Pushing for a safer ride
Permanent solution sought after cyclist killed in collision
LOS ALTOS HILLS — The death of a bicyclist following a collision with a car near the Page Mill Road and Interstate 280 interchange in Los Altos Hills has lent greater urgency to a call for safety improvements.
Jeffrey P. Donnelly, 52, of Palo Alto, was riding west on Page Mill after exiting Old Page Mill Road the morning of Nov. 3 when he and the car collided, according to the California Highway Patrol. The driver was not cited at the time, and there has been no update on the investigation since.
On Tuesday, a “ghost bike” and flowers rested near the interchange, apparently in memory of Donnelly, a father of three and the chief operating officer of San Jose-based Zeta Instruments.
In the weeks following Donnelly’s death, officials with Santa Clara County, Caltrans, and the cities of Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto have discussed ways to expedite long-planned interim improvements, such as new signage and striping, for the area surrounding the interchange.
The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition and other bike safety advocates say the temporary fixes will help, but a permanent solution is overdue.
“Often, sadly, we see it takes a tragedy of this scale to get all parties to work together to get funding on the table so a solution can be enacted,” said Colin Heyne, the coalition’s deputy director.
Bright green bike lanes at the interchange will make it clearer
where bikes and cars should be positioned, Heyne said.
The area has multiple conflict points — such as a section where a bicyclist has to cross two lanes of downhill vehicular traffic to get to a bike path that runs along the median, Heyne said. At the same time, the road is designed for cars that are accelerating so they can easily merge onto the freeway.
“Those two things don’t go well together,” Heyne said.
Heyne acknowledged that the county is “trying to make the best of a bad situation” and stressed the importance of collaboration.
“They have the expertise,” Heyne said. “Our members have the personal experience. Together, we can come up with a good design.”
Dawn Cameron, a transportation planner for the county, which along with Caltrans has jurisdiction over the area, said the interim improvements also call for changes to the alignment of vehicle and bike lanes.
Currently, there is a bicycle crossing sign where Old Page Mill meets Page Mill, and a marked bike lane begins along the center divide of Page Mill at Christopher Lane, about 200 feet to the west.
Long-term changes could include new lanes for bicyclists who want to use the road, and a bidirectional path for bicyclists and pedestrians who prefer a more trail-like setting, Cameron said.
Most significant to bike safety advocates is a plan to reduce the number of vehicle lanes on Page Mill from two to one in each direction near the interchange.
The biggest roadblock is cost, and the interim improvements and permanent fixes cannot be designed until funding is secured, according to Cameron. A funding strategy will be developed in the coming months, she said.
The interim improvements are expected to cost between $200,000 and $300,000.
Reconfiguring the interchange to improve safety and circulation is estimated to cost about $20 million. That’s also what it would cost to reconfigure Page Mill, a project that in addition to reducing the number of lanes near the interchange would widen the thoroughfare from four to six lanes between Old Page Mill and Foothill Expressway, said Cameron.
Both projects could receive funding through the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s 2040 plan and a 2016 sales tax measure.
“Palo Alto will likely be asked to contribute a small share of the project cost in order to complete the modifications in a timely fashion,” Joshuah Mello, the city’s chief transportation officer, said about the interim improvements.
City staff plan to bring a proposal to the City Council in the next 30 to 90 days, Mello said.
The interchange is outside of city limits, but the area is well-used by Palo Alto residents, like Donnelly.
Pat Burt, a Palo Alto councilman and avid bicyclist, said he used to bike through Los Altos Hills and on Old Page Mill to get to Stanford games before Interstate 280 was constructed.
These days, Burt takes Alpine Road.
“I’ve ridden Page Mill for years, and it’s probably the most frightening place I ride,” Burt said.