2024 Election: Candidate responses to our questionnaire

IdaRose’s Response

1. Do you walk or bike in Mt. View? If so, where? And what has the experience been like for you?

I walk, both for recreation and to get around to various activities. I walk extensively, daily. It’s not always a great experience. Sidewalks are often uneven, with trip hazards, including broken and uneven pavement and debris, cars are absolutely unaware, safe crosswalks are few and far between, and it’s getting really hot on the sidewalks lately, with a lack of shade trees. Streets lack other amenities, like benches and trash cans, that are helpful for everyone and would encourage more walking.

I have had several near misses while walking, and I have always had the right away. People making right turns, people running lights and stop signs, distracted drivers, and speeders have all been an issue. Recently, a car that almost hit me stopped and started to verbally assault me and was so bad I considered calling the police. Several people I know have had ped/bike and car altercations leading to escalated exchanges.

My husband bikes across town to work almost daily, and most of the route does not have protected bike lanes and involves crossing Shoreline at 101. He tells me regularly of near misses and conflicts with people screaming and honking, so while I do not bike much, I think about it daily.

2. Which areas of Mt. View do you consider to be safe and comfortable for biking and walking, and which areas do you think need improvement?

I have encountered unsafe conditions all around town. Our worst roads for walking and biking are our main arteries, like California Street, El Camino (of course, controlled by the state) and Shoreline, which are all unsafe and generally uncomfortable. All our major thoroughfares that get people through town have a high injury or fatality rate. Major crossings are also really bad, like Castro over El Camino. In fact, most neighborhoods are hard to exit without crossing at least one major and dangerous intersection today, putting walkers and riders right into traffic. Many neighborhoods have zero way to get children to schools without crossing over such an intersection.

I think virtually all our streets can be made safer and more comfortable for families with small children, mobility, hearing, or visually impaired residents, and the elderly.

3. How specifically would you improve those areas that you think need improvement?

We should restrict right turn on red on major arteries. We need protected crosswalks and protected bike lanes. Of course, getting people out of cars helps, too, and we should greatly increase the shuttle to provide more options (which also helps peds and bikers, who can stretch the length of their trips if the shuttle is there for part of the journey).

I would like to see us implement a robust community streets review, where we have neighborhoods tell us what local streets and sidewalks need improvements. Local knowledge of uneven sidewalks, faded paint crosswalks, and busier than anticipated side streets is invaluable. The city cannot know all local conditions, but residents do. Now, many feel very unempowered and do not know how to report issues, but the collective impact of a neighborhood sharing issues together is missed.

4. How should Mt. View implement its Vision Zero Action Plan, adopted by the City Council on September 10, to eliminate fatal traffic collisions in the city?

This plan has been in the works for far too many years, and needs to be implemented now. I don’t know that the “drive wisely” campaign has been effective; no driver thinks that means them. I think we need to educate the community of just how unsafe some streets are, and be direct about injuries, deaths, and disrupted lives. The plan has many road improvement plans in the works, or planned, and those need to be finalized quickly. I generally agree with the plan as written.

5. What should be done to make it safe for children to bike and walk to school in all Mt. View neighborhoods?

We need to quickly implement a safe routes to school program. This can include no right turn on red, more protected bike lanes, crossing guards at more intersections, further away from the school than currently, protected (flashing light) crosswalks near schools, and better traffic violation enforcement. Traffic calming measures around all schools would help, too. It should also include more parent and student education. It would be great if the city could secure access to the back of Graham, and find ways to create easements to move kids off busy streets.