Encinal Elementary students urge wider, brighter bike lanes and protected walking paths on Middlefield Road

At a meeting of the Atherton Town Council, fifth-grade students from Encinal Elementary presented findings from a community science project that identified safety problems and recommended changes to Middlefield Road to make biking, walking and rolling to school safer.

The students, working with their assistant principal and a community-science organizer, said narrow bike lanes, faded paint and obstructions allow motor vehicles to enter bike lanes and make students feel unsafe. They recommended widening lanes, using brighter or glow-in-the-dark pavement markings, placing recycled plastic delineators or planter boxes to separate bikes from traffic, and improving the walking surface with compacted natural materials and a planted buffer.

The presentation drew…