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Menlo Park and Atherton have teamed up to install new buffered bike lanes on the stretch of Valparaiso that runs from El Camino Real to Elena Avenue. The new bike lanes will be installed throughout fall 2024.
These changes are being implemented as part of Menlo Park’s Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and reduce traffic injuries in the city, according to a city news item about the new bike lanes.
On the south side of Valparaiso Avenue, the buffer zone will be placed between the bicycle lane and parked vehicles. “That extra space will also serve as the door zone separation by encouraging bicycle and parked vehicles to stay within their lanes,” according to Kevin Chen, senior transportation engineer for Menlo Park.
On the north side of the street, where only limited street parking is available, the buffer will be placed between the bicycle lane and the vehicular lane to separate bicyclists from traffic.
In addition to the new, two-foot buffers, the redesign of the street will help protect bicyclists and pedestrians from traffic by narrowing the vehicular lanes to slow traffic and by designating “no parking” zones at certain intersections.
“(The ‘no parking zones’) are in response to Assembly Bill 413, also known as ‘daylighting,’” said Chen. “Which is the practice of removing parking spaces near crosswalks and intersections to improve safety by increasing the visibility of pedestrians and bicyclists for drivers.”
Though the possibility of installing physical barriers to protect the bike lane was considered, staff ultimately opted to forgo the physical barriers as they would possibly hinder emergency vehicles, street cleaning and garbage pickup.
“We are also hopeful that these improvements would attract new bicyclists and reduce vehicles on the road,” said Chen. “Adding the buffer zones is not expected to reduce the overall capacity of Valparaiso Avenue. Even so, we hope the narrower vehicular lanes can encourage slower speed and more careful driving.”
This stretch of Valparaiso Avenue, which is home to both Sacred Heart Schools and Menlo School, was identified as one of Menlo Park’s high-collision corridors, said Chen.
“One of the goals of our Vision Zero Action Plan is to constantly look for opportunities to implement safety enhancements on our transportation infrastructure,” said Chen.
