Photo courtesy of Menlo Park Transportation Division

Conceptual design for the intersection in front of the SLAC Main Gate. Arrows 1 and 2 show planned indirect left turns by cyclists. Two additional road signs are shown at top, in addition to new lane markings and a new loop sensor.

In July 2001 a young SLAC intern, Katherine Pope, was struck by a car and killed as she merged across two traffic lanes approaching the SLAC entrance on Sand Hill Road. This prompted cyclists and the city of Menlo Park to review the safety of this roadway.

SLAC also has given emphasis in the last year to safety for cyclists. In May SLAC held a Bike-to-Work Faire and hosted an Energizer Station on Bike-to-Work Day. Menlo Park Mayor Steve Schmidt attended the Bike-to-Work Faire and spoke about "Bike Safety in the Sand Hill Corridor."

In October 2001, the Menlo Park City Council asked its Transportation Division (TD) to investigate means to lower the speed limit on Sand Hill Road from 45 mph to 35 mph. In February, the City Council created the Sand Hill Road Safety Study to consider safety improvements for Sand Hill Road between Santa Cruz Avenue and the City Limit at the Highway 280 overpass.

The TD responded by focusing on three areas: reduced speed limit, improvements to bike lanes and improvements to intersections for left-turning cyclists. Initial recommendations were presented to a joint meeting of the city’s Transportation and Bicycling committees in June and final recommendations were presented to the City Council in August.

At the August meeting, the City Council unanimously passed all the recommendations proposed by the TD. These include:

• Reduce the posted speed limit from 45 mph to 40 mph.

• Install speed display signs, one for each direction.

• Install larger bike lane signs.

• Repaint faded existing bike lane symbol pavement markings.

• Prohibit parking along the road.

• As a pilot project, install a 3-foot painted median to separate the bike lane from the travel lane on a limited portion.

• Request the California Traffic control Devices Committee to approve a pilot project for an alternative intersection design to improve left-turning bicycle movements.

Photo courtesy of MPTD

New electronic speed display signs will be placed along Sand Hill Road.

Implementation of the improvements should begin this fall. The speed limit will be 35 mph from Santa Cruz Avenue to Sharon Park Drive, then changing to 40 mph until the city limit at Hwy. 280. New speed display signs will be located near Monte Rosa Drive.

One pilot project will install a painted median over a 200’ length in each direction between Saga Lane and Branner Drive. A second pilot project, still in the planning stages, will seek to improve the intersections at Saga Lane and Sharon Park Drive to facilitate cyclists making indirect left turns into SLAC and onto Sharon Park Drive.

A conceptual design indicating new features for the Saga Lane intersection (at the SLAC Main Gate) has been developed. Changes to signal light timing may also be considered, such as a protected signal phase for pedestrians and cyclists entering SLAC; priority to cross-traffic over left-turning traffic; and longer signal crossing time for cyclists.

The Menlo Park TD is interested in receiving input on these changes. Send e-mail to transportation@menlopark.org or give comments to Menlo Park’s Bicycle Commission at: http://www.menlopark.org/commissions/bicycle/bikes.htm