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Home My WebLink About2026-04-15 City Council Agenda PacketCITY COUNCIL Special Meeting Wednesday, April 15, 2026 Council Chambers & Hybrid 6:00 PM Amended Agenda Amended agenda items appear below in RED Palo Alto City Council meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attend by teleconference or in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in the meeting is located at the end of the agenda. The meeting will be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 26, live on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen Media Center https://midpenmedia.org. VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/362027238) Meeting ID: 362 027 238 Phone:1(669)900-6833 PUBLIC COMMENTS General Public Comment for items not on the agenda will be accepted in person for up to three minutes or an amount of time determined by the Chair. General public comment will be heard for 30 minutes. Additional public comments, if any, will be heard at the end of the agenda. Public comments for agendized items will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or an amount of time determined by the Chair. Requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutes after the staff’s presentation or as determined by the Chair. Written public comments can be submitted in advance to city.council@PaloAlto.gov and will be provided to the Council and available for inspection on the City’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your subject line. Multiple individuals who wish to speak on the same item may designate a spokesperson. Spokespersons must be representing five or more verified individuals who are present either in person or via zoom. Spokespeople will be allowed up to 10 minutes, at the discretion of the presiding officer. Speaking time may be reduced if the presiding officer reduces the speaking time for individual speakers. PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only by email to city.clerk@PaloAlto.gov at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received, the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strong cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are not accepted. Signs and symbolic materials less than 2 feet by 3 feet are permitted provided that: (1) sticks, posts, poles or similar/other type of handle objects are strictly prohibited; (2) the items do not create a facility, fire, or safety hazard; and (3) persons with such items remain seated when displaying them and must not raise the items above shoulder level, obstruct the view or passage of other attendees, or otherwise disturb the business of the meeting. TIME ESTIMATES Listed times are estimates only and are subject to change at any time, including while the meeting is in progress. The Council reserves the right to use more or less time on any item, to change the order of items and/or to continue items to another meeting. Particular items may be heard before or after the time estimated on the agenda. This may occur in order to best manage the time at a meeting or to adapt to the participation of the public. 1 April 15, 2026 Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at www.paloalto.gov/agendas. CALL TO ORDER AGENDA CHANGES, ADDITIONS AND DELETIONS ACTION ITEMS Include: Report of Committees/Commissions, Ordinances and Resolutions, Public Hearings, Report of Officials, Unfinished Business and Council Matters. 1.Expedited Evaluation of the Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing, Determination of Next Steps, and CEQA Status – Statutorily and Categorically Exempt. Title Updated, Late Packet Report added, Supplemental Report added ADJOURNMENT OTHER INFORMATION Standing Committee Meetings this week Policy & Services Committee April 14, 2026 Climate Action & Sustainability Committee April 17, 2026 Public Comment Letters Schedule of Meetings AMENDED AGENDA ITEMS 1.Expedited Evaluation of the Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing, Determination of Next Steps, and CEQA Status – Statutorily and Categorically Exempt. Title Updated, Late Packet Report added 1.Expedited Evaluation of the Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing, Determination of Next Steps, and CEQA Status – Statutorily and Categorically Exempt. Supplemental Report added 2 April 15, 2026 Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at www.paloalto.gov/agendas. PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email, teleconference, or by phone. 1.Written public comments may be submitted by email to city.council@PaloAlto.gov. 2.For in person public comments please complete a speaker request card located on the table at the entrance to the Council Chambers and deliver it to the Clerk prior to discussion of the item. 3.Spoken public comments for agendized items using a computer or smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, click on the link below to access a Zoom-based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. ◦You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in- browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up-to-date browser: Chrome 30 , Firefox 27 , Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. 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When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 362-027-238 Phone: 1-669-900-6833 Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at (650) 329-2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@PaloAlto.gov. Requests for assistance or accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or service. 3 April 15, 2026 Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at www.paloalto.gov/agendas. California Government Code §84308, commonly referred to as the "Levine Act," prohibits an elected official of a local government agency from participating in a proceeding involving a license, permit, or other entitlement for use if the official received a campaign contribution exceeding $500 from a party or participant, including their agents, to the proceeding within the last 12 months. A “license, permit, or other entitlement for use” includes most land use and planning approvals and the approval of contracts that are not subject to lowest responsible bid procedures and have a value over $50,000. A “party” is a person who files an application for, or is the subject of, a proceeding involving a license, permit, or other entitlement for use. A “participant” is a person who actively supports or opposes a particular decision in a proceeding involving a license, permit, or other entitlement for use, and has a financial interest in the decision. The Levine Act incorporates the definition of “financial interest” in the Political Reform Act, which encompasses interests in business entities, real property, sources of income, sources of gifts, and personal finances that may be affected by the Council’s actions. If you qualify as a “party” or “participant” to a proceeding, and you have made a campaign contribution to a Council Member exceeding $500 made within the last 12 months, you must disclose the campaign contribution before making your comments. 4 April 15, 2026 Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at www.paloalto.gov/agendas. City Council Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: ACTION ITEMS Lead Department: City Manager Meeting Date: April 15, 2026 Report #:2604-6209 TITLE Evaluation of the Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing This will be a late packet report published on April 9, 2026 Item 1 Item 1 Staff Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 5 of 79 City Council Staff Report From: City Manager Report Type: ACTION ITEMS Lead Department: City Manager Meeting Date: April 15, 2026 Report #:2603-6075 TITLE Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing, Determination of Next Steps, and CEQA Status – Statutorily and Categorically Exempt. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends the City Council receive the expedited evaluation of a temporary closure of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing and provide direction on next steps. The Rail Safety Ad Hoc Committee recommends that after receiving the evaluation and public input, the City Council continue the item to a subsequent City Council meeting to finalize direction. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Following the most recent youth suicide at the Churchill Avenue rail crossing, the City of Palo Alto, in collaboration with the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) and Caltrain, accelerated measures to restrict access to this form of lethal means. A City Council Rail Safety Ad Hoc Committee was established to support immediate actions, including deployment of 24/7 rail crossing monitoring staff, increased engagement with the nationally recognized suicide prevention organization The JED Foundation, and support for Caltrain’s work on intrusion detection and barriers. A final immediate action has been to evaluate the potential temporary closure of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing. This expedited evaluation was undertaken with the goal of presenting its conclusions and community input on the topic to the City Council by mid- April. Staff’s expedited evaluation of the potential temporary closure of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing has identified various issues and impacts. This staff report and Attachment A identify potential community impacts, required regulatory actions, and necessary mitigation strategies to inform the City Council's decision on whether to proceed with a temporary closure. Staff’s comprehensive analysis has identified four key findings for the City Council’s consideration: Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 6 of 79 ●Urgent Public Safety Rationale: The proposed Churchill Avenue rail crossing closure is a direct response to a public health crisis. It is a recognized emergency strategy to prevent suicide contagion by restricting access to a known location of concern. This action would supplement the 24 hours per day and 7 days per week monitoring guards already deployed as an initial safety measure. ●Significant Community Disruption: A full rail crossing closure would cause substantial disruption for all transportation modes. It would reroute over 8,000 daily vehicle trips and impact many Palo Alto High School students who walk and bike across the rail crossing. The resulting detours would increase travel times and shift traffic onto already congested corridors. ●Impact on Emergency Response: The Fire Department modeling indicates an average increase of approximately 15 seconds for first-arriving units in the immediate area of the closure, which is considered operationally manageable. However, similar to the Police Department, the Fire Department identified broader corridor impacts from increased congestion on Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway that could reduce routing flexibility and contribute to incremental delays for later-arriving resources and ambulance response or transport. The Police Department has significant concerns that traffic congestion shifted to key citywide routes (Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway) could negatively impact their ability to reach major incident locations, including Stanford Hospital and large commercial centers. ●Potential Uncertainty on Regulatory Processes, Particularly on Reopening and Quiet Zone Implementation: A temporary rail crossing closure requires formal approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Furthermore, disparate treatment of a temporary closure between state and federal agencies may create administrative complexities for future reopening and delay permanent Quiet Zone implementation. To reduce impacts, staff has identified a variety of mitigation measures before and during a rail crossing closure. Mitigation measures include accelerating pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements on Embarcadero Road, developing wayfinding plans for pedestrians and cyclists, developing motorists detour plans and signage, and accelerating elements of the Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway project at Castilleja Avenue. From a decision-making perspective, staff describes two potential paths. If the City Council makes the determination to proceed, staff recommends setting a defined duration with an early evaluation, expediting bike and pedestrian improvements, prioritizing quiet zones at other crossings, and implementing detour plans for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. If the City Council decides not to proceed with a temporary rail closure, staff recommends prioritizing the Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 2 Packet Pg. 7 of 79 Churchill Avenue Quiet Zone, determining long-term track monitoring capacity, accelerating work with the JED Foundation, and continuing intrusion-prevention efforts with Caltrain. BACKGROUND 1. During a suicide cluster, which is defined as a group of suicides or suicide attempts that occur closer together in time, space, or both than would normally be expected in a community2, reducing access to lethal means is especially important. This expedited evaluation was undertaken with the goal of presenting its conclusions and community input on the topic to the City Council within 60 days of initiation, resulting in presentation of this report in mid-April. ANALYSIS 1 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Lethal Means Safety, https://afsp.org/policy- priority-lethal-means-safety/ 2 Center for Disease Control, https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/prevention/cluster.html#:~:text=The%20overall%20goal%20of%2 0a%20community%20response,and%20health%20equity%20needs%20of%20the%20communit y. Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 3 Packet Pg. 8 of 79 This report summarizes the expedited review of processes and possible impacts for implementation of a temporary closure of Churchill Avenue rail crossing, as an emergency measure in the interest of public safety. Addressed in this staff report are definitions, potential closure implications such as emergency service access and traffic circulation, and potential measures to address impacts. Also addressed are additional potential decision-making considerations and alternative scenarios for next steps. The City Council, community members, and interested parties should refer to Attachment A for the comprehensive expedited evaluation of potential temporary closure of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing. Decision Context Implementation Requirements and Process Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 4 Packet Pg. 9 of 79 Key Operational and Community Impacts A temporary rail crossing closure would create significant transportation network effects. All traffic currently using Churchill Avenue would be diverted to other routes, especially Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway, affecting access between Alma Street and El Camino Real, nearby neighborhoods, Palo Alto High School, and Stanford University. Pedestrian and cyclist access is a major concern. The closest alternative route, Embarcadero Road, is not currently recommended by the City's Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program because of high- speed turning movements and poor yielding behavior at ramp-like crossings. For some students, detours would materially increase walking and cycling distances and travel times. There will be impacts on vehicular traffic and congestion. The diversion of over 8,000 daily vehicle trips from Churchill Avenue would have significant effects on the city's road network. The City previously analyzed the effect of the Churchill Avenue crossing closure as part of the evaluation of grade separation alternatives in 2019-20. Traffic conditions were evaluated using level of service (LOS). Level of service is a qualitative description of operating conditions ranging from LOS A, or free-flow conditions with little or no delay, to LOS F, or jammed conditions with excessive delays. The analysis found that six intersections would experience jammed conditions as a result of the reassigned traffic under existing conditions and under future year 2030 traffic conditions: 1. Alma Street/Lincoln Avenue 2. Alma Street/Embarcadero Road 3. Alma Street/Kingsley Avenue 4. El Camino Real/Embarcadero Road 5. El Camino Real/Oregon Expressway-Page Mill Road 6. Alma Street/Oregon Expressway These six nearby intersections are expected to experience LOS F under closure conditions, with peak delays likely in the range of 50 to 80 seconds per vehicle. School bus operations, parent drop-off patterns, and special-event access for nearby institutional destinations would also be affected. Impacts on pedestrians and bicycle access are anticipated. A rail crossing closure would disproportionally affect Palo Alto High School students who represent the largest group of pedestrians and bicyclists who use the Churchill Avenue crossing. ●Current Usage: Approximately 714 Palo Alto High School students (39% of the student body) bike to school, with a significant number using the Churchill Avenue crossing. ●Impact of Closure: Students would face detours of up to 0.9 miles each way. The primary detour via Embarcadero Road is currently not recommended by the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program due to high-speed vehicle slip lanes and other unsafe conditions. Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 5 Packet Pg. 10 of 79 ●Anticipated Consequences: The detour may discourage walking and biking, leading more parents to drive their children to school or novice drivers to drive to school. The result would be increased vehicle traffic, congestion, and safety risks in the immediate vicinity of the high school. In addition, the City Council and community should be aware of the potential impact on emergency services response. Fire Department modeling indicates manageable effects on first- arriving unit response in the immediate area of the closure. However, both Fire and Police have identified the potential for broader congestion-related impacts on key response corridors, particularly during peak traffic periods, special events, or other disrupted conditions. ●Fire Department Analysis: ●Modeling shows an average 15-second increase in response time for the first- arriving unit to incidents in the area immediately surrounding the closure. This estimate is based on predictive modeling of current deployment patterns and available route assumptions; actual field conditions would need to be monitored and validated during implementation. ●This increase is considered operationally manageable for initial response; however, congestion on detour corridors could reduce routing flexibility and contribute to incremental delays for later-arriving resources during larger-scale incidents. Although such incidents are less frequent, timely arrival of additional units remains important for coordinated fire attacks, rescue, ambulance support, and command functions. ●Ambulance response and transport routes would remain available, but travel times in the affected area may become somewhat less predictable. ●Police Department Analysis: ●The primary concern is not so much the temporary rail crossing closure because patrol cars utilize the Churchill Avenue crossing approximately 7 times per day, but the impact of increased traffic congestion at nearby detour areas. ●Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway are primary Police response routes to critical facilities like Stanford Hospital and major commercial districts. ●Increased congestion on these corridors could delay Police response and the ability to bypass heavy traffic is limited. A temporary closure may also create an administrative conflict that could complicate and potentially delay the delivery of the permanent, citywide Quiet Zone. The CPUC defines a 6-12 month closure as "temporary." However, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which maintains the national crossing inventory database, does not have a "temporary" classification and would likely log the Churchill Avenue rail crossing as "permanently closed." This discrepancy creates an inconsistent status for the rail crossing closure between state and federal systems. To Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 6 Packet Pg. 11 of 79 implement the permanent Quiet Zone, the rail crossing's status must be clear and active. Resolving the data conflict between the CPUC and FRA to "re-open" the crossing in the federal database before it can be included in the Quiet Zone project will require coordination. While a rail crossing closure simplifies the Quiet Zone in the immediate term, it may complicate the long- term permanent solution. Mitigation Measures and Costs Accelerate Embarcadero Road Improvements (Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety) Develop Detour Plan for Pedestrians and Bicyclists Develop Detour Plan for Motorists Accelerate Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway Project Communications and Non-Physical Improvements Accelerate or Delay Quiet Zone Implementation at Churchill Avenue Potential Impact on Disrupting the Suicide Cluster Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 7 Packet Pg. 12 of 79 in the evening and only at the Charleston and Meadow rail crossings. Over time, coverage gradually expanded to include 24-hour coverage at all rail crossings. Prior to the current contract, on-site staffed monitoring ceased in late 2018, when the City deployed a camera-based intrusion detection system at each rail crossing. That intrusion detection system has recently been supplanted by an intrusion system operated by Caltrain. Available records indicate that there were no fatalities at sites and timeframes where monitoring staff were present during the 2009-2018 period. If the Churchill Avenue crossing were closed, access to the tracks can be achieved at other crossings, stations, and other locations where fencing can more easily be overcome. While the most recent fatalities occurred at Churchill Avenue, other fatalities occurred at several other locations over the course of the past decade and beyond. In fact, most youth suicides have not involved the tracks (Attachment B letter from the JED Foundation). The City and PAUSD have engaged the nationally recognized suicide prevention organization, The JED Foundation, to conduct a community-wide evaluation of suicide prevention and postvention efforts in Palo Alto. Community engagement in this work is ongoing as described in the Stakeholder Engagement section, and JED will have a findings report this summer and will share applicable tools later this year. Potential Evaluation Elements of Temporary Rail Crossing Closure Fire and Police response performance in response to calls from the neighborhoods on both sides of the tracks before and during the closure; in addition to baseline increase in response times, delays due to additional traffic at intersections during closure Delays to pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles as well as traffic congestion at key intersections Data collection and assessment would occur throughout the school year to identify seasonal variations Traffic and operational impacts such as alternate route capacity and safety in the ability to manage redirected traffic; vehicular traffic volume or the average annual daily traffic, peak hour traffic, and traffic queueing on adjacent roads Public feedback and effects on nearby residential and commercial areas Compliance with regulations and requirements, specifically track intrusions and any property damage Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 8 Packet Pg. 13 of 79 Potential Decision Support Considerations Based on the preceding evaluation of issues, staff is outlining for City Council consideration the following recommendations for both a rail crossing closure and non-closure options. Should Council Direct Proceeding with Temporary Closure: A. Determine Closure Duration with Intermediate Checks – As described in this staff report, rail crossing closure would likely occur in late Summer 2026. Depending on the overall duration selected for closure, intermediate check-ins would provide public opportunities to share their experiences. The City Council could set a planned timeframe through June 2027, with an evaluation to occur in December 2026 to confirm the timeframe or potentially terminate the closure immediately at that time. B. Expedite Bike/Pedestrian Improvements at Embarcadero Road between Alma Street and Emerson Avenue – Given increased traffic and bike/pedestrian activity expected at Embarcadero due to Churchill Avenue closure, these planned improvements should precede closure if possible. The City Council could approve the staff recommended procurement actions to expedite pedestrian and bicycling safety modifications at Embarcadero Road. C. Prioritize Quiet Zones at Meadow and Charleston Rail Crossings – As reported earlier, temporary closure at Churchill Avenue would likely delay approval to proceed with establishment of a permanent Quiet Zone at Churchill Avenue. In recognition of this, the City Council could direct staff to prioritize Quiet Zones at Meadow and Charleston to advance these projects during the temporary Churchill Avenue closure, pending funding availability. A Quiet Zone at Alma Street/Palo Alto Avenue is already in the final stages of approval. D. Implement Detour Plans for Pedestrians, Bicyclists, and Motorists – Traffic management will be necessary throughout the temporary closure, and will be particularly important in the first weeks following the closure. The City Council could direct staff to prioritize plans to provide pedestrian, bicyclists, and motorists information to ease their navigation around the closure area. Should Council Direct Not Proceeding with Temporary Closure: A. Prioritize Churchill Avenue Quiet Zone – Student testimony highlighted the impact of train horns on the everyday environment experienced by Palo Alto High School students. The City Council could direct staff to return with a reallocated funding plan to accelerate the Churchill Avenue Quiet Zone implementation, potentially including other projects that Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 9 Packet Pg. 14 of 79 will need to be deferred to prioritize Churchill Avenue while also continuing work on Quiet Zones at Meadow and Charleston. – The City Council could direct staff to develop a funding plan to continue track monitoring staffing indefinitely, including seeking continued partnership with PAUSD. FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 10 Packet Pg. 15 of 79 with a contractor to negotiate and execute a contract. The contract is estimated to be between $1.5-$2 million. STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 11 Packet Pg. 16 of 79 allowed staff and local and regional partners to identify key issues and concerns, which are outlined in the Analysis section of this Staff Report and in Attachment A. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW ATTACHMENTS APPROVED BY: Item 1 Item 1 Late Packet Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 12 Packet Pg. 17 of 79 1 Attachment A Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 13 Packet Pg. 18 of 79 2 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 3 I. DEFINITION & REQUIRED ACTIONS FOR A TEMPORARY RAIL CROSSING CLOSURE 3 Deﬁnition of Temporary Rail Crossing Closure .......................................................... 3 Required Actions for Implementing a Temporary Rail Crossing Closure ...................... 4 II. POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLOSURE ....................................................................... 5 Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety .................................................................................. 5 Traffic Congestion Impacts on Alternative Routes ..................................................... 6 Emergency Access and Response Times .................................................................. 7 Pedestrian and Bicycle Access and Alternative Routes .............................................10 Motorist Access and Traffic Detours during the Temporary Rail Crossing Closure ......13 High School Drop-off and Pickup ............................................................................17 Special Event Access .............................................................................................18 Process for Reopening Temporary Rail Crossing Closure ..........................................19 III. POTENTIAL MITIGATION MEASURES TO ADDRESS IMPACTS .................................19 Accelerate Embarcadero Road Improvements (Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety) ..........19 Develop Detour Plan for Pedestrians and Cyclists ....................................................20 Develop Detour Plan for Motorists ...........................................................................20 Accelerate Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway Project ..........................................20 Communications and Non-Physical Improvements .................................................21 Accelerate or Delay Quiet Zone Implementation at Churchill Avenue ........................21 Longer Term Traffic Flow Mitigations ........................................................................22 Estimated Costs.....................................................................................................23 Potential Impact on Disrupting the Suicide Cluster ..................................................24 Potential Evaluation Elements of Temporary Rail Crossing Closure ...........................25 IV. POTENTIAL DECISION SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS ............................................25 Should Council Direct Proceeding with Temporary Closure: .....................................25 Should Council Direct Not Proceeding with Temporary Closure: ...............................26 Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 14 Packet Pg. 19 of 79 3 INTRODUCTION This report summarizes the expedited review of processes and possible impacts for implementation of a temporary closure of Churchill Avenue rail crossing, as an emergency measure in the interest of public safety. Addressed are definitions, potential implications such as emergency service access and traffic circulation, and potential measures to address impacts. Also addressed are additional potential decision-making considerations and alternative scenarios for next steps. Specialists in suicide prevention have identified reducing access to lethal means as a primary way to reduce suicide attempts and deaths. Installation of physical barriers and structures is an example of lethal means reduction and can be effective at preventing suicides in publicly accessible areas 1. During a suicide cluster, which is defined as a group of suicides or suicide attempts that occur closer together in time, space, or both than would normally be expected in a community 2, reducing access to lethal means is especially important. Recent youth suicides at the Churchill crossing have led to consideration of this emergency measure. Following the recent death in February 2026, the City has undertaken this expedited evaluation with intention to enable City Council consideration within roughly 60 days. I. DEFINITION & REQUIRED ACTIONS FOR A TEMPORARY RAIL CROSSING CLOSURE Deﬁnition of Temporary Rail Crossing Closure City staff, a City Council Ad Hoc Committee, and Caltrain staff initially discussed various potential forms of a temporary rail crossing closure. This included full-time closure to all vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrian crossings, as well as a gated closure that could enable crossings during supervised hours. The conclusion was reached that intermittent closure would present complexity that cannot be feasibly implemented while also meeting the intent of restricting access and preferably silencing train horns during closure. As a result, this report anticipates a temporary rail crossing closure would consist of 24 hours/7 days per week to all modes of transportation for the duration of temporary closure. 1 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Lethal Means Safety, https://afsp.org/policy-priority-lethal- means-safety/ 2 Center for Disease Control, https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/prevention/cluster.html#:~:text=The%20overall%20goal%20of%20a%20comm unity%20response,and%20health%20equity%20needs%20of%20the%20community. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 15 Packet Pg. 20 of 79 4 The duration of a temporary rail crossing closure could range from a few months to a year. The low end of this range could be pursued if the primary intent of closure is to demonstrate changes in travel patterns resulting from closure, given the typical time required for traffic patterns to adjust following a major street system change. Given the magnitude of change involved at Churchill Avenue, staff would recommend a rail crossing closure of at least six months. At the higher end, specialists in suicide prevention have cited the twelve months following a youth suicide as a critical period for postvention measures. Based on this consideration, a temporary closure could extend at least twelve months from February 2026. Required Actions for Implementing a Temporary Rail Crossing Closure The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) holds jurisdiction over rail crossings throughout California. For temporary roadway closures at tracks, the CPUC’s Rail Crossings and Engineering Branch (RCEB) reviews and authorizes modifications based on General Order 88-B, providing regulations and governing standards for warning devices for at-grade highway-rail crossings throughout the state. City staff have consulted with representatives from the CPUC and Caltrain throughout this expedited evaluation. These meetings have clarified basic design requirements and confirmed required actions for implementing a temporary rail crossing closure at Churchill Avenue as summarized below: The initial diagnostic review identified a potential variance between how CPUC and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) would treat a temporary rail crossing closure in their respective systems. This discrepancy is not anticipated to affect the feasibility or approval of a temporary closure but does raise some uncertainty with respect to process and requirements for reopening following a temporary closure. Staff prepared preliminary sketches illustrating the traffic control measures needed to implement the temporary rail crossing closure and detour routes associated with closure. Should the City Council approve proceeding with closure, the next step is to develop technical plans and layouts for the proposed measures in accordance with the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD). Development of the technical plans will require consultant services. Technical plans must then be submitted to CPUC for review and approval. Staff estimates, based on diagnostic meetings with CPUC and Caltrain, that the temporary rail crossing closure could be implemented by late summer. Diagnostic Review with CPUC & Caltrain Design Required Improvements Request for CPUC Review (GO 88-B) Complete Required Improvements Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 16 Packet Pg. 21 of 79 5 The primary traffic control elements for a temporary rail crossing closure of the roadway consist of fencing and vehicle barriers on both sides of the tracks, crosswalk and other striping changes, signage, traffic signal modifications, signal timing changes, and train signal and gate changes. Required elements will need to be constructed or installed and maintained for the duration of the temporary closure. Public Works staff would oversee the initial set-up and ongoing monitoring of these elements through the duration of a temporary closure. Staff will likely require contractor services to implement the temporary improvements. Given the increased travel distances required by detours, CPUC and Caltrain have identified concerns regarding possible trespassing by damaging the fences. There will be interest in coordinating the response in the event of such trespassing. Caltrain has suggested the need for a Memorandum of Understanding with the City that delineates repair responsibilities in the event of damage to fencing. The temporary closing of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing would be an emergency public safety measure exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act per guidelines section 15269(c). II. POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLOSURE A temporary rail crossing closure will require all vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other traffic that currently travels on Churchill Avenue at the railroad crossing to be detoured onto other roadways. This would affect access between Alma Street and El Camino Real including access to Palo Alto High School as well as the Southgate and Old Palo Alto neighborhoods. It is anticipated that a temporary rail crossing closure will result in transportation network impacts. There is potential for impacts affecting pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists, traffic congestion at other nearby crossings, principally Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway, emergency access and response times, school bus circulation, and special events access. These projected impacts are discussed further below. Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety A temporary rail crossing closure of Churchill Avenue would have impacts for student pedestrian and bicycle access in the city including a large number of Palo Alto High School students as well as Stanford affiliates. For example, the 2025 PTA-administered yearly bike count at the high school indicated approximately 714 (or 39% of) students biked to school, with a majority of east-west connections via Churchill Avenue/Alma Street or the California Avenue undercrossing. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 17 Packet Pg. 22 of 79 6 For a majority of pedestrians and bicyclists using Churchill Avenue, the closest available detour is via Embarcadero Road. However, this route is not currently included as a recommended route by the City’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program due to crossings of the on- and off- ramp-like connections between Embarcadero Road and Alma Street on both the north and south sides of Embarcadero Road. These crossings are characterized by high motorist speeds and failure to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks, even after pedestrians activate the rapid flashing beacon on the north side of Embarcadero. These concerns would be reduced through an upcoming capital project at Kingsley Avenue on the north side of Embarcadero Road, widening of the existing sidewalk path on Embarcadero from Emerson Street to High Street, reconfiguring High Street and Emerson Street intersections to reduce conflicts, reduce the speed of turning vehicles and increase visibility for pedestrians and bicyclists, and installation of a bulb-out at the corner of Emerson Street and Embarcadero Road on the south side of Embarcadero Road. It should be noted that the intersection of Embarcadero Road (on the westbound side) and Emerson Street would be a motor vehicle detour route during closure of the Churchill Avenue crossing, which makes it preferable to complete improvements at this intersection prior to closure. Traffic Congestion Impacts on Alternative Routes Closure of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing would be expected to significantly increase traffic congestion on alternative routes, principally Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway. The City previously evaluated the effect of the Churchill Avenue crossing closure as part of the evaluation of grade separation alternatives in 2019-20. Traffic conditions were evaluated using level of service (LOS). Level of service is a qualitative description of operating conditions ranging from LOS A, free-flow conditions with little or no delay, to LOS F, jammed conditions with excessive delays. That analysis found that six intersections would experience unacceptable levels of service as a result of the rerouted traffic under existing conditions and under future year 2030 traffic conditions: 1. Alma Street/Lincoln Avenue 2. Alma Street/Embarcadero Road 3. Alma Street/Kingsley Avenue 4. El Camino Real/Embarcadero Road 5. El Camino Real/Oregon Expressway-Page Mill Road 6. Alma Street/Oregon Expressway Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 18 Packet Pg. 23 of 79 7 These impacts are further summarized in the following table 3: Given that this analysis was conducted in pre-Covid conditions, effects in 2026 conditions may vary. However, the report’s findings that average intersection delays during peak hours would exceed 50-80 seconds per vehicle likely remain valid. Emergency Access and Response Times The Fire Department’s emergency access and response times are critical for saving lives and limiting property damage, as every minute saved directly improves survival rates for cardiac arrest, trauma, and fire incidents. The Fire Department conducted targeted analyses to evaluate potential impacts of the temporary rail crossing closure on emergency response performance. For initial response times (first-arriving response), the Fire Department reviewed contractor predictive modeling based on historical call activity and current response coverage. The modeling indicates that response- time impacts would be limited and concentrated near the closure area; for the subset of locations showing impacts, the average modeled increase to first-arriving unit response time is approximately 15 seconds. Based on available data, the modeled change appears operationally 3 “Churchill, Meadow and Charleston Grade Separation Traffic Analysis Report” (as revised on February 3, 2021) Hexagon Traffic Consultants, Inc., August 13, 2020) https://www.paloalto.gov/ﬁles/assets/public/v/1/transportation/rail/connecting-palo-alto/project-studies- amp-reports/traffic-analysis-report_churchill-meadow-and-charleston-grade-separation_revised.pdf Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 19 Packet Pg. 24 of 79 8 manageable from first-arriving unit coverage and redundancy standpoint. However, actual field conditions may vary depending on traffic conditions including how traffic congestion and intersection delays due to the Churchill Avenue rail crossing closure would affect travel times under certain peak or disrupted conditions. In addition to first-arriving unit response, the Fire Department considered larger-scale incidents that require multiple companies, command staff, and ambulance coordination from both sides of the rail corridor. Fire Department impacts are not limited to the immediate area of the Churchill crossing; increased congestion on Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway could reduce routing flexibility and contribute to incremental delays in the arrival of later-assigned resources on expanded incidents during peak traffic periods. While these impacts are not expected to prevent emergency response, they could affect overall incident build-up times and will warrant monitoring throughout any temporary closure period. The Fire Department also recognizes that ambulance access to incidents in the affected area, as well as ambulance transport from those incidents to receiving hospitals, may experience incremental delay due to detour-related congestion and intersection queueing. Although alternative transport routes remain available, travel times may become somewhat less predictable under peak traffic conditions, special events, or other network disruptions. These impacts are expected to be manageable operationally, but they should be tracked as part of the City’s evaluation of the temporary closure. If a rail crossing closure is approved by the City Council, the Fire Department will coordinate with dispatch to use the most efficient travel routes, monitor conditions in the affected area, and adjust routing or operational guidance if unanticipated impacts emerge. Similarly, Police access and rapid response times are crucial for improving public safety, increasing criminal apprehension rates, and strengthening public trust in law enforcement. It should be noted that the Police Department and Fire Department response models are different. Fire personnel typically respond from 1 of 6 stations located throughout the city and Stanford campus, whereas Police Officers typically respond from dynamic locations in the field. Officers are assigned to 1 of 4 beats, geographically divided by Alma Street (north-south) and Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road (east-west); however, they often respond to calls outside of their assigned beat due to concurrent priority calls for service in the same beat, a call for service requiring multiple officers, and staffing limitations. While Fire personnel typically respond to a fixed emergency location, Police Officers frequently respond to a location that changes enroute. For example, crime suspects at large are often mobile (e.g., on foot or in a Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 20 Packet Pg. 25 of 79 9 vehicle), so responding Police Officers must adapt their response routes accordingly. Police Department staff devised a way to capture and examine fleet-wide patrol vehicle GPS data. During a recent 30-day period, patrol vehicles used Churchill Avenue to cross Alma Street an average of 7 times daily. While crossings at this intersection are relatively infrequent, because it is one of a limited number of locations where Police Officers can cross Alma Street, it is a valuable response route. Police Department staff reviewed 5 years of police calls-for-service data for the Southgate neighborhood, Palo Alto High School, and PAUSD offices. Importantly, in addition to responding to reports of criminal activity, Police Officers are often the first to arrive on the scene of medical emergencies. During this 5-year period, Emergency Calls (those involving a high likelihood of injury or death, with a targeted response time of 6 minutes or less) occurred in this area an average of 2 times monthly; Urgent Calls (those with a lesser human threat, with a targeted response time of 10-minutes or less) occurred in this area an average of 8 times monthly. Average Police response times to these locations have historically met targets. While Emergency and Urgent Calls are infrequent in this area, a delayed response to an incident of this type has the potential to result in the escape of a suspect, serious injury, or death. The impact of a potential temporary Churchill Avenue rail closure on Police response times is not limited to the immediate area. Because the traffic displaced by the closure is anticipated to significantly impact congestion on Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road, it is assumed that police responses via these routes will also be negatively impacted. Embarcadero Road is a primary response route to Town and Country Village, Stanford Shopping Center, and Stanford Hospital among other notable locations. Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road is a primary route for responses to California Avenue, Stanford Research Park, and the foothills among other prominent locations. Of note, existing congestion, as well as road characteristics (e.g., no shoulder, concrete center barriers, impaired sight lines), already make emergency driving challenging through the Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road undercrossings, so Police Officers’ ability to “drive around” traffic is limited. In sum, while Police Department staff cannot predict, at this time, the extent of the impact on response times that a temporary rail crossing closure and the resulting increased congestion on Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road would have, staff assumes response times to impacted areas and via impacted routes will be longer than current times. If a temporary rail crossing closure occurs, the Police Department will capture this response data, consult with the Office of Transportation, and engage an outside analyst, to better quantify the definitive impact on response times to include meeting targets. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 21 Packet Pg. 26 of 79 10 Pedestrian and Bicycle Access and Alternative Routes Until improvements at Embarcadero Road/Alma Street interchange are completed, school access detours would be recommended via the pedestrian and bicycle crossings at California Avenue and Homer Avenue. Based on a review of the high-injury network for pedestrians and for bicycles, Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) output for Safe Routes to School, and the City’s suggested routes for walking/biking, the recommended alternate route for school aged pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the tracks are as follows: • Eastbound pedestrians north of Seale Avenue would likely divert to Embarcadero Road path (southside) (up to one (1) mile detour or 22 minutes extra including steps): Pedestrians travelling from the area north of Seale Avenue with destinations that include Palo Alto High School and Stanford may also travel to Alma, Bryant or Emerson streets and head north, before turning left (west) on the Embarcadero Road sidewalk via a crossing at Kingsley Avenue and/or steps at Alma Street. • Eastbound pedestrians and bicyclists south of Seale Avenue would likely divert to California Avenue pedestrian/bicycle undercrossing (up to 0.9-mile detour): Bicyclists or pedestrians travelling from the area south of Seale Avenue with destinations that include Palo Alto High School and Stanford would travel to Bryant Street and head south on Bryant Street, then turn right to travel west on California Avenue and undercrossing, then turn right to travel north on Park Boulevard, then jog left to continue north on Castilleja Avenue to the high school. For someone traveling to Palo Alto High School from Seale Avenue/Bryant Street, this detour would increase trip length by 0.9 miles from 0.4 miles (a 4-minute ride or 15- minute walk) to 1.3 miles (a 6-minute ride or 28-minute walk). Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 22 Packet Pg. 27 of 79 11 Figure 1: Proposed route for bicyclists from Bryant St & Churchill Avenue to Palo Alto High School (1.5 miles, 9 minutes) and return (1.5 miles, 8 minutes) • Eastbound bicyclists north of Seale Avenue are recommended to divert to Homer Avenue Undercrossing (up to 0.9-mile detour) until the improvements at Embarcadero/Alma Street interchange are completed: Bicyclists travelling from the area north of Seale Avenue with destinations that include Palo Alto High School and Stanford would travel to Bryant Street and head north on Bryant Street, then turn left to travel west on Homer Avenue and undercrossing, then turn left to travel south on Embarcadero Bike Path Paly. For the return trip, since Homer Avenue is a one-way street with only one block of counterflow protected bikeway, bicyclists would need to turn right from Homer at Ln 8 W then turn left on Channing Avenue to get to Bryant Street. For someone traveling to the edge of Palo Alto High School from the Churchill Avenue/Bryant Street intersection, this detour would increase trip length by 0.9 miles from 0.3 miles (2-minute ride or 7-minute walk) to 1.2 miles (a 7-minute ride or 23- minute walk). Figure 2: Detour via California Avenue underpass (1.3 miles; 6 minutes) Prior to Embarcadero Road improvements, staff does not recommend Embarcadero Road as an alternative access route. However, Embarcadero Road is likely to be the shortest alternative route for most pedestrians and bicyclists if Churchill Avenue is not available. Once improvements are implemented, the bicycle detour via Embarcadero Road would be as follows: Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 23 Packet Pg. 28 of 79 12 • Westbound bicyclists would divert via Bryant Street to Kingsley Avenue and Embarcadero Road path (northside): Bicyclists travelling from the area north of Seale Avenue with destinations in the vicinity of Palo Alto High School or Stanford would travel to Bryant Street and head north on Bryant Street across Embarcadero Road, then turn left to travel west on Kingsley Avenue to the path on the north side Embarcadero Road via the crossing of Alma Street on- ramp from Embarcadero Road. For someone traveling from Churchill Avenue and Bryant Street, this detour would increase trip length by 0.5 miles from 0.3 miles (2-minute ride or 6-minute walk) to 0.8 miles (a 5-minute ride or 25-minute walk). As indicated below, the westbound route coincides with the motor vehicle detour at the corner of Emerson Street and Embarcadero Road, thereby suggesting the need for additional consideration of that intersection. • Eastbound bicyclists would divert to Embarcadero Road path and Bryant Street: Bicyclists making the return trip would remain on the path on the south side of Embarcadero Road between Palo Alto High School and Bryant Street. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 24 Packet Pg. 29 of 79 13 Figure 3: Bicycle and pedestrian detours to and from Bryant Street and Seale Avenue to Palo Alto High School and Stanford via Embarcadero Road, Homer Avenue, and California Avenue underpass. Route connects to Greene Middle School. A second safety concern relates to the secondary effect of increased walk/bike travel time to school and concerns about the Embarcadero Road connection, which could result in some families deciding to switch from walking and biking to school, to driving -- with either an adult driver drop off trip (which adds two trips) or a novice, minor driver. Almost all collisions in Palo Alto are the result of a driver striking another road user, therefore an absolute increase in car trips represents a net negative for transportation safety. The safety concern of a higher mode of driving to school is exacerbated when novice drivers are involved. Increased student driving could also have potential parking spillover effects such as in Town and Country Village. These effects could be reduced with enhanced wayfinding, Safe Routes to School (SRTS) training and messaging in addition to interim improvements to the Alma Street – Embarcadero Road eastbound area, and acceleration of Embarcadero Road Improvements in both directions. Motorist Access and Traffic Detours during the Temporary Rail Crossing Closure Churchill Avenue is a major collector that provides connections to key community destinations, including the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD), Palo Alto High School, Stanford University, and the Southgate and Old Palo Alto neighborhoods. Based on 2023 traffic counts, more than 8,000 vehicles use Churchill Avenue daily. If the rail crossing was closed temporarily, much of this traffic would likely be diverted to parallel corridors such as Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway to access destinations on the west side of the rail tracks and along El Camino Real. As part of the grade separation project in 2020 referenced earlier, an analysis was conducted to evaluate the potential closure of Churchill Avenue at the railroad crossing using standard traffic analysis software. The analysis indicated that diverting vehicular traffic from Churchill Avenue would result in substantial operational effects at six intersections described earlier in this report. The following provides background information on how traffic would likely be redistributed to nearby roadways. • Eastbound motorists may divert to El Camino Real, Oregon Expressway and Embarcadero Road: Eastbound traffic currently using Churchill Avenue would likely divert to El Camino Real and then access Embarcadero Road, resulting in additional northbound right-turn movements from El Camino Real onto Embarcadero Road. From there, traffic would Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 25 Packet Pg. 30 of 79 14 continue along local streets such as Kingsley Avenue, High Street, Lincoln Avenue, Emerson Street, and other nearby roadways to access Alma Street or to reach destinations east of the tracks. Similarly, some traffic would divert south to Oregon Expressway, resulting in increased left-turn movements from El Camino Real onto Oregon Expressway. This traffic would subsequently utilize the Alma Street ramps to access Alma Street or continue east. An illustration of these traffic diversion patterns during the peak hour is shown in the exhibit below. Figure 4: Redistribution of Eastbound Churchill Avenue trips • Westbound motorists may divert to Alma Street, Embarcadero Road, Oregon Expressway, and connecting segments on Lincoln Avenue and Emerson Street: Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 26 Packet Pg. 31 of 79 15 Westbound traffic currently using Churchill Avenue would likely divert onto Alma Street, with some vehicles using parallel local streets such as Bryant, Waverley, and Cowper to reach Embarcadero Road or Oregon Expressway. To the north, Alma Street connects to Embarcadero Road via Lincoln Avenue and Emerson Street. To the south, Alma Street provides connections to Oregon Expressway through the on- and off-ramps, which would also see increased traffic volumes. An Alma Street and Churchill Avenue illustration of these traffic diversion patterns during peak hour is shown in the exhibit below. Figure 5: Redistribution of Westbound Churchill Avenue trips Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 27 Packet Pg. 32 of 79 16 Based on the analysis above, the following detours are suggested: • Motor vehicle detours via Oregon Expressway: Traffic needing to cross Churchill Avenue from east of the tracks would be detoured to Oregon Expressway using Alma Street, then turn right onto El Camino Real. Vehicles needing to access Southgate or Palo Alto High School would turn right onto Churchill Avenue from El Camino Real. Likewise, traffic on west side of tracks would be detoured to El Camino Real, turning left onto Oregon Expressway. Vehicles may exit at Alma Street or continue along Oregon Expressway depending on their destination. This route is displayed in the figure below. • School bus access via Oregon Expressway: Approximately 26 school buses, accounting for a total of 52 daily trips, currently cross the railroad tracks (based on information provided by PAUSD staff in 2023 data. With the temporary rail crossing closure in place, school buses would need to use the same detour routes described above. As a result, the PAUSD Transportation Department may need to adjust school pickup and drop-off schedules to account for the anticipated congestion and delays, which could lead to longer travel times for students. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 28 Packet Pg. 33 of 79 17 Figure 6: Proposed traffic detour on Oregon Expressway and including for school bus High School Drop-off and Pickup A large proportion of students at Palo Alto High School currently access the campus by bike or on foot and will continue to do so. For those accessing the campus by motor vehicle, detours have been recommended to facilitate access while minimizing safety impacts on pedestrian and bicycle access routes. From Churchill Avenue in Southgate, drop off and pick up vehicles access campus directly as they do today. Castilleja Avenue is not recommended for detour use since it is part of the city’s bike boulevard and suggested route to school. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 29 Packet Pg. 34 of 79 18 Figure 7: Bicycle detours for trips to school through the California Avenue underpass and vehicular detours for school drop offs and pickups through El Camino Real and Oregon Expressway intersection. These detours are expected to increase traffic volumes and potential motor vehicle delays on several residential, collector, and arterial streets including the following: • Residential and collector streets adjacent to Palo Alto High School such as Castilleja Avenue and Park Blvd.; • Churchill Avenue and El Camino Real intersection particularly during construction of Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway project (currently underway); • Oregon Expressway at El Camino Real, Alma Street on-ramp and off ramps, Emerson Street, Bryant Street, and Waverley Street; • Embarcadero Road at El Camino Real, Town and Country Village, Palo Alto High School, Emerson Street, Bryant Street, and Waverley Street. • Alma Street at Lincoln Avenue, Kingsley Avenue, and California Avenue. Special Event Access Stanford University and PAUSD host several special events, such as football and other sporting games, concerts and graduations. Stanford stadium hosts around 10-15 major events per year with 6-8 home games between September and November, 3-4 days of major concerts over summer, and 2-3 soccer games between July and September. Due to the proximity of these facilities to the Churchill Avenue rail crossing, the proposed closure would likely impact traffic Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 30 Packet Pg. 35 of 79 19 circulation during such events, resulting in additional congestion and delays along key corridors, including El Camino Real, Embarcadero Road, Alma Street, and Oregon Expressway. Nearby residential streets will also experience increased spillover traffic and associated inconvenience during these periods. Process for Reopening Temporary Rail Crossing Closure Representatives from CPUC and Caltrain staff advised that the City would need to undergo a process to reopen a previously closed temporary rail crossing that includes: • Conducting a diagnostic meeting with CPUC and Caltrain. • Design of modifications and traffic control (signage, striping, and signal) elements to be reinstalled or reactivated to facilitate reopening of the crossing. • Request for CPUC review and GO-88B approval. • Construction of design modifications. • Testing and approval of all equipment including Caltrain gates and bells, City signals, and pre-signals prior to being returned to service. The reopening represents a potential uncertainty regarding the timing and cost to reopen the crossing due to the potential variation in state and federal review interpretations and decisions. This may also delay permanent Quiet Zone implementation as discussed further below. III. POTENTIAL MITIGATION MEASURES TO ADDRESS IMPACTS To mitigate the possible effects of a temporary Churchill Avenue rail crossing closure, staff has identified a multi-pronged approach including accelerating specific projects and communication of alternative routes and travel options. Accelerate Embarcadero Road Improvements (Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety) Embarcadero Road is the closest alternative route but is not currently recommended as an alternative pedestrian and bicycling route. Improvements to pedestrian and bicycle access on Embarcadero Road are therefore a priority to maintain safety during a temporary rail crossing closure. Staff would recommend accelerating implementation of improvements north of the Embarcadero Road centerline to facilitate more convenient alternative access relative to Homer Avenue. Acceleration to complete construction during the summer of 2026 would require procurement exceptions to shorten the time required for contract bidding and construction. The anticipated costs for this phase of work is estimated to be between $1.5-$2 million. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 31 Packet Pg. 36 of 79 20 Develop Detour Plan for Pedestrians and Cyclists A detour plan will be developed to provide wayfinding to alternative routes for pedestrians and bicyclists. Wayfinding may include signage regarding the closure and enhanced information at decision points for pedestrians and cyclists. Develop Detour Plan for Motorists Similarly, detour plans will provide clarity on advanced signage and Variable Message Signs (VMS) for routing traffic as outlined in the information on detours above. Accelerate Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway Project The recommended detour for pedestrians and bicyclists traveling to Palo Alto High School from south of Tennyson Avenue is via California Avenue, Park Boulevard, and Castilleja Avenue. Key crossings in this journey are California Avenue undercrossing and Park Boulevard, and the crossing of Churchill Avenue at Castilleja Avenue. In the current school year, two collisions have occurred at the Churchill Avenue/Castilleja Avenue intersection, therefore enhancement of this intersection is a priority to the safety, comfort, and convenience of this route. Figure 8: Enhancements at the intersection of Churchill and Castilleja Avenues as part of the Enhanced Bikeway Project Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 32 Packet Pg. 37 of 79 21 The City is currently implementing the Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway project, which will implement curb extensions and a high visibility crosswalk at Churchill Avenue/Castilleja Avenue intersection, improving the visibility of pedestrians and cyclists and encouraging lower driver speeds. The temporary rail crossing closure at Churchill Avenue may reduce the volume of movements along this corridor. This project is in the construction phase, but has experienced a supply delay in receiving streetlights and signal poles required for the project. To enhance safety and the attractiveness of this route for students traveling from south of Tennyson Avenue, implementation of project elements at the intersection of Churchill Avenue and Castilleja Avenue should be accelerated to ensure completion before the temporary rail crossing closure is implemented. Project elements that can be implemented at this intersection include installation of new ADA compliant curb ramps at all corners, new valley gutter across the northwest side of the intersection, and new streetlights integrated with a rapid ﬂashing pedestrian beacon system for crossing Churchill Avenue. Temporary striping will need to be added to the scope of work to direct bicyclists and connect existing bike lanes through the modiﬁed intersection. This option is limited to the lead time of the rapid ﬂashing pedestrian beacon system and streetlights, which currently face a supply delay and will not be on-site until summer of this year. If lead times are not favorable, the existing rapid ﬂashing pedestrian beacon system will remain in place. Communications and Non-Physical Improvements In addition to safety enhancements for pedestrians and bicyclists, the XCAP process identified mitigation measures to address potential increases in traffic volumes along Embarcadero Road associated with a temporary rail crossing closure at Churchill Avenue. Since the closure would be temporary and implemented as an emergency measure, there is insufficient time to develop, design, and implement these mitigations. As a result, there is a greater need for communications efforts to encourage travelers to avoid this area or switch to more space efficient modes such as walking, biking, and/or transit. Staff would also enhance communications on recommended alternative routes via Safe Routes to School communications and efforts that could include back to school rides. Accelerate or Delay Quiet Zone Implementation at Churchill Avenue In the context of youth mental health, community members have expressed strong support for accelerated implementation of a Quiet Zone in Palo Alto to potentially reduce triggers, particularly at the Churchill Avenue crossing given proximity to Palo Alto High School. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 33 Packet Pg. 38 of 79 22 In the long-term, Quiet Zone implementation would involve design and construction of a four- quadrant gate system and related improvements at Churchill Avenue, incorporating review and approval by CPUC for modification of the existing crossing under the GO 88-B process and FRA, followed by Notice of Implementation to affected agencies. In the short term, while a temporary closure is in place, Quiet Zone implementation could also be potentially implemented by Caltrain as the existing at-grade crossing at Churchill Avenue will be considered as permanently closed in FRA database, and will be considered as open and inactive in CPUC database. However, if a temporary closure is implemented and/or in progress, that action will likely delay or complicate the implementation of a Quiet Zone in the long term since the diagnostic meeting identified this crossing as open and active in both FRA and CPUC databases. During the temporary closure period, the FRA may treat the crossing as closed, which creates a conflict with the previously documented conditions. Thus, FRA review will likely have to be coordinated after the temporary closure has concluded and the City has successfully undertaken actions and obtained permission to reopen access to the rail crossing. The Quiet Zone Project is currently planned to be included in the FY 27 Budget. Project design is anticipated to begin in Fall 2026, with the project transitioning to Caltrain for construction anticipated in Fall 2027 with Measure K funding. Longer Term Traffic Flow Mitigations As part of the grade separation project, a traffic study evaluated the operational effects of a potential rail closure and identified the following measures to ameliorate these effects if the closure were made permanent. Estimated costs of these improvements exceed $50 million and would require several years to implement. • Right in/Right out restriction at Alma Street/Lincoln Avenue Intersection: To address increased traffic along Alma Street to Embarcadero Road via Lincoln Avenue and Emerson Avenue, a traffic study recommended that the Alma/Lincoln intersection be restricted to right-in and right-out movements—prohibiting south bound left turns from Lincoln Avenue to Alma Street. This change would enhance safety at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Alma Street and is potentially achievable in the short term through quick build methods, however it may not be desirable without signalization which may not be achievable in the context of the temporary closure. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 34 Packet Pg. 39 of 79 23 • Signalization of Embarcadero Road/Alma Street and Embarcadero Road/Kingsley Avenue and widening of Alma Street over Embarcadero Road (not recommended for a temporary closure): In the longer term, the traffic study recommended facilitating left-turning traffic from Embarcadero Road slip ramp to Alma Street through installation of traffic signals at the Alma Street/Embarcadero Road slip ramp; however, this change would not be achievable in the context of a temporary closure. Likewise, the traffic study recommended installation of a traffic signal at the Embarcadero Road/Kingsley Avenue intersection, and roadway widening of the Alma Street bridge over Embarcadero Road to provide a 75- to 100-foot left-turn pocket on southbound Alma Street at Kingsley Avenue. Signalization and bridge widening are not achievable or desirable in the context of a temporary closure. • El Camino Real/Embarcadero Road and El Camino Real/Oregon Expressway Intersection Changes (not recommended for a temporary closure): Pending Caltrans approval, the traffic flow analysis recommended changes at El Camino Real/Embarcadero Road intersection to increase vehicle flow capacity for westbound left-turn movement, northbound right-turn movements and signal optimization. Likewise, the analysis recommended strategies to increase westbound right-turn capacity from Oregon Expressway to northbound El Camino Real and signal timing optimization at El Camino Real/Oregon Expressway. These intersection changes are not achievable in the context of temporary closure. • Signalization of Alma Street/Oregon Expressway (not recommended for a temporary closure): The traffic analysis also recommended signalization of on and off ramps between Oregon Expressway and Alma Street. This change is not considered achievable within the context of temporary closure. Estimated Costs The estimated cost of closure, maintenance, and reopening is $1-1.7 million. This includes all material and labor for closure, maintenance, and reopening including for fence, covering and changing signal heads and timing, detours, traffic calming, signs, and markings ($826,000), as well as staff and consultant services ($141,000), JPB (Caltrain) ($150,000), data collection and outreach ($55,000). Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 35 Packet Pg. 40 of 79 24 Potential Impact on Disrupting the Suicide Cluster The preceding sections have focused on services and facilities controlled by the City. Fundamentally, however, temporary closure of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing would be intended to address the much more challenging goal of disrupting the suicide cluster, and determining the likely effectiveness of closure toward this goal is much more difficult. Closure of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing should be considered in the context of several considerations. This includes the recent deployment of 24 hours a day/7 days per week track monitoring staff at all four rail crossings in Palo Alto. On February 23, 2026, the City Council approved a 1-year agreement with Orion Security, which provides for a rail safety monitor (guard) to be assigned to each of Palo Alto’s at-grade rail crossings 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The $1.8 million annual cost of the guards is split equally between the City and the Palo Alto Unified School District via a cost-sharing agreement. The guards were in place beginning February 23, and have since completed both in-person rail safety training and on-line suicide prevention training. The City ﬁrst deployed contracted guards to monitor train crossings in late 2009, in response to a cluster of youth fatalities and continued to do so through late 2018. Initially, coverage was provided during evenings at the Charleston and Meadow rail crossings only. Over time, coverage expanded to include 24-hour coverage at all rail crossings. Prior to the current contract, on-site staﬀed monitoring ceased in late 2018, when the City deployed a camera- based intrusion detection system at all rail crossings. The City’s intrusion detection system has recently been supplanted by an intrusion system operated by Caltrain. Several related considerations may be relevant to a temporary crossing closure: • Available records indicate that there were no fatalities at sites and timeframes where monitoring staff were present during the 2009-2018 period. • If the Churchill crossing were closed, access to the tracks can be achieved at other crossings, stations, and other locations where fencing can more easily be overcome. • While the most recent fatalities have occurred at Churchill Avenue, several other locations were involved over the course of the past decade and more. In fact, most youth suicides have not involved the tracks (Attachment B). • The City and PAUSD have engaged the nationally-recognized suicide prevention organization The JED Foundation to conduct a community-wide evaluation of suicide prevention and postvention efforts in Palo Alto. Community engagement in this work is ongoing, and recommendations are expected later this year. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 36 Packet Pg. 41 of 79 25 Potential Evaluation Elements of Temporary Rail Crossing Closure Should a temporary rail crossing closure of the Churchill Avenue proceed, staff have identified preliminary measures/criteria that could be used to evaluate closure effectiveness in terms of safety, traffic, and community impacts: a. Fire and Police response performance in response to calls from the neighborhoods on both sides of the tracks before and during the closure; in addition to baseline increase in response times, delays due to additional traffic at intersections during closure b. Delays to pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles as well as traffic congestion at key intersections c. Data collection and assessment would occur throughout the school year to identify seasonal variations d. Traffic and operational impacts such as alternate route capacity and safety in the ability to manage redirected traffic. Vehicular traffic volume or the average annual daily traffic, peak hour traffic, and potential for traffic queueing on adjacent roads, as well as traffic circulation will be assessed e. Evaluating the public’s involvement through community engagement and feedback will be necessary to measure effects on nearby residential and commercial areas f. Ensure compliance with CPUC and Caltrain on regulations and requirements. Given the increased travel time, especially for bicyclists and pedestrians, possible trespassing by damaging the fences will need to be monitored and coordinated response plan developed. Caltrain has suggested the need for a Memorandum of Understanding with the City that delineates repair responsibilities. IV. POTENTIAL DECISION SUPPORT CONSIDERATIONS Based on the preceding evaluation of issues, staff is outlining for City Council consideration the following recommendations for both a rail crossing closure and non-closure options. Should Council Direct Proceeding with Temporary Closure: A. Determine Closure Duration with Intermediate Checks – As described in this report, rail crossing closure would likely occur in late Summer 2026. Depending on the overall duration selected for closure, intermediate check-ins would provide public opportunities to share their experiences. The City Council could set a planned timeframe through June 2027, with an evaluation to occur in December 2026 to confirm the timeframe or potentially terminate the closure immediately at that time. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 37 Packet Pg. 42 of 79 26 B. Expedite Bike/Pedestrian Improvements at Embarcadero Road/Kingsley Avenue – Given increased traffic and bike/pedestrian activity expected at Embarcadero/Kingsley due to Churchill Avenue closure, these planned improvements should precede closure if possible. The City Council could approve the staff recommended procurement actions to expedite bicycling and pedestrian safety modifications at Embarcadero Road/Kingsley Avenue. C. Prioritize Quiet Zones at Meadow and Charleston Rail Crossings – As reported earlier, temporary closure at Churchill Avenue would likely delay approval to proceed with establishment of a permanent Quiet Zone there. In recognition of this, the City Council could direct staff to prioritize Quiet Zones at Meadow and Charleston to advance these projects during the temporary Churchill Avenue closure. A Quiet Zone at Alma Street/Palo Alto Avenue is already in the final stages of approval. D. Implement Detour Plans for Pedestrians, Bicyclists, and Motorists – Traffic management will be necessary throughout the temporary closure, and will be particularly important in the first weeks following the closure. The City Council could direct staff to prioritize plans to provide pedestrian, bicyclists, and motorists information to ease their navigation around the closure area. Should Council Direct Not Proceeding with Temporary Closure: A. Prioritize Churchill Quiet Zone – Student testimony highlighted the impact of train horns on the everyday environment experienced by Palo Alto High School students. The City Council could direct staff to return with a reallocated funding plan to accelerate Churchill Quiet Zone implementation, potentially including other projects that will need to be deferred in order to prioritize Churchill Avenue while also continuing work on Quiet Zones at Meadow and Charleston. B. Commit to Ongoing Track Monitoring Staff – The City Council could direct staff to develop a funding plan to continue track monitoring staffing indefinitely, including seeking continued partnership with PAUSD. C. Expedite JED Foundation Work – The City Council could direct staff to work with the JED Foundation to identify steps to accelerate and increase awareness of their ongoing review of suicide prevention and postvention practices in Palo Alto. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 38 Packet Pg. 43 of 79 27 D. Support Continued Intrusion Prevention Efforts - The City should continue working with Caltrain on the identification and piloting of equipment to intrusion at grade crossings more difficult, including devices that inhibit persons from bypassing gate arms. The points above are intended to provide substantive actions in the range of dimensions involved with this difficult community health concern. Item 1 Attachment A - Expedited Evaluation of Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 39 Packet Pg. 44 of 79 Attachment B – JED Foundation Letter Comprehensive Efforts to Reduce the Risk of Suicide in Palo Alto and Santa Clara County Suicide by pedestrian–train collision in Palo Alto and across Santa Clara County remains persistent and deeply traumatizing, particularly given its public nature and repeated incidents near Palo Alto High School. However, data from the Santa Clara Medical Examiner–Coroner (ages 9–24, 2018–2026) indicate that train-related deaths are not among the leading methods of suicide in this population. Trains are an urgent concern—but so are other highly lethal methods. Accordingly, it would be most prudent for prevention efforts to be comprehensive, addressing the leading methods while also implementing targeted strategies at pedestrian rail crossings. Reducing suicide risk across methods requires expanding access to suicide-focused, evidence- based care. Lethal means counseling (e.g., CALM, CAMS) is recommended as a standard component of care for individuals and families. At the systems level, it is important for suicide- specific interventions to be scaled across the full continuum of care—including inpatient settings, community outpatient services, and embedded school-based mental health clinics— while also incorporating universal, upstream approaches (e.g., community education, public awareness) that promote safer environments and reduce access to lethal means. Equally important is addressing the underlying and unique mental health needs of Palo Alto’s youth and young adults. Targeted resources that acknowledge and amplify youth voice, providing culturally responsive supports for subpopulations, and community-wide efforts to strengthen help-seeking and help-giving norms are also essential to sustained culture change. Limiting access and strengthening real-time intervention at rail crossings are key strategies for preventing suicide at these locations. This includes reducing entry points through extended high- security fencing beyond the right of way, installing track-intrusion deterrents (e.g., anti-trespass panels), and deploying advanced surveillance and intrusion alert systems in coordination with Caltrain. Sustained staffing of trained security personnel at high-risk crossings is also essential, with an emphasis on empathetic, evidence-informed engagement (e.g., Be Sensitive, Be Brave). In addition, trained community volunteers (“track watchers”) can provide a visible, supportive presence—particularly during school hours near adjacent campuses. We understand that Palo Alto is also considering structural interventions at specific crossings, including temporary or permanent closures and grade separation. While these strategies may reduce incidents at specific sites, they are unlikely to address suicide by train across the broader peninsula, given the many accessible points along the rail corridor. Accordingly, the integration of localized infrastructure changes within a comprehensive, multi-layered prevention strategy that addresses place-based risks, underlying drivers of suicidal behavior, and increased access to effective mental health care are [highly] recommended. Respectfully, The Jed (JED) Foundation Item 1 Attachment B - The JED Foundation Letter Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 40 Packet Pg. 45 of 79 Temporary Churchill Ave Rail Crossing Closure Online Feedback I do think closing Churchill train crossing temporarily is a good idea It will create a traffic nightmare! I very much support a temporary closure. Although my car trips will become longer, it pales with how the student suicides have affected my teenager (and me). Something drastic needs to be done -- at least until the end of this school year. The most important thing is to prevent more student deaths. But it is also important to show our teenagers that the community cares and wants the deaths to stop. As a Palo Alto resident, I am strongly against any closure of the Alma/Churchill intersection or rail crossing. This would royally screw up traffic on Alma, at Oregon, at Embarcadero, and on El Camino. It would create a dangerous situation by disallowing fire, police, and other emergency vehicles to pass through, where such delays could cost lives. It would greatly inconvenience those living in neighborhoods nearby, as well as those a bit farther away who would suffer from the traffic issues. It would significantly affect the myriad of Paly students who cross the tracks at Churchill every day going to and from school. This is NOT a solution to teen suicide. Close it. But not temporarily - close it permanently. Please stop wasting money studying and planning for an outcome that doesn't address the complaints - the "preferred alternative" will divert traffic to Embarcadero, especially during construction. Sincerely, A Southgate resident Respectfully, have you lost your collective minds? As if traffic isn't congested enough? Please consider other options. If this has been influenced by the tragic death of a Paly student, I have been in Palo Alto long enough that I can think of many more such incidents at Charleston and East Meadow and closing those crossings has NEVER been on the table. It’s already very difficult to go between Alma and El Camino Real, this will make traffic even more unbearable. We need to address the real problem of teen suicide. This needs to be done as soon as possible. Thanks for finally being willing to take action on this. I could save lives. Please keep the Churchill /Alma crossing OPEN - it is a vital crossing for Palo Alto residents who live south of Oregon and are driving to PAMF or STANFORD HOSPITAL, Stanford events or to KIWANIS meetings at the Sheraton or to Stanford shopping center…… We have lived in Greenmeadow for 50 years - and Alma is a vital road - plus there are BIG changes coming to the crossings at Alma/ Charleston and Alma/ East Meadow and Also LOTS of New Housing coming to San Antonio/Charleston/Fabian!! SO, there’s going to be a Lot More Traffic and hardly any way to safely cross the train tracks except the San Antonio Overpass - it’s ridiculous to block or change with major construction all 3 crossings of the train tracks between San Antonio and University. University is already Very Difficult to drive safely, and avoiding the California Street/ El Camino area traffic jams is a good idea for trips to north Palo Alto - SO PLEASE DO NOT CLOSE the CHURCHILL Crossing!! The suicides are very tragic, but a desperate teen or adult intent on ending it all is going to go somewhere else to sit on the train tracks like the nearby train stations at downtown Palo Alto or California or San Antonio or the crossings at East Meadow or Charleston. The mental health education and resources and access to trained counselors and peer counseling are where the suicide prevention efforts should be directed - but certainly NOT the closure of the VITAL CROSSING at Churchill and Alma. Mary Shaw 363 Diablo Ct, Palo Alto, CA 94306 Why only close Churchill when there have been so many suicides at E Charleston the city finally removed the memorial. The problem -- as the student who suicide said -- was with the school, not the crossing. Where's the traffic supposed to go?? Embarcadero is already jammed with vehicles sitting through multiple GREEN lights. Please don't close Churchill and make traffic even worse for no good reason. I don't think the crossing should be temporarily closed. If human guards are at the crossing that should be enough of a deterrent to suicidal action. The solution to suicidal ideation is to recognize the symptoms and treat the affected person so that they find a proper solution for their despair and hopelessness. To be honest, a temporary closure of Churchill would affect me as a cyclist more than me as a driver. My spouse and I often take that route across the tracks as one of the safer options for crossing. The tunnel at California Avenue is complicated by being narrow, with lots of pedestrians and cyclists who often don't dismount, despite the signs requesting them to do so if others are in the tunnel. The crossing at Embarcadero also mixes pedestrians and cyclists and requires some tricky navigation across road lanes with vehicle traffic to access either side of Embarcadero (and Embarcadero itself is not very safe and has no bike lines). At the same time, I would be concerned about even more vehicular traffic being funneled to the Embarcadero crossing, which is already hugely impacted by the combination of traffic to Castilleja School, Paly, and T&C as vehicles leave, cross, or approach El Camino, and related lights. But this might work if traffic heading to Stanford (our biggest local employer) from 101 could be better funneled to Oregon Expressway and off Embarcadero by doing more to slow traffic on Embarcadero (e.g. reducing to one vehicular lane in each direction, more enforcement, maybe more traffic lights, etc), a residential street with several schools and more, on which very few vehicles adhere to the posted speed limit of 25, and many run red lights, with insufficient enforcement endangering pedestrians and cyclists alike. A temporary closure would be worth it to find out how doing so would change drivers' chosen routes and behaviors (more speeding on Alma?), and any unintended consequences of doing so. At the same time, if the Churchill crossing will also be closed to cyclists (and pedestrians, presumably), I'd like to see the parts of the 2012 Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan that deal with safer and better-marked cycling routes for crossing the train tracks finally implemented. It is sad indeed that we have had *deaths* of cyclists resulting from failure to implement that plan developed so many years ago. City staff seems hell bent to make this city much worse to live in. I can't believe how anti-housing, anti-transporation, anti-enviromental, anti-bikes this whole city is. It's like the government is filled with people who are bought out by special interests into making this place a retirement home and making short sighted decision one after another. Just keep the crossing open. Don't shut roads down. Don't block people from installing equipment. Get out of the way. A do nothing government would be much better than these idiot's messing things up. I strongly oppose closing Churchill. There is absolutely no evidence that, without access to the train tracks, the two teens who recently killed themselves would not have committed suicide. In fact, everything about their behavior suggests otherwise. Moreover, there is another group of students who go to a high school almost as close to the Churchill crossing as Palo Alto High School students do, and none of them have killed themselves on the tracks there. I am referring to the students at Castilleja. Closing the Churchill crossing is a distraction--a very disruptive distraction--from any serious effort to reduce the incidence of student suicides at Palo Alto High School. A grieving father casting blame for his child's death on access to the tracks at Churchill is heart-breaking, but it should not dictate City policy. Longtime Palo Altan here. I strongly oppose the notion of a closure of the Churchill vehicle crossing (even temporary) for these reasons: many of us find Embarcadero heavily congested. Churchill is a highly effective and efficient vehicle and biking route for many (to multiple destinations). No, I cannot “just walk or bike” across the city or into neighboring cities; like many, I usually must drive my car. Closing this crossing to Close the crossing if it will save a child's life. I commute past here and use the crossing often and would still rather be inconvenienced than have more lives lost Do not close Churchill crossing. That isn’t the answer to the suicide problem. If closed there will be major traffic problems If a temporary closure of Churchill is implemented, I hope that in case of unprecedented gridlock the closure can be quickly lifted! I strongly support the temporary closure of the Churchill crossing. We have lost too many children not to take all actions we reasonably can to make lethal means harder to access. This is a reasonable action, with adequate alternative crossings (Embarcadero and Page Mill) available. It is a disgrace that this community has reacted to suicide after suicide with passivity and indifference. Closing Churchill will affect me -- I cross there all the time -- but it will not be a major imposition on myself or anyone else and absolutely worthwhile for the reduction in access to lethal means. (Extensive research on suicide has, of course, shown that reducing access to lethal means saves lives -- people do *not* always find alternatives and suicide often has a spontaneous/impulsive element.) Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 41 Packet Pg. 46 of 79 I have suffered from depression for more than 40 years and it is under control thanks to access to mental health services. Based on that experience, suicide is generally not a sudden decision triggered by opportunity. Keeping a suicidal person from accessing the train tracks is very likely to not stop them. We need a safe way to cross the railroad line on bikes between downtown and Stanford. The underpass on Embarcadero is congested with pedestrians and dumps you into the chaos of T&C and Paly traffic. Ditto the underpass at university and the one at Homer. The churchill crossing is the safest for bikes. I understand the need to take some action given the recent tragedies, but I disagree with the proposed action to close Churchill. I believe the best course of action would be to divert resources to helping people with depression or other mental health challenges. In the long run this will be more effective in helping save lives. Closing the crossing won’t stop these tragedies, it will just mean they happen at a different location or by different means. How long is "temporary"? If there's a suicide every three months now, how long will it take to see whether the closure is working? I taught in PAUSD for 30 years and I feel strongly that closing a crossing is NOT the answer to the current mental health issues! We need to address the needs of all our students from within the district....what happened to having teachers get to know 20-30 students well and continue this relationship throughout their school years??? Closure of Churchill will force more car traffic and student traffic to Embarcadero and make it even more dangerous for both Paly students and travelers along Embarcadero. Bad idea! Don’t do it! While, as the mother of four daughters, my heart goes out to the families suffering the loss of a child to suicide, I cannot support the closure of Churchill Ave train crossing. The risk avoided cannot justify the coat to the community. I am also opposed to paying security guards to monitor the train tracks. I believe these funds would be far better spent on mental health services. Helen Baumann Please close it. We will have lots of feedback from a loud part of our community in South Gate. These people do not care about anything but their convenience. Our kids safety is paramount. As someone who sees first hand the issues with how the kids commute on Churchill. We do need to close the crossing at Churchill. This is my third suicide post since moving to Palo Alto and enough is enough. People are adaptable and I have enough confidence that our traffic and safety experts are able to create a higher degree of safety for all our residents. Use this closing to drive a permanent solution for grade separation at Churchill. If Churchill is closed, Embarcadero Rd. is going to be a nightmare. Stoplights will need to be adjusted to alleviate the backup around Town & Country and the El Camino intersection. Maybe the high school crosswalk could be moved to the Town and Country entrance stoplight, rather than a few yards away, and their timing synced? Please do not close Churchill as it is a vital traffic link in the community. The train and the crossing has been in existence for over a century. Perhaps there is another approach that is appropriate for this situation. I understand the sentiment but it’s going to cause so much traffic on side streets! Embarcadero and Oregon are already awful, this will further impact both of those intersections. The long term plans I have seen all involve either temporary or permanent closing of the Churchill crossing. Even the temporary closure to construct an underpass for cars would likely involve years of closure. That would require at a minimum a bicycle pedestrian underpass likely a few blocks north of Churchill. Just do that early and close Churchill as soon as that is completed and maybe save a few kid's lives. No matter what, we are going to live with that intersection closed for a long time, just make it a little longer. If Churchill is temporarily and permanently closed, this will be detrimental to our city and other cities around Palo Alto. How will emergency vehicles (police, ambulances, fire engines, etc) access homes/businesses in that area in an efficient and quick manner? If all vehicles are diverted to Oregon Expressway and Embarcadero, that will be a nightmare. Those two streets are already congested 24/7 and cannot safely accommodate more traffic. There must be other solutions to the Churchill situation rather than closing it. Thank you. I am supportive of closing Churchill and evaluating ways to enhance the bike connectivity at Embarcadero and California Avenue for students. I also think that many of the traffic calming measures in place in Southgate should be re-evaluated as California is now closed to vehicular traffic and the installation of a new parking garage make these no longer necessary and will mitigate the loss in connectivity for vehicles from Southgate to Alma. Closing Churchill is not an effective response to the tragic recent suicide. That sadness demands a focus on mental health and mental health resources. And introspection about what it is about Palo Alto that leads to youth suicide clusters. I think the city was contemplating adding a youth center; that would likely be a more positive, constructive, and effective response than closing Churchill. Do not close Churchill Avenue. The impacts on thousands of residents would be staggering. Suicide prevention begins with supporting students against bullying. Students need to be able to access support including therapists. Closing Churchill is a clunky knee jerk response to a complex mental health issue. I support studying the closure in an accelerated manner and honestly, I support any decision made thoughtfully that moves grade separation forward. The process thus far has been far too slow Thank you. Keeping full time track monitors as staff is much more cost effective than the costs of closing it to all traffic. Students need to get to school on bikes and cars, the District needs buses and trucks for service and residents need to use Churchill as a main thoroughfare in town. Closing it may sound good but its effects will be much more costly in the long run. Hire full time security and have Caltrain invest in safety features too. There have been suicides at each of the rail crossings for 45 years, although it has received great attention lately. There were many, many at the rail crossing at Alma and East Meadow, for years, of Gunn students. Money would better be spent with counseling of both parents and children and outreach to the community. The PTA and teenage grapevines has always had it, for 45 years, that a number of the suicides were children of the LGBT community from conservative families, or who had pre existing psychological issues, mostly bipolar disease resulting in deep depression. One child was sleep deprived, chronically, severely. Closing a crossing will just send suicides to another crossing. The beautiful Longyear girl bypassed the crossings attended by guards to go to the crossing across from Stanford. The brilliant Hopkins youth went to the next city. On and on. Spend the money on community awareness and outreach. Closing Churchill is a bandaid. Why don't either the announcement of this "listening session" or this feedback page mention that the point of the exercise is make it more difficult to commit suicide by train? By presenting this feedback form without context the staff pretty much guarantees that responses will come from people who are already committed to the issue and don't really need outreach. I oppose the closing. The benefit is speculative, whereas the downside (worse traffic) is not. Please stop the deaths. We've lost too many kids at the Churchill railroad crossing. I drive it all the time. We either need to have full-time monitors stationed at the crossing, or we need to close it until there is a grade separation. This is the most important issue for Palo Alto. If we don't take care of our kids, who are we? - Malcolm Slaney Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 42 Packet Pg. 47 of 79 I don't think it's a good idea. My family and I are against a Churchill closure. I have two children at PALY. A closure would divert all traffic to two already-busy traffic crossings (Embarcadero /Oregon Expressway). There’s already too few crossings over the rail tracks. This would exacerbate congestion and likely cause greater safety issues for the students trying to get to and from school. Thank you Please do not close Churchill. What has been helpful is the people who are at the crossing who if they are doing their job are greeting and talking to kids as they wait for their crossing light. I witness this the night we lost our Paly student. As I was driving home this kind person in a safety vest pushed the button for the student and while he waited for his crossing light, had a short conversation with the Paly student leaving class when it was dark. People make the difference, not so much walls. As a school district we need to focuse on preventing bullying in and around the campus and online. We need a zero tolerance plus education for the students and when that doesn't work, consequences so they know bullying in any form is unacceptable and will not be allowed or overlooked. Bullying is often referred to (by students who are doing it) as "it's just a harmless joke". It is not a joke nor is it funny to the targeted person. I do not support the Temporary Churchill Review. We have paid for security "guards" before...then installed many cameras and monitoring service....now i see "security" personnel again onsite. Severely troubled people will find another way. Better to build self-esteem through small "successes" in life (sports, academics, parental intervention, helping others, etc). IMMEDIATELY hire security guards to watch the Caltrain tracks 24/7 in an effort to prevent teen suicides. How is the temporary closure of Churchill going to solve or alleviate the problem? Once you reopen it the risk of teen suicides will be there AGAIN !! I am against the closure and for the IMMEDIATE hire of 24/7 security guards Please do not close this intersection to bicyclists and pedestrians. I live in north Palo Alto and in order to shop at Town & Country or over on California Avenue, I need to bring my bike and trailer through the Churchill intersection in order to cross Alma and the Caltrain tracks. It is dangerous and cumbersome (If not impossible) to cross at any of the other existing underpasses with a trailer. With more people using bicycle trailers to haul groceries, pets, and kids; we need to make sure we do not create new barriers in our transportation network. The absolute last thing we need is more people using their cars (because other modes like bicycle trailers are infeasible) at any of our intersections. While the suicide is tragic, closing Churchill is not the answer. With this logic we should also close the other three crossings. There are many ways to commit suicide and money would be better spent on student support before they become suicidal. The crossing at Churchill is very important to pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. We have very track crossings and closing one will have a very large impact on hundreds of people every day. While I am sympathetic to the mental health of our students at Paly, closing this crossing is not a solution to mental health problems that need larger solutions. Please close this crossing. Close first, figure out how to address pedestrian traffic later I don't think closing the Churchill crossing is practical, nor will it necessarily reduce accidents. The California Ave tunnel is small and awkward, and Homer tunnel while larger is also an awkward layout. I just don't see how they will be able to handle the large volume of bike and pedestrian traffic that crosses at Churchill during school commute hours. And, the sight lines at the Homer tunnel from Alma are quite bad, and cars regularly run the light there without realizing that there are people ready to step out to cross. This is an inherent safety problem at this location, and would be much worse with large numbers of students on bikes and on foot. The city would easily be trading one safety risk for a greater one. Also, the city should not be trying to solve for one type of risk, making it hard to get to the tracks, at the expense of the greater risk of riders and pedestrians not being able to get across them, or having to maneuver and catch wheels in the gaps between the tracks and roadway. As a rider, I have found the current design much safer than the previous gated design. Whatever the study does, it should focus on making the crossing as safe as possible for the most people. Thank you. I think it would be disastrous to the already long traffic lines to get kids to school on time in the morning and pick up. Absolutely makes no sense. If this is about suicide prevention, then the school needs to do a better job of counseling students. The community should not be punished for the school's lack of empathy for students who are having a hard time. Although I think we must do everything in our might to prevent suicide, especially with the Paly student in mind, I don't think a temporary Churchill closure will solve anything and is a good idea. Many Paly students cross the Alma/Churchill crossing each morning and afternoon. There is no safe alternative. If all these students will have to use the bike tunnel, we can definitely expect accident there. I sure would dare to walk there when dozens of high schoolers bike through the tunnel. Furthermore, there are elementary and middle school student living in Southgate. They cross the Churchill crossing everyday to go to school at Walter Hays elementary or Greene Middle School. If they have to use the same tunnel as the high school students, but in the other direction, these younger students won't have a safe way to go to school anymore. Lastly, all the traffic that uses Churchill will have to go over Embarcadero. Especially around Town&Country it is already really busy with cars. More cars taking this route will result in traffic jams around Town&Country and at the Embarcadero/El Camino crossing. Please keep Churchill open. Closing Churchill does not seem like the best approach for all involved. While tragicly true, we cannot eliminate every possible trigger that might possibly impact someone's decision to take their own life. Noisy trains will still run. Other potential triggers will still exist. By trying to remove this one possible influence, we will be creating significant congestion problems and potentially forcing students to take more dangerous routes to/from school, like having to make unprotected, unsignaled lefts from Embarcadero onto Alma. Closing Churchill seems more like a symbolic act because the more impactful reasons for someone taking their own life are difficult to address. This is the perspective of a person who lost a sibling to suicide. The tragedy of the recent suicide on the CalTrain tracks can not be undone nor can it be mitigated. Thus, we MUST ask "what can we do to prevent such truly tragic events?". I do not believe closing the Churchill RR crossing is the answer. I believe that PALY (and PAUSD) should instead help students NOT fall victim to suicidal tendencies. How? Engage the entire student body in a dialogue (mandatory assemblies ... viz, more than just once) about WHY a student may find themselves contemplating suicide. More knowledgeable persons then me have identified three key elements persons need: (1) community; (2) service; and (3) purpose. Please engage/challenge/educate our students on these essential elements of a "successful" life. Teach THESE ASPECTS of life ... not merely academic skills. Provide settings/activities that promote these key aspects of a successful life (eg, have all the students, in small groups, assist with organizations like Avenidas; organize small groups to clean litter from the campus; etc.). Ironically (and sadly), closing the Churchill RR crossing is like closing the barn door AFTER the horse has run away. Has the CPA conducted a detailed survey of how many motorized vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians use Churchill daily? Without this information, the City is heading blindly into a disaster. I am 78 years old and I bicycle daily to Stanford campus from midtown PA. I cycle via Churchill to avoid the steep climb of the California Av tunnel and the Embarcadero underpass. Address this problem with anything but closing Churchill. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 43 Packet Pg. 48 of 79 Very bad idea. Much prefer to address root causes of this problem. Closing Churchill would have significant negative impacts on school commutes, traffic, and neighborhood connections. Stick to the plan! The City has spent countless hours debating that intersection and has recently approved the plan. STAY focused!!!! Close the intersection immediately to stop access to the tracks and help prevent loss of life. Closure will also help enable Paly students for whom the constant sound of train horns and railroad crossing arm bells is triggering, retraumatizing, and anxiety producing. City of Palo Alto Staff and Council - I am a long time resident of Palo Alto (80+ years of Palo Alto and 50+ years of Professorville) and have seen many changes in our community, some good and some not so good. Traffic and at grade railroad crossing features and their impacts are among those changes. The City has been trying to address the issues and needs associated with at grade railroad crossings for some time and now, partially because of several relatively recent tragic suicides, the City is being bring urged to develop and implement some immediate solution, particularly closing the Churchill Ave. at grade railroad crossing. In my opinion, at grade railroad crossings are only a part of the issue of suicides, including teen and adults, and improving mental health services will in the long run be more effective. I urge the staff and Council to carefully and thoroughly analyze and consider the realistic options to reducing suicides while also recognizing the needs of the broader community to maintain reasonable travel throughout Palo Alto. Based on my observations and experiences, closing the Churchill Ave at grade crossing would be very detrimental to travel throughout Palo Alto, and particularly between our east and west neighborhoods and commercial areas. A few of the reasons for my opinion: 1) There is limited capacity at other rail crossings for additional traffic - foot, bike and/or vehicles. Oregon is busy and vehicle only (and the California Ave subway is inadequate for foot and bikes), 2) the Embarcadero underpass is at least substandard if not actually dangerous (two lanes one direction, one lane the other direction, low vertical clearance, no separation of bike and foot which is extremely dangerous to people walking, and in fact I avoid walking through the Embarcadero underpass even though it's close and convenient) 3) significant impacts to emergency vehicle access, including options to the typical traffic jams in the Embarcadero underpass during high traffic times 4) almost all Palo Alto Senior High School traffic will be funneled onto Embarcadero, which along with additional traffic from Town & Country will further overwhelm Embarcadero from El Camino to Waverley 5) more traffic (foot, bike and vehicles) will concentrate at Embarcadero and Emerson which is an already dangerous intersection 6) the Southgate neighborhood will be cut off from the eastern portion of Palo Alto without substantial rerouting 7) unless the traffic signal is retained at Churchill and Alma there will be no safe option for traffic from eastern Palo Alto to access southbound Alma between Homer and East Meadow, 8) reduced access across the Caltrain corridor will adversely affect community cohesion, and 9) unfortunately there will remain three other at grade railroad crossings in Palo Alto that could be sites for Caltrain suicides. For the foregoing reasons as well as other factors, I urge the Council to defer a closure decision until considering whether suicides in our community can be prevented by a Churchill Ave. closure and also the ramifications of closure on the broader community. Sincerely, David Kennedy Why would a resident of Southgate like myself actually be in favor of a TEMPORARY closure of Churchill when there are several concerns I have about how it would affect me and my family? It is because I realize that there are issues that are possibly larger than my own. However I am quite worried that this TEMPORARY closure will become difficult to reverse. Because of this I am eager to have the Council set definite time end date to the temporary closure at which time an authentic evaluation of the closure’s impacts on the greater good for all residents. This temporary closure if done properly will hopefully result in enough data to make a sober decision on this matter. Please do not let this become a fait accompli that closes this well used artery without proper evaluation. I do not see how a closing of this crossing, temporary or otherwise would not further remind PALY kids and all families in the community that someone took their life there. People will go to other intersections to get it done, this seems overly reactive and not at all practical or helpful in any way. As a parent of a PALY senior and former PALY grad, this doesn't seem at all relevant to the greater issues. Please do not close Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing, even temporarily. This is an essential route. I travel on Alma coming from southern part of PA. If Churchill is closed to get to ECR, Stanford, PAMF, etc. I would have to snake through the neighborhood to get a light at Waverley to turn left on Embarcadero. That road is already a nightmare getting through the underpass. Lots and lots of traffic. It is not a good alternative. And going up to University Ave. to use that underpass is another complete nightmare after 3pm. And heading south you have to make a dangerous left turn to get onto Alma or take High down to Channing. All of this takes a lot of time and makes very busy roads even more crowded leading to more accidents. I'm very sorry for the people who have taken their lives on the tracks and for their families and friends. Closing Churchill might save some lives and help the mental health of others, but until there are safe alternatives. The same problem exists with Oregon Expressway - dangerous connections to Alma in both directions. And very congested at certain hours. I know you know all this. This is nothing new. You studied this in the past and decided Churchill needed to stay open. I'm just another voice saying don't close Churchill. Please do not close the Churchill crossing! The traffic and congestion on Embarcadero Rd and Oregon would be a nightmare! I teach at Paly and I live on Churchill between Bryant and Emerson. I walk across the train tracks at least twice a day, every day. My commute to work is a blessing and privilege and will double if you do the right thing and close the crossing. That is a sacrifice every single person must be okay with. I ask anyone against this closure to try to do the impossible job of empathizing with a loved one of one of our students who has died by suicide. We have the power to save lives. Children's lives. It is imperative that we put aside our comfort and accept that our commutes will be less convenient in order to save children's lives. For those who say that a person who is determined will find a way, the research simply does not support that claim. Furthermore, we are talking about children whose prefrontal cortexes will not develop until years after they have graduated from Paly. They simply do not have the brainpower to resist the call of the void in that impossibly brief, immediate moment. One moment of weakness for a hopeless teenager becomes a lifetime of grief and pain for all who know them. We can sacrifice a few extra moments of our days so that nobody else has to know that pain. *PLEASE* close Churchill! I went to Paly back-to-school night last September and was horrified to hear the loud train horn and bells and the sound of the train passing--VERY LOUDLY. It is both a trigger for those who knew someone who died on the tracks, but also a reminder every 15-20 minutes (4 northbound & southbound trains total every hour) that there is a potential suicide option right outside, for the seven hours a kid is in school. Any child even remotely depressed will think that is a viable option. By closing Churchill, even temporarily, those constant reminders will be significantly reduced. In the long-term, permanently closing or creating significant difficulties to accessing the train tracks anywhere nearby would greatly reduce the problem. As with the Golden Gate Bridge, making it difficult to make a split second decision can be the difference between an actual suicide and a decision to reconsider. For the sake of our children and these suicides, PLEASE CLOSE CHURCHILL!!! Please leave Churchill Crossing open. Many students bike/walk to school cross here and would have a much longer commute to school. Families cross here to access Peers Park playground, dog park and preschool program. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 44 Packet Pg. 49 of 79 I am so sad over the teen suicide but feel strongly that closure even temporary of Churchill does not effectively this serious Mental health problem. Given the high volume of ped/bike crossings at Churchill, I worry that closure and rerouting of those trips won't actually meet the goal of "reducing risks, increasing safety, and supporting our youth." If alternative crossing points are farther away or more dangerous (especially as we are all prone to find short cuts and work arounds), we could be significantly increasing potential for accidental injuries and deaths. Two Palo Alto High students have died at the Churchill rail crossing in less than a year. This crossing sits directly beside the high school, where hundreds of students hear train horns and crossing signals every day at a site tied to recent tragedy. The proposal before the city is not a permanent decision. It is simply a temporary test of closing the crossing to vehicle traffic. If the test does not work, the crossing can be reopened. Nothing is lost. But if the test does work, the city will have taken a meaningful step to improve safety and reduce the daily trauma students experience at this location. Some opposition focuses on commute times. But when the issue involves student lives, inconvenience should not outweigh the willingness to test a possible solution. Close Churchill to vehicle traffic temporarily and evaluate the results. Two students have died here in less than a year. The school district has asked for action. A temporary closure can be reversed if it fails. But if it helps, the city will have acted responsibly at a site where lives have already been lost. When lives are at stake, the responsible choice is to try. Please do not close Churchill. The impact to traffic to Embarcadero will be massive and the difficulty of getting to Palo Alto HS will be significant. This cuts off an entire neighborhood from the rest of Palo Alto. Much more study must be done to understand this impact. This closing will likely cut off the alternative that we all support which is the 3 way intersection that was submitted by a resident. Please wait. I am a resident of Churchill Avenue and I strongly support immediate closure of the Churchill rail crossing. The case for closure has been clear since 2021, when the city's Expanded Community Advisory Panel voted 6-3 to recommend it — the only affirmative recommendation XCAP produced on any of the three crossings it studied. The city's traffic consultant, Hexagon, found that closure paired with improvements to Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway would reduce traffic impacts at those intersections to an insignificant level, and would not induce new vehicle demand in the broader corridor. The cost argument is decisive. Closure is currently estimated at $95–$115 million. The partial underpass — the Council's preferred alternative — is now estimated at over $300 million, roughly three times the cost. And because the majority of the closure cost lies in Embarcadero and Oregon intersection improvements that the city needs to make regardless, the true incremental cost difference is closer to four times. The partial underpass also carries unresolved feasibility risks: it requires permanent encroachment into Caltrain's right-of-way, removal of Alma Street landscaping, and potential acquisition of residential properties along Churchill — none of which closure requires. Two Paly students have died at this crossing in less than twelve months. XCAP recommended closure. The traffic data supports it. The cost analysis supports it. The school district supports it. A temporary closure is not the end of the grade separation process — it is the beginning of the permanent solution. Close Churchill now. I am a Southgate resident. I use the Churchill crossing at least 5 times a day. A closure of the crossing would cause terrible congestion exiting my neighborhood in a high pedestrian area which would be as equally unsafe as leaving the crossing open. I am opposed to any closing. Please do NOT close Churchill Avenue at Alma. The suicides are tragic. However, closing Churchill does not ensure that the community will then stop suicides from happening going forward. Nor, does closing Churchill ensure that a suicide will still not happen on the tracks. Secondly, the disruption closing the Churchill train crossing will cause for THOUSANDS of people every day is inestimable (see data from years of studies done on previous attempts to close Churchill.) Where do those people cross Alma? The backup on Embarcadero and Page/Mill Oregon Expressway already keep both at full capacity during rush hours and especially with Paly traffic. Additionally for those living in Southgate, just getting onto El Camino will be even more difficult than it already it. with students now going west on Churchill trying to merge onto El Camino. Lastly, the high school bikers will now need to bike to Embarcadero to cross, but is that route safe for hundreds of bikers every day? Do we really want to affect multiple thousands of peoples lives, with no certainty that the outcome will make a bit of difference. Please, I ask that you not give into pressure based on false narratives. Sincerely, Kate McKenzie 1524 Madrono Avenue (Southgate resident) Palo Alto Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 45 Packet Pg. 50 of 79 I am most certainly NOT in favor of closing the Churchill railroad crossing. I believe it will create a number of traffic control problems that will affect the entire city of Palo Alto as well as who work in Palo Alto and commute from other areas. The recent suicide utilizing the CalTrain tracks is tragic. Closing Churchill crossing will not address the underlying problem(s) that lead our youth to suicide. Please encourage our local school officials to address the underlying problems that lead to suicidal tendencies; the Churchill crossing is NOT among the underlying problems. This is a PAUSD issue. What is PAUSD doing about increasing mental health counseling for students? My son graduated Paly in 2013. When he was a senior, he came to us telling us he was depressed. He was involved in X-country, track, Campanile and had started a foreign policy club / journal "The Agora". Yet he felt alone, stressed and insecure by all the type A++++ students. After graduating college, he committed suicide by train while living in DC. I am convinced the ideation came from living in Palo Alto and the suicides that had happened during his time there. Closing the tracks does not solve the ongoing and underlying problem. What is PAUSD going to do about providing mental health support for students in their pressure cooker high schools? Please do not respond to the serious problem, suicide by train, with efforts that do not address the root problem. Closing the intersection at Churchill does not close the train tracks to people. Pedestrians bike and cars are not the problem. the isolation and despair our children and some adults are feeling is. The appearance of addressing the issue is not the same as really addressing it. Please prioritize quad gates, pedestrian/bike underpasses and improved traffic signals on the far side of tracks as we approach first at all locations if not already done. This will help to address accidents that were not intentional. Offer more support to children experiencing bullying and adults who are lonely. Study the impacts swiftly on Embarcadero of closing Churchill and evaluate the impacts of closing on bikes and peds before proceeding The Three elements which fuel our fulfillment and well-being are Relationships, Service and Purpose, not Fame, Wealth and Power, per former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. These are actionable values other schools address, by programs such as after school sports, clubs and activities, school buddy programs, rotating lunch table assignments, service trips and community service projects, etc., and in doing so the entire student body would benefit, including those with emotional or traumatic issues in their lives. We all know that the teen years are hard, but friendships and service to others can ease the way. Closing the Castilleja Avenue Railroad crossing does not address the problem at all. We are saddened beyond comprehension about the children suffering so seriously they are taking their lives on the RR tracks. I was tremendously touched by the speakers at City Council a couple weeks ago. The train will always be there, there are other access points, and thus this action, although performative and perhaps good for some folks, it is bad on many fronts for residents who travel and work and live here, pushing traffic and children into other congested areas. It is not prudent to close Churchill. Emergency vehicles will be delayed if this crossing is blocked. The impacts on residents will be severe should Churchill not be open to residents like myself who want to go downtown from the western part of town. Closing Churchill is not the solution to suicide prevention. When my father, Joan Baez and those of my generation attended PALY suicide by train was unheard of. The school has stepped up support for students but more needs to be done to rid the culture of bullying. Teach young people anatomy as the brain’s prefrontal cortex is not fully developed until twenty five years of age. IOW twenty four hours can change one’s perspective. Why does PA have this devastating issue while Manhattan does not? I think that it is selfish for people to oppose a temporary closure. I live on mariposa and think it is worth it to do a temporary closure for a variety of reasons. Just again I think it is selfish and short sighted. Thanks. Linda Vlasic 1540 mariposa I am submitting this as a second comment regarding the proposed temporary closure of the Churchill Avenue rail crossing. Two Palo Alto High students have died at this crossing in less than a year. This crossing sits directly beside the high school, where hundreds of students are exposed every day to the trains, the horns, and the crossing signals at a location tied to recent tragedy. This issue has already been studied extensively. After years of traffic analysis, engineering work, and community review, the city’s own advisory panel reached a clear recommendation to close the Churchill crossing to vehicle traffic. It was the only crossing where the panel reached a definitive conclusion. Now the city has the opportunity to do something simple and responsible. The proposal before you is not a permanent closure. It is a temporary test. If the test does not work, the crossing can be reopened. But if it does work, the city will have taken a meaningful step toward improving safety while long term solutions continue to be developed. The community, the school district, and the data have all pointed in the same direction for years. What is being asked now is simply the willingness to test the solution. When the stakes involve student lives, the responsible choice is to test a solution, not wait for another tragedy. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 46 Packet Pg. 51 of 79 Keep Churchill open. Don't want more cars put onto Embarcadero or racing through the cross streets. I see some of the issue as parents pushing their kids too hard. "If you don't get into Stanford your life is ruined". Aren't there successful people that are San Jose State or University of Arizona graduates?. Thank you for hosting the listening meeting. Let's hear less from city employees and more from residents. Is it possible to slow trains down to a crawl as they approach Churchill? Cal Train?? I'm a Southgate resident. I'd like to strongly support the proposal to temporarily close the Churchill train crossing. I use the access to Alma every day, but the convenience is not worth the life of a single Paly student. I fear that it is only a matter of time before a vehicle is caught on the tracks, as I see drivers stuck there in heavy traffic daily, too impatient to wait behind the line, and uncertain about the meaning of the confusing traffic lights recently installed. Let's test the benefits and costs of closure now. Paly holds the unfortunate distinction of being the only school in California with an at-grade railroad crossing. Palo Alto High School stands alone in California, being the only school with an active, at-grade railroad crossing immediately adjacent to its campus. This is despite California having 10,478 such crossings statewide. Approximately 1,000 times a day, the 1,817 students of Paly cross these tracks. The tragic annual loss of students to suicide at the Churchill Avenue crossing underscores the severity of this issue. Compounding this trauma are the blaring rail horns, audible just yards from classrooms, which serve as a constant, dangerous reminder to students about the imminent risk and the loss of friends and teammates. We must prioritize the safety and mental health of our students above all else. This cannot be sacrificed for the convenience of driving or saving a small amount of time. Palo Alto offers numerous alternative routes for driving, biking, or walking to any destination. We have six other track crossings available within the area, spaced roughly every two-thirds of a mile. Reaching these alternatives takes barely over a minute by car and just over two minutes by bike—a minimal delay. Therefore, I propose a temporary closure of the Churchill Avenue crossing to accurately assess the impact. This trial will provide critical data on: 1. The real-world effects on traffic. 2. The benefit to student mental health resulting from the cessation of the loud, disruptive rail horns. 3. The overall increase in safety for students traveling to and from school without crossing the tracks. Thank you, Eduardo Eduardo F. Llach 36 Churchill Ave, Palo Alto This is really a terrible idea and impose a high hardship without any benefit whatsoever compared to the May alternatives that are possible. Alternatives 1. Crossing guards as we have now 2. Only close it for pedestrians (even that is a hard ship but better than closing for cars). You can add barriers along the road long enough that only cars can go through and any one manually crossing will take a long time to get to tracks. My wife and I have lived in the Southgate neighborhood since 1993. We raised our children here, graduates of Paly, and sadly experienced the years of the suicide events, including while our kids were in school. We use Churchill nearly every day and experience the traffic snarls in both directions, witnessing rude and dangerous behavior by drivers and Paly students routinely. We are in favor of closing the Churchill rail crossing to all traffic. An assumption(?) is that with that closure, the penitentiary type fence in place behind Paly will be extended across the current intersection making it extremely difficult for anyone looking to harm themselves on the tracks. The cons: -Some inconvenience for Southgate residents to access Alma street as well as eastern Churchill -Some inconvenience for Paly students living in Old Palo Alto—they will need to access school by the viaduct at Homer Avenue, or California Ave… -Increased traﬃc pressure on Embarcadero and Oregon Expressway due to the diversion of vehicles currently using Churchill The pros: -A very eﬀecve impact on the ability to trespass on Caltrain property -Improved access in/out of Southgate neighborhood. I would argue this based on the ability to enter/exit Churchill at nearly all hours of the day. Traﬃc is rounely backed up enrely between the rail tracks and El Camino… If I cannot access Churchill…why am I worried about getting on Alma? -Reduced environmental impact (noise polluon) from Caltrain One further comment---where is the Churchill/Alma intersection, and Churchill to El Camino area on the priority list for Palo Alto Police traffic patrol? Aside from the suicide issues, and certain amount of the Churchill problems could be mitigated by enforcing traffic rules at these locations. Rarely are any patrol cars monitoring these areas and enforcing the law... It gets ugly out there. Bruce and Kathy Greenwood 1656 Madrono Avenue I plan to observe this evenings discussion mostly to see if there will be more people objecting to closing the Churchill crossing or people who are horrified at the thought of a viaduct being built. The achilles heel of democracy is that, more often than not, petty individual self interest takes precedence over the greater good, which in this case is, by a country mile, building a viaduct through Palo Alto for CalTrain. Preventing suicides at rail crossings is a criticial issue in Palo Alto. And while closing rail crossings can reduce rail suicides, I think having guards at the rail crossings is just as effective. How about adding large cameras that hopefully would deter a potential suicide, add suicide prevention signage and mental health information. If the crossing at Churchill is closed, it will cause severe traffic congestion by putting more peds/bike riders who are headed to Paly into cars. Paly is a neighborhood school and many students cross Alma to get to school each day. By closing the crossing to peds, you are punishing all of those students. It would also clog the conduit for Stanford/PAUSD students/workers who may live on the other side of Alma. Please DO NOT close the Churchill Ave railcrossing. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 47 Packet Pg. 52 of 79 March 12, 2026 Re: Comment Temporary Churchill Avenue Closure Review From: Rachel Kellerman I worked as the librarian at Palo Alto High School for many years, and my family has lived near Paly since 1992. Now retired from Paly, I remain part of the PAUSD community by teaching at the adult school. I dearly wish that the grief we all feel from losing another cherished student was unfamiliar and unprecedented, but unfortunately, it is not. My husband and I have reached out to the City Council and city leadership several times over the years regarding the unsafe bicycle and pedestrian route in our neighborhood north of Embarcadero. This route runs parallel to Embarcadero, crosses High Street, and leads into the narrow Embarcadero tunnel. I am bringing this up tonight because the Council and the District do not consider this corridor a safe route to school for valid reasons. Closing Churchill will increase traffic on the Lincoln/Emerson cloverleaf as more drivers seek access to Embarcadero, which will worsen conditions along this route. This is particularly concerning at the often- overlooked stop sign at Emerson and Kingsley. More students are likely to use this corridor to walk to school or ride bicycles and e-bikes. As a result, all users—children, adults, and seniors—will face a greater risk of accidents. Everyone will have to share narrow roads and sidewalks, navigate two dangerous crossings, and pass through a cramped tunnel. A partial solution was proposed almost ten years ago to address this safety issue, but it remains unfunded. Our priorities are keeping our communities safe. Our actions and our budgets should reflect this. I've been a resident of Southgate for 40+ years. I am against temporary or permanent closure of Churchill west of the train tracks. The new stoplights at the intersection have been an improvement although traffic going east backs up a lot (probably from Stanford employees going home) in the late afternoon. This back-up would be vastly improved if parking along the south side of Churchill were restricted (say from 4-6pm) so that right turners had a smooth path to the righthand turn lane. I drive past the Churchill/Alma intersection at least twice per day. The newly installed "guards" seem useless.....more to assuage anxiety than actually be effective in stopping suicides. They always have their noses in their phones (and who can blame them? It's a mind-numbing job.) I am very disappointed that some seemingly small changes have not been made in my decades of living here at the corner of Churchill and ECR. Cars turning right onto ECR could have relatively smooth sailing if the fire hydrant were removed and the street widened (on the side of the PAUSD district office) to allow them through. There is no need for such a long line of drivers waiting at the light, at least half of whom want to turn right onto ECR. Bike riders coming out of Paly in the afternoon seem like an accident waiting to happen. These turning left onto Churchill end up biking against traffic, sometimes getting crowded off the sidewalk, then ride down the left (wrong) side of Churchill after crossing Alma. At some point they need to cross to the south side of Churchill to continue their journey, often not looking to see if oncoming traffic poses a danger. Not sure of the solution to this, but it always worries me when I see it. Please do not close Churchill. The suicides are tragic, but the train and the crossing played no part in the students' ongoing mental health struggles. Other students, PAUSD and the community rely on the Churchill crossing. Please keep it open. The close of Churchill may make it less convenient but it does not solve the problem. Palo Alto station is only 15 minutes walk. We have to go to the root of the problem. I'm sorry to say that I won't be able to make the session this evening. I'm a Southgate resident - I've been in my house for almost 30 years. Unlike many of my neighbors, I'm strongly in favor of closing the rail crossing at Churchill - not just temporarily, but permanently. It's the obvious answer to a host of problems, not the least of which is the suicides. I understand that others are concerned about the impacts on traffic if the crossing is closed, and that's why the modified undercrossing, or whatever it's being called, is being considered. But the advocates for that plan seem to ignore the fact that the construction of that monstrosity will close the crossing For Years. While the crossing is closed for construction, all of the anticipated traffic impacts will occur - anyway. In addition, traffic on Alma will be disrupted. New traffic patterns will be established. The impact will be the same, or worse. For Years. The only difference? Millions of dollars spent, years of construction disruption along Alma, and eminent domain takings to implement the plan. Close the crossing. It's the least expensive, least disruptive, and most equitable solution. Thanks. Do not close Churchill. I don't know the answer to teen suicide. But I do know that we have a number of underground tunnels that are very effective at moving pedestrians and bikers, under Alma, and the Cal Train Tracks. Starting with Cal Ave/Page Mill, Embarcadero, Homer, University Ave. All great places for people and bikes to cross. Put in more tunnels for peds and bikers. At Churchill. E Meadow, Charleston, Loma Verde, El Verano. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 48 Packet Pg. 53 of 79 The closure will offer some friction which might be enough to stop young minds at that moment when they attempt to end their lives. I support the closure. Please close the Churchill crossing at the earliest. As a family who lives south of Churchill and crosses the tracks for our kids to go to Paly every day, we know our community's safety is far more important than our convenience. Safe Routes is finding ways children can bike and walk with the crossing closed, families who live near Paly are also supportive, and we who live in Midtown are willing to go around. We must find a way and close this crossing at the earliest so that we can demonstrate our care for our students, and take real immediate action on helping keep them safe. As residents of Southgate, the 3 voting-age members of our family are firmly opposed to shutting Churchill. We foresee an enormously adverse impact on traffic patterns to and from the west side of Alma. The handful of routes (Embarcero, Oregon, and Churchill) are already deadlocked at rush hour and will become moreso if we eliminate one of them. Notably, this would also shunt hundreds of Paly students on bikes and foot to the already overcrowded and much busier Embarcadero route. While we profoundly appreciate and support the effort to reduce the danger posed by the Churchill train crossing, this move would cut off one of the very few walkable, bikeable, and human scale connectors that still exist in Palo Alto. While unintended, the result will be more car trips, more time in gridlock, less interaction among neighbors, and ultimately a further ceding of our wonderful town to vehicles. Thank you. The Craig Family Dear City Council Members, The recent death of another student suicide at the Churchill crossing brought back the urgency to prevent more tragedies. My thoughts are on the lives of people, especially the young people. I don’t think closing the crossing will solve this issue. Persons wishing to commit suicide by train will find ways to access the tracks. Closing this crossing will impact neighbors and residents traveling in vehicle across the east/west Churchill corridor. This re-routing of traffic will negatively impact the current congestion on El Camino and Embarcadero roads. This closing will quietly and slowly separate and divide Palo Alto. I feel spending money to close Churchill is a waste of good resources. Creating more traffic is counter productive. The urgent problem facing us is saving young people’s lives. I would like to see money and resources spent and provided for mental health, for help to parents, friends, schools, teachers, and to our precious young people. Closing Churchill crossing, temporary or permanent, will not solve this urgent suicide problem. There are many train crossings, four in Palo Alto. Are we going to shut down all crossings? Please don't spend resources in shutting down a train crossing to solve this real life problem of our young people's choice of permanent solution to their lives. Thank you, Susan Mitchell Please don't close Churchill. It won't stop the train noise and PA kids are smart enough to find another way, Dear Palo Alto City Council, We are parents to a 14yr old and soon to be 11 yr old, who are both students in PAUSD. The tragedy of the PALY student, which happened recently broke our hearts. Yet, we DO NOT want Churchill to close, even if it is "temporary". The issue at hand is much deeper than access to the tracks. Students need better mental health support at all levels. Closing the intersection will not fix this problem and will only create a much bigger secondary problem. The impact from this closure will have horrible consequences with traffic flow in the local neighborhoods. The streets of Old Palo Alto are already inundated with speeding and distracted drivers. Embarcadero is not suited to support EVEN more car traffic and has no safety measures for bikers. The walkways which run along Embarcadero would definitely not support the high volume of bikers and pedestrians which would be diverted to this area. We live at the corner of Kingsley and Alma and not only can we attest to the high frequency of pedestrians and bikers, twice a day, during high peak commute times, the amount of cars passing through is tremendous. Car accidents happen quite frequently and the temper of drivers waiting to turn left from Kingsley to Alma AND Alma to Kingsley is not a pleasant one. We don't even want to imagine what it would be like if MORE cars, bikers and pedestrians filled this area. We understand the emotions of wanting to close the tracks, believe me, we have known some of the kids & families of those who have passed and we would never want to diminish their pain. Please understand the impact it will have on the daily life of our community as this is a major artery for drivers, bikers and pedestrians who travel in this area. Please DO NOT CLOSE CHURCHILL! Sincerely, Concerned neighbors and parents, Lucia and Rich Spott I live in Southgate. I support a temporary closure provided 2 things happen: this is actually most imporrtant - allows southgate residents to exit the neighborhood from miramonte going north on el camino but do a u-turn if their destination is to the right. We NEED 2 points of ingress/egress that allow us to go both directions - can't just rely on churchill. Otherwise if we save 1 life we should close the crossing. Also turn off the horns while you're at it. It's traumaticizing for neighbors and especially Paly students. This is a temporary closure. The frustrations of temporary traffic, again- temporary- is absurd when we are looking at the lives of our youth. We need time as we build more support for the students. We need this temporary closure in order to save students' lives. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 49 Packet Pg. 54 of 79 This does not fit into Climate Change/Sustainability priorities, Churchill closure will result with longer drives, EVs contribute to congestion. As for addressing suicides, please consider quitting on forcing upon students to lead in changing adult behavior, the stress is tremendous. Please let them enjoy their age. Please, do not close Churchill Avenue at Alma. The suicides are tragic, and we support steps to address student support and mental health. However, closing Churchill does not ensure that the community will stop suicides going forward. Nor, does closing Churchill ensure that a suicide will still not happen on the tracks. Secondly, the disruption closing the Churchill train crossing will cause for the 8,500 people who use the crossing every day is inestimable. Where do those people now cross? There are only two options, and the backup on Embarcadero and Page/Mill Oregon Expressway is already at capacity during long peak rush hour times. Additionally, he backups along Embarcadero will be even long, due to the fact that ALL Paly, the PAUSD's district office and Southgate travelers will now have to merge onto El Camino. Emergency vehicles that count on traveling on Churchill will no longer have a direct path to more quickly put out fires, aid accidents or medical emergencies. EVERYONE’s commute will be longer and slower, with added pollution, as we try to navigate the extra time and miles. Lastly, the high school bikers will now need to bike to Embarcadero to cross, but is that route safe for hundreds of bikers every day? Sincerely, Emily Marshall To the City Council: If the City Council closes the Churchill crossing as a result of the student suicides, does it also plan to close the Palo Alto crossing as well? And the rail crossings in South Palo Alto too? And rail crossings in adjacent communities? Because if the proposed move is to prevent student suicides at rail crossings, closing only the Churchill crossing would be ineffective, wouldn't it? Students can just use other rail crossings if they are determined to do so. Thank you for your consideration For the health and safety of our students and community, I am fully supportive of closing the Churchill crossing. The risks are too high to have such an active train crossing in such close proximity to a large high school. Not only is there the physical danger of the train, but also the constant awareness and reminders of prior suicides from hearing 416 blares of a train horn accompanied by the crossing bells. If an immediate crossing could eliminate the student access and the constant auditory reminders of a train presence and suicide opportunity -- our school community greatly benefit. I encourage city council and school to revisit the #1 recommendation from XCAP, which is to turn the Churchill crossing into a bike and pedestrian underpass. This is the solution that would best serve our students and community. In ensuring the safety of our youth, we are ensuring the success and safety of our future as a collective community here in Palo Alto. While this longer term solution is addressed, something must be done immediately -- close the crossing and eliminate the train access and daily train noise /reminders for our community. For context, I am a mother and resident of Churchill Ave in Old Palo Alto, so I use the crossing regularly (on bike or foot). Any convenience here is secondary to our broader community, and I will accept biking or walking a longer distance if it means our students and are community are safer. Thank you very much. Laura Granka As a student at paly, i have crossed the Churchill crossing many times, on bike, in car, and have also walked across. On many occasions, the train has gone by as i have stood at the barricades. The feeling is horrible as it speeds by, and it makes me think of how these students had felt. The gust of wind is so strong that its blows my hair back, but it also makes my heart race. It’s indescribable how much i want to cry every time it happens, because i imagine if one of my close friends goes through so much pain that they decide to one day cross those barricades. I hate the thought so very much. I also went the board meeting and heard what the parents of those students said, how the pain never goes away, and the horns are a constant reminder that traumatizes them, and i agree because i remember the day when i heard that that poor girl has passed, i remembered those stupid horns going off, and how i ignored them that morning. Another thing is that it confuses and stuns me that people stood up and said that it’s a “inconvenience” to close down those tracks, i mean, are we serious?! The 5 extra minutes of your time spent i traffic is nothing compared to the minute or even seconds it takes for another young, bright, amazing student, too die by those tracks. So please, close the tracks, and put the safety of your students first. Please prioritize SAVING LIVES OF OUR KIDS over the convenience of few!!!!! Yes, closing Churchill is not THE solution. But as gun safety regulations save lives. And nets on the bridge save lives. Removing lethal means will save lives. And our students not having to hear the horns throughout their day, will help our community. Please close the tracks. Thank you for your work. Thank you for hiring paid guards at all 4 crossings for a minimum of a year. I assume no one plans to have guards present forever. I urge us to close the Churchill crossing in the short term, while we evaluate the feasibility of the grade separation project currently approved for that crossing. We owe it to our community, and to those who come after us, to separate the road from the tracks any way we can, as soon as we can. Thank you. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 50 Packet Pg. 55 of 79 I live on Castilleja second block away from PALY which is also the main bike route. Traffic on Churchill is already dangerous to neighbors turning either direction on to Churchill. My wife & I believe strongly that closing Churchill at Alma would be a huge traffic problem and would not result in stopping students who are intent on harming them selves. I am a lifelong Palo Alto resident, a Paly alum, and parent of two recent Paly alums. I live in old Palo Alto, about three blocks from the Churchill crossing. I have spent my career in public health, thinking about health policies, trade-offs, and how we create healthy environments for all. I listened carefully to the public comment session yesterday evening regarding the Churchill rail crossing closure. It’s clear that our common and heartfelt goals are to protect students, to ensure the safest possible physical and emotional environment, and to reduce harms to our students as much as humanly possible. Suicide is complex, but there is strong evidence that removing lethal means can prevent suicide. We have a very difficult structural problem: lethal means—a train—runs right behind our high school. Since can’t move the high school away from the train track (can we?), and we can’t get grade separation anytime soon, it’s very tempting to conclude that a temporary closure of the Churchill crossing is the best way to reduce harm. Like others who spoke last evening, I would suffer any inconvenience if I believed it might prevent a person dying by suicide. But I am worried about the other harms that a Churchill closure may create for the very students we are trying to protect. I hope that the City Council and others will do a comprehensive and holistic study of the impact of the Churchill closure, including a very detailed pedestrian, bike and automobile traffic analysis. Please hire the very best traffic engineers and analysts you can find. I see Paly students on e-bikes speeding down Churchill and throngs of students on bikes waiting to cross Alma in the mornings and then again in the afternoon. Bikes roam all over the road and the sidewalk. The traffic in the neighborhood and on Embarcadero has increased since Castilleja expanded their enrollment; I can’t imagine how this would increase even further with a Churchill closure. Closing the Churchill crossing will shunt cars, pedestrians and cyclists to Embarcadero, and this may create a dangerous tipping point that may result in more injuries than the train crossing itself. I am particularly worried about pedestrian, bike, e-bike, e-scooter and automobile injuries and fatalities along Alma and Embarcadero during school commute hours. Neither Alma nor Embarcadero are designed for bikes; bikes either mix with cars on the road or with pedestrians on the sidewalk, and these roads are more congested than Churchill. The underpass is narrow for cars, bikes and pedestrians. I am also worried about emergency vehicles not being able to get across a very congested Embarcadero underpass to get to Stanford Emergency Department. For some emergencies, minutes can be the difference between life and death. I appreciate the care with which the city, PAUSD and other partners are approaching this very difficult issue. Please take time to do a detailed and holistic analysis of the risk of injury, both suicides and other injuries. We all want the safest environment for every child growing up in this community. Keep the guards. Improve the track technology. Don’t close Churchill. Remember we studied the impact of closing Churchill and it was found to have severe impact on the roads. And sadly all of the Palo Alto grade crossings have had tragedies. I think it can help for a while during closing, but it cannot solve the problems permanently. Why can't we build a bridge to elevate Caltrain? I think separating pedestrians from the pedestrian with the track is the only permanent solution 1. Churchill railway crossing is just a very short "bypass" lane for Embarcadero, which is "useless" for all drivers other than Southgate residents and NO impacts on overall traffics. All traffics on Churchill merge to Embarcadero, El Camino, Oregon, or Alam eventually so no overall traffic impacts are obvious. 2. Closing Churchill railway crossing is inconvenient to some of Southgate residents, but it is good for everyone. How many extra minutes would Southgate residents take a new route? The impact shall be relatively small particularly considering the long waiting time on the Churchill crossing recently. 3. The existing of Churchill railway crossing is mainly due to historical reasons (much lower traffics and much lower population), which change in the 21st century. Hence, it is better for us to close Churchill railway crossing, which shouldn't exist now anyway. 4. It is a huge waste for Palo Alto to support two railway crossings that are 0.3 mile apart. No city support that. 5. Churchill railway crossing makes the Churchill near Paly extremely unsafe due to the mix of high-density pedestrians, bikes, and cars after the railway crossings redlight. Too many accidents in the school rush hours. 6. Temporary Churchill Closure is the best way to check whether or not to close Churchill permanently. Can we close Charleston and Meadow as the tragedy can happen on these two places as well? It would be great if we could invest all the money being spent on security guards to go towards helping the youth with their mental health. Closing the crossing is not going to stop the suicides as there are other ways to do it. It is so sad that all of these lives have been lost to the tracks. We all would like to prevent these tragic suicides at the Churchill crossing. I applaud the district for increasing its mental health services. But I believe that closing the Churchill crossing will cause many problems due to the thousands of vehicles that will have to take Embarcadero instead. I'm hoping the city can prevent suicides by other means, such as guards at the intersection (which they recently added), and perhaps technology such as cameras/motion sensors, etc. I hope the city staff who are taking this on will research any means that may help, and learn about what other cities have done to prevent suicides. I forgot on my last note to ask what the plans are for accommodating bicycles and pedestrians who currently use the Churchill crossing, especially the 100s of Paly students who use it. They can not be accommodated via the Cal Ave tunnel and also, the City Council needs to understand that the very narrow streets of Southgate (it's 1 lane with cars parked on both sides) makes it already virtually impossible to drive down Castilleja (the bike route to Paly) now, so any additional bike traffic there will make it impossible for those residents to leave or get to their homes. Also Castilleja is 1 of 2 means of ingress/egress to the neighborhood (Mariposa you can only exit or enter from/to the right and the exit on El Camino you can only go north. So we need that access, esp. if vehicles are blocking the only other street - Madrono, which happens often w/ construction, deliveries etc. dear residents, I support the closure until we can assess permanent measures - including quad gates that safeguard the cross for both pedestrians and for vehicles. best regards Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 51 Packet Pg. 56 of 79 I live at the railroad crossing - the corner of Mariposa and Churchill. The back of my house lies along the tracks, and I am very aware of the problems with a grade crossing. The closing of Churchill Ave is not a solution to the problem. The closure would, however, cause chaos in the Southgate neighborhood. Cars coming from El Camino attempting to cross the tracks to Alma, which is a main route from El Camino to Alma, will get partway down Churchill and then have to turn down one of the streets between El Camino and the tracks: Madrono, Castellija, or Mariposa. None of these streets can take them where they want to go - The only option will be to zigzag around the neighborhood until they find their way back to Churchill or to the exit to El Camino from Miramonte. Our neighborhood is going to become a maze for commuters trying to get to Alma to get to downtown Palo Alto. Anyone wanting to get from our neighborhood to downtown will have to go to El Camino and turn on Embarcadero or University Ave, both already a traffic jam all day now. This added traffic is going to be dangerous - cars on Churchill will be stopped dead trying to turn right onto El Camino. People who live in Southgate will be stopped dead in a traffic snarl trhing to turn right or left onto Churchill from El Camino. This traffic movement was improved significantly with the recent traffic lights and crossing restrictions. A temporary closure of Churchill at the train tracks will be a nightmare for traffic in general, and for the Southgate neighborhood specifically. Closing the intersection will not prevent further suicide attampts. Several years ago, a youth walked onto the train tracks while the trains weren't running and laid down on the tracks in the dark until the trains started running again in the early morning. This intersection is not the only entry onto the tracks. I am the mother of two students at Paly, and we live at Lowell x Alma, two blocks away from the Churchill rail crossing. My kids walk to school, and like tens (hundreds?) of Paly students, they use this crossing to get to and from school every day. As devastated as we all feel for the families impacted by the recent suicides, closing this crossing without an alternate route would be a MASSIVE inconvenience for a lot of Paly students, not even mentioning the broader impact on the neighborhood. I appreciated the City's initiative of adding crossing guards, but am absolutely opposed to the closing of the Churchill crossing without an alternate solution in place. Thank you for your consideration. Bad idea to close the Churchill crossing now. Speed up the process of ending horn blowing at the crossing (plus East Meadow and Charleston instead). What do we need to end horn blowing? Hi, I am a resident of Southgate, having lived here since 1991. Churchill is a vital street for residents of Southgate and also for east-west traffic essential for people going to and coming home from work, as well as for Paly students, which included my children who graduated a few years ago. I feel deeply for the suicide victims of the past years, but root cause must be addressed, not a knee-jerk band aid. Root cause is the emotional state of the victims, not the Churchill crossing or the trains. Many years ago I remember a Gunn student took his life by taking medicine. The solution was not to ban medicine. Research what the emotional state of the student was, why it happened, and what real changes must be addressed to change the state of mind of those who are affected and feel that suicide is the only escape. Do this if you truly want to save the children in the future who contemplate this desperate and devastating measure. Drop Churchill Road below the rail track level, add underpass for low height vehicles only to minimize the trench work extending beyond the area. No commercial vehicles. Rails could then be completely isolated from walkways. I feel deeply for those grieving their children. But closing one street will not change the other opportunities students have. This requires systemic change, monitoring social media for bullying, caring for how friends are doing and listening to anyone who may be suffering. Please do everything you can to move this project forward. There’s nothing higher priority than the safety of our children and the tragic reality is that we live with lethal means right next to, and with in ear splitting distance from, our high school. If even one death is prevented, the pain of traffic and cost will be well worth the sacrifice. Beyond that, if our traumatized kids have an indication that their lives are worth this step, and that adults in the community are willing to take this step, it will be well worth the sacrifice. I just cannot see how any of the arguments about inconvenience can overshadow the potential good. The issue of lethal means availability is not matter of hysterical parents grasping for a dramatic solution. This has strong scientific backing. Given that, I cannot imagine counter arguments outweighing the importance of trialing this life saving measure. Thank you! Closing Churchill is the wrong response to a tragedy. It’s natural for the parents & students to want to take some kind of action but closing the crossing entirely would be ineffective and overly burdensome to the rest of the community. Trains will continue to pass though Palo Alto, so closing the crossing does not remove lethal means. There is alternate access to the tracks within an easy walk/bike ride from the school. Burdens to the community would be numerous, but if we are focusing on preventing loss of life, we should consider the fact that 3 students have perished in a 2 year period but how many people would suffer as a result of delayed emergency transport? There are times of day when the Embarcadero & University underpasses are so jammed up that even with lights and sirens, it’s difficult to get emergency vehicles through. There is abundant data proving that TIME is a primary driver in stroke & heart attack outcomes. Speedy patient transport to Stanford must be prioritized. Less importantly, but still a safety factor - closing the Churchill crossing would render the bike path between Churchill & Homer useless. This is going to divert bike traffic into the neighborhoods, where cyclists share the road with motorists. In my almost 10 years of biking to work in Palo Alto, I observe a significant portion of PALY students riding without bike helmets or lights, and frequently running stop signs or riding on the sidewalks where they are less visible before entering an intersection at speed. The Bryant “bike boulevard” has fewer stop signs which results in motorists speeding in that corridor. Adding additional bike traffic to the neighborhoods where there are no marked lanes is likely to increase accidents. Accidents (not suicides) are the leading cause of death in teenagers according to the CDC. These are just a few downstream effects that all relate to safety. The nuisance of having to reroute/general traffic impacts would also be unreasonably burdensome to the community at large. Between PALY & the city, we’re already spending $1.7 million on safety officers at all 4 crossings. Let us observe the results of this investment before adding interventions. I am in favor of a Churchill crossing closure. Something drastic needs to be done to prevent further suicides. I have a granddaughter at Palo Alto high school and am very concerned. I live at 1008 Bryant Street, Palo Alto. Please find a solution soon. Thanks! Meredith Buenning I support closing the Churchill intersection. During the last suicide cluster, my son mentioned if a student wasn’t in class, the other students first thought was that the student had died, not that they were potentially out sick. Please remove this deadly option, kids are dying and the ones left behind are devistated. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 52 Packet Pg. 57 of 79 I support the temporary closure of Churchill and Alma, not only because of the mental health risks it poses to students, but also because a dangerous and outdated intersection like this no longer reflects the capacity or values of our city’s infrastructure. Yes, the closure will cause disruption, but my support is for a temporary measure while the city begins construction on grade separation, the only responsible way for trains to operate in a modern urban area. The train crossings across the Peninsula have become an embarrassment. Let’s create rail infrastructure that reflects the innovation and dignity Silicon Valley stands for. In the meantime, closing this already inefficient intersection will make commuting less stressful and risky for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike. I am against closing Churchill. It is a quick reactive fix to a symptom and doesn't address the real problem. Over half of the suicides reported by the Palo Alto Daily were adults, not teens. NOT PC, but if someone wants to commit suicide they will find a way. There are other train crossings and other methods to do so. We need a more compassionate and connected community and IMHO, less stress at the high school level. Too many, especially seniors, are isolated or are feeling financial pressures. The Trump poison has spread - causing meanness, entitlements, and has encouraged bullies. I am not sure how to fix that, but closing Churchill is not the solution. The City has no solution for the huge numbers of cars who want to cross from east to west. North bound, Embarcadero. is already clogged and will get worst with Castilleja. As you ponder solutions, think of the greater good...the hundreds (maybe thousands) of motorists who use the Churchill crossing. Let's figure how out to build a more welcoming community, especially for young adults and seniors. For teens, less academic pressure at school, working harder to find teens at risk and in general less meanness in our society, Please consider other options to closing Churchill. Annette Glanckopf I support the temporary closure of Churchill ave. Our kids safety is more important than convenience to cross the railroad. Thank you. I am afraid that this closure will put hunders of kids who bike to Gunn into the harms way. E.Meadow crossing will become more crowded. Its bad enough as it is. But doubling the amount of bikes waiting to cross on a very limited space is a disaster waiting to happen. I 100% support the temporary closure of Churchill. For me, the most persuasive argument for closure is to stop the train horns and give some peace to the PALY students. The Churchill crossing is the one I used to take most often on my weekly bike rides north to shop at Town & Country. Unfortunately, I was passing by a short time after one of the recent suicide events: I was there for the arrival of police and emergency vehicles. I found the experience so traumatic that I haven’t been able to use that crossing since. I can’t imagine what the PALY students go through hearing the train multiple times an hour, all day, during classes. If the PALY students are also in support of closing the crossing, then I 100% support them. This would be a really costly and inconvenient measure that would probably not actually help with the problem of suicides. You're already stationing a 24/7 guard. This is a classic example where it would be much better to do nothing (beyond what's already being done) if this is what "doing something" looks like. Zach Hempstead, Palo Alto resident Any temporary closure plan should a) define "temporary" b) consider the safety & health implications of students cycling on alternative routes or abandoning cycling altogether. It seems likely that closing Churchill will cause cyclists to divert to the Cal Ave tunnel---increasing conflicts there---and to the Embarcadero undercross, where there are potential car-bicyle conflicts. I walk to T&C, TJ's, CVS, and Sutter often. I'm rarely at the Churchill/Alma intersection alone. If I have to walk to California Ave and then head north to Sutter, it will add another 30 min to my walk. Huge inconvenience for me. A 2 hour walk roundtrip with a backpack of groceries for the last hour might not be possible. Not ignoring suicide prevention only wondering if this will stop desperate children from killing themselves. Is a reason for train track by children understood? Closing the Churchill crossing would put such stress on the side streets around Embarcadero as cars and bikes and pedestrians will reroute onto streets not designed for that volume. It would change the Churchill crossing before and after school hours -and then trace the routes those bikes would go if it were closed. The crossing at Churchill and Emerson is already incredibly dangerous with cyclists ignoring stop signs; that would then expand to every additional neighborhood intersection they ride through, creating more opportunities for people to get hurt. There are other ways to prevent suicide that do not create dangerous conditions for others. While the mental health concerns regarding the Churchill crossing are deeply significant and require a dedicated solution, we must also consider the broader safety implications of a permanent closure. Redirecting heavy traffic volumes onto residential arteries like Embarcadero creates a different, but equally serious, public safety risk. We need a solution that addresses the mental health crisis without inadvertently increasing the likelihood of traffic fatalities on our city streets. I was a Paly parent and have been through the trauma of suicides, while my children were attending. However, the closing has far larger community impact. This is tragic for our kids, but the stress that the adults and other kids put on these students is tremendous and there are other ways to help, including the monitors. I have lived on Newell Road for over 20 years and have watched the kids bike to school (Greene, Walter Hays and Paly) every day. The traffic has become crazy. It's not just the school traffic (I love the kids on bikes), but the cut through traffic. The road rage is insane. Already, Embarcadero is backed up past Newell in the mornings and the other direction in the afternoons with the school traffic, school traffic light patterns and the increase in Stanford traffic. I ride my bike to volunteer at Stanford and Paly and have been nearly hit several times. Closing traffic on Churchill will mean the majority will be on Embarcadero, causing more speeding, road rage and quick turns. All of our neighborhood streets are speedways, trying to use the lights at Waverley and avoid Middlefield. Some mornings, I cannot make it to a doctor's appoint at PAMF or a meeting at Stanford on time due to the backups. It's already crazy trying to do something right as Paly gets out of school. I think we all share the goal of preventing further tragedies at Churchill, and the emotional toll on our community is undeniable. However, I’m concerned that closing the crossing is a reactionary measure that shifts the danger rather than eliminating it. Please don’t close the Churchill crossing, especially for bike and pedestrian traffic. Closing the crossing will congest embarcadero and other neighborhood streets. And please end 24/7 safety observers who are costly and probably aren’t effective. Spend the money on wellness for youth or don’t spend the money at all. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 53 Packet Pg. 58 of 79 I oppose closing the Churchill crossing. I am adamantly against the temporary closure. I understand the emotionality behind this, but it's just that - emotion, not logic. Is there any evidence that this would be effective at all? The closure would cause multiple significant problems I would be all for closing Churchill if I believed that would solve the PALY suicide problem. Student lives are more important than my convenience. Additionally even if the crossing is closed, someone who wants to commit suicide will find a way. I believe we should invest in services and create more opportunities for staff to help students. We need to educate all kids to be supportive. I don’t have all the answers, but something more than closing the street needs to be done. At this time, I’m against the closure of the street. I live in Palo Alto's Southgate neighborhood and my husband and I very much oppose temporarily closing the rail crossing at Churchill Ave. It would obviously prevent our neighborhood from being able to access Alma St and Palo Alto east but it would also limit our ability to exit our neighborhood since the only other exit is a right turn only on El Camino. The closure would also dramatically increase traffic on already very busy Embarcadero Rd. between El Camino and Alma St. Additionally, how would all of the Palo Alto High School (Paly) students who currently cross Alma at Churchill to get to Paly, get to school? Lastly, I have to ask how closing the Churchill crossing would necessarily prevent future student suicides. I completely understand and grieve with parents of Palo Alto High School students who would like the crossing closed but I fail to see how it will prevent more suicides. The last suicide should prompt the school district to provide more support and outreach to find students who are feeling like suicide is the only answer. These students could easily find another way to end their lives if not at the Churchill/Alma crossing. So, for the aforementioned reasons, we ask that the City keep the Churchill crossing open at Alma St. Instead, why not keep the crossing guards that are at the site now for the same amount of time that the City would temporarily close the crossing? Most sincerely, Marion and Charles Krause 1646 Castilleja Ave. Do not close the Churchill crossing. It is not the best solution to make the crossing safer, and is definitely not the best starting place. If it is decided to close the crossing, do it in a thoughtful way where the impact can be measured - when school is in session, with appropriate data collection in place to asses its impact on other crossings, car/bike safety in places that see extra traffic because of the closing, travel times for students to and from school, and the effects on locals who have to change their travel patterns. Sadly, closing the Churchill crossing will not stop someone from taking their life. I oppose closing the Churchill Crossing. If someone wants to end their life there are many options, the Caltrain line is long. Closing the Churchill Crossing would have an extreme impact on the safety of other streets in Palo Alto from Embarcadero to Old Palo Alto Streets to Evergreen to Page Mill road. It would force more interaction with bikes, cars and pedestrians making the roads more dangerous. In considering closure as an option the XCAP report identified over 40 modifications to existing roads necessary to close Churchill safely. And this did not include changes to the flow of traffic in and out of Paly or the impact of the century old narrow Alma bridge. The City has already taken the only immediate option available to discouraging suicide at all the City's train crossings by stationing 24/7 guards. Closing the Churchill Crossing would be less effective than the guards and take years to implement safely. Finally, is a misleading to call this a temporary action. No "temporary" train crossing on the Peninsula has ever been reopened. Do not close the Churchill Crossing. Do NOT close Churchill. Causing drivers, bikers and walkers to waste time by pushing them to other already choked intersections will waste time, cause frustration, and also cause more emissions. We are all suffering from climate change, do not increase driving time. And, emergency vehicles need to be able to quickly move through the city. We cannot afford to close Churchill. As a 3x Paly parent, we’ve lost too many students too young, and too quickly. The Mehtas and many in our community are shattered forever. I have also had the loss of a family friend to suicide via the GG Bridge. And even decades later, i can't help wondering how all our lives might have been different if the suicide nets had been in place then. I hear the worry about emergency response times and traffic safety. Especially for our Paly and Greene biking children if the crossing is closed. But,I believe the actual continued loss of children steps away, within visible range, and close enough to listen to all day, calls for us to close Churchill now. The crossing too easily allows a child in their darkest moment to act impulsively with no second chance. Research, including that of the GG Bridge shows that removing access to a lethal means saves lives. It just does. A temporary closure will allow us to work with focus on mitigating side-effects before we lose more of our children. Thank you. Please support closing Churchill now. I'd like to add the following. I noted an op ed written about closing Churchill, linking it to the suicides and supposedly an impulse leading to those suicides due to the train passing by. Obviously the suicides are tragic, but were they due to an impulse? The recent suicide victim wrote a two page suicide note, posted it publicly, and in it discussed struggling with mental health for a lengthy time period. Doesn't that mean advance planning was involved rather than some impulsive act? Doesn't that mean some other method would be employed if the Churchill crossing was less accessible? Other students and community members depend upon the rail crossing. Let's keep it open while honoring people's memory in some other manner. I understand the reasons shared for temp closure. However; it doesn’t resolve the issue. Increasing traffic on other choke points appears like fixing a water leak with a patch of bandaid; which we all know won’t work and will come off after causing lot of anxiety and pain to others. I think it is a knee jerk reaction to an issue which puts the whole community through more pain and is being proposed by a few individuals who have been trying to push their individual agenda now for several years. Strongly oppose the Churchill crossing closure! I live in El Camino Real in Southgate and I am against closing Churchill. It will be a huge issue for my family to exit our neighborhood. And, it is not the problem. Making the curriculum at PALY reasonable will solve the problem of suicide by train. The last time we had guards at the crossing, a child in our neighborhood climbed over the dense in his back yard and committed suicide. The train crossing is not the issue. Please do not close Churchill. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 54 Packet Pg. 59 of 79 Adding a lot of cars and students to Embarcadero is a bad idea. Will that just result in traffic injuries or deaths? I'm especially concerned about the Kipling intersection on Embardacero. Why isn't the presence of guards at the rail crossings sufficient to prevent suicides? It worked before. Why also close the crossing creating safety and travel issues? We shouldn't. It seems to be that we've already done what we need to do. I am opposed to closure due to the dramatic harm it will cause to the public’s safety throughout all North Palo Alto neighborhoods. The closure will result in thousands more cars and hundreds more pedestrians and bicyclists ( largely children) navigating Embarcadero. This is already a highly stressed roadway with a widely publicized death last year. The PA Fire Department has previously confirmed to the City that rerouting emergency vehicles will cause delays in response to fires and accidents. This will cost lives. Suicide risk has already been effectively addressed with security patrol and AI technology to detect intruders at the tracks. Barbara Hazlett I am in support of the Churchill crossing closure. These kids need to not hear that whistle multiple times an hour. I want to advocate strongly for the urgent need for safe, non-grade crossing (e.g. the Seale bike/pedestrian underpass proposal) for kids and all community members to get across the tracks. The loss of young lives aside, the Churchill intersection is not safe for bikes / pedestrians anyways and I hope the city puts urgency into approving and building alternate, safe passage for all. Thank you! The decision of whether or not to close Churchill Ave crossing should not understate the obvious: children require a safe way to get to school. The current options provided are grossly insufficient for those living on the opposite side of the tracks from Palo Alto High school. Cal ave under crossing is too far away. Embarcadero under crossing is often on the wrong side for students traveling, and especially with bicycling, requires crossing unsignalled off-ramps (like High St) and a mix of side walks. Regardless of your decision to close Churchill, I urge you to please please please accelerate the timeline of alternative safe routes like the proposed Seale Ave underpass. I’m a 20-year resident of Southgate, and have been personally touched by the excruciating and heartbreaking tragedies that have unfolded near the Churchill CalTrain crossing. My daughters both attended Paly, overlapping from 2010 to 2017. In addition, a co-worker of my younger daughter was lost to suicide in the most recent cluster. One speaker at the March 12 city council meeting made a suggestion I'd like to amplify and expand upon. He contended that closing the Churchill entrance of Paly to all-- autos, bikes and pedestrians-- would have much the same effect as closing the Churchill rail crossing, as it would increase the distance a student would need to traverse to have access to the tracks. Proximity does seem to be the primary issue that those in favor of the proposed closure focus on, and the effective distance would be farther if the Churchill entrance to Paly were closed. I'd like to add that if the temporary closure of the Churchill crossing is implemented without also closing the Churchill Paly entrance, traffic on Churchill will be a gridlocked nightmare as a steady line of cars approaches the school from El Camino and turns left into the Paly parking lot. At the same time, Southgate residents who want to travel South, no longer having the easy option of turning right onto Churchill and then right onto Alma, will instead have to turn left onto Churchill and then left onto El Camino Real. But for most of the streets that allow egress from the Southgate neighborhood (Madrono and Castilleja), a left turn onto Churchill will be blocked by the aforementioned stream of cars going to Paly. Mariposa is the only street where a left turn onto Churchill might be possible, but even then will be blocked by the traffic going in and out of the Paly parking lot, which will be increased substantially itself because it can only be approached in one direction. Therefore I believe that if we make the decision to close the Churchill CalTrain crossing, it would be essential to also close the Churchill Paly entrance. The front Paly entrance on Embarcadero would then be the only way to enter the school. Best Regards, Victor Schrader Suggestion: have Caltrains trains stop just before Churchill crossing before proceeding. Feedback: I am strongly opposed to closing Churchill Ave rail crossing, even temporarily> Dear City Council Members, The recent Listening Meeting at the PAUSD Board Room in March regarding the potential closing of Churchill rail crossing was good. There were speakers from both sides of the issue. I am still against the permanent closing of Churchill at the rail crossing. However, I have learned a great deal from listening to the advocates for closing Churchill, from students, neighbors, and most of all from the parents of Palo Alto High School students dying by suicide at the crossing. The easy immediate access to the tracks is similar to easy access to guns in the home. We must prevent that easy access at a dark moment in the young person’s life. Having 24/7 security guards at the crossings is good but can’t be a permanent solution. Therefore, I agree we should temporarily close Churchill to prevent immediate access while the City Council and administration take action for a permanent solution that would prevent easy access to the rails but not create a horrendous and dangerous traffic pattern for the neighboring streets.  I suggest the City Council seriously vote to take action on grade separation at the crossing, a plan that is already in the works for months if not years. Thank you, Susan Mitchell What provisions will be implemented for bike safety at Embarcadero and the Cal Ave tunnel if Churchill is closed. Both are dangerou8s now, especially the tunnel, and a lot more people will make it much worse? If crossing guards are sufficient to prevent suicides (and they have been in the past) what is the point of closing Churchill? I see no point. If Churchill is closed, will the guards be maintained at Meadow and Charleston? They clearly should. Most suicides have happened in South Palo Alto. If the crossing is closed "temporarily" what criteria will be used to re-open it? It seems that once closed, re-opening will be nearly impossible because who would want to be blamed if a suicide happens after re- opening? Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 55 Packet Pg. 60 of 79 Closing the Churchill crossing will be a disaster. Traffic will be pushed to Embarcadero which is already a nightmare. So, in the future you’ll have traffic from Churchill, Town and Country, PAMF, Stanford, and the planned T&C housing project. Gridlock and road rage. I’m so frustrated that we’ve been gnashing our collective teeth for YEARS, trying to figure out how to separate the tracks from cars and pedestrians. (See El Camino in San Carlos.) Closing Churchill is an unacceptable band-aid. Let’s look for a way to keep the kids safe while building a real, roadway-and-track-separate solution. This should be a data driven decision. How many have died on the tracks in PA the last 10 years?. At or near which crossing? What time of day? Age? How many were students at which schools? How many died when volunteers or paid people were on duty? Don’t close Churchill crossing !! Don’t shut this crossing! It’s ridiculous to block a major traffic artery! There is not even a clear understanding that it would change any outcomes! I oppose the closure of the Churchill Ave rail crossing - temporary or permanent. The solution is targeted mental health support for those that need it. Roy Snyder, Thomas Drive, Palo Alto I support the temporary rail crossing closure of Churchill. The easy access to lethal means must be terminated to avoid copy-cats during the school year. The closure will mean no backed up traffic westbound on Churchill at El Camino partially making up for the lack of access to Alma by those in the Southgate neighborhood. Please do not close the Churchill crossing even as s temporary measure. This is a simplistic solution to a very complex problem. That session on the closure was dominated by a vocal group encouraged by JLH. This is a terrible situation. That said, there is no guarantee that closing the crossing eliminates student suicides. They may jump the fence or access at other points. As a person whose family has been touched by the death of a family member by suicide, I have immense sympathy for these Palo Alto families but I do not support the closure of Churchill as it is simply a bandaid on a gushing wound that causes all sorts of other traffic issues. Do NOT close the Churchill crossing! This would wreak havoc on travel through Palo Alto, including to Paly, PAMF, Town and Country and Stanford via Alma. You cannot prevent suicides by closing crossings to traffic. Would you also close East Meadow and Charleston? Sorry, you need to consider other solutions, such as technology that detects people on the rails Closing this crossing seems fine for traffic, people can go around with minimal impact it seems. Only worry would be that Alma still needs the light to continue working to make sure Alma drivers are forced to slow down. That’s my only worry. Alma drivers having faster access. Wish there were more ways to encourage slower driving. I do not believe closing this crossing will alleviate the sufferings of students. It will in fact cause more dangerous situations where the traffic and congestion will go. This proposal seems performative and won't solve the underlying bullying issues I do it understand why it is necessary to close the Churchill rail crossing to study its safety. This makes no sense. Also the disruption to other crossing locations will add to congestion and safety risks at these crossings. Please stop the suicides. This is the most important project for Palo Alto. Best solution is a grade separation. But failing that please close the crossing. I am willing to close the crossing even though I often use Churchill to get across the tracks. But we really need to stop the suicides. Remove the opportunity. - Malcolm Slaney Please do not close this important access point for the neighborhood. You'll be cutting the community off when there are far better alternatives. I am a psychologist/psychoanalyst and have been on the Adjunct Clinical Faculty for over 40 years. Stanford’s in patient wards have had a number of suicides over those years. If someone in intent on suicide, they often succeed. I doubt that closing Churchill is going to be a real solution. I’m strongly opposed to closing Churchill. Just a few years ago many suicides occurred near Charleston. Will we close that as well? This simply isn’t a productive way of preventingvsuicides. Classic Palo Alto tokenism. I fully realize the concern for sudden impulsive suicide but unless you erect a complete physical suicide barrier I doubt that closure will do nothing other than create a worse traffic slow down at East Meadow and Charleston rail crossing. Ditto for having a guard at the rail crossings. I think a root cause is social media and the academic pressures to excel in the Palo Alto school system I think it’s a dangerous intersection generally but Very sadly I believe a someone who wants to end their life will find a way to do so. This closing to prevent suicide seems very reactive. The closure is a temporary solution to a very longstanding issue. Stop stalling and make a decision on elevating the railroad or elevating the traffic over the railroad. We shouldnt close that road, we should focus on mental health, closing the road WILL NOT solve the problem, just move the tragedy to other places I have lived on Embaarcadero for 35+ yrs and seen great change. I basically live in the back part of my house (facing Kellogg) and live with and tolerate the ever incrasing traffic and sirens at night. More cars redirected from Churchill will add more noise and pollutiion. Property values will definitely DECREASE not only on Embarcadero but on adjacent streets. As a parent of daughters that went to Paly and Castilleja, I am heartbroken for the parents terrible loses. The Cross Guards were a success in the past and are now again guarding the tracks. No train whistle would be a positive step. Closing Churchill will not prevent suicides as there are other local/closeby crossings. Living on a busy street is my choice, tolerating current levels of noise and speed is my choice but closing Churcchill and redirecting their traffic is NOT fine or tolerable and NOT my choice. Let's work together to find solutions that work for all. Terry Rice Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 56 Packet Pg. 61 of 79 This is a tough issue, deciding whether closure might save lives, and if so, would be worth a trial. Although perhaps treating the underlying causes of the suicides would produce the greater benefit. On the other hand, the impact of closure on traffic flow of all types at that rail crossing is well known. Close Churchill, it is a death trap. I put my kids in private schools so they wouldn’t have to cross the streeet. please close Churchill, I feel it is a death drop for any person with depression or serious emotional issues. I chose to put my kids in other schools so they would not have to cross there. It has been a problem for a long time, I no longer ride my bike across there, it’s so depressing to see the memorial vases, and high schoolers still riding their bike across the railway crossing here. I’ve lived through two other suicide clusters, after the 2015 one, I was pretty certain that you would have found a way to deal with this problem. Obviously, you haven’t. I look to be Golden Gate Bridge suicide prevention netting which is preventing many people from the taking their own lives. The time for talk is over, any suicide over those tracks now is due to city Council ineffectiveness/. Please consider that most of the tragedies at the crossings did not take place at Churchill. That the better way would be to: a. increase the technology at the crossing b. slow down the trains so they can stop c. Keep the guards at each of the 4 locations d. make awareness of help more prominent and available I believe that there are no optimal solution for the crossing. However inaction has been the blight for this intersection. Please close it so that we can assess the permanent solution: quad gates, underpass is over 10 years away, underpass for just bikes. pls make a decision that is not 'inaction' I do not support the idea of closing Churchill. I live three blocks from the railroad intersection, near Castilleja and Paly High schools. I see hundreds of cars and children crossing the tracks every day. The future tragedy of a suicide on the tracks cannot be prevented by closing the intersection. Such a closing will impact the lives of hundreds of people every day. A closure is not the solution. Other remedies such as crossing guards, mental health procedures and social media changes are the only realistic solutions to these suicides. Do not shut down. Given that every rail grade crossing has had tragedy and loss. I suggest more guards and better technology. And maybe make the trains go slow passed churchill. I feel that even a temporary closure would be a simplistic reaction to the tragedy of suicides (whose average in Palo Alto is 44). If you read the comments to the articles on the subject in our local papers, the majority oppose this closure. I drive past this intersection almost every day, and the closure would cause additional traffic injuries and would result in massive traffic congestion. I live in Southgate and I strongly support a trial closure. However, I don't think it should be a full year long. I think it should be weeks to months long and there should be the ability to reverse it if traffic proves untenable for all of east west travel within Palo Alto. I'm not sure if this is possible with the "emergency" process we are pursuing. Traffic signals will need to be revised for Embarcadero, Alma, and El Camino to facilitate this without causing huge headaches for drivers. Closing during the summer months when students are not going to school seems like the best idea, since the trial closure is not a real test of the end-state, which includes a bike/ped tunnel under Churchill. The data collected to determine whether this could be a permanent solution should be limited to traffic flow and social concerns (lack of connection). Lack of suicides during the test period should not be considered a success since suicides are sporadic, however presence of suicides at Churchill (eg. from jumping the fence) during closure should deem the test a failure. Robust data collection and survey methods should be designed to assess the effects of closure. Do not close the Churchill Crossing. The crossing is not the problem. The problem is, “Why do our children want to harm themselves?” The crossing doesn’t cause the students to commit suicide. Let’s solve our children's’ problems and find out why they would rather choose death over life. 1. If Churchill is closed, please keep the traffic light running. The traffic light is needed to break up traffic so that people that live on Alma can get out of their driveways and so that people on streets parallel to Churchill can turn left/right onto Alma. 2. Please remember that the XCAP recommendation was to close Churchill and it was the vocal neighbors in Southgate who demanded the partial underpass. The people living in Old Palo Alto started to react strongly when they realized the degree of property takings involved in the partial underpass and the inconvenience involved in the partial underpass, as it was designed to optimize movement from Southgate but only allows northbound turns only Alma from the Old Palo Alto side.. Also, the cost of the partial underpass is likely higher than originally estimated. There was overwhelming support to close Churchill even from Southgate residents that spoke at the March 12 listening session. Please don’t close Churchill! The traffic is already so bad in Palo Alto and it will make it so much worse. I am not in favor of closing the crossing. I believe the biggest problem will be the rerouting of pedestrians and cyclists. As someone who regularly utilizes the Cal Ave underpass, I fear it would become even more congested and dangerous than it is. It’s already dangerous with motorized bicycles zipping through, even when there are strollers and seniors present. The Paly students have a mob mentality when leaving campus and do not consider other cyclists, pedestrians nor cars. I don’t think that closing the intersection will solve the mental health problems we have in our community. I am a parent with a student at Gunn high school. I live near the Meadows crossing and I understand the constant noise from the train. However, I do not support the closure of the train tracks. With the number of cars and students crossing this intersection, the amount of traffic that will be rerouted will clog the already clogged roads. The added delay and frustration will make drivers do unsafe things that will cause accidents. While we are trying to prevent deaths, I worry we will create more accidents and even unintended deaths. I do think that we should continue with security until we find a viable east/west crossing alternative for both pedestals cars. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 57 Packet Pg. 62 of 79 Closing Churchill would be a community tragedy compounding on top of another personal and individual tragedy of losing a young person's life. It's ridiculous to conclude that the sound or noise of a neighboring train makes any person decide to take their own life. The human mind issues are much deeper and more complex than a simple train crossing. Closing a single street or crossing is not the answer to preventing suicides and will only create more community heartache, pollution, traffic congestion, and wasted time in trying to navigate around this proposed closure. Don't make life harder by adding more stress to our community and its residents -- keep Chuchill open! Please consider adding a cul de sac at Kellogg and Alma. Closing Churchill will increase the flow of cars trying to turn left on Alma from Kellogg which is already near maximum. Turning left onto Alma from Kellogg is dangerous and will only increase in danger as the speeds on Alma increase (with the Churchill closer and less stoplight activity given no turns onto Churchill). Please also consider no longer sounding the Caltrain bell at the Churchill crossing in the evening hours. The safety events that have occurred at the intersection, both loss of life and car related accidents have not happened in the evening hours. Thank you. No to Closing Churchill. It solves the wrong problem and causes more problems elsewhere. We would strenuously recommend NOT closing the Churchill crossing to cars. It would cause major disruption to other neighborhoods and SO many people. Investing in personal mental assistance to young people is a much better solution. The railroad tracks are always going to be there no matter what is done to minimize their accessibility.. I am opposed to a closure of Churchill ave at the Alma st train tracks. This is a bad decision and will not solve the suicide issues we face at Palo Alto High School or broadly in town. A closure would create additional health risks for pedestrians, bicyclists and autos on all side streets intersecting Churchill, and especially intolerable traffic on Embarcadero road. This closure would risk additional lives with slower response times for emergency services. There is currently a mitigating solution in place with a guard service that is far more effective. Do not close Churchill ave. My children graduated from Gunn in 2004 and 2006. During their time in high school there were suicides on the tracks of both Gunn and Paly students. Gunn is not located next to the train tracks and yet this is still a method students have chosen to end their life. Personally I do not believe that closing the Churchill crossing is a solution to the very complex issue of teen suicide. But if the council truly believes that closing the crossing will help then they must surely consider closing all the crossings in Palo Alto at Churchill, East Meadow and Charleston. Gunn students lives are as precious and valuable as Paly students lives. I strongly urge the city council to vote no on closing the Churchill crossing. Please don’t close Churchill. Sadly there are lots of other easy access points if someone wants to jump in front of a train. And the effect on traffic would be horrendous. Get moving on the new designs/routes instead Churchill should not be closed ! We need all the roads across Alma that we have open for cars pedestrians etc. closing this road will not stop the problem only exacerbate the traffic problems. Do not close Churchill. It will be a nightmare for the many commuters and impossible for the high school students. Keep the road open. I am strongly in favor of closing the Churchill crossing over the tracks. Since it is so close to Paly, it's a danger for any student harboring suicidal thoughts. Additionally, there are many near-misses at the entrance to Paly with bikes crossing Churchill and cars speeding along. Closure of the crossing across the tracks would eliminate this additional danger. I am adamantly opposed to closing the Churchill Crossing. While it is tempting to think that the closure will stop all teens suicides in the Bay Area. I believe this is nothing more than magical thinking and does not outweigh the Enormous traffic issues that will arise Extremely chaotic intersection. 100% keep it closed. We can all adapt to the change. Suicide is impulsive. Having an active railroad next to Palo Alto High School with an easy access point at Churchill Ave is an "attractive nuisance" to a suicidal person. We've had too many student suicides there already. Closing the railroad crossing with fencing to prevent access will likely save lives. I think we should try a temporary closure of the Churchill Ave railroad crossing for say 6 months to see if people can adapt their transportation needs. Close it to cars. Build a tunnel for bikes and pedestrians under Alma and under the tracks. Rebuild the Embarcadero underpass so that it has four lanes. Add tunnels for bikes and pedestrians at Embarcadero and El Camino. These are all common sense and much needed improvements. Given the deployment of guards at the crossings is an effective deterrent to suicides, closing Churchill, temporarily or otherwise, is no longer necessary. There are plenty of other already-identified mitigations that need to be implemented (quiet zones, stumble mats, etc) -- and there's now the space to review previously proposed and new ideas, like closing down the Paly campus entirely on the Churchill side. Let's be smart about this -- caring and compassionate, yes, but we also need to keep the bigger picture of community impact in mind. I am a Southgate resident and I listened to the entire March 12 meeting on the subject of closing Churchill Avenue. Closing Churchill would cause a number of problems, including response time of firemen, police, emergency ambulance service, that would endanger lives. It would cause serious traffic congestion and risk to pedestrians in all areas. One speaker suggested fencing or walling off the sides of Churchill and the tracks that border Paly. That idea should be discussed more. Also, the full-time monitoring of the intersection has, according to one speaker, resulted in no suicide attempts on the tracks. The speaker also mentioned that additional monitoring equipment, similar to what is being used in Europe, is being installed at the intersections. I think we should allow some time to see how effective the monitoring is, and also look into fencing off Paly as next steps. The closure of Churchill will create too many problems. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 58 Packet Pg. 63 of 79 Close it temporarily for three months and then evaluate the effects A temporary closure of the Churchill Ave Crossing asap has the advantage that it will already cover installation of pedestrian and bicycle underpasses foreseen for a future much more expensive permanent solution. We live in Old Palo Alto, and our daughter uses this rail crossing to get to school every day. While it directly affects our family, our support for improvements goes beyond convenience—it’s about safety and responsibility. There have been too many suicides at this crossing. Continuing to leave it unchanged while expecting different outcomes is not acceptable. We have a clear pattern, and with that comes an obligation to act. Taking steps to improve safety here is simply the right thing to do—for students, for families, and for the broader community. I am for the temporary closure of Churchill and the immediate commencement of the grade separation project. It’s a sacrifice that we have to make to spare more victims from suicide. I agree that internal work also needs to be done by the schools to foster community between students not excluding the lgbtq+ community and neurodivergents. And mental illness need not be demonized. Thanks! Speaking as a parent and a clinical psychologist, I believe it is in the best interests of the community to close the railroad crossing at Churchill. That crossing has been and is a suicide hotspot for our children. Their brains are still developing; they act impulsively. We need to remove this hotspot by closing it down. A rail closure at Churchill Ave opens up possibilities for enhancing the liveability of the neighboring area, unlike other (expensive) alternatives. I drive across the Churchill Ave crossing at least twice a day (usually while shuttling my children to/from appointments and activities) on most days but still strongly support a temporary closure. Seriously, what’s a few potential extra minutes of commute time compared to having even one fewer avoidable teen suicide (along with the ensuing trauma that it would inflict on so many other teenagers in the community)? If there exists some technological way to implement a solution that would allow only emergency and first responders to transit the crossing, I would support it even if the costs are high. As a recent Palo Alto home- buyer with young children, I believe that would be an excellent use of the disproportionately higher property taxes I pay relative to older/more tenured homeowners. And to be clear, even if no such solution exists, I would still be in support of a temporary closure. Do not close the Churchill crossing. If someone wants to commit suicide, they will find a way to do it. Dear Members of the City Council, I am against the closing of the Churchill Ave. crossing, temporary or permanent. 1. We already have a solution in place right now. Each crossing has a human attendant, which has proven to be effective. They should be made permanent. They are a proven "barrier". 2. We have plans for a bike & pedestrian underpass at Seale Ave. This should be done right away. We don't have to solve grade separation issues at every crossing to build this underpass. Do it now! 3. The traffic at Embarcadero is not a future inconvenience, it is impassible right now. Especially where Embarcadero, the Paly High parking lot egress, and the Town & Country egress come together. (There is also an unsafe pedestrian crossing.) Sometimes, even that intersection is irrelevant when the intersection of El Camino and Embarcadero backs up. (Will Caltrans and Palo Alto ever be able to figure this out?) Also, the only way for traffic on Alma to get to Paly, Town & Country, and El Camino from Embarcadero is through residential streets. 4. The Embarcadero underpass is too narrow and unsafe to accommodate increased pedestrian & bicycle traffic. If you want to test something that works and maximizes safety—to see if it could be a permanent solution—keep the human crossing attendants and build the Seale Ave. pedestrian/bicycle underpass. It just might work. Sincerely, Margaret Kim 1111 High Street, Palo Alto I am a long time resident and mother of 2 recent Paly graduates. I happened to be on Alma at the Churchill crossing moments after Summer was struck, right as the first police car arrived. Realizing what had likely happened, again, shook me so much that I wasn’t safe to keep driving but had to pull over. I was panicked and had to wait for an extended time before I could safely drive home. And the rest of the day is a blur of tears and disbelief. Since then, every time I get close to that crossing, my heart rate goes up. And I am a trained emergency response social worker. My heart breaks thinking of the trauma of the Paly students and everyone who works there. Research shows that when a location becomes known as a suicide hotspot, it increases the likelihood of future attempts. We saw this at the Golden Gate Bridge for years before safety barriers were installed. Research, including by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, is clear that one of the most effective ways to prevent suicide is reducing access to lethal means. Right now, the Churchill crossing, just steps from Palo Alto High School, has become a tragic suicide hotspot. Each loss has devastated and traumatized families, friends, teachers, and our entire community. And each time the train whistles, multiple times during the school day, it reminds everyone and retraumatizes some people. While education, screenings, and treatment are critical parts of suicide prevention, reducing access to this lethal means must be our most immediate priority. We cannot wait for a perfect long-term solution while more young lives remain at imminent risk. While the safety/crossing guards are helpful and appreciated as a short term bandaid, they are not enough. Closing the Churchill crossing will send a clear message to every young person in our city: your safety matters, your life matters, and protecting you is our number one priority. I think there should be a temporary closure of Churchill Ave. This will potentiality save lives and it will test the feasibility of permanently closing this crossing as part of the rail separation - which is the cheapest option and takes less land. I see this as a win-win solution. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 59 Packet Pg. 64 of 79 Hi, I'm one of the parent coordinators for TrackWatch, the effort to organize community volunteers at the Palo Alto rail crossings that started up in Sept 2025. I was motivated to re-start TW b/c I knew that Palo Alto needed to address the lethal means in our community and the long-term solution of grade crossing would require years of decision and then implementation. We had to do something now. I'm grateful the City permitted us to move forward. In the last 6 months I have myself done many shifts at the Churchill crossing and have witnessed near accidents by bikers and/or drivers nearly every time. People are confused by where they need to wait or they try to beat the train by flying through the intersection as the guard rails are coming down. More importantly, the constant bells at that intersection are heard throughout Paly HS. I still believe the long-term solutions of grade crossings at the 3 intersections are critical and should proceed immediately. But in the meantime, I support a temporary closure of Churchill to give our community time to heal from the lethality and trauma f having two Paly students die by suicide on the tracks during the day when others witnessed it. I understand that doing so will create new problems, but they are problems I know that smart motivated people can address and overcome. Yours, Debbie Mukamal Good morning, Tomorrow is the final day to get your comment in via the feedback form. I just got mine in (#247!) & writing it brought the tears back. I’m sharing a copy here in hopes that it will encourage others to get theirs submitted today: I am a Palo Alto resident with one kid graduated from Gunn and another one going to JLS. When Gunn student committed suicide, my daughter, who she had the student in one of her classes had really hard time processing the loss of a friend and the reality of these events happening in our own town. I couldn’t pass the train tracks without thinking about the students, parents and also really sadly about the train drivers. Every year we are shaken to hear more incidents, more parents and students heartbreaks and nothing being done. At this time and age, in one of the most rich neighborhoods in the World, this is such a shame. Research shows that when a location becomes known as a suicide hotspot, it significantly increases the likelihood of future attempts. We saw this at the Golden Gate Bridge for years before safety barriers were installed. Research, including by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, is clear that one of the most effective ways to prevent suicide is reducing access to lethal means. Right now, the Churchill crossing, just steps from Palo Alto High School, has become a tragic suicide hotspot. Each loss has devastated and traumatized families, friends, teachers, and our entire community. And each time the train whistles, multiple times during the school day, it reminds everyone and retraumatizes many. While education, screenings, and treatment are critical parts of suicide prevention, reducing access to this lethal means must be our most immediate priority. A perfect long-term solution has been discussed for years but we are out of time and must act now because young lives remain at imminent risk as long as that suicide hotspot remains accessible. While the safety/crossing guards are helpful and appreciated as a short term bandaid, they are not enough. Closing the Churchill crossing is a must that will save lives and send a clear message to every young person in our city: your safety matters, your life matters, and protecting you is our number one priority. It is understandable that closing the crossing may raise many other issues and this has been thoroughly studied by the council five years ago. But we lost two lives at this crossing in the last three years and how much more can we afford before a change can be put in place? Clearly it is not working and this crossing is reminding kids who go to school everyday the tragedy happened here before. Getting permanent guards 24x7 is a must if the crossing cannot be closed. School needs to prioritize mental health effort than spending all the time and energy debating about math and ethnic studies! The closing of Churchill was studied in depth during the grade separation analysis. During that analysis it was determined that even with many costly and lengthy mitigations such as the construction of a bicycle/pedestrian tunnel, the closing of Churchill would have many negative impacts. The mitigations which were identified cannot be accomplished in the short term. Without them, the temporary closing of Churchill would be an unmitigated disaster. My son is a junior at Paly and has lost 2 of this classmates.. these kids are growing up seeing their classmates walk in front of a train and then reading their traumatizing suicide notes.. Last year I spend hours and days talking to officials all across the city and school and Caltrain and PD begging for crossing guards or some sort of intervention to prevent any more such catastrophes after Ash but nothing was done and now we have lost summer. Please this is a small but possibly effective step we can take to save lives. Please close Churchill till a long term solution can be identified.. please. The community voted to close the Churchill crossing via the XCAP. Council overrode that recommendation for political reasons, and nothing has been done to make it safer. It's still so dangerous. Students are dying. Close it now before anyone else dies there! Hi City Council Members, I agree with the concern about suicides on the tracks and have spent time myself as a volunteer monitor on the tracks. I support the track monitors (but not closing Churchill). The reasons •Churchill carries signiﬁcant traﬃc (approximately 9500 cars per day according to the 2018 survey), and displacing it would create safety issues, especially on already congested Embarcadero. •When Churchill closure was considered by XCAP, numerous signiﬁcant migaons were recommended in an aempt to oﬀset the negave impacts, none of which are in place. •Even with those migaons, closure was not chosen as the grade separaon choice by the Council. It runs contrary to opmizing East-West connecvity in Palo Alto, which was a goal of Connecng Palo Alto. •Emergency response vehicles would impeded and response me would be lengthened. •If temporary closure is a short-term soluon, it would need to be done at all 4 intersecons. •Over 3700 people throughout the community signed a peon requesng track monitors (NOT Churchill closure). Thank you for implanng that plan, which is a much beer short and intermediate term soluon, and provides better safety by covering all the intersections and avoiding unintended safety consequences. thank you Steve Carlson Instead of closing Churchill, why don’t we think about closing Paly. Building a fence around Paly will be cheaper, quicker and affect less people. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 60 Packet Pg. 65 of 79 CONSIDER THE CONSEQUENCES OF CLOSING CHURCHILL AVENUE: 1. Many traffic backups occur daily for vehicles west bound on Embarcadero toward El Camino. We live on the corner of Embarcadero & High Street, where we see multiple backups every day of the week that extend beyond High Street. They occur at odd times of the day, not just during rush hours and school traffic hours. Closing Churchill will turn these into massive backups. 2. At High Street there are a significant number of bicycles and pedestrians that cross the Embarcadero Exit lane toward Alma. Some bicycles and pedestrians go down the sidewalk that goes under the Alma Bridge, while others are coming up from the sidewalk and then crossing that exit lane. Closing Churchill will add many more vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians to this already dangerous crossing. Having guards at the Churchill crossings is a far better solution than simply closing the crossing. We noticed a guard there the afternoon of March 29. Thank you! Dexter and Sara Girton Please close Churchill. My son, a junior bikes there everyday and has two peer losses over a 10mo span at that intersection. He crosses there.Every. Day. With gumption and grief. I do not feel comfortable sending my middle schooler there for secondary. If we can’t close it, I might create a public campaign announcement that your student now has access to know identified lethal means, so parents can be more informed of the cost of going to HS in Palo Alto. Let’s just try closure first. I support temporary closure of the Churchill train crossing - due to it's proximity to Paly, and the students hearing the train horns at the crossing, it is a continual reminder & upsetting for the students & faculty alike. As we've seen from the 2 previous teen suicide clusters in Palo Alto, the contagion (aka "copy cat" behavior) is strong in teens, and reduction in access to means is effective. Additional mental health support is necessary of cours, but reduction in access to means is critical in the immediate future. Please do this to protect our students & community from further trauma in the short term. This will make it safer for kids who have a lot of stress on them because they won't get triggered by the bell ringing as they are near the station. The cost of the Church crossing vastly outweighs the benefits of keeping it open. Close it already! Hello, I am strongly agains closing Churchill for many reasons, the primary one being public safety. If you’ve ever watched hordes of kids stream across Alma and fan out across both lanes of Churchill at Paly quitting time, you have to wonder how they’re going to fit through the two narrow underpasses at Embarcadero and Cal Ave, esp with that so many are on electric bikes or scooters. In the case of Cal Ave, they’ll also be contending with the kids from Greene going in the opposite direction. In addition, closure would probably feed twice as many students as there are now zipping down narrow Castilleja Ave, which is already hard for Southgate motorists to access twice a day. It’s multiple accidents a day just waiting to happen. I am also concerted about police and fire access, and the lack of an evacuation route if the Churchill crossing closes. I believe the use of the 24/7 crossing guards may actually be safer and more cost-effective than closing an important artery in Palo Alto. A higher priority is focusing on the mental health of all students and dealing with bullying, social media, acceptance of gender diversity, and academic pressure -- from the parents and society as well as from the students themselves. I could go on with more reasons, but these will have to do for now. If you do decide on a temporary closure, it should definitely be during a time when school is in sessions, and more than just a couple of weeks, to see the full impact. Thank you, Karen Hohner Southgate resident Just a few thoughts and some questions: 1. Were the 3,800 signatures collected by Julia Curtis for (a) closing the Churchill crossing or for (b) putting guards at the crossing? 2. I understand that students are triggered by the sound of the train horns. Why hasn’t Palo Alto set up Churchill crossing as a “quiet zone?” Atherton did this for one of their crossings in 2016? 3. The word “inconvenienced” has become a bit toxic. People who oppose the closure are not concerned about being “inconvenienced.” They are concerned about the ramifications that will rumble through the community if the closure takes place. Many of these ramifications could result in unsafe and hazardous conditions elsewhere. 4. I use the underpass at Embarcadero almost daily and at times it seems extremely unsafe. Bikes and in particular electric bikes and scooters tear through that underpass at unsafe speeds. It is dangerous for pedestrians and the bikers themselves. It would appear that increased traffic in the underpasses with a closure at Churchill could be hazardous. 5. Is it true that the closure of Churchill has been studied quite extensively and that the decision, considering all of the information collected, was to keep the crossing open? Let’s not make decisions regarding the Churchill crossing in such an emotionally charged atmosphere. It would seem that there are plenty of schools around the country that are close to railroad tracks without teens going there to die. What is it about Palo Alto that so many tragic suicides occur? Perhaps this is what we should be solving for. Pamela Ballus Emerson Street Dear City Council members, Please do not close Churchill Ave. I have personally experienced a death by suicide in my family. My heart goes out to the families and friends who have lost loved ones to tragic suicides near the Churchill Ave. rail crossing. These deaths are a loss to the entire Palo Alto community. Closing Churchill Ave. will not solve the suicide problem. I believe that what we need is increased access to counseling for our children. The Palo Alto www.paloalto.gov/bewell website provides nice mental health resource information, but I hope that the schools can move forward with plans to expand suicide-prevention/mental health programs. Closing Churchill will only create a safety problem for ever-increasing traffic in Palo Alto without providing critical help for our kids. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 61 Packet Pg. 66 of 79 I’m a parent in the district and mom to 2 teenage daughters. That we haven’t been able to prevent the loss of young lives at the railroad crossings over all these years is a shameful failing as adults in this community. Research shows that when a location becomes known as a suicide hotspot, it significantly increases the likelihood of future attempts. The Churchill crossing, adjacent to Palo Alto High School, has become a repeated suicide hotspot While we focus on the holistic approach to suicide prevention such as the 24/7. Monitoring by Crossing guards, screenings, and treatment, reducing access to lethal means must be our foremost and immediate priority. By closing the Churchill crossing, we will not only save lives but also send a clear and strong message to all the young persons in our city that they matter, their life matters, and we want to protect them in moments of weakness. Is the solution to the problem closing Churchill or just a way to pretend that we are solving the problem. There have been more deaths at the other grade crossing. Why are we closing Churchill and not east meadow. There is no easy solution, but the path of security guards seems to work. Especially as it seems these guards are of higher quality and more of them. And we should investigate other methods of early warning. And please don’t close Churchill. Why is this now a viable option, yet other studies said it was a disaster for the community. We are for closing it and for a swift construction of tunnel and/or overpass at that crossing as well as at the others, eg. East Charleston. Thank you To: Palo City Council Members I respectfully request that you close the Churchill Rail Crossing. You have already heard from students, parents, community members, district administration, and families directly affected by suicides at our rail crossings. The listening sessions and discussions have provided valuable perspectives. Most importantly, the data you have received highlights the impact of removing access to a potential suicide location. The heartfelt requests from families who have lost loved ones at our rail crossings underscore the need for action. Students and parents have been directly affected by these tragedies. With the supporting data and expert analysis, the rationale for closing the crossing is clear. To secure this location and prevent future hazards, it is essential to remove any access points that could be used in a moment of vulnerability. While this may not be a permanent or the only solution, it is a critical step in our broader plan to ensure student and community safety. Addressing inconvenience is secondary to supporting students who need an opportunity to recover. Ultimately, the question is whether we will do the right thing to save even one child. Our children are not statistics; they represent the next generation and our hope for a better community. Please close Churchill and take steps to secure all rail crossings, making Palo Alto a safer and healthier place to live. ~ Christina Schmidt, Parent and Community Advocate for Student Wellness & Education My family supports the temporary closure of Churchill. We have experienced what is like to have a teen depressed. We have directly or indirectly been connected with the students we have lost and it is been traumatic for us. We believe that having a lethal weapon available and easy reachable is extremely dangerous for our young people. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Dear City Council Members and City Manager, I am writing to express my support for the temporary closure of Churchill Avenue at the railroad crossing. As a parent and resident of Palo Alto, I’ve witnessed firsthand the toll this crossing has taken on our young people, particularly the students at Palo Alto High School. My own daughter, a senior at Paly, has been deeply affected by the repeated tragedies associated with this crossing. The emotional weight has been so heavy that she cannot even bring herself to write about it; just thinking about it sends her spiraling into a dark place again. I know our family is not alone in this pain. These are our children: bright, compassionate, promising young people who walk and bike past that crossing every day. The trauma they carry is invisible but profound. As adults and as a community, it is our responsibility to act on their behalf when they cannot find the words or the strength to advocate for themselves. Supporting this temporary closure is not just a logistical or traffic decision, it is a moral one. It signals that we value the emotional safety and mental health of our children as much as their physical safety. This step gives our community room to breathe, heal, and reimagine a safer, more compassionate design for the future. Thank you for prioritizing the well-being of our students and families. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 62 Packet Pg. 67 of 79 To the City cCouncil of Palo Alto concerning the closing of Churchill I have lived in Palo Alto since 1964 and attended Palo Alto High School. Since 1984, I have lived in the Southgate neighborhood. My brother and his family, as well as my son, his spouse, and my grandchildren, also live in south Palo Alto just off Alma. I regularly pick up children from Ohlone Elementary, care for them at my home, and return them to their homes around 5:00 p.m. I have many thoughts and questions regarding the proposed closure of Churchill. I want to begin by acknowledging my deep concern about the tragic suicides at the rail crossings. I have been personally affected. I understand that all meaningful safety solutions are expensive; however, short of full grade separation of trains from vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians, I believe a strong interim approach would be to install full-closure crossing gates, provide trained 24/7 on-site safety staff, and eliminate routine train horn use at this crossing. Below are my concerns and questions regarding even a temporary closure of Churchill: Traffic capacity and diversion Embarcadero Road and Page Mill Road are already at or near capacity much of the day, as is Churchill. How will these corridors realistically absorb additional diverted traffic? Paly parking lot access and circulation If Churchill is closed, I believe the Churchill entrance to the Palo Alto High School parking lot should also be closed. Paly would need to route all access from El Camino or connect the Embarcadero and rear lots internally. If the Churchill entrance remains open, there will be excessive conflict among If Churchill is closed near the tracks, the center barriers would need removal to allow U-turns. Many drivers will travel down Southgate streets to turn around. Our streets are narrow, lined with parked cars, and already experience side mirrors being hit and taken off. The Castilla bike path also crosses this area and is heavily used. Cut-through traffic risks Drivers will likely discover they can turn right from El Camino onto Miramonte, then speed along Madrono Ave or Escobita St.into Southgate and reconnect to Churchill, bypassing the El Camino/Churchill intersection. Similar cut-through patterns in the past led to closures near Peers Park. Once drivers learn these routes, speeds increase and safety in the neighborhood declines. Neighborhood access impacts If Churchill is closed, Southgate’s primary exit becomes Miramonte → El Camino (right turn only). To travel south/east in Palo Alto, we would need to continue to Embarcadero to make a U-turn or turn right onto already way too congested Embarcadero. A workaround would be Miramonte → El Camino → right into the Paly lot → exit onto Embarcadero, which sll adds delay and internal school traffic conflicts. Trips to downtown, ACE hardware or Whole Foods would likely Specific routing questions To illustrate typical Southgate needs, I would appreciate guidance on the following with Churchill closed, both by car and by bike/walking, including estimated travel times: 1.My son works at Gamble Garden (Waverley and Churchill) and by car 15 minutes walking. What would be the new recommended route? 2.Several days per week I travel Southgate → Ohlone Elementary → Southgate, then drop off three children on the east side of Churchill (1st block across Alma) and continue to Greenmeadow (Alma just past Charleston) by about 5:00 p.m. I then return via Alma and Churchill. Currently I leave at 4:20 and reach Greenmeadow at about 5:00 in traffic. What would this trip become both in route and time at that time of day? 3.I substute teach at Walter Hays Elementary (Embarcadero and Middlefield), traveling during peak school commute times. What would be the recommended walking and driving routes and travel times? These patterns are representative of many families in Southgate, Evergreen Park, and Stanford neighborhoods: we live west of the tracks, while much of Palo Alto is on the east side of Alma. Navigation and event management Will the temporary Churchill closure be fully reflected in GPS/navigation systems? This is critical for Paly and Stanford events, CITY BRIEFING MEMO Rail Safety, Livability, Financial Accountability, and CEQA Compliance KEY POINT: Risk must be reduced system-wide—not shifted from one street to another. What’s Happening Train frequency and speed increased while safety systems did not keep pace. High-mass trains (≈1,000,000+lbs) travel at up to 79 mph through the city and next to a high school, while cars near schools are limited to 20 mph and ~5,000 lbs Scenario Planning Requirement Closing Churchill Avenue may reduce conflict locally but shifts traffic and risk to corridors such as Embarcadero Road. Estimated increases: 10–25% traffic, 5–20% higher collision exposure. Legal Requirement (CEQA) The City must evaluate alternatives and disclose indirect and cumulative impacts. Decisions that shift risk without full analysis may violate CEQA’s prohibition on piecemeal review. Option Rail Safety Impact Street Network Impact Overall System Risk 1) Close Churchill Improves safety at one crossing 4) Temporary Closure + Quiet Zones + Reduced Speed/Frequency Reduces immediate exposure + adds layered safety Managed impacts with transition plan Risk is lowest. Comparison of Options (System-Level View) Decision Standard: Choose options that reduce total system risk, align service with demand, and demonstrate accountability from both the City and Caltrain. Don't rush and respond only to a powerful emotional petition to close.. Think it through and explain to us your rationale and the trade offs you recognize. Caltrain needs to be publicly accountable to us. Make them come to answer to us and tell us how they will change their philosophy of being a good and safe neighbor. Thank you, John Melnychuk Churchill Crossing Closing What responsibility does Caltrain have to provide safety measures when they are running 104 trains a day at 70 miles an hour blowing 4 horn blasts for each train crossing? The horn blasts disrupt Palo Alto High School students concentration and learning and is a constant reminder of a lethal weapon next to the school. Stopping the train horn noise is one good reason to close the Churchill crossing, but it mitigates one problem and creates other problems. I am in favor of closing the Churchill Crossing: 1.On the condion that it is only closed for the period of me it takes to install the Quad Gates and other required safety measures to create a Quiet Zone so that students and neighbors are free from the incessant horn blowing and reminder of the train while they are in school. Let’s get moving on this NOW! 2.Caltrain takes responsibility for safety measures and reducing the number of trains, and supporting the cost of the crossing safety monitors at all of the crossings. OTHERWISE: I am opposed to closing the Churchill Crossing because: 1.We have installed track watchers 24/7 at all of the crossings. Suicides don’t only happen at Churchill. Should we close all of the level crossings? 2.Closing the Churchill Crossing will make it less safe for students and others who will be forced to use Embarcadero or other crossings, increasing risk and further congestion at alternative sites. 3.Closing the Churchill Crossing will impact emergency services and reduce/slow access to Stanford Hospital and Stanford Health Services. Caltrain needs to face the new reality and adjust Since Covid, Caltrain is still operating under a deluded assumption that ridership will return to pre-Covid levels. Here is why that isn’t going to happen: 1.Work from home. People who work at Stanford and other businesses are not required to go into the office every day. Many of these people used to take the train every day but are now opting to drive to campus or another workplace a few days a week. Some Stanford people are working fully remotely, and some have moved to work remotely from other more affordable locations and won’t be taking the train. 2.Uber, Ly, Waymo are acceptable me eﬃcient travel/commuting options for many people. 3.Electric cars give people a gas-free opon for commung. Just count the Tesla’s on Alma Street. [High gas prices may encourage more people to ride the train.] 4.Bikes and Electric bikes also provide an alternave to the train. [Caltrain is talking about limiting the types of bikes on the train and will lose more ridership if they don’t find a way to adequately accommodate all bikes.] 5.Many people sll have a pandemic-fear mindset and will choose to drive in their own car [sometimes still wearing a mask alone in their car] and won't ride the train. What Caltrain needs to do to be a good neighbor to the cities along the rail corridor: Reduce the number of trains. With planning and noce, most 4.Reducing the number of trains will remove some opportunies for suicide. 5.Reducing the number of trains will reduce the gridlock that we experience at all the level crossings. Thank you for reading this and for giving us an opportunity to comment. Melinda McGee Palo Alto, CA 94306 Living in Fairmeadow neighborhood between 2 level crossings with 832 horn blasts from 5 am to midnight quietzonespaloalto@gmail.com Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 63 Packet Pg. 68 of 79 With all due respect to those who have lost their lives to suicide-by-train, and their loved ones they have left behind, the closing of the Churchill crossing and other nearby rail crossings is neither a guaranteed necessary, nor a guaranteed sufficient, way to assure amelioration or prevention of more suicide-by-train tragedies in our community in the future. Equally important, crossing closures put the community at increased daily physical risk. This is not about convenience, this is about unacceptably endangering entire neighborhoods with additional thousands of cars every day. Risk to the community: Closure of even one crossing (Churchill) will lead to more auto-bicycle and auto-pedestrian accidents, due to the additional 8,500- 10,000 more cars per day that are diverted into the nearby residential neighborhoods (traffic-increase numbers based on models prepared for and examined by the City and the School District). This safety impact was estimated to be due to the closure of just one rail crossing where suicide-by-train has occurred in our corridor area (Churchill). Closure of all crossings with suicides in our area (2 or more) would dramatically multiply that unwanted impact and increased-residential-traffic danger. 4 Key Points: 1) Closing Churchill has been suggested previously, and extensively modeled, and it was found that closure would funnel thousands (8,500-10,000) of cars per day onto residential streets, where children and adults ride bicycles and 3) Crossing Guards (which have recently been re-deployed at rail crossings) being present at crossings has been shown in years past to be coincident with effectively dampening suicide-by-train cluster numbers, even after the Crossing Guards were discontinued/removed from the crossings later. This current Crossing Guard deployment gives us the needed time to consider all community-offered solutions that can actually work for the entire community, including those individuals most at risk of suicide by train at these crossings. 4) The triggering of survivor students on Palo Alto High School campus by train horns can and should be remedied by cooperation with CalTrain, especially at the disused Stanford train stop near the high school campus. For those suggesting we try closure “temporarily” and “see if it works”, Question 3: can anyone provide an example from anywhere in the entire state of California where a “temporary” train crossing closure was later reopened? It is disingenuous and dangerous to pretend that any closure will be temporary, and ignores the other crossings in the area that have had suicides occur at them, and ignores the impact on the safety studies already done and the physical danger that the larger community would face as a result of any rail crossing March 27, 2026 Re: Temporary Churchill Avenue Closure Review From: Rachel and Tom Kellerman Our family has lived near Palo Alto High School since 1992, and Rachel worked as a teacher and librarian at Paly for many years. We dearly wish that the grief we all feel from losing another cherished student was unfamiliar and unprecedented, but unfortunately, it is not. the years regarding the unsafe bicycle and pedestrian route in our neighborhood north of Embarcadero. This route runs parallel to Embarcadero, crosses High Street, and leads into the narrow Embarcadero tunnel. We are raising this issue because the Council and the District do not consider this corridor a safe route to school for valid reasons. normally use Churchill Avenue to reach Paly, Southgate, and El Camino Real divert to Embarcadero Road. Diversions will include most vehicles that currently travel westbound on Churchill, including drivers who will take the Alma/Lincoln/Emerson cloverleaf to access westbound Embarcadero. This is particularly concerning at the often-overlooked stop sign at Emerson and Kingsley, where cars often roll through without checking for pedestrians and Closing Churchill will result in more students using this corridor to walk to school or ride bicycles and e-bikes. As a result, all users—children, adults, and seniors—will face a greater risk of accidents. Everyone will have to share narrow roads and sidewalks, navigate two dangerous crossings, and pass through a cramped tunnel. A partial redesign of the intersection was proposed almost ten years ago to address this safety issue, but it remains unfunded. Our priorities are keeping our communities safe. Our actions and our budgets should reflect this. What plans do the city and school district have to guard against accidents along this well-trafficked route? No official policy should be enacted without a funded plan for robust safety measures in the neighborhoods affected by a temporary closure. If the City Council chooses to implement a temporary closure of the Churchill crossing, a few precautions and protocols are essential: Steps must be taken during the temporary closure to mitigate dangerous conditions previously identified. This should include posting a crossing guard at the Embarcadero/ High Street crossing. As the Council is well aware, previous studies on this at-grade crossing have identified several significant consequences and new dangers that are likely to result from the crossing's closure. It would be irresponsible to implement any closure, even a temporary one, without thoughtfully addressing these risks. Thank you for your attention to this important matter. This note is to urge you to drop the proposed closure of Churchill at Alma Street. I am a resident of Southgate and very aware of the issues involving the Churchill/Alma/Caltrain intersection. In my view, the proposed closure simply creates serious transportation problems for anyone who currently uses the Churchill corridor without solving the core issues arising from student desperation and the consequences thereof. •There is no guaranteed beneﬁt to the closure: I have not seen any analysis or studies related to the expected consequences of denying traffic through Churchill. It is my understanding that the City commissioned a traffic study (c. 2022) to model the effects of closing Churchill with and without mitigations (which were extensive). In the absence of mitigations, the study showed degraded "levels of service" (e.g., length of wait) at what were taken to be all affected intersections, particularly ECR/Emb and ECR/Or. I know from personal experience that Embarcadero traffic is already problematic due to Town and Country shoppers, Paly students, and Stanford traffic, etc. It is very common to see Southbound ECR drivers trying to turn left onto Embarcadero, they can’t continue onto Embarcadero, where traffic is at a complete standstill. I can only speculate that this will worsen. The fact is we have no data that demonstrates that these thoroughfares can support additional traffic, particularly in the absence of mitigation. •Besides the problems caused by closure, closing Churchill does not fully address the underlying societal problem. If Churchill is closed, there are still many ways for to access the tracks — specifically, the crossings at E. Meadow, Charleston, and Palo Alto Avenue, let alone the train station platforms nearby. Clinically depressed students are not prevented from accessing the tracks at any of these locations. Closing Churchill might remove one access route to the tracks, but many others remain. Further, any suicidal student who is at the breaking point will certainly find some way of dealing with their desperation, via tracks or other means. •Closure does not get to the root of the problem, which is the mental health of the student body. The city and the school district should focus on identifying those students who are in crisis and providing them with access to services that will help them work through their issues. The city and school district should also increase their awareness of bullying, academic and social stress, and other factors that lead to desperation. Certainly, the closure of Churchill doesn’t come close to treating the actual issues. •For well over a hundred years, Paly has been oﬀering high quality education to students: The tracks have been nearby all that time. Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 64 Packet Pg. 69 of 79 Create a Pause That Saves Lives This is not about how people navigate a crossing. This is about what happens in a moment. At Churchill, the issue is not just movement across tracks. It is the reality that someone can step directly into harm with no barrier, no interruption, and no time to reconsider. Removing immediate access changes that. Research consistently shows that when access to highly lethal, immediate means is reduced, suicide rates decline. Many attempts are impulsive. When there is even a brief delay, even a small barrier, people have time to think, to pause, and to choose differently. That pause saves lives. A temporary closure creates that pause. This is not about eliminating choice. It is about removing the most dangerous immediacy. It is about creating space between impulse and action. It is about giving someone, especially a young person, one more moment to reconsider. Our students cross here every day. They are under pressure, distracted, and still developing judgment. We cannot expect perfect decisions in an environment that allows no margin for error. That is the difference. Yes, routines will change. Yes, it may take a few more minutes. comparing convenience to the value of a human life. A temporary closure is a measured, reversible step that prioritizes safety now while longer term solutions are developed. It allows us to act with urgency instead of waiting for another irreversible moment. We have studied this crossing for years. We understand the risks. Now we have the opportunity to reduce them in a meaningful way. Create the pause. Close the crossing. Save lives. Teri Llach Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1 Attachment C - OpenForms Public Comments Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 65 Packet Pg. 70 of 79 Item No. 1. Page 1 of 1 City Council Supplemental Report From: Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk Meeting Date: April 15, 2026 Item Number: 1 Report #:2604-6255 TITLE Expedited Evaluation of the Potential Temporary Closure of the Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing, Determination of Next Steps, and CEQA Status – Statutorily and Categorically Exempt. BACKGROUND Attached is the Rail Safety Ad Hoc Committee report to the Council. ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Ad Hoc Report APPROVED BY: Mahealani Ah Yun, City Clerk Item 1 Item 1 Supplemental Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 71 of 79 1 To: Palo Alto City Council From: Rail Safety Ad Hoc Committee Date: April 15, 2026 Re: Churchill Avenue Rail Crossing: Integrated Policy Analysis and Decision Framework This memo is the Rail Safety ad hoc committee’s report to the Council which supplements the Staff Report. The Staff Report provides the technical detail on closure impacts, mitigation options, and regulatory requirements. This memo draws on that analysis, the prior XCAP and consultant work, and the JED Foundation’s and CDC’s guidance to offer the Council the policy choices and tradeoffs among the alternatives presented with the goal of informing the public and supporting the Council in well- informed decision-making. I. The Decision Context The Council is considering whether to temporarily close the Churchill Ave rail crossing as a lethal-means restriction strategy following recent youth suicides with up to three potential goals; 1) an attempt to break the recent track suicide cluster; 2) reduce daily trauma at Paly from train horn noise; 3) conduct a trial closure to inform what long-term impacts and mitigations may be required for permanent closure. Not a Choice Between Action and Inaction The City has already taken significant steps: in part in response to a student-led petition signed by 3700 community members, 24/7 security guards were added at all four at-grade crossings starting February 23, 2026 with costs shared by PAUSD, engagement of the JED Foundation for a community-wide youth mental health and suicide prevention evaluation, and support for Caltrain’s intrusion-prevention and detection work. The question before the Council is which actions best advance safety across the rail corridor and throughout the community, and what are the trade-offs and costs of different actions. Multiple Goals Are in Play—and They Point to Different Interventions The Staff Report identifies three goals that a closure might serve. The Council’s decision will be clearer if it identifies which goal is primary: Goal How closure addresses it Alternative approaches known high-risk location in an attempt to break the current suicide cluster systemwide eliminates access at Churchill. Addresses one location; JED Foundation notes access points remain across the broader corridor. place); enhanced fencing and intrusion deterrents. JED Foundation engagement; a full range of expanded school and community-based mental health Paly from train horn noise train horns near campus. (planned FY27 eliminates horn use real-world data to inform a permanent closure decision and pedestrian behavior data. Requires extensive planning, monitoring, and success criteria. Subsequent permanent closure would likely require extensive physical mitigation measures preceding permanent closure at Streetlight Data, Replica) may provide some data and simulation modeling without a physical closure. Item 1 Attachment A - Ad Hoc Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 2 Packet Pg. 72 of 79 2 II. Policy Tradeoffs The following tradeoffs reflect considerations the Committee believes are material to the options before the Council. Each has arguments on both sides; the Committee presents them for the Council’s weighing rather than to recommend a direction. 1. Lethal Means Restriction at One Location vs. System-Wide Risk The case for closure draws on public health evidence that reducing access to a known high-risk location can prevent impulsive acts and disrupt a suicide cluster. The Staff Report frames the closure in these terms, and the principle is supported by the JED Foundation, the 2016 CDC Epi-Aid report, and other experts. At the same time, access to the Caltrain corridor remains available in the community at Meadow, Charleston, Palo Alto Ave, nearby stations, and other points along the line. The JED Foundation letter in the Staff Report (Attachment B) notes that structural interventions at specific crossings are “unlikely to address suicide by train across the broader peninsula, given the many accessible points along the rail corridor.” Given that Meadow and Charleston have historically been the dominant locations of Palo Alto track suicides, the degree to which a Churchill closure reduces system-wide risk—versus relocating it—is unclear and a concern. 2. Guards Already in Place The Staff Report notes that 24/7 security guards have been in place at all four crossings since February 23, 2026. Critically, during the 2010–2017 period no fatalities occurred while Trackwatch or security guards were present, indicating that monitoring is an effective intervention although no approach is viewed as failsafe. A key question is what additional benefit physical closure provides above active monitoring, and whether that incremental benefit is sufficient to justify the risks, transferred impacts, and costs described in the Staff Report? 3. Transportation and Pedestrian Safety Tradeoffs and Costs The Staff Report and prior XCAP analysis provide substantial detail on the transportation consequences of closure. The Council should weigh these against the safety and trauma-reduction rationales for closure. Projections are that closure would divert more than 8,000 daily vehicle trips from Churchill, pushing six nearby intersections to Level of Service F—meaning jammed conditions with average peak delays of 50 to 80 seconds per vehicle. The six intersections are Alma/Lincoln, Alma/Embarcadero, Alma/Kingsley, El Camino Real/Embarcadero, El Camino Real/Oregon Expressway, and Alma/Oregon Expressway. School bus operations (26 buses, 52 daily trips) would require rerouting with potential effects on PAUSD schedules, business impacts to Town and Country Shopping Center and others, and special-event access to Stanford Stadium would be significantly constrained. Public safety responder impacts to Fire, Police, and ambulance emergency access to Stanford Hospital (affecting the mortality and morbidity rates of ER patients) are broader corridor-congestion concerns, particularly on Embarcadero and Oregon Expressway as primary routes to Stanford Hospital and to major commercial districts. The greater impacts are the delays due to traffic congestion more than the additional travel distance to the nearest crossing. Supporters of closure assert that traffic impacts are a temporary inconvenience and that travel patterns adjust over time. They also note that the current crossing itself creates ongoing risk, both from the proximity of lethal means and from existing traffic and safety hazards at the intersection, and that some degree of disruption is a reasonable price for the protection closure would provide. Item 1 Attachment A - Ad Hoc Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 3 Packet Pg. 73 of 79 3 The consultant analysis by AECOM and Hexagon, conducted for the XCAP process in YEAR, evaluated closure only as part of a required parallel infrastructure package, never as a standalone action without substantial mitigation investments (XCAP Report, Section 4.1.1, pp. 23–24). That package comprises ten specific mitigations: • Reconstruction and widening of the Alma Street overpass over Embarcadero Road • New bike/pedestrian overcrossing at Embarcadero Road and Alma Street • Right-turn lane addition from eastbound Embarcadero Road to Kingsley Avenue • Left-turn lane addition from southbound Alma Street to Kingsley Avenue • New traffic signals on the Alma overpass at the Embarcadero slip road and at Kingsley Avenue • New signal at the Embarcadero Road/Kingsley Avenue/High Street intersection • Bicycle and pedestrian improvements along the Embarcadero/High Street corridor • Signal timing optimization and additional turn lanes at El Camino Real/Embarcadero Road • Signalization of Alma Street on/off ramps at Oregon Expressway • Turn capacity improvements and signal optimization at Oregon Expressway/El Camino Real In addition, XCAP recommended additional measures likely needed (XCAP Report, Section 4.6.1, p. 69): • A new bike/pedestrian crossing at Seale Avenue (to be built before any grade separations, to provide safe passage for bikes/pedestrians during construction) • Redesign of the Lincoln/Kingsley/High Street intersection to manage traffic spillover • Further improvements along the Embarcadero/High/Emerson corridor • Resolution of student pick-up/drop-off conflicts along the Embarcadero slip road XCAP also noted that some network-wide congestion effects were not fully modeled, suggesting actual impacts may be understated. Central to the closure concept as evaluated by the XCAP process is a grade-separated bicycle and pedestrian undercrossing beneath both the rail line and Alma Street—providing cyclists and pedestrians a safe direct crossing. Without it, displaced students and cyclists would rely on three alternatives: • Embarcadero Road: not currently recommended by the City’s Safe Routes to School program due to high-speed slip lanes and poor pedestrian yielding. • The north side of Embarcadero is anticipated to receive a significant addition of Paly biking traffic between Emerson and the underpass. This is the same location where additional northbound vehicles on Alma will take Lincoln to Emerson as an informal cloverleaf to reach westbound Embarcadero. • The most direct route for cyclists heading to Paly from Old Palo Alto and beyond would be the south-side sidewalk, mixing bikes and pedestrians along a busy arterial at peak commute times. A new, high volume of Eastbound bikes are likely to turn onto Emerson from the sidewalk to the street at the same location that new additional vehicles will turn onto Emerson, and adjacent to the new Castilleja parking garage exit. • California Avenue Tunnel: is very narrow to accommodate bikes and other pedestrians, and its grade exceeds the 8% ADA standard (12%), causing cyclists to accelerate on descent. Additional demand would concentrate more users, including e-bikes and scooters, in an already constrained space. • • Homer Tunnel: adds considerable pedestrian distance, depending on the point of origin, making it unlikely for significant use as an alternative route. Closure advocates argue that the Staff Report’s near-term Embarcadero improvements and enhanced wayfinding, combined with community adaptation over time, would make alternative routes workable, and Item 1 Attachment A - Ad Hoc Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 4 Packet Pg. 74 of 79 4 that a trial period would generate the data needed to assess actual conditions. Those who raise concerns about a closure argue that the specific constraints of available detour routes—and the time period required for traffic and behavioral patterns to stabilize—mean significant safety consequences for students and the general public would likely occur. The degree to which near-term mitigation steps address impacts is a key question. The Staff report also points out that a secondary effect of increased walk/bike time would result in more people driving, creating an absolute increase in car trips that will have a net negative for transportation safety. 4. “Temporary” vs. the Reality of Reopening The Staff Report describes a 6–12 month closure, which the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) would classify as temporary. However, the staff report informs us that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) does not have a “temporary” classification and may log the crossing as permanently closed. Reopening would require a new CPUC diagnostic review, redesign, and construction at uncertain costs and timeline. The Staff Report acknowledges this uncertainty. The Council should be clear about whether it would make this decision as potentially a permanent closure, even if labeled temporary. That framing would affect how the Council weighs the costs of the mitigation package eventually required as well as the implications for the Quiet Zone project currently planned for construction in the fall of FY27. 5. Trauma Reduction: Closure vs. Quiet Zone An argument for closure is the current psychological “triggering” impact on students, staff, parents, and the broader community” from frequent train horns sounding near Paly. The Quiet Zone project, if accelerated, would permanently eliminate routine train horn use at Churchill without closing the crossing. A temporary closure would eliminate horn noise for ~six months beginning in the fall of 2026, but may delay the implementation of a permanent Quiet Zone due to FRA regulations. . 6. Equity Across the Community The Staff Report focuses on Churchill. However, the historical record of incidents along the Palo Alto rail corridor identifies Meadow/Charleston as the predominant location of track suicides. A closure decision that concentrates resources at Churchill invites the question of what are risk-based and equitable actions across the corridor. If fencing, Caltrain anti-intrusion technologies, and guards are adequate security measures at the other crossings, are they adequate at Churchill? If not, why not? III. Options: Pros, Cons, and Open Questions For full technical detail on each option, see Staff Report Analysis and Staff Report Attachment A. The Committee’s assessment of the key considerations for each is: Option A: Proceed with Temporary Closure (6–12 months) • Provides physical, 24/7 access restriction—the most direct form of lethal-means reduction at this location • Specialists in suicide prevention cite the 12 months following a youth suicide as the critical postvention window; a closure beginning late summer 2026 would cover the period through spring of 2027, aligning with that window • Eliminates triggering effect of train horn near Paly during the second half of the one-year Considerations against • Cannot be implemented immediately: closure requires Caltrain coordination and CPUC diagnostic meeting, design, regulatory approval, and construction. Staff estimates the earliest feasible implementation is late summer 2026 • The most acute period in response to the current cluster—the spring semester and end of school year—will have passed before physical closure and cessation of horns is in place; guards are the primary available intervention during this period Item 1 Attachment A - Ad Hoc Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 5 Packet Pg. 75 of 79 5 taking the strongest action • Could generate real-world traffic data to inform permanent closure planning • Direct closure cost estimated at ~$1.2M (preliminary; includes fencing, signal changes, detour signage, staff/consultant services, Caltrain coordination, and data collection) • Fire Department modeling shows only a ~15- second average increase in first-arriving unit response times for incidents near the closure— assessed by staff as operationally manageable are significant and will occur before identified mitigation infrastructure is in place • Pedestrian access to the corridor at other locations is not eliminated; system-wide prevention benefit is uncertain • If closure becomes permanent, Embarcadero mitigation costs may displace the need for some elements of the long-term grade separation program • FRA would potentially classify the crossing as permanently closed; reopening process may be uncertain and costly • Temporary closure would delay or complicate the Churchill Quiet Zone (currently planned for FY27) • Embarcadero Road improvements recommended before closure are estimated at $1.5–$2M (full two-phase project: ~$2.9M); and not yet in the Capital Improvement Program • Full long-term mitigation package identified by XCAP (required if closure becomes permanent) exceeds $100M and would take as much as a decade to implement • Corridor congestion on Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway, the primary Police and Fire routes to Stanford Hospital, Stanford and Town & Country Shopping Centers, and major commercial districts, could reduce routing flexibility and increase response times, particularly for multi-unit incidents, special events, and peak-hour calls • Ambulance transport routes remain available but travel times would become longer. The Embarcadero and Oregon underpasses already present limited overtaking ability for emergency vehicles due to lane configuration and concrete Option B: Maintain Crossing with Enhanced Measures Continue 24/7 monitoring; accelerate Quiet Zone implementation; advance JED Foundation recommendations; continue Caltrain intrusion-prevention work. Considerations in favor • Guards are active at all four crossings as of February 23, 2026—the primary measure that provides immediate cluster-interruption capability during the most acute phase of the postvention window • Guards have a documented track record of effectiveness at monitored locations • No additional transportation or pedestrian safety costs • Quiet Zone acceleration can address long term trauma-reduction and environmental health goals at lower cost and disruption • JED Foundation recommended tools available Considerations against • Physical access to the crossing remains; guards and other measures are not failsafe • May be perceived as insufficient action given community expectations • Current guard contract costs ~$1.7M/year (split equally with PAUSD; ~$850K City share); sustaining this beyond the one-year contract requires a funding commitment • Quiet Zone timeline (FY27 design, FY28 construction) means the primary trauma-reduction benefit is roughly 18 months away even if work begins immediately Item 1 Attachment A - Ad Hoc Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 6 Packet Pg. 76 of 79 6 corridor-wide approach • Avoids the ~$1.2M direct closure cost and the $1.5–$2M in Embarcadero improvements required before temporary closure could proceed • Preserves Measure K funding and FY27 timeline for Churchill Quiet Zone • No impact on Fire, Police, or ambulance response times—Embarcadero and Oregon Expressway remain unaffected as emergency Option C: Trial Closure with Pre-Defined Evaluation Criteria Proceed with closure as a time-limited trial, with explicitly defined metrics for success and failure established before the closure begins. Considerations in favor • Provides same near-term benefits as Option A while framing the decision as data-driven and revisable • If implemented late summer 2026 as estimated, a trial running through spring of 2027 would cover the latter portion of the 12-month postvention window experts identify as critical • Structured evaluation framework supports accountability and community trust • Real-world traffic and behavioral data would be more reliable than modeling alone, although not able to identify impacts from future traffic growth • The ~$1.2M direct closure cost covers the full trial period including data collection and reopening; no additional trial-specific cost beyond Option A • Fire Department’s modeled ~15-second first- response delay near the closure is assessed as manageable; the trial period would generate real data on whether broader corridor impacts materialize as projected Considerations against • Like Option A, cannot be implemented until late summer 2026 at the earliest; the spring 2026 semester, historically a high-risk period, passes before closure is in place • Carries the same transportation and safety negative impacts as Option A during the trial period, including the $1.5–$2M Embarcadero improvement requirement • FRA permanence issue applies regardless of trial framing. Reopening costs and process remain uncertain • Meaningful only if criteria are genuinely binding; reopening against community pressure could be difficult in practice • If the trial leads to permanent closure, the full $100M+ mitigation package would eventually be required • Same emergency response risks as Option A apply during the trial: corridor congestion on Embarcadero and Oregon Expressway could increase Police, Fire, and ambulance response times, and the Embarcadero underpass’s physical constraints limit emergency vehicles’ ability to Option D: Phased Approach—Maintain Current Measures, Define Conditions for Future Closure Continue current measures while advancing mitigation infrastructure and setting defined thresholds that would trigger a closure decision. Considerations in favor • Allows XCAP/consultant-identified mitigation infrastructure to advance before closure, reducing public safety risk • Guards are already active and providing cluster- interruption capability during the current high-risk period; this option preserves that protection while Considerations against • Does not provide the immediate complete physical access restriction at Churchill that supporters of closure are seeking • May be seen as deferring action during a period of acute community need; by the time mitigation infrastructure is ready, the current cluster’s 12- Item 1 Attachment A - Ad Hoc Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 7 Packet Pg. 77 of 79 7 permanence complication • Near-term costs are limited to ongoing guard contract (~$850K/year City share) and Embarcadero pedestrian safety improvements (~$2.9M, already recommended and partially budgeted regardless of closure) • No near-term impact on emergency response: Embarcadero and Oregon Expressway remain available as unrestricted Police, Fire, and ambulance corridors until and unless closure (~$850K/year City share) with no defined endpoint; sustained PAUSD cost-sharing is not guaranteed beyond the current term • Full XCAP mitigation package (>$100M) required before closure can be safely implemented; infrastructure timelines are long and funding is not identified • If closure is eventually triggered under this option, the same emergency response risks identified under Options A and C would apply at IV. Questions the Committee Recommends the Council Address Questions Answered by the Staff Report 1. What is the primary goal or goals of closure? The closure is a lethal-means reduction strategy during a suicide cluster, intended to break contagion patterns by restricting access to a known high-risk location. The Council should confirm this framing reflects its intent or identify if an additional goal—such as trauma reduction or infrastructure evaluation—is equally part of the consideration. 2. What evaluation criteria exist for a closure? Preliminary measures are identified including Fire and Police response performance, intersection delays, traffic volumes, pedestrian and bicycle impacts, public feedback, and track-intrusion compliance. A December 2026 check-in is proposed, with the option to terminate early. The Staff Report does not establish specific thresholds that would trigger termination versus continuation. The Council should identify those thresholds before authorizing closure. 3. What is the plan for Meadow and Charleston if closure proceeds? Prioritizing Quiet Zones at Meadow and Charleston during a Churchill closure is recommended to advance those projects while the Churchill Quiet Zone would be delayed. The Council should consider what investments are warranted at those crossings. Questions Not Answered by the Staff Report 4. What does the recent guard deployment record show? The Staff Report notes the historical effectiveness of guards but does not provide data on interventions or incidents at Churchill since guards were deployed. 5. What is the historical distribution of incidents by crossing and school affiliation? The Staff Report states that most recent fatalities occurred at Churchill but that other locations have been involved over the years. Meadow/Charleston have had the highest proportion of fatalities. What is the data? 6. Could the Quiet Zone be accelerated as an alternative to closure for trauma reduction? The Staff Report gives the current Quiet Zone accelerated timeline (design fall 2026, construction fall 2027 with Measure K funding) and notes closure would delay it. V. Potential Actions Regardless of Closure Decision • Commit to funding for 24/7 guard staffing beyond the current one-year contract, including continued PAUSD cost-sharing • Accelerate JED Foundation engagement and begin implementing available tools and recommendations consistent with the 2016 CDC Epi-Aid report while waiting for the full findings report (expected summer 2026) • Advance Embarcadero Road pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements Item 1 Attachment A - Ad Hoc Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 8 Packet Pg. 78 of 79 8 • Continue Caltrain partnership on intrusion detection, enhanced fencing, and anti-trespass measures at all crossings • Develop a corridor-wide safety investment plan that addresses Meadow and Charleston proportionally due to their historical incident rates Item 1 Attachment A - Ad Hoc Report Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 9 Packet Pg. 79 of 79