Miramonte-Covington: The Alternatives to a Stoplight

After slaying the spectre of a stoplight at the Miramonte Avenue - Covington Road crossing last spring, area residents may want to come to Tuesday night's city council meeting to see what else could be in the works.

The Los Altos City Council last May directed staff to return with alternatives to a stoplight, after residents presented a petition signed by 366 people, and several spoke against a city-approved stoplight at multiple meetings. 

Engineers were asked to maximize pedestrian and bicycle safety, provide pedestrian "refuge" areas, and maintain right turns for those going from southbound Miramonte Avenue onto Covington Road, wrote Cedric Novenario, the city's new transportation manager, in a memo to the council.

The recommended alternative, called 2A, creates standard curbs, gutters and pedestrian ramps at the intersection, Novenario wrote. It would accommodate any future Class I pathway to Covington School by improving the area behind the pedestrian ramp for a pathway connection from Miramonte Avenue onto Covington Road. It was estimated to cost $98,000

Another alternative, 1A, contemplates constructing "bulb outs" that shorten the crosswalk length and thus provides more safety for pedestrians. It was estimated to cost $118,000. A third alternative, 3A is more minimal, and would include non-standard asphalt curbs. It was described as less attractive because its $82,000 cost was not much less than 2A, and could require more expense if more improvements were required in the future.

All three came with right-turn lane options, which would increase the lengths of car lines, the city staff memo said, and slightly higher costs. All fell well within the $250,000 approved for the project.