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Dangerous crossing worse than ever, Palo Alto residents say

Crashes are a common occurrence at intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Middlefield Road, near Addison Elementary

Driving east on Lincoln Avenue, the view of Middlefield Road is blocked looking north, creating traffic hazards, residents say. Photo courtesy of Jeff Brown.

Screeching brakes, blaring horns and crumpling metal are still a continual occurrence at one dangerous Palo Alto intersection, despite nearby residents having complained to the city for more than a decade. And the situation is only getting worse, they say.

The intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Middlefield Road, which children and their parents use to get to Addison Elementary School, was supposed to be fixed in 2018 when the city instituted measures such as adding bollards, banning parking along some corners and painting lines. But lines of sight onto Middlefield from the side street remain obscured by signage, trees and parked cars, forcing drivers on Lincoln to pull out into the busy Middlefield intersection to see oncoming traffic.

"It's more dangerous than ever," Laura Sturino, a parent who, with her two children, was struck by a minivan in December 2011 at the intersection. "I hear near-misses daily. I've seen all kinds of accidents."

The nature of the accidents has gotten more severe, she added.

North Palo Alto residents say that the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Middlefield Road is a major accident waiting to happen.

"There's just much more traffic and it goes much faster. It's the nature of everything: the trees, the sight lines, people who don't know where they are going — I think there are a lot of Uber drivers — and people don't see the dip on the west side, the Addison Elementary School side. There's this tension between kids, walking, cars, bikes all happening at the same time. It's truly terrifying," she said.

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During a recent stretch, there was one accident after another — a massive uptick that began as the COVID-19 pandemic waned. One weekend, Sturino said, there were three accidents and several people were hauled off in ambulances.

Residents feel their pleas to the city have gone nowhere.

"We've been talking about it forever," she said.

A May 15 request for data from the police department on the number of crashes at the intersection since 2018, when the Palo Alto Weekly last wrote about the Lincoln and Middlefield intersection, hasn't yet been received, but some residents said such data won't be accurate anyway. There are far more near-misses and minor crashes that go unreported.

"I hear several times a day blaring horns or screeching brakes. On weekdays, there's not a day that passes where it doesn't happen one to 10 times a day," resident Jeffrey Brown said.

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When drivers on Lincoln are forced to “nose” out into traffic before they can proceed, it increases the likelihood of a driver failing to notice a nearby bicyclist or pedestrian, he said.

What's more, the large radii of the intersection's corners "invite" drivers who are making right-hand turns to speed into and through those turns, often only looking left for other vehicles while failing to check to their right for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Also, because of obscured views, approaching drivers are less likely to regulate their speed when coming near the intersection because they aren't aware it is there, he said.

A car on Lincoln Avenue at Middlefield Road (right) is forced to pull out beyond the curb to see approaching traffic. Sight impediments are causing crashes, residents say. Photo courtesy of Jeff Brown.

But hope may be coming.

Philip Kamhi, the city's chief transportation official, wrote in a May 3 email to Brown that based on the history of events and requests from residents of the area, staff conducted an initial evaluation in 2022. Staff then hired a traffic consultant and began a broader evaluation of potential traffic improvements. The evaluation will be shared publicly within the next few weeks.

Brown, a retired NASA research engineer, said the solution doesn't rely on forever studying the situation. There are simple answers that could be implemented now. He sent Kamhi a slide deck of photographs that show the problem and how it could potentially be fixed by removing some of the sight-line obstacles.

Just three blocks to the south, at Middlefield and Kellogg Avenue, the city has already constructed bulb-outs and marked four-way crosswalks. A similar design could possibly alleviate the entire problem at Lincoln, he said.

The contoured curbs narrow and sharpen the turning radii at all entrances to the intersection; reflective signage and well-marked and brightly painted crosswalks would bring the same safety advantages to the four-way Lincoln/Middlefield crossing, he said.

Kamhi said the city would be holding a community meeting regarding the intersection. As part of the evaluation, staff will be looking into additional parking restrictions.

"We intend to make both short-term improvements as well as take options for longer-term improvements to our City Council for further direction and consideration," Kamhi said.

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Sue Dremann
 
Sue Dremann is a veteran journalist who joined the Palo Alto Weekly in 2001. She is a breaking news and general assignment reporter who also covers the regional environmental, health and crime beats. Read more >>

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Dangerous crossing worse than ever, Palo Alto residents say

Crashes are a common occurrence at intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Middlefield Road, near Addison Elementary

by / Palo Alto Weekly

Uploaded: Thu, May 25, 2023, 4:32 pm
Updated: Mon, May 29, 2023, 7:59 pm

Screeching brakes, blaring horns and crumpling metal are still a continual occurrence at one dangerous Palo Alto intersection, despite nearby residents having complained to the city for more than a decade. And the situation is only getting worse, they say.

The intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Middlefield Road, which children and their parents use to get to Addison Elementary School, was supposed to be fixed in 2018 when the city instituted measures such as adding bollards, banning parking along some corners and painting lines. But lines of sight onto Middlefield from the side street remain obscured by signage, trees and parked cars, forcing drivers on Lincoln to pull out into the busy Middlefield intersection to see oncoming traffic.

"It's more dangerous than ever," Laura Sturino, a parent who, with her two children, was struck by a minivan in December 2011 at the intersection. "I hear near-misses daily. I've seen all kinds of accidents."

The nature of the accidents has gotten more severe, she added.

"There's just much more traffic and it goes much faster. It's the nature of everything: the trees, the sight lines, people who don't know where they are going — I think there are a lot of Uber drivers — and people don't see the dip on the west side, the Addison Elementary School side. There's this tension between kids, walking, cars, bikes all happening at the same time. It's truly terrifying," she said.

During a recent stretch, there was one accident after another — a massive uptick that began as the COVID-19 pandemic waned. One weekend, Sturino said, there were three accidents and several people were hauled off in ambulances.

Residents feel their pleas to the city have gone nowhere.

"We've been talking about it forever," she said.

A May 15 request for data from the police department on the number of crashes at the intersection since 2018, when the Palo Alto Weekly last wrote about the Lincoln and Middlefield intersection, hasn't yet been received, but some residents said such data won't be accurate anyway. There are far more near-misses and minor crashes that go unreported.

"I hear several times a day blaring horns or screeching brakes. On weekdays, there's not a day that passes where it doesn't happen one to 10 times a day," resident Jeffrey Brown said.

When drivers on Lincoln are forced to “nose” out into traffic before they can proceed, it increases the likelihood of a driver failing to notice a nearby bicyclist or pedestrian, he said.

What's more, the large radii of the intersection's corners "invite" drivers who are making right-hand turns to speed into and through those turns, often only looking left for other vehicles while failing to check to their right for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Also, because of obscured views, approaching drivers are less likely to regulate their speed when coming near the intersection because they aren't aware it is there, he said.

But hope may be coming.

Philip Kamhi, the city's chief transportation official, wrote in a May 3 email to Brown that based on the history of events and requests from residents of the area, staff conducted an initial evaluation in 2022. Staff then hired a traffic consultant and began a broader evaluation of potential traffic improvements. The evaluation will be shared publicly within the next few weeks.

Brown, a retired NASA research engineer, said the solution doesn't rely on forever studying the situation. There are simple answers that could be implemented now. He sent Kamhi a slide deck of photographs that show the problem and how it could potentially be fixed by removing some of the sight-line obstacles.

Just three blocks to the south, at Middlefield and Kellogg Avenue, the city has already constructed bulb-outs and marked four-way crosswalks. A similar design could possibly alleviate the entire problem at Lincoln, he said.

The contoured curbs narrow and sharpen the turning radii at all entrances to the intersection; reflective signage and well-marked and brightly painted crosswalks would bring the same safety advantages to the four-way Lincoln/Middlefield crossing, he said.

Kamhi said the city would be holding a community meeting regarding the intersection. As part of the evaluation, staff will be looking into additional parking restrictions.

"We intend to make both short-term improvements as well as take options for longer-term improvements to our City Council for further direction and consideration," Kamhi said.

Comments

Patricia Morrow
Registered user
Professorville
on May 26, 2023 at 9:33 am
Patricia Morrow, Professorville
Registered user
on May 26, 2023 at 9:33 am

Perhaps the PAPD should have an officer stationed in this area during peak hours to monitor and enforce safety.


MikeMor
Registered user
Professorville
on May 26, 2023 at 10:38 am
MikeMor, Professorville
Registered user
on May 26, 2023 at 10:38 am

I live on Lincoln and have written multiple letters to city council and the police dept. The answer when I get one is rougly "We are working on it" or We are studying it". To me this is code for nothing will change.

I suspect improvements will be made when one or more children are killed at this intersection.


Member
Registered user
Crescent Park
on May 26, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Member, Crescent Park
Registered user
on May 26, 2023 at 1:00 pm

Finally! My daughter was hit by a speeding driver on that intersection last year. Few drivers respect a 25mph limit there, let alone the school zone 20mph that applies.
There is very poor visibility at the intersection. Also, why is there a school speed limit sign only on the Addison side of Middlefield? There is no such sign for drivers approaching Lincoln from Embarcadero.


Foster
Registered user
Mayfield
on May 26, 2023 at 3:16 pm
Foster, Mayfield
Registered user
on May 26, 2023 at 3:16 pm

Thank goodness there is a signal at Addison and Middlefield that will stop the traffic for everybody that needs to cross Middlefield. Not sure why anybody would choose Lincoln when there is a safe alternative a few hundred feet away.


Alimc
Registered user
Professorville
on May 27, 2023 at 11:35 am
Alimc, Professorville
Registered user
on May 27, 2023 at 11:35 am

In the meantime use the lights at Addison to enter Middlefield. Much safer and not much further away.


John
Registered user
Adobe-Meadow
on May 27, 2023 at 12:33 pm
John, Adobe-Meadow
Registered user
on May 27, 2023 at 12:33 pm
Anonymous
Registered user
Duveneck/St. Francis
on May 27, 2023 at 7:20 pm
Anonymous, Duveneck/St. Francis
Registered user
on May 27, 2023 at 7:20 pm

I suspect Waze may route hurrying delivery drivers (from out of area) through this intersection, though that makes much less sense than other close nearby signalled intersections of Middlefield.

Google Maps advises route from our place to 101 by taking the one street without a light (so virtually impossible to make a left on the road leading to 101). Speeding vehicles coming off 101 there pose major risk to some hapless car trying to make a left (to reach the freeway)! Clearly better close nearby road options (with lights); are not advised.

People who rely on navi tech rather than their own eyes, experience (of an area’s streets, traffic patterns, options) are likely the problem. Add pressure to hurry up to pick up the next customer or etc. and they may choose to accelerate across Middlefield there though it is a bad choice.

These are a couple examples; I don’t dislike delivery or rideshare drivers -


Native to the BAY
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on May 27, 2023 at 10:49 pm
Native to the BAY, Old Palo Alto
Registered user
on May 27, 2023 at 10:49 pm

I find it very calming to drive through this Middlefield strip as a resident of Palo Alto.
Way more safe than without Ballard s in place. Complaints are from unfamiliar with change, app based travel or where the car is king that make it more difficult.

The intersection at Cal Ave and ECR is a nightmare. A child killed in March 2020. One turn lane overgrown w dead grass and deflated cones on one side of ECR. The other a U Turn ok. VTA piling up two long busses on ECR in front of Wells Fargo. Children, families, pets, bicycles riders, wheelchairs, unhoused w/carts blind people crossing at ECR at Cal Ave/ECR . A family I observed working triple time to keep their small children on bikes safe thru a morass of site line interference. Autos. Right turn on red, ok. Car drivers blowing stops at Yale & Cal Ave. Stanford unmitigated right of way at Wells Fargo & Sand Hill Properties. People die when cities deny. I take a HUGE sigh when in the interior of “Parklette” yet why ? Round-a-bouts needed at Embarcadero & Page Mill/Oregon. These would so so calm the storm of travel thru . Why is the city not working w Cal Trans to figure a better traffic calming thru way? Wide diagonal white Striped cross walk and yellow flashing lights (like in Redwood City) than a cross at your own risk w no timed count down walk sign. It’s truly a grave mistake not to mitigate this heavily trafficked HWY cross over w better design, better engineering, better communication. Seeing a family at 3pm, of 5 w 3 on under 8 on bikes attempting to navigate the multiple site, sound, visual barriers was tragic. Aside from West Cal Ave having a 2 ton truck prohibited sign. Yet many 2 ton trucks use the street to get to a lot of the Stanford Research commercial properties, and circumvent by way of Hanover the PageMill ECR 4 way intersection light.


Native to the BAY
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on May 27, 2023 at 11:12 pm
Native to the BAY, Old Palo Alto
Registered user
on May 27, 2023 at 11:12 pm

@Annonomous. “Google Maps” is wrong.The algorithm map misdirects West and East on Cal Ave. it misdirects Drivers to a North & South path. It’s map coordinates are simply, wrong !!! I believe their billion dollar satellite is mapping (reading) a map from 100 years ago when it was a creek and not a street. Y2K is real way into the 21st Century. Google has not corrected for the East-West foot/bicycle traffic that heavily traverses this feeder commerce corridor street in to the East Cal Ave shopping district. Sucks. Get it together. If East Cal Ave is cut off from auto traffic, accommodate for the present.


Native to the BAY
Registered user
Old Palo Alto
on May 28, 2023 at 4:18 am
Native to the BAY, Old Palo Alto
Registered user
on May 28, 2023 at 4:18 am

Why College Terrace has their thru streets blocked to College and for all else it’s a walk, ride at your own risk. South west of cal Ave. good luck! CT is protected yet SRP and Mayfield and Stanford Terrace it’s a really vulnerable environment. CT cut the PA community off with thier street closures ... and now w East Cal Ave closure it’s way worse. Cal Ave ECR intersection is a true nightmare to traverse at any hour! TY no thanks to CTNA for making pedestrian, bicycle, progress worse.


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