Dear City Council Members:
I was witness to a horrific automobile/pedestrian accident at the corner of Santa Cruz Avenue and Curtis Street on Saturday April 18th. At the time the street was very busy, as there was an art fair on the sidewalks of Santa Cruz Avenue. There were people on both sides of the street, crossing the street and vehicles coming down Santa Cruz and at the corner. Any visibility for either the pedestrian or the driver of the car was compromised by a large exhibition booth at the south east corner of Santa Cruz and Curtis. I went back today, Sunday, to see if the visibility had improved. It had not. Whoever was at fault, clearly the added distraction of the art fair and the increased number of pedestrians complicated the scene.
I would hope that as you do for other art fairs, closing Santa Cruz Ave. for all such events would be a high priority for the city council. The driver of the car was a visitor from the middle west and unfamiliar with our streets. Regardless of the circumstances, it seems to me to increase the risk of such tragic accidents when there too many obstacles for a clear view of the street and pedestrian cross walk.

Anne Bergman
Hoover St.
Menlo Park Received on Sun Apr 19 2009 - 11:53:09 PDT