Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier File Photo
Student cyclists pedal against the flow of traffic on Almond Avenue near Los Altos High School in 2019.
A controversial “cycle track” was the centerpiece of discussion last week as the Los Altos City Council approved a $157,300 street-striping project.
The cycle track, a first for Los Altos, involves a two-way bike lane on the north side of Almond Avenue between the San Antonio Road intersection and Los Altos High School. It is designed to improve cyclists’ safety by reducing the risk of auto collisions.
The idea has been the subject of debate since first introduced more than three years ago. The project impacts five residences, where the cycle track would cross in front of their properties.
Divided council opts to regulate, rather than ban, boardinghouses Written by Bruce Barton
The Los Altos City Council capped a two-hour-plus discussion March 9 over a proposed boardinghouse ordinance by rejecting an outright prohibition in favor of a regulatory one. The council majority directed city staff to work on several tweaks to the proposed regulations over the objections of two members who favored a ban.
The discussion was fraught with myriad and complex legal questions regarding the extent to which the city could require and enforce rules about such housing arrangements.
“Boardinghouses” are loosely defined as maximizing use of homes with the intent of bringing in more than two long-term tenants for income. City staff noted that such arrangements can result in overcrowding, excessive noise, traffic congestion and illegal parking, undermining the quality of residential neighborhoods.