camino are much safer than the than the part of San Antonio without bike lanes.
The city has long neglected safe bicycle routes in the southern part of Palo Alto. I hope that this new Park Blvd bicycle boulevard is just the beginning. The current bicycle routes in southern Palo Alto really discourage bicycling, and thus encourage more car traffic and car congestion.
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:21 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:21 pm
At some point, the police need to actually enforce the rules of the road on the bicyclists. I'm not anti-cyclist, I ride mine all the time. But, have a look at Bryant during the school commute. Or have a look at Churchill, California, etc... I'm sure the issues are the same in the south, but none of the students riding these streets stop at the 4 way stops and few stop at the 2 way stops. I shouldn't even single out students. I had an older gentleman almost run into my front bumper as I made a left and he came straight through the stop sign.
I have yet to see a police officer issuing citations to anyone on a bike. Would be interested to find out how many are actually issued citations.
Palo Verde
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:29 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 12:29 pm
I just want to second the comments about traffic circles or roundabouts. They are safer AND they save significant amounts of fuel. They are better than any other kind of traffic control unless the vehicle counts get really high. So many P.A. intersections with traffic lights, just make cars sit and idle, looking at empty intersections and cross streets for large parts of the day.
Greenmeadow
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:12 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:12 pm
All this lofty talk and planning about improving things for bicyclists and pedestrians seems to clash with the monster block of buildings being constructed on Park Boulevard. They look like a prison block and who knows how many more cars will need to drive to and from them every day, that will need to be parked. To me there will be inevitable clashes here.
We lived in Ventura for many years and I would like to tell the gentleman whose daughter was knocked to the ground and injured by a bicyclist that I am very sorry this happened to them. It does mirror experiences we have had with bicyclists.
Old Palo Alto
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:24 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:24 pm
I live near the corner of Bryant and North California Ave. This is a main artery for Jordan and Paly students on bikes. It is rare that any of these riders ever stop at the 4 way stop signs. Many cars roll through as well. For the last few years the PAPD shows up for the first two days of school and pulls the cyclists over issuing warnings. They never show up afterward and the students go back to ignoring safe practices. Many of the Jordan students ride 3 or 4 across on N. California Ave. and occupy lanes intended for cars. We have witnessed many car/bike accidents over the years that have resulted in injury, including broken bones. It seems inevitable that one day, something more serious will occur.
Parents need to instruct their children on cycling safety with support from the schools. Police need to ticket unsafe cyclists and motorists at these corners. It's scary to watch these kids riding with devices in their hands and their eyes off the road and when confronted by some drivers look at the drivers with disgust (as if to imply that they're too important to have to stay in their lanes). Ah, the entitled. This is our future!
Most of my post is directed toward the cyclists. It is my observation that they have more disregard for safety rules than do drivers of cars, particularly where I live.
South of Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:26 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:26 pm
Palo Altan wonders
if the former Transportation Director, Jaime Rodriguez, is under contract with the city to do traffic studies, traffic calming at Town and Country Village, etc? Just wondering if one of Rodriguez's private businesses is making money from contracts with Palo Alto.
I wonder too.
Please, No more bright green bikeways. The excessive number of signs provide enough ugliness for now. (and enough profit for Mr Rodrigues' friends).
Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:44 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:44 pm
I hate being stuck at a traffic light, with cars lining up behind me wile staring at EMPTY cross streets.
However, smart traffic lights are a better idea than traffic circles. Smart signals are able to sense cars, rather than using timers.
Traffic circles work well in the UK because everyone there is much more polite behind the wheel. There once were traffic circles in Boston, where I used to live, but due to rude drivers there were many, many accidents. Finally most, if not all had to be removed. Palo Alto is FULL of traffic scofflaws. The few traffic circles we have are problematic during rush hour, when drivers act contentiously.
Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:52 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 1:52 pm
"I completely agree bikes on Alma & El Camino are a hazard and should be banned!"
"Such a shame we cannot ban them [bikes] from Alma."
I just want to point out that we need to move out of the above mindsets, as it pins the blame of road danger on cyclists and not the lack of sufficient bike infrastructure. Bikes and cars are both methods of transporting people, and there shouldn't be any reason why cars are given greater priority simply because decades of poor planning have left cyclists and pedestrians in the dust. While maintaining the status quo is easiest to do, it also does the least to advance an all-of-the-above approach to transportation that is sorely needed in this city. We all see the effects of decades of car-centric planning every day: Embarcadero, El Camino, Alma, Oregon Expy, etc., are all clogged during rush hour.
Bike bans are a poor approach to advancing road safety -- developing better bike and pedestrian-friendly corridors which still enable short trip times (i.e., not a circuitous route) should be the focus. Bikes appear on Alma and El Camino because Park does not stand out as a particularly attractive option to bikes, as this story points out. Make Park truly convenient and accessible to bikes and peds, and we won't even need to consider a ban. It worked on Bryant, it can work on Park too.
We should all work together to develop better infrastructure for bikes and pedestrians alongside maintaining thoroughfares for automobiles. Bike and ped infrastructure has been sidelined by decades of auto-oriented planning; there is no reason why autos should still be given priority.
Duveneck/St. Francis
on Jun 11, 2015 at 2:21 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 2:21 pm
Please post, and TICKET, students on Newell between Embarcadero and Jordan Middle School. Almost NO ONE on a bike stops and they ride 3 abreast.
Need to be monitored throughout the year from an inconspicuous location.
Palo Alto Hills
on Jun 11, 2015 at 2:29 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 2:29 pm
If there is no room on a road for a bike lane, there is no room for a bike. Avoid such a road, or rode on the sidewalk if one is available. Better a ticket than a coffin!
Old Palo Alto
on Jun 11, 2015 at 2:44 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 2:44 pm
I think the new ordinance enforcement personnel should be tasked with periodically and randomly monitoring the various crossings on the several Bike Boulevards. This means radar speed checks and tickets for violations, enforcement of vehicle AND bike violations of stop signs, and also for lack of equipment for night biking (light, reflector). Bikers not in single file should be warned twice, then fined with increasingly expensive fines.
The speed limit on Bike Boulevards should be decreased to 15 mph (about the speed of a biker); this would discourage drivers from using boulevards as a shortcut. However, this would have to be conditional on frequent periodic random monitoring with "teeth".
Surveillance cameras on the busiest intersections could capture violations for prosecution and allow determination of fault for accidents. (yeah, I know, "privacy". But if you are obeying the law, what's your concern? These are PUBLIC streets, and law-abiding citizens need protection from scofflaws, and scofflaws need to be reformed to law-abiding citizens.)
Midtown
on Jun 11, 2015 at 3:50 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 3:50 pm
I have a complaint related to the city and how bike amenities have been short-changed on the California Avenue improvement. I work in an office on the corner of Park Blvd and California Ave. I see hundreds of bikes come down the Park Blvd corridor daily and recognize that bicyclists don't have enough places to part their bikes so they chain them to trees and stop signs. When the remake of California ave was ongoing, I stopped a construction supervisor and asked if they could put some bike racks on that corner (Park & Calif Ave's - SE corner). He pulled out his plans and assured me that racks were going to be added right there. Now that the construction is completed, there are no bike racks. Instead they put old newspaper kiosks in that location. They are too numerous (about 16 bins) and half of them are empty. Does anyone know who to register a formal complaint to get this changed?
Registered user
another community
on Jun 11, 2015 at 7:04 pm
Registered user
on Jun 11, 2015 at 7:04 pm
Post up at Park and Lambert and watch bikes run the stop sign again and again and again and again and again and again and again...
But yeah, lets make sure we get a handle on those cars....
Barron Park
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:17 pm
on Jun 11, 2015 at 11:17 pm
Sparty: The stop sign at Lambert and Park is completely egregious, and I've written to the city about removing it. Cyclists ignore it because they don't see a safety problem. If you're on the north side of the street (the top of the T) there's nothing to hit you, and if you're on the south side of the street, the traffic on Lambert is so light, that cyclists don't see it as a safety problem. There is often (usually at least once per week) a cop there handing out tickets to riders who do blow through the intersection, but handing out $250 tickets for cycling isn't exactly a great way to incentivize people to get out of their cars. There has to be a better solution to status quo.
Barron Park
on Jun 12, 2015 at 7:37 am
on Jun 12, 2015 at 7:37 am
REMOVE a stop sign?!
omg, a historic first.
Finally a move in the right direction.
Palo Verde
on Jun 12, 2015 at 11:50 am
on Jun 12, 2015 at 11:50 am
How about some random poles centered in various lanes, like the ones smack in the middle of the sidewalk that say "BUMP".
Evergreen Park
on Jun 12, 2015 at 7:57 pm
on Jun 12, 2015 at 7:57 pm
If you are going to put in speed humps or whatever, please continue them all the way to the curb, or end them before the bike lane, on Channing they taper into the bike lane and I almost tipped my cargo bike with the kids in it. there are more and more cargo bikers and I know they would appreciate it too. Also, can we put speed humps in the tunnels and bridges instead of the barriers. They're a pain to get through with a cargo bike.
Ventura
on Jun 13, 2015 at 4:30 pm
on Jun 13, 2015 at 4:30 pm
Great that the city is looking into improvements for the Park Blvd. bike route.
Top question: What is the plan for bike safety when the big construction project at 2865 Park Blvd. (at Page Mill) is completed? I think I remember it having 1400 units. Has anyone seen a traffic study?
In the morning, how will all those cars exit the building, cross the bike blvd., and get onto the Oregon on-ramp? In the evening, how will people exit Oregon and get back to the apartment building? I am imagining much bigger back-ups than we have now.
What about bike safety in terms of the the combined traffic from 2865 Park Blvd. and the proposed project at 441 Page Mill Rd.?
Web Link
Barron Park
on Jun 15, 2015 at 9:44 am
on Jun 15, 2015 at 9:44 am
As a cyclist I appreciate the infrastructure, but I'm also not really discouraged or encouraged form riding anywhere because of it, or a lack of it. I'm comfortable on the roads on my bike and can find my own way, but again, bike specific infrastructure is nice.
Stuff that can be done to take the "psycho" choice out of people's driving options are good too IMO.
Greendell/Walnut Grove
on Jun 15, 2015 at 7:42 pm
on Jun 15, 2015 at 7:42 pm
I'm surprised there wasn't any mention of the Park and Charleston or the Park and Meadow intersections. Both of those cross streets are unsignalled, and both of those cross streets have heavy automotive traffic. Those two intersections are the main reason I sometimes hesitate to use Park as my bike route; they're a very poor fit for something billed as a bike boulevard.
College Terrace
on Apr 22, 2016 at 5:14 pm
on Apr 22, 2016 at 5:14 pm
I fully support the Park Blvd. bicycle lane improvement, but the removal of the 11 parking spaces between Sherman and California Ave. will impact the 250 or so of my fellow residents of Palo Alto Central. We use these spaces to pick up and drop off people, plus UPS, FedEx, etc. use the spaces to drop off packages. 1500 cyclists per day equates to one every 30 seconds - hardly a "bike jam" which needs 2 lanes to handle the traffic.
Barron Park
on Apr 22, 2016 at 5:25 pm
on Apr 22, 2016 at 5:25 pm
To all the people who are berating bicyclists here for not obeying the "rules of the road".... I see very few bicyclists texting or talking on their whilst riding their bikes.
I believe they are too busy dodging the rest of us who are.
University South
on Apr 22, 2016 at 6:09 pm
on Apr 22, 2016 at 6:09 pm
"I see very few bicyclists texting or talking on their whilst riding their bikes."
I'd say you are not looking very closely. Those activities are yet another layer of the bikers' oblivion syndrome.