Menlo Park gets ready for controversial Middle Avenue parking ban

No parking signs have appeared in Menlo Park along a section of Middle Avenue where the city is rolling out a controversial pilot project to add protected bike lanes beginning July 10.

The parking removal was approved by the City Council in a split 3-2 vote in February, with Council member Drew Combs and Vice Mayor Cecilia Taylor opposed. The city will no longer allow cars to park on Middle Avenue except for in some spots in front of Nealon Park. Those will be converted to horizontal spots in an effort to protect cyclists from collisions and people opening car doors. Middle Avenue bike lanes will also be widened, with a buffer between the bike lane and the street.

The city will begin construction on buffered bike lanes in the summer, and the pilot project will last about nine months. During the pilot project, city staff will collect data and hold outreach meetings in the fall, according to the city’s project website.

The original decision was met with strong opinions from many residents on both sides of the debate, with some saying that it would make Middle Avenue much safer for bicyclists. The road is a commonly used route for children to bike to school. Those opposed, however, said that the decision would make it harder for those living on the street, particularly disabled residents or those who live in the apartment complex on Middle Avenue. Some residents also said that the city hadn’t conducted enough outreach, and they said they only heard about the project shortly before the decision was made.

The project includes additional traffic calming measures, and the City Council gave direction for a crosswalk to be built at Yale Street and at the tennis courts at Nealon Park, the parking lot at Nealon Park to be restriped, the addition of loading zones or timed parking in front of Nealon, as well as adding bike parking and creating a parking permit program for Middle Avenue residents. Additional traffic calming measures will begin at the end of the buffered bike lane pilot program, at the same time as a resurfacing project for portions of the street. n