Only the worst kind of narrow-minded bureaucrat would think that a road diet was the best way to handle the Graham road.

A road diet will mess up traffic throughout the area, adding congestion and increasing traffic problems and danger in surrounding streets.

The child-risk situation exists for 30-45 minutes a day, only weekdays, only during school year. That works out to 1 percent of the time there is even the POSSIBILITY of a problem.

In the last 20 years, how many car-child accidents have there been? And of those, how many were driver-at-fault for speeding?

There are much better options with less impact on the environment, on neighbors, and on drivers.

Easy and better options would be
- have teacher/principal watch the crosswalks during the 30-45 minute risk times
- install flashing light crosswalks for the kids
- teach the kids how to safely cross streets

Thank you Google. Mountain View has a couple of great bicycle routes in the Stevens Creek Trail and Permenante Creek Trail, but many neighborhoods still have no child-safe bicycle routes to our schools, parks, and business districts. Speed limits are too high on many residential streets and reckless drivers still drive way faster than the speed limits.

I witnessed one of the child-car collisions, and two near misses. These are very traumatic occurrences. Adding flashing crosswalks would be extremely beneficial because I stopped for a child running in the crosswalk but the 'second car' couldn't see that child and didn't have time to react. BAM! That child was seriously injured. Slowing the traffic is needed- so many cars drop their child off and speed off hastily, switching lanes carelessly. The community can not expect the teachers and principals to do this job- they are busy preparing for the day so classes can start on time. Well-trained volunteers or police officers are needed to get the respect from the drivers. Speed limit should be reduced during the 20 minutes before and after school.

If a car ahead of you in another lane is stopped at a crosswalk or intersection, then you are required by law to stop along side them and check for pedestrians in the crosswalk. That means stop even if there is no stop sign. Weaving around the stopped car is reckless and illegal. I hope the driver that Lynn witnessed hitting a child in a crosswalk was prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

So Mountain View city council is poised to approve a 200 unit 4 story (+ roof top patio) apartment block that will span half a block on el Camino and wrap down Castro to within 100 feet of single home residential street, Sonia, and now the city plans to narrow Castro Street between El Camino and Graham Middle School? Really? Hey city council members, why don't you conduct your own personal traffic study and try making the left turn from North El Camino on to Castro Street heading towards Graham middle School and let me know how many light cycles you have to sit thru before being able to make that turn. Once you have done that, THINK about how much longer cars will be parked at that intersection waiting to make that left turn once you have A) added a 200 unit apartment building at the intersection and B) reduced the number of lanes on South Castro street from two lanes down to one lane.

I am dumbfounded that City council continues to have this apparent compulsion (or is it greed?) to develop seemingly every square inch of the city, and in the process continues to create more traffic congestion, more pollution, less small local businesses, all while turning Mountain View into a city of transient residents. What is the turnover rate of apartment rentals..something like 18 months on average, isn't it? (Oh, and it's a good thing they didn't allow that Chick-fil-A to be built because of, uh the pollution that car exhaust produces, right? ;)

Does anyone know the process that needs to happen in order to hold a recall election of our City Council members?

My favorite part of this article is the one about the $600,000 study of a bike lane. I think the headline should be "Bike-pedestrian upgrades coming to a STUDY near you."

Love the road diet idea for Castro. Long overdue!!!

Google is to be commended, but..., I'm not sure that constrictive infastructure can solve the social issues that have developed over the past decades caused by the indifference by law enforcement of car/bike/ped violations. I agree that the stealth ped tactics used by MVPD were effective, but why have'nt we also heard of steath driver tactics, ticketing peds that violate the law? Recently I witnessed a ped crossing against a red light, (Rengstoff at Montecito) with all lanes of cars waiting for her to clear the entire intersection. An impatient driver honked her horn, at which the ped stopped and stared. We all waited, but only a few cars crossed because the light timed out. I was car 1, turning left, and behind me was an MVPD car, also turning left. No ticket!!!

" Google also agreed to donate $75,000 to add flashing lights to three crosswalks on Shoreline Boulevard near downtown, where police recently reported that drivers were not stopping for a pedestrian decoy entering several crosswalks there. Google happens to have purchased an office complex nearby, at the corner of Shoreline Boulevard and Villa Street.

"We're proud to call Mountain View home and are thrilled to work with the city to promote a more walkable and bike-friendly community," Radcliffe said in an email. "

" We are also very glad to have the M.V. City Council kiss our butt when we wave money in their faces. Having these prostitutes on our payroll makes us at Google very happy. "

How about just making a driver's license, vehicle registration and insurance for ALL VEHICLES REQUIRED when using the PRIVILEGE OF USING CITY STREETS?

How about EQUAL TREATMENT FOR ALL VEHICLES? Show that M.V. is willing to treat everyone equally regardless of race, creed, color or mode of transportation

Other cities have FULL TIME BICYCLE MOUNTED PATROL OFFICERS that even had their own SPEED TRAPS to catch the arrogant cyclist that thought " RULES ARE ONLY FOR CAGERS, NOT ME!

Oh, another bicycle friendly town called Boulder had a county sheriff deputy write over 150 tickets in an 8 hour shift when arrogant cyclists blew off a stop sign on a local highway...BTW, He was in plain sight when they blew off that stop sign...

When cyclists get too arrogant, the mountain dwellers apply a special " TACKS " that only affects them and not other vehicles.

That special " TACKS " has had a noticeable effect: no more flouting of laws and a self correcting attitude for all mountain cyclists. After all, the people applying the special " TACKS " are just as anonymous as the cyclists breaking the laws...

Before you censor this post, do you believe in TRUTH or PRAVDA? I hope it is the former and not the latter. You can easily find the FACTS I have stated here with a little work...

"How about just making a driver's license, vehicle registration and insurance for ALL VEHICLES REQUIRED when using the PRIVILEGE OF USING CITY STREETS?"

Cities do not get to make this decision themselves. Fortunately for all, the California Vehicle Code sets the rules and requirements for these issues. There is no general requirement for vehicles to be registered or licensed, nor are there requirements for vehicle operators to be licensed or have insurance. There is one exception to this: MOTOR vehicle operators have special requirements because of the danger they present to the public. I see no reason to change these rules to impose on others the requirements of motor vehicles and operators.

Lived in CO for 25 years, moved out here a few yrs ago. I lived in a small town outside Boulder and never heard of any of these magical tack's Punisher speaks of. I belonged to 2 riding clubs and never once heard any stories of this sort of thing. Punisher, your story seems based more in "desire to be true" that actual truth.
We did catch a guy one time trying to set some sort of trap with sticks. Mountain justice prevailed once we identified what e was attempting. I doubt he ever tried that again after his lesson in how to not be a terrorist.

"I am dumbfounded that City council continues to have this apparent compulsion (or is it greed?) to develop seemingly every square inch of the city."

The council doesnt develop private property, they regulate it. Why are you against people using their own property to improve their livelihood?

" Why are you against people using their own property to improve their livelihood?"

In some cases I'm opposed to it because it can negatively affect the surrounding community. If I had a plot of land I wanted to use to create a paper mill to improve my livelihood, that would be a bad idea.
PS. Duh.

There has to be reasonable allowances for development, take this building for example. It is in downtown, the developer is willing to pay extra for future parking spaces. Talk about a MV shuttle or kind of improved transit alternatives.

If Mayfield Mall was being planned today, most likely won't get built, same with Dog City, Mountain View Industrial Park, Old Mill and Shoreline North Bayshore Business Parks.

"In some cases I'm opposed to it because it can negatively affect the surrounding community."

Purely subjective. Voluntary exchange is mutually beneficial. The overall benefits exceed the costs.


"If I had a plot of land I wanted to use to create a paper mill to improve my livelihood, that would be a bad idea.

Why? Suppose you could create another google, why would that be bad for you or the community?

IN essence you are saying you get to determine whats good for other individuals.

I consider myself pro growth but smart well planned growth used to provide jobs, a strong tax base to maintain the health of Mountain View. Not just hire city employees or pay benefits but to keep the grass cut, the lights on and keep the place from becoming a run down dump.

As for alternative transit ideas that maybe we will get people out of there cars, enjoy a really nice place. The other alternative is let the cars become primary road users, then watch cyclists, kids, adults, seniors and animals get hit.

How did NASA station VTA get designed without sidewalks? Why did the bike paths end 50 yards from the station? Yes the counsel was excited to see light rail not the whole picture.

Recalling Council.

1. Last election only.
2. Must have clear misgivings, this one is easy, they all violate the Brown Act all the time. I'm astonished the DA doesn't regulate.
3. Get about 2500 to 6000 registered voters to sign a recall election form.
4. Submit form to the County Election office and file for a recall against up to four council members.
5. Do this within time for a special election where the previous are barred from running. 1/2 the council redo, the other termed out in a few months.
6. Can place a judge ordered gag order on any member within this process thus acting like an impeachment.

We need better people in there that don't look upon the developers as buddies of the system, but rather antagonists within the process.

You fail to do this you have nothing to complain about.

Police better get with it ticketing cyclists by the dozens. All I can say to you cyclists, I have cameras running forward, sideways, and behind in my car always storing and updating data to my cars hard drive. Good luck with you adults when you tangle with my car. It is in perfect shape and will be fully replaced with my insurance company coming after you and your property. Fail still, my insurance company will put you in jail. Your kids do something out of character the parents are fully liable. So be very careful here.

BTW when a car is stopped at a crosswalk, there is a duty to stop. Failing that is a felony when this child was hit. Stupid driving is not an excuse.

Whats wrong with another Google? Its called zero sourcing in a zero sum game. Social networking is all this is and like the Dot Com Failure this industry could and just might crash and burn. Like back then high stock prices on companies that had zero product. We need manufacturing back in our midst. They do it in Germany just fine and it hires many locals. Not like our TOILET of a social networking city, we are single sourced in a zero sum game. It will crash again just when.

Monterrey is betting on tourism. Its a failing city that does not have the money to deal with urban blight (City owned property on Cannery Row) because of a single sourced zero sum game, they too need manufacturing, they have all but outlawed it.

In Germany you can find small town after small town with plenty of manufacturing coexisting within their cities (A lacquer manufacturer just outside of town, all state of the art). We need that best practice here. Will never happen, the council is devoted to no cars, horrible traffic management, promoting the zero sum game, pushing for more people where we do not have the water. California has been in drought all the time, we are supposed to be akin to desert. One way to curb this is governor action like Arni did in Mountain House. But we have weak government all the way from the top to the bottom. These accidents happening too, its a sign of something, like nature out of balance, like everything ready to collapse.

Until voters get it through their heads that we need manufacturing back, it will only get worse with China building everything (Good luck finding an American Made toaster, clothes, you name it) That is why our economy is in the toilet constantly, when you bet on zero sum, you get zero sum. MANUFACTURING COUNCIL: A Battery Manufacturer to the E-car industry instead of outsourcing it to China, because you cant stand the thought of it. Think of the professionals just to build it, and don't stop there. Its all political will, any argument against it, is a red hearing.

We allowed these jobs to go overseas, it was cheaper and seem to be right to get cheap goods at the time.

I read in one of the many newspapers that the bay area as whole only has some like under 350,000 acres left to build on. Most of the Open Space District that ring the bay are always making plans to buy this land. After that the bay area won't have room to grow out, they don't want to build up.

We talk about factories, we would like factories here in the bay area. Tell you the truth a patch of land is so pricey and it would be tough to build any large building that would mostly likely create traffic and be a 24 hour operation.

We don't have very much freight trains rumbling though Mountain View, you think truck traffic and I mean lots of it will be welcomed on many of the streets leading to the freeway.

People riding bikes have problems with small cars wait until you see big trucks rumble past. People darting in front of slow heavy trains using the train tracks. I lived in Oakland, I have biked in a industrial area. Trust me when I say this about riding with trucks 2 feet from your foot. Ride at your own Risk.

Developement isn't really the issue, it's the impact this rash of developement is having on our city.
Who really benefits here? The builders are reaping big profits at the expense of Mtn View citizens, both immediately, in reduced quality of life, and into the future when our oveloaded infrastructure fails. City staff benefits greatly as well. With increased population come larger numbers of city workers, increased seniority, and greater opportunity for advancement. And when that infrastructure does fail? Even better!
City staff's pro developement enthusiasm is totally predictable, we are all predisposed toward our own best interests. Our city council has abandoned its responsibilty to represent the best interest of Mtn View citizens, acting instead as a rubber stamp for staff ambition.

Political insider, the odds of you using your camera evidence against another driver are what, 100X more likely than using it against a cyclist? A huge difference regardless. I'm glad your cameras are always rolling. So are ours, and we've already brought many drivers to justice. Google "Camera catches hit and run" and you can see how many links come up. Its sop awesome. I look at my go-pro as my hunting tool. I've already provided it to police in a car vs car collision in SJ. One driver tried to say his light was green. He changed his song when I hit replay. I smiled and rode away after exchanging contact info w/ the officer.

Developers wouldn't be here if the Silicon Valley thing wasn't here. The developer of the building most likely has found a tenant for this building.

So do we blame the developer, the start up people, the founders of a company, the people who invest in the company, the customers of the company, the employees of the company. The Company in time will seek out the services of a developer or some kind of property professional.

Garret you stun me. No railroad? Really? Take a look recently Union Pacific rolling down the CalTrain with links everywhere save Mt View. We had links and destroyed them.

Yeah outsourced to China, ALS rising on a red tide of Apple Products. Nice. You sound like a barbaric marketer like those VC's I meet. We need it here as the current Fed Administration is advocating and doing. California is one of the dumbest states in the Union ironically. Mass got Health care we had the chance and now waiting and waiting with not a single clue where its going. Meanwhile Mass is doing better than we are with over 200 insurance companies and 96% population insured. We wait. Stupid. Ohio reclaimed a factory where they are hand making solar arrays and profitable hiring the local crowd. We have no such model save Solyndra and look where that went.

I give you Tesla, okay duplicate it over ten times. Tesla would be good to make a hybrid based on their technology for everyone who does not want full on electric. Another factory?!?!?

Everyday my publisher asks, hows that book coming. Everyday I tell him another page is being added to the comedy of California. He says the East Coast and South are itching for such a book. Another 3000 words today.

I agree with the train links and the freight trains, I just remember seeing more of them. Along with the factories that use to be along 101, 880, 80 and 580. I remember the Nimitz Freeway with all the trucks either going or coming from the Port of Oakland. Freight tracks use to run across the Bay Bridge.

I agree with not putting our eggs in one basket which we seem to be going, we have to build buildings, factories and warehouses to create other businesses.

Our traffic is so bad that having a warehouse or a factory just don't make sense, you are going to ship goods on bikes or on foot. You aren't going to have a factory if you were work our scattered all over 9 counties.

Well obviously Google is funding the improvements. The City doesn't have the money to provide public safety. It's supposed to, but I suppose our council squandered it all away. The council sucks and so does their general plan. Let the county manage this city, because our city can't do right by its residents.

The County is in bigger trouble than most of the cities, and their management is not a model to emulate. Turning over management to them would be the stupidest, most damaging choice possible.