Now only one block of Santa Cruz Avenue is closed completely
Bowing to complaints from merchants, the Menlo Park City Council revised the downtown street closures on Santa Cruz Avenue.
Now only the block between Evelyn and Crane is completely closed to traffic. With some reservations, the Council adopted the Chamber of Commerce recommendation that the northbound lane from Curtis Street to Doyle Street and the southbound lane from Chestnut Street to Crane Street would remain closed, letting traffic flow on the other side.
The hope is that this would replenish some on-street parking for retail and services, aid retail walk-in trade as well as “mask some of the larger vacancies downtown.”
The concern raised was that traffic flowing on one side of the street and not the other may confuse drivers. But that is what it will be for the timing being.
Photo by Linda Hubbard (c) 2020
What a pity... July 22, 2020 at 4:56 pm
Reading this is really a pity and at the same time already ridiculous. Is it just all about parking spaces?! Are so many people that lazy to make some more steps?! I do not understand this, as behind all buildings are plenty of parking lots! As a pedestrian I loved the closure of Santa Cruz as there was enough space for everyone.
Laura July 22, 2020 at 6:17 pm
Oh – come on people! Downtown Menlo Park is deader than dead even without the Pandemic. The one thing that might help right now is to expand the walking area and restaurant outside space. In case anyone hasn’t noticed – many storefronts are empty. Open the streets. Pipe in some music. Seriously, what do you have to lose?