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BY ELAINE GOODMAN
Daily Post Correspondent
Momentum is building to test a one-way conversion of Coleman Avenue in San Mateo County to make it safer for kids to get to school.
Under the proposal, Coleman would become one way from the Menlo Park border — near Riordan Place — to Ringwood Avenue. One-way traffic would flow toward Ringwood Avenue. The one-way trial is envisioned as lasting about six months.
The Menlo Park City Council will discuss potential traffic improvements on Ringwood and Coleman avenues, including the proposal for one-way traffic on Coleman, during a study session tomorrow (Oct. 22).
Other ideas proposed for a short-term trial are closing Coleman to cars from Riordan to Ringwood; prohibiting cars from turning onto Coleman at certain times of day; adding bike lanes to part of the road; or slowing traffic with speed bumps and a stop sign. Coleman, along with Middlefield and Bay roads, are the three streets connecting Willow Road and Ringwood Avenue. Part of the 0.7-mile Coleman Avenue is in Menlo Park and the rest is in the Menlo Oaks area of unincorporated San Mateo County.
Coleman and Ringwood are walking and biking routes to several schools, including Menlo-Atherton High, Laurel Elementary, the Peninsula School, Silicon Valley International School and KIPP Valiant Community Prep.
The county portion of Coleman lacks sidewalks and bike lanes, leaving bicyclists, pedestrians and cars to vie for space, according to a letter from school representatives to city and county officials. “On any given school day during commute hours, the conditions are unsafe,” said the letter, which urges officials to move forward with the Coleman Avenue one-way pilot project.
The one-way pilot would be “relatively low-cost,” the letter said, and would show whether the change prompts more bicyclists and pedestrians to use the road. Early cost estimates for the project are $60,000 to $200,000.
The letter was signed by Kristen Gracia and Crystal Leach, superintendents of the Menlo Park City School District and the Sequoia Union High School District, respectively; along with principals of six schools. In a letter to the Menlo Park council, resident Shawn Hardin described conditions on Coleman Avenue as “extremely unsafe” for bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
“I have witnessed numerous accidents along this route, including serious incidents involving high school students being doored and taken away by ambulance,” said Hardin, who wrote in support of the one-way pilot project.
But some say creating a one-way section on Coleman Avenue, or the alternative proposal to block car traffic on the county’s portion of the street, would simply shift traffic elsewhere.
“These ideas send traffic to other streets and into other neighborhoods where there are kids, commuters, bikers as well, making those areas more dangerous,” one resident wrote to council.
Instead, Coleman Avenue could be made safer by adding a stop sign at Santa Monica Avenue, installing speed bumps and prohibiting delivery trucks from parking on the street, the resident wrote.
In December 2021, Menlo Park and San Mateo County agreed to share the cost of a study looking at potential safety improvements for Coleman and Ringwood avenues, with a goal of making it easier to walk or bike on the thoroughfares.
The process included outreach to the community through walking tours, online surveys, workshops and a webinar. Consultant W-Trans released a final draft report last month.
In addition to the potential pilot projects, the report proposed a permanent option for Coleman Avenue. On the county portion of the street, bike lanes and a walking path would be added. On the city’s section of Coleman, parking would be removed on one side of the street and a sidewalk on the north side would be widened to create a biking and walking path. Speed bumps would help slow traffic.
The report also proposed changes for Ringwood Avenue. The proposal would add more protection to existing bike lanes on Ringwood and widen a path on the north side of the street for bicyclists and pedestrians. The idea initially had support but Ringwood Avenue residents later signed a petition objecting to it.
School officials said in their letter that safety improvements have been sought on Coleman Avenue for more than 20 years. They said now is the time to act — before new people are elected to the county board of supervisors and city council, who might not be as familiar with the issues.
“Our children deserve a safer route to school and there is no reason to wait to make it happen,” they said.
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