Community urges council to close train crossing after deaths

"In a letter to the City Council Nick Mehta, Summer's father, said he supports closing the intersection, believing Churchill provided an "easy means for her to impulsively act at a low moment." The letter was read by a friend of Nick Mehta's during tonight's council meeting. The Caltrain crossing at Churchill Avenue and Alma Street is adjacent to Palo Alto High School, and has been the site of multiple student suicides over the past few years."

""It is too late for my daughter but it is not too late for others," Nick Mehta wrote. In response, Mayor Vicki Veenker said tonight that an The Rail Safety/Youth Mental Health ad hoc committee has been created to look into ramping up safety measures at the intersection, and the logistics of shutting it down, an action that Palo Alto Unified School District Superintendent Don Austin urged the council to do in a Thursday letter."

A 17-year-old, Summer Devi Mehta, was struck and killed by a Caltrain at the Churchill Avenue crossing. Community members and family members are urging City Council to close the Churchill intersection because the Caltrain crossing at Churchill and Alma Street, adjacent to Palo Alto High School, has been the site of multiple student suicides over recent years. Summer's father supports closing the intersection and described Churchill as an "easy means" for impulsive actions. Mayor Vicki Veenker created a Rail Safety/Youth Mental Health ad hoc committee to explore safety measures, technologies, and the logistics of shutting the crossing.

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