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Published on 03/16/1998 All articles from this issue

City, citizens start to make noise about traffic

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

Kurt Ayers worried about his 5-year-old daughter riding her bike near their Los Altos home because he video-taped a speedster zooming along at 61 mph.

Now this Los Altos dad is chairman of the Neighborhood Traffic Advisory Task Force. The task force grew out of a growing concern in the city about traffic issues.

Councilman King Lear heard them over and over during his fall campaign. And as a result of concerns from people like Ayers and a responsive city council, the task force of 11 is meeting to consider solutions.

"There's a synergy between the task force and city staff of positive, pro-active plans," Ayers said.

"If you're on the task force, it's not to fix the problems on your own street and run, but to look at solutions to solve the city problems," he said.

"I'm thrilled we have the task force," said Barbara Loebner, "and that it's being supported by council and staff." This Los Altos resident is a member of the task force and worked last fall on her own "Be An Angel, Drive 25" program.

Ayers named what he considers to be the top two problems: speeding and cut-through traffic.

And he named his top-10 Los Altos streets for speeders: South Clark Avenue, Hawthorne Avenue, University Avenue, Newcastle Drive, Oak Avenue, Berry Avenue, Pepper Drive, Covington Road, Cuesta Drive and Fallen Leaf Lane.

"More people are worried about traffic than we imagined," he said. Interest is "ballooning.

Two things the committee is focusing on, Loebner said, are: a neighborhood traffic management plan that will be a policy and procedure document; and the role of the police officer in enforcement.

The committee meets from 7:30-9 p.m. the first and third Mondays, usually at the Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave., and meetings are open to the public.