Middle Avenue complete streets

Nealon Park parking reconfiguration

To increase parking availability and address public feedback, the City recently (early November) completed parking reconfigurations at the following locations: 

• Nealon Parking parking lot: To add NINE more parking spaces (from 27 to 36 spaces), parking was reconfigured from existing diagonal spaces in front of the Pickleball courts and softball field to perpendicular spaces. 
• Nealon Park frontage parking (PILOT): To add TWELVE more parking spaces (from 17 to 29 spaces), parking was reconfigured from existing parallel spaces to back-in angle parking spaces.

What is back-in angle parking?

While back-in angle parking will be new to the City of Menlo Park, it's not new in the Bay Area. 

With back-in angle parking, loading and unloading, especially for families with children accessing the playground and Menlo-Atherton Cooperative Nursery School, would be improved. The trunk of the vehicle would be adjacent to the sidewalk adjacent to Nealon Park and there would be no interference with car doors, as they would open away from the roadway and bike lane. The back-in angle parking also enhances the safety of bicyclists, as it would provide the driver with greater visibility as they exit onto Middle Avenue.

Parking instructions:

1. Signal right turn to warn others.
2. Pull past the desire space and stops.
3. Reverse into the parking space.

More sample projects?

YES! Visit Stanford Ave. between Junipero Serra Blvd. and Raimundo Wy.

Youtube instructional videos: video 1 | video 2

Project Description

The Middle Avenue Complete Streets project will install bicycle and pedestrian improvements along the entire length of Middle Avenue between El Camino Real and Olive Street. The project is being designed to enhance safety of all users, especially pedestrians and bicyclists, reduce vehicle speed and improve connectivity to schools, parks, grocery stores, downtown and residential neighborhoods.

On October 18, 2022, the City Council approved the conceptual traffic calming measures (concept exhibit) and construction is expected to commence in summer 2025, pending conclusion of the pilot.

On February 14, 2023, the City Council approved the installation of buffered bike lanes as a pilot project. In October 2023, the buffered bike lanes were implemented by: 1) removing parking on both sides of Middle Avenue, and 2) reconfiguring the Nealon Park frontage parking to parallel parking spaces.

On May 7, 2024, the City Council adopted a resolution to make the buffered bike lanes permanent and supported the reconfiguration of Nealon Park frontage parking to back-in angle parking spaces (parking design) and continuation as a pilot.

Project status

Nealon Park frontage parking reconfiguration

See construction news above.

Traffic calming measures and street resurfacing

The City has hired a professional design consultant to develop designs for the permanent project. Construction is tentatively planned for after the conclusion of the buffered bicycle lanes pilot and in coordination with resurfacing of portions of the street (from San Mateo Drive to El Camino Real), in summer 2025.

El Camino Real and Middle Avenue signal improvement evaluation

Evaluation of various signal improvements for the Middle Avenue approach (e.g., bicycle signal, no right turns on red, separate pedestrian and vehicular phases, etc.) is underway. The results and recommendations will be presented to the City's advisory/ decision making bodies. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for December 11, 2024, to the Complete Streets Commission.

Location

Middle Avenue between El Camino Real and Olive Street, Menlo Park, CA 94025  View map

37.444434214175715, -122.18226747245991

Middle Avenue between El Camino Real and Olive Street , Menlo Park, CA 94025

Middle Avenue between El Camino Real and Olive Street , Menlo Park, CA 94025

Middle Avenue complete streets