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Third‑grader presents neighborhood speed survey; council praises civic engagement

Portola Valley Town Council · April 23, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Wyatt Friend, a third grader at Ormondale Elementary, presented a traffic‑safety project reporting that 68% of 53 sampled vehicles exceeded the 20 mph limit on Shawnee Pass and proposed speed bumps, more signage and a crossing-guard program; council thanked him and encouraged staff follow‑up.

At the April 22 council meeting, third‑grader Wyatt Friend presented a school project and speed survey to the council and residents, asking for measures to slow traffic on Shawnee Pass.

Wyatt said he and deputy personnel collected data from 53 vehicles using radar equipment and found that 68% were traveling above the posted 20 mph limit. He recommended installing speed bumps, adding signage and creating a crossing‑guard program to protect students and neighborhood residents. "My first recommendation is speed bumps," Wyatt said, and he noted speed‑bump effects from research he cited during the presentation.

Councilmembers applauded his civic participation and suggested staff follow up on his poster board and consider whether traffic calming measures are appropriate. The Bicycle, Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee chair later offered to work with Wyatt on the project.

Ending: Staff acknowledged Wyatt's work and indicated they would review his data and recommendations as part of regular traffic‑safety follow‑up.