Well you could knock me over with a feather with this news.

I recall years ago, practically imploring city council to consider getting the Castro Street 'road diet' done prior to the Greystar project construction beginning, or barring that, waiting until after that construction was completed to begin the road diet and using crossing guards in front of Graham in the mornings and afternoons to enhance safety until the Castro Street improvements could be completed.

I specifically cited the numerous hazards/safety concerns that would be created by multiple construction projects taking place simultaneously in front of, and within a few hundred feet of Graham while school was in session...and bearing in mind that the McKelvey Park construction would be ongoing on Miramonte at the same time for over two years (next to St. Joseph's). I can't recall the exact response I received, but it was something along the lines of "we think it's better to rip the band aid off all at once."

Since the road diet has begun, I have almost been struck multiple times by vehicles suddenly coming up on my right in the no longer existent right hand lane as I was trying to make a right turn onto Sonia or Harpster. Very poor signage. Extremely dangerous.

Super happy that our city council planned the timing of these construction projects so well. Genius planning.

is it the parents driving their child to school whom are complaining about traffic?

@Me,

The article is titled,'Graham parents complain about daily traffic jam' and the author, Mark Noack, refers to Graham parents as people who have been in contact with the voice. So my guess is yes, it's Graham parents who are driving their children to school who were the ones who complained and were the impetus for the story.

As someone who lives very close to Graham, I can tell you it's a chit show out there in the mornings, much moreso than last spring. I no longer drive by Graham to make my way to El Camino in the mornings because it's so bad/dangerous. I opt for a longer, but less chaotic route.

Anyone watching can see that the construction on the apartments is down to the
interiors now. It's not disrupting traffic. Note that Castro is till 4 lanes
where it goes by the apartments. The apartments will soon be occupied, late Fall.
THEN they will affect traffic. See Web Link

Parents dropping their kids off at Graham should ask themselves whether it's really necessary. It's much healthier for the kids to walk at least the last 1/2 mile. Do you really need to drop them off right in front of school?

Check out the school webpage devoted to walking and biking to school: Web Link

Also note:Your kids are on the cusp of being teenagers. Perhaps you should start giving them the responsibility of getting to school on their own, be it walking or biking?

Multiple Graham students have been hit by cars in recent years walking to / from school. Knowing that, parents are making the rational choice by dropping their kids right at school. Having them "walk at least the last 1/2 mile" may mean injury or death.

The median is chopped up and undergoing concrete work blocking both crosswalks across Castro near Graham at this point.

Maybe don't walk if you come from the other side of the street.

So again....it's Graham parents who drive their kids to school complaining about the traffic they experience while doing so?

What is wrong with a parent dropping their child off on their way to work? And, seriously would you let your young teen try to cross El Camino Real durning the 7.30-8.30am rush hour? I wouldn't. No way. I don't trust drivers NOT to hit me. I have had the unfortunate experience of being struck by distracted driverS -- they are everywhere, and they are a menace. Unless/until there is some more/better enforcement of traffic violations around these parts then I don't see how these kinds of collisions are going to become LESS frequent, so until then I doerything I could to protect my children from that type of harm...even if that means driving them to school in the morning.

The biggest offenders on Castro in front of Graham ARE the Graham parents.

Buy your kid some comfortable shoes to walk in or buy him/her a bike.....lets be honest, they could probably REALLY use the exercise.

Teach them to cross a street safely or to ride safely then trust them and your parenting to do so.

There's no reason on most days to drive your kid to school.

@True,

Your comments seem to assume that drivers are paying attention, yielding when they should yield, obeying the law, etc. With all the confusion created by the multiple construction projects combined with the amount of distracted driving I witness every single day, well...there is no way I'd be willing to bet any child's life on his/her ability to remain safe in the face of all the forces working against him/her in that particular location.

Maybe for other folks walking is fine, but for me...I'll err on the side of caution and insure my child arrives in one piece. To each his or her own, but hey...way to criticize parents about their children "probably" not getting enough exercise.

I assumed no such thing. In fact, I said that Graham parents driving their kids to school ARE in fact the largest percentage of the problem in front of Graham in the mornings and afternoons.

If you and your fellow parents are so flummoxed by freshly painted lines on the street, and roadsigns that it's difficult for you to drive your kid to school perhaps you should revisit whether you are making your child and the ones getting a little exercise walking and riding to school safer or if in fact you are contributing to the problem.

There are 12.5m kids in the US between 2 & 19 who are either clinically obese or approaching that status. and for kids aged 12-19 roughly 8% achieve the minimum 60min of daily exercise recommended by the CDC.

I drive or ride my bike by Graham every day. Most of those kids need more exercise.....and in all likelihood, so do you and I.

I live about 1000 feet from Graham and have to travel on Castro Street or Miramonte to get to my home, and speaking from daily experience in the construction zones - on both streets - numerous drivers are confused at ALL times of the day and night.

A's I stated previously, I have nearly been struck multiple times by vehicles suddenly coming up on my right in the no longer existent right hand lane as I was trying to make a right turn onto Sonia or Harpster - in the late afternoon, evening, weekend, all those times. Very poor signage and/or very poor drivers. Take your pick.

Drive the kids a couple blocks off Mirramonte and let them get out. Problem SOLVED!
I really wish the complaining parents would quit all the griping. Nothing changes until less parents insist they drop off little Bobby directly in front of the school.
You know how long it takes to walk from ECR to Graham? About 4-5 mins at a leisurely pace. Get a map, look at it, find your new drop off point and we can all move on with our lives. Quit looking for everyone to make the world perfect for you. You have the power to eliminate this hassle from your lives tomorrow! It's your choice if you don't want to do it, but all I can think of when I hear these complaint is "Aw, poor ba-by", then the laughter sets in.

Looks like the obstacle course is going in on Graham end of Castro street. If those kids would would obey street laws, use the sidewalks and crosswalks properly, and if the City of MV would've put in high visablity light up crosswalks, that could alleviate some issues. Then let's educate the overprotective parents who feel its necessary to drop off and pick up their little brats every day, here's a thought, don't do it, your causing more of a problem to this horrible road diet makeover. I look forward to seeing how many cars the curb outs claim.