Monte Sereno council members discussed the possibility of implementing phase two of the Winchester Boulevard­Daves Avenue improvements at a June 1 meeting. Most of Winchester Boulevard from Blossom Hill Road to Pollard Road is within the jurisdiction of Los Gatos, though the boulevard cuts into Monte Sereno just north of Daves Avenue up to Vineland Avenue.

Monte Sereno Councilman Mark Brodsky said he'd like to see a broader study done of the area that would include a traffic consultant's previous suggestion to eliminate an excess northbound lane and widen the median.

"If you have one lane, it will really control the speed," said Via Sereno resident Bryan Mekechuk.

The road starts out as one lane going northbound, and then suddenly becomes two lanes to Lark Avenue. The southbound lane is one continuous and effective lane; it's the northbound lane that gets out of control, Mekechuk said.

"[Consultants] said the light would not solve the issue, and we've found that to be correct," Brodsky said.

Brodsky said drivers tend to respond to their environments, so once they reach the spot where Winchester opens into two lanes, the wide area offers space for them to increase speed. Brodsky is also a proponent of beautifying the median with landscaping to make it more like Fremont Avenue in Mountain View. He would like it to serve as a gateway into Monte Sereno and Los Gatos like Highway 9. He added that tearing up the side of the road and shoving in a sidewalk next to speeding traffic isn't a good idea, but that's just what might happen.

About two years ago, the town of Los Gatos, in conjunction with the city of Monte Sereno, applied for a Caltrans Safe Routes to School grant, which was received last year, according to Kevin Rohani, the Los Gatos town engineer. Monte Sereno resident Doug McNeil also lobbied for the more-than-$300,000 grant. The grant assists in funding sidewalk improvements, including one to add a sidewalk on the east side of Winchester, Rohani said. There is already a sidewalk on the west side of the boulevard. Rohini said the new sidewalk is expected to be installed in July and August, before the start of school.

"If we don't exercise this funding, we'll lose the opportunity to get this sidewalk in," McNeil said.

Rohini wouldn't comment about the lane-reduction possibility on Winchester and phase two improvements, saying they have been contentious, sensitive and ongoing topics of discussion. But he did say that safety has absolutely been improved, thanks to the traffic light at Daves Avenue and said he believes speeding has been reduced.

"Before the signal, there was nothing to stop people. The pedestrians had to wait until there were no cars," he said. "Now there's a push button and a regular signal. Now pedestrians can cross Winchester Boulevard."

Poppy Lane resident Phil Levine said he runs across Winchester three times a week and that he is appreciative of the light and the easier commute to places like Vasona Park, but that traffic is still too fast. Levine said he likes the idea of restricting traffic flow with one lane and encouraged Monte Sereno city officials to lean a little heavier on Los Gatos town officials for the change to occur.

Monte Sereno resident Nora Comee said she's also supportive of one lane to slow traffic, along with making the entryway more attractive. She admitted to receiving a speeding ticket for going 38 mph down Winchester.

Mayor Pro Tempore Curtis Wright questioned the ramifications of whether it would be possible to make phase two improvements to the area of Winchester within Monte Sereno's jurisdiction without support from Los Gatos.

Monte Sereno city attorney Kirsten Powell advised both cities to work together, because Monte Sereno would have to accept liability for any changes made to its approximately two-block area of Winchester. Since Los Gatos hasn't expressed interest in phase two, Wright suggested using funds from the newly formed Saratoga­Monte Sereno Community Foundation to beautify the island at Daves Avenue and improve the turn lane there.

Mayor Erin Garner and Councilman David Baxter said they were both in favor of traffic calming and beautification, but stressed the importance of working with Los Gatos on phase two. Garner said there are plans to bring the item back for discussion at a future council meeting.

Marc Jensen of Los Gatos Peds, a group that promotes walking and bicycling and advocates for safer streets, said before the light was installed at Daves Avenue, 85 percent of cars were going at or below 46 mph in the 25 mph zone. Since the light has been in, Jensen said, 85 percent of cars still go about 42 mph.

"People haven't changed speeds much at all going through there," he said.

He added that Winchester's highest volumes of traffic are heading south in the afternoon, and the most prudent driver sets the speed. Jensen added that there's an 80 percent chance of death if a pedestrian is hit at 40 mph. He said there have been many accidents over the years on Winchester Boulevard, which Jensen described as a "high-speed rural road." He also recommended a safer, separated walking path away from the road, using landscaping rather than a hardscape, raised cement sidewalk, which is most likely to be installed this summer.

Winchester was a four-lane highway until about 17 to 18 years ago. Monte Sereno resident and former Mayor Jack Lucas recalled how his high school-aged daughter, Janet, was on her way home on Winchester going northbound. Her car was plowed into by another car as she tried to make a left-hand turn onto La Rinconada Drive. As a result, Lucas went before the Monte Sereno City Council members to tell them about the dangerous intersection, and other neighbors brought forward concerns as well. As a result of his perseverance, there's now a turn lane there, and Winchester has become two lanes going north and one going south.

"There wasn't enough room to cut in a center lane, which would have been a turn lane," Lucas said.

Lucas said he feels much safer when he makes that left-hand turn now, and while Winchester has the potential to become safer with the elimination of the excess lane, Lucas questioned the costs of such a venture.

"That's been on the plate a long time," he said. "I was on the council when it was first discussed. What always frightened me was the terrible cost of that."