El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
1 El Camino Real Complete Streets Corridor Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
Introduction and Overview of Events
In Phase 1 of the El Camino Real Complete Streets Corridor Study, the Town of Atherton, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA), and Winter Consulting engaged in a series of community outreach events to gather input from various stakeholders. The goal was to establish a shared understanding of the project and collect insights on existing conditions, opportunities, and challenges. In Phase 1 of Engagement, the project team organized various engagement activities including one technical working group meeting, three pop-ups, four listening sessions, two focus groups with CBO partners, and one virtual community meeting. These events were aimed at engaging corridor users, local residents, property owners, advocacy groups, and school administrators, with a focus on reaching equity priority communities, including Spanish speakers and North Fair Oaks (NFO) residents.
While the format of each event dictated the methods in which feedback was collected from community members, discussions and interactive activities focused on the following questions:
● What challenges do you face while traveling on El Camino Real? ● What would make it easier for you to get around El Camino Real? ● What qualities of the street do you enjoy and want to maintain? ● Are there specific areas of the corridor that you would like to see improved? The study and events were promoted via social media and newsletter through the TA and Town.
Multilingual bus stop signage was posted and flyers were distributed along the corridor to promote participation of the online survey and map; as well as attendance for the virtual community meeting.
This summary highlights key findings and feedback from Phase 1 engagement activities.
Event Date Time Touchpoints Format
Technical Working
Group Meeting #1
April 26, 2024 1:00 PM -
2:30 PM
Seven participants
• Caltrans, County and city
staff
Virtual
Pop Up: Atherton
Earth Day Festival
April 21, 2024 11:00 AM -
3:00 PM
80 individuals In-person
Listening Session #1 May 15, 2024 2:30 PM -
3:30 PM
7 participants
● School administrators
Virtual
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
2 Event Date Time Touchpoints Format
● Safe Routes to Schools
coordinators
Listening Session #2
(Silicon Valley Bicycle
Coalition)
May 23, 2024 12:00 PM -
1:00 PM
7 participants
● Advocacy group members
Virtual
Listening Session #3 May 24, 2024 6:00 PM -
7:30 PM
1 participant
● Menlo College staff
Virtual
Canvassing
Businesses in the
Study Area
July 10, 2024 9:30 AM –
11:30 AM
55 businesses invited to attend the
community meeting and fill out the
survey
In-person
Virtual Community
Meeting
June 13, 2024 6:00 PM -
7:30 PM
12 participants
● Residents of
neighborhoods along
Selby Lane, Spruce
Avenue, and within NFO
Virtual
Pop Up: Fair Oaks
Community Center
June 14, 2024 3:00 PM –
5:00 PM
41 individuals In-person
Pop Up: Redwood
City Music in the Park
June 26, 2024 5:00 PM -
8:00 PM
45 individuals In-person
Focus Group: Acterra June 27, 2024 4:00 PM -
5:00 PM
8 participants
● Residents of
neighborhoods along the
El Camino Real corridor
In-person
Listening Session #4
(North Fair Oaks
Community Council)
June 27, 2024 7:00 PM -
9:00 PM
18 participants
● Eight North Fair Oaks
council members
● 10 members of the public
Hybrid
Focus Group: El
Concilio
July 2, 2024 6:00 PM -
7:00 PM
8 participants
● Residents of North Fair
Oaks who drive and use
transit along corridor
In-person
Total Number of Touchpoints with Individuals: 289
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
3 Overall, the project team had individual touchpoints with approx. 289 people throughout Phase 1.
Chart 1: The number of touchpoints with individuals across all in-person and virtual engagement activities, broken down by audience type.
Key Takeaways on the Corridor
Pedestrian Safety and Infrastructure
● Community members raised significant concerns about the quality of pedestrian infrastructure along El Camino Real.
● Community members emphasized the importance of adding continuous sidewalks along both sides of the corridor, particularly because rainy conditions make the dirt paths inaccessible.
● Many community members pointed out the risks of crossing multiple lanes of traffic on El Camino Real and mentioned crosswalks as currently built out are often ignored by drivers. Participants called for more crosswalks with flashing lights and pedestrian refuges midway through crossings.
● Many participants stressed how dangerous it is to walk along the corridor without lighting at night and early in the morning. Multiple participants expressed that they walk along this corridor during these times to get to work.
● Participants expressed a desire to be able to safely walk to the bus stops along El Camino Real.
7 178
8 55
16 18 7
Number of Touchpoints with Different Groups
Working Group Members Public
School administrators, Safe Routes to Schools Businesses CBO Meetings NFO Community Council
Advocacy groups
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
4 Bicycle Lanes and Safety
● Many community members expressed a willingness to travel more often by bike if infrastructure were improved to create a safe cycling experience. Key suggestions included:
○ Replacing dirt paths with paved sidewalks
○ Improving street level lighting
○ Adding protected bike lanes, particularly Class II bike lanes, without taking into account the gutter along sidewalks when determining the width of the lanes ○ Narrowing or reducing traffic lanes to make space for additional bike lanes ○ Converting parts of the street median into a bike or pedestrian trail. ● School administrators and Safe Routes to Schools coordinators offered varying opinions on whether improved bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on El Camino Real would lead to an increase in students and staff members using active transportation along El Camino Real. Most parents across focus groups were hesitant to allow their children to bike along El Camino Real regardless of improved bicycle facilities. ● Some participants felt that a bike lane along this corridor would help improve connectivity across El Camino Real as a whole.
Public Transportation and Bus Stops
● Many community members from North Fair Oaks and other surrounding equity priority communities depend on El Camino Real bus service to commute to work, run errands, and move through the larger area.
● Some North Fair Oaks community members shared that visibility surrounding bus stops is unsafe, particularly for those working in the service and hospitality sectors who have late evening/early morning work hours.
● School administrators, advocacy organizations, and residents along the corridor all highlighted difficulties accessing bus stops. Accessing bus stops is even more difficult during rain, as the dirt paths either flood or become muddy. ● Community members suggested installing protective coverings and seating to improve the waiting conditions at bus stops along El Camino Real. ● Some participants suggested installing bus islands for safer transit use. ● Participants heavily emphasized issues with bus service reliability, including delays and inaccurate schedules. Participants spoke about how the unreliable bus service negatively affects them when getting to work or other time-sensitive destinations. ● Participants also mentioned that because of the lack of lighting at the bus stops, drivers may not always see them at the stops and can be passed up. ● Community members called for bus stops to be more evenly spaced out along the corridor.
● Some participants felt that a bus lane on El Camino Real would not be worth the loss of a traffic lane considering how infrequently the bus currently runs, though Route ECR is supposed to be at 15-minute frequencies.
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
5 ● Participants at the North Fair Oaks Community Council listening session identified a potential opportunity to align with the SamTrans Bus Stop Improvement Plan efforts.
Traffic and the Driver Experience
● Drivers emphasized that a lack of lighting along the corridor makes it difficult for drivers to identify pedestrians walking along the corridor. Community members explained that additional lighting would make them feel safer when driving. ● Drivers described congestion caused by cars attempting to turn left on the corridor.
Participants asked for either an increase in protected left turns or a decrease in intersections where left turns are allowed.
● Community members shared that it is stressful as a driver when pedestrians are forced to walk on the road shoulder due to narrow or lack of sidewalks. ● Community members reported visibility issues when turning onto El Camino Real.
Drivers have to edge forward to see oncoming traffic, putting other drivers, crossing pedestrians, and bicyclists at risk.
● Community members advocated for reduced traffic speeds. School administrators stressed that speeding and unsafe maneuvering heightens risk during school pick up and drop off windows.
● Community members observed that drivers do not follow traffic safety rules. They’ve often observed drivers failing to use turn signals, ignoring pedestrian hybrid beacons and traffic lights, and driving over the speed limit.
● Some community members were concerned about whether parking would be reduced, while others supported reduced parking as drivers getting out of their cars will sometimes force drivers to swerve out of their lane to make space for opening doors. ● Community members supported maintaining the current landscaping and tree canopy due the aesthetic appeal, but cited this as sometimes causing visibility issues with shading.
● Improved landscaping and visibility were also highlighted by community members along with extending solid white lanes southbound on El Camino Real to prevent drivers from misusing the far-right lane as an express lane.
Flooding on El Camino Real
● Participants reported that flooding forces pedestrians and cyclists onto the road during rainy conditions and advocated for a complete sidewalk network to mitigate dangerous conditions.
● Community members also expressed flooding worsens traffic and the experience of commuting by car.
● Flooding on the southbound side of the corridor makes bus stops along the corridor inaccessible.
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
6 Feedback on Specific Intersections on El Camino Real
Intersection with
ECR
Comments
5th Avenue
● Multiple comments reflecting dangerous driving, walking, and biking at this intersection
● Suggestions for improved crosswalks with beacons
● Concerns about students being able to access Selby School Selby Lane
● Frustration about lack of progress and implementation of improvements previously identified as part of prior planning efforts ● Multiple comments reflecting dangerous driving, walking, and biking at this intersection
● Concerns about students being able to access Selby School ● Comment about NFO residents not being considered during previous planning efforts at this intersection
● Reported visibility issues when turning onto El Camino Real as a driver ● Reported confusion and congestion caused by cars blocking the street and not using turn signals
● Multiple comments that flooding near Selby Lane presents challenges ● Multiple suggestions to install a stop sign at this intersection ● Observations that the narrow pedestrian pathway at this intersection forces pedestrians to walk on the roads and causes stress for drivers Atherton Avenue
● Challenging to cycle near this intersection due to lack of lighting ● Reports of accidents at this intersection because drivers are trying to turn onto corridor
Valparaiso
Avenue
● Multiple comments about this intersection being particularly high-traffic, partially due to drivers avoiding Santa Cruz Avenue
● Multiple reports of drivers speeding through intersection ● Increased pedestrian danger because of lack of sidewalks ● Comments that cars don’t stop at the traffic light
● One suggestion to not add more parking northbound of this intersection to avoid making traffic even more difficult for drivers
Alejandra Avenue
● Comments from school administrators stressing the lack of traffic control during school pick up and drop off windows
● Reports from school administrators of dangerous driving behavior, such as drivers getting out of their vehicles and activating the pedestrian hybrid beacon to then get in their vehicles to cross El Camino Real ● Reports of drivers ignoring the pedestrian hybrid beacon when driving through the intersection on El Camino Real
Encinal Avenue
● Comment that time permitted for pedestrians to cross this intersection is insufficient
● Comment that turning left is dangerous due to pedestrians and cyclists on the road shoulder
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
7 Intersection with
ECR
Comments
Almendral Avenue ● Reported speeding despite traffic calming measures at this intersection Middlefield Road ● Visibility issues at this intersection Spruce Avenue,
Watkins Avenue
● Calls for additional lighting at these intersections to help drivers better see pedestrians
Oakwood Drive,
Stockbridge
Avenue
● Comment that participant prefers turning left at these intersections where there are traffic lights
Survey Results
The online survey and activity map were active from April 21 to June 28, 2024. Overall, there were 320 responses to the online survey and 59 markers were added to the activity map to show locations that people enjoy visiting or where conditions make it challenging to get around.
The online survey was promoted on the Town’s website, through social media posts, shared by funding partners and neighboring cities, promoted at in-person and virtual events, included in outreach letters to local businesses, and posted on temporary signage that were installed at bus stops along El Camino Real within the study area.
Top Priorities to Improve Travel
The online survey asked respondents to select their top three priorities for travel along El Camino Real.
The chart below indicates which options were ranked the highest based on what people selected as their top priorities. Safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers were ranked the highest overall while concern for maintaining street parking was one of the lowest priorities for respondents.
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
8 Chart 2: Ranked priorities for travel along El Camino Real. Note that the overall score is calculated as the sum of the weight of each ranked position, multiplied by the response count for the position choice, divided by the total contributions.
Map Data
Respondents were asked to add markers to the activity map to show the location of challenging places and desired locations.
Figure 1: Markers placed on the activity map online.
Many respondents offered detailed comments to describe where they had experienced or witnessed a collision between vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians (see Figure 2). Comments also cited specific locations where there is a desire to improve safety at intersections, add or improve pedestrian crosswalks, introduce paved sidewalks, or where bike lanes are needed (see Figure 3).
8.52 8.21
3.88 2.42
1.84 1.81 1.48 1.5 1.3 1.02
0.5 0.51
0 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9
Overall Score
Top Priorities for Travel on El Camino Real
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
9 Figure 4 includes the location of desired locations that were specifically described in the online survey or as markers placed on the activity map. These destinations indicate where people would like to travel more on foot, by bike, or other forms of active transportation if conditions along El Camino Real were improved.
Figure 2: Mapped locations of collisions or near misses as reported by the public.
Figure 3: Map of locations where the public reported a need to improve safety or traffic conditions.
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
10 Figure 4: Mapped locations of desired destinations in proximity to the study area.
Respondent Demographics
The majority of respondents live in San Mateo County (84.74%), with 12.46% from Santa Clara, and less than 3% from other counties. The project team heard from a broad range of age groups as shown in Figure 5, while most respondents self-identified as white (63.29%), Asian (15.82%), or Hispanic/Latino (6%). There were 156 respondents who identify as female, 142 as male, 1 indicated ‘other’, while 21 declined to respond to this question.
El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Phase 1 Engagement Summary
11 Figure 5: Age of survey respondents.
Most of the respondents reported an annual household income of $150,000 or more. However, there were 64 respondents who reported an annual household income of less than $150,000 and 77 people declined to respond.
0 10
20 30
40 50
60 70
80 90
100
Under 18 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 to 74 75 and Older
Prefer Not
to Respond
Age of Survey Respondents