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Parents and staff press city for immediate safety fixes at Churchill–Alma crossing
Summary
Multiple parents told the committee that the Churchill Avenue–Alma Street rail crossing is dangerous for students who bike and walk to Paly; staff described near-term signal and signing work scheduled for summer and agreed to explore timing, signage and enforcement changes and a possible crossing guard.
Parents and residents at the May 20 meeting urged the Rail Committee to accelerate safety work at the Churchill Avenue–Alma Street crossing and to make near-term changes this summer before school resumes.
Public comments emphasized crowded bike queuing, parking violations and inadequate waiting islands. "Our students' safety must come first," said Myra Zanza, identifying herself as a Paly parent. Vandana, another parent, said, "that crossing is really horrific," and asked for longer green times, pedestrian countdown timers and stronger enforcement of parking prohibitions near the crossing.
City staff response and near-term work Rupen Bhatia, interim chief transportation official, said staff has scheduled signal work for Churchill and Alma that would be performed after schools close in June to reduce impacts to students. Staff said the work includes signal and preemption adjustments and pavement and ramp improvements; the city plans to complete most of the remaining work over the summer.
Staff said they had noted specific public requests — longer straight-through green time on Churchill, pedestrian countdown timers, improved signage and clearer pavement markings — and will evaluate whether those elements can be incorporated. Bhatia cautioned that some timing changes may be constrained by train preemption requirements, noting that train approach detection triggers signals and that distances from detection points limit how timings can be set.
Other mitigation ideas discussed - City staff and committee members discussed marked storage or queueing for bicyclists and whether a formal bike box is appropriate given turn restrictions and peak-hour regulations. - Several residents requested stronger enforcement for vehicles parked in spaces marked as restricted during school commute hours and clearer signage; staff said they would coordinate enforcement follow-up. - A parent and other residents requested a crossing guard at Churchill–Alma during school commute hours; staff said they would note the request for consideration. - Residents recommended collecting video to document morning and afternoon bike queuing and congestion to help define the problem for the community and engineers.
Ending Staff committed to coordinate with Caltrain on active project punch-list items and to bring updated plans to the next Rail Committee meeting. Work on equipment and signal changes is planned for June with the goal of completing the majority of physical work by the end of the summer, subject to coordination with Caltrain and contractors.
