Menlo Park commission backs making Middle Avenue park-frontage back-in/angle parking permanent

The Menlo Park Complete Streets Commission voted unanimously on March 11 to recommend that city council conclude a parking pilot on the park frontage along Middle Avenue and leave the current back-in/angle parking configuration and the buffered bike lane in place.

Senior transportation planner Katrine Maki presented the evaluation, describing a 2023 parallel-parking pilot that produced recurring safety and operational concerns — including parked vehicles encroaching into the bike lane, limited sight lines for drivers exiting spaces, and increased conflict points during peak school travel times. Staff said a revised back-in/angle configuration improved forward visibility for drivers, moved vehicle doors away from the bike lane, increased predictability of movement for cyclists, and increased the parking count compared with the earlier pilot. Staff recommended retaining the bike lane in the roadway right-of-way, keeping the back-in/angle parking configuration, and not implementing time-restricted parking as part of the project.

Resident Levi Romendine of District 5, speaking during public comment, told the commission the presentation addressed most of his concerns but asked staff to consider a more cohesive view of parking across the whole park site, including repainting in the off-street lot and whether recent concrete planters removed informal spaces that previously served users of the playground and Little House. "I would have liked to see a more cohesive look at the parking situation for all of [the park] and not just Middle Avenue," Romendine said.

Commissioners and staff discussed observed user behavior since the reconfiguration, with several commissioners noting that observed compliance with backing-in had increased over time and that the back-in alignment provided better sight lines for bicyclists. Commissioners also raised operational questions that staff said they would follow up on, including the visibility of ADA spaces and whether painting closer to the travel lane could improve sight lines for approaching drivers. Staff noted arborist concerns about installing parking near tree roots where planters are currently placed, and agreed to look into whether those planters are still needed or whether space can be used differently.

Following discussion, the commission approved a motion to accept staff's recommendation to conclude the pilot and forward that recommendation to city council for final action. The vote was unanimous.

Votes at a glance: the commission also approved the Feb. 11, 2026 meeting minutes earlier in the meeting (5 yes, 2 abstain). The commission did not adopt additional parking restrictions or time-limited parking as part of this recommendation.

Next steps: staff will present the commission's recommendation to city council for consideration and direction.