Commission Considers Installing Speed Humps

The Transportation Commission will consider recommending the installation of two speed humps on Mills Street between Glenwood and Oak Grove Avenues, during a public meeting that will be held tonight at 7 in

Menlo Park city staffers are advising the Commission to recommend the project. They’ve determined that it qualifies as a Level II Neighborhood Traffic Management Program project, after discerning that 85 percent of the motorists who drive on that road travel at least five miles per hour faster than the posted speed limit of 25.

A second factor staffers considered in making the decision was the collision data that they gathered on the area. From 2007-2009, five accidents were reported in that area, which is higher than the average of two for intersections of that type, according to public records.  About 822 cars drive on that road daily, according to data gathered by city staff on September 23, 2010.

The woman who initiated the endeavor gathered 123 signatures on her petition, which she brought to city staffers almost eight months ago.  She needed to get 60 percent of the people living in the 198 households on Oak Grove, between Mills and Laurel, as well as the ones on Laurel between Glenwood and Oak Grove to have the city consider the project.

“It was quite impressive for this resident to do that,” said Rene Baile, who is the Menlo Park Transportation Engineer in charge of the project.

“We don’t have many projects like this one, because of the work you need to do, door-to-door, talking to residents like this,” Baile said.

If the Transportation Commission approves a recommendation to approve the plan, the proposal would go back to city staff for refinement.  Given that the installation will be temporary, they will decide whether the hump will be composed of asphalt or something more portable. Both of those options would cost $3,000-$5,000 according to Baile.

After that, city staffers would work with the fire district and the police department to assess whether it would impede their emergency response time. City staff would conduct a survey of people in the area, after that, to see if 60 percent of the people approve of the installation.

The City Council will have the final say on whether they are installed.

You can read more about the Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan in the .pdf attached to this article.

Also on the agenda:

The Commission will continue to discuss the El Camino Real/ Downtown Specific Plan Draft Environmental Impact Report.