Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study El Camino Real Complete Streets Study
Council Study Session
November 6, 2024
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study 1 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Agenda 1) Background
2) Project Overview
3) Existing Conditions & Public Engagement
4) Alternatives Being Considered
5) Next Steps
6) Discussion
2 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Background
3 3
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Background
• ECR lacks dedicated pedestrian
and bicycle facilities in Atherton
• ECR is a State Highway under
the purview of Caltrans
• TA awarded Cycle 6 Pedestrian &
Bicycle Program grant for
Complete Streets Study
4 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study What are “Complete Streets”?
A complete street provides mobility
options for people of all ages and
abilities, particularly people who are
walking, biking, using personal mobility
devices, and riding transit.
Complete streets offer several
benefits, including enhanced safety and
quality of life by providing a balanced variety
of options for travel.
Source: City of Santa Fe, NM
5 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Policy Support for ECR Improvements
6 2014 Town of Atherton Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan 2021 C/CAG San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
• Convert outer southbound lane on ECR to a Class 1 trail. • Install Class II bike lanes on Selby Lane.
• A traffic study to determine the feasibility of removing one or both outside travel lanes for dedicated pedestrian and bicycle facility. • Identify locations for traffic signals, pedestrian hybrid signals, other crossing improvements.
County
• San Mateo County C/CAG Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan • Countywide Transportation Plan
• Reimagine SamTrans initiative
• Grand Boulevard Initiative
Regional
• MTC Active Transportation Network
State
• Caltrans District 4 Bike Plan (Top Tier Class I and IV) Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Project
Overview
7 7
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Study Area
8 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Design Objectives
9 Improve Safety and Mobility along the El Camino Real Corridor For All modes and All users
Provide a high quality, continuous biking and walking experience Improving community connectivity
Improving street crossings
Improving access to transit
Address existing safety concerns, including flooding
Minimize impacts to local community
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Project Overview
Timeline: Funding Sources:
• Measure A funding through 2022 SMCTA Pedestrian and
Bicycle Program
• Town of Atherton
• City of Menlo Park
• SamTrans
In partnership with
• San Mateo County
• Caltrans
• Redwood City
10 Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Where We Are Now
Completed Existing Conditions evaluation
Completed Public Outreach Phase I (community
concerns)
Developed preliminary design options to reconfigure
right-of-way
Selection of top 3-4 design options
11 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Phase 2 Objectives
By March, the project aims to:
Evaluate top 3-4 design alternatives, trade-offs, and rank based on criteria Gather feedback from the community, stakeholders, and partners on the recommended alternatives
Select a preferred design alternative to advance to Caltrans Project Initiation Document (PID)
12 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Existing Conditions &
Public Engagement
13 13
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Existing Conditions
14 • Roadway configuration –
• # of lanes
• Width
• Locations of sidewalks
• Parking
• Transit
• Signals
• Hawk beacons
• Average Daily Traffic = 36,000 vehicles
• Over 50% of vehicle trips < 5 miles = potential shift to bicycles with safer infrastructure • Transit provided by SamTrans, with Caltrain and various shuttles nearby • Some bus stops are non-ADA accessible and difficult to access via walking and biking • El Camino Real listed on the county’s High Injury Network for all modes Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Public Engagement (Phase 1)
Engagement Tactics:
• Project webpage
• Multilingual factsheet and FAQ
• Summer Athertonian
• Online survey + interactive map = 320
responses
• 3 Focused Listening Sessions
• 3 Pop up events
• 2 CBO Meetings
• Technical Working Group Meeting #1
• Virtual Community Meeting
15 Objectives
• Establish why the study is needed
and what problems it aims to
address
• Gain insights on challenges and
opportunities on El Camino Real
• Answer questions about the study
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Survey
16 Overall Ranking Score Safety for pedestrians
Safety for cyclists
Safety for drivers
Slower vehicle traffic
More pedestrian crossings
Less vehicle traffic
Better lighting
Improved bus service/access
Less flooding
Better landscaping
Maintaing street parking
Other
0 1
2 3
4 5
6 7
8 9 8.52 8.21
3.88 2.42
1.84 1.81 1.48 1.5 1.3 1.02
0.5 0.51
Top Priorities for Travel on El Camino Real
Total : 320 surveys completed
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study What Atherton Residents Have Said
17 • Earth Day (April 21), 80 residents
• Community Meeting (June 13), 12 residents
• Focus Group (June 27), 8 residents
• Comments
• Safety, traffic speeds, crossings
• Selby Lane
• Fair Oaks/Encinal
• Bike/ped facilities must be safe
• Cut-through traffic near Menlo College
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Alternatives Being Considered
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Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Evaluation Matrix and Scoring System
Goal Objective
Quality of Life
Addresses stakeholder concerns (on-street parking and frontage access)
Attractive environment for active transportation
Maintains automobile travel time and speeds on ECR
Safety
Reduces conflicts/modal separation
Improves crossing movements and roadside visibility (e.g., lighting)
Addresses flooding impacts
Multimodal Options, Equity &
Access
Fills gap in biking, walking, and transit network
Creates more opportunities for multimodal travel
Improves access for disadvantaged communities
Construction Cost & complexity
Scoring System
Low
Medium
High
19 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study 20 Current Conditions: No Build Scenario
Northbound Southbound
Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Alternative 2 – Sidewalk & On-Street Bike Lane
100’ R/W CROSS-SECTION
* Outside lane dimensions assume a 1.5-2’ gutter pan
21 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Alternative 4 – Sidewalk, Landscape &
1-way separated bikeways / Buffered Bike Lane
100’ R/W CROSS-SECTION
* Outside lane dimensions assume a 1.5-2’ gutter pan
** There may be sections without raised posts (buffered bike lanes) in select areas. 22 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Alternative 5 – One-way Separated Bikeways
100’ R/W CROSS-SECTION
* Outside lane dimensions assume a 1.5-2’ gutter pan
23 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Alternative 7 – Asymmetrical Vehicle Lanes and 2-way Separated Bikeway 100’ R/W CROSS-SECTION
* Outside lane dimensions assume a 1.5-2’ gutter pan
24 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Evaluation Matrix Summary
25 Goal Objective Alternative 2
Sidewalk + Bike Lane
Alternative 4
1-way Separated /
Buffered Bike Lane
Alternative 5
1-way Separated Bike
Lane (Raised)
Alternative 7
3 Lane / 2 Lane
2-way Separated Bike Lane
Quality of Life
Addresses stakeholder concerns (on-street parking
and frontage access) High Medium Medium High
Attractive environment for active transportation Low High High High Maintains automobile travel time and speeds on ECR High Medium Medium Medium Safety
Reduces conflicts/modal separation
Low High High High
Improves crossing movements and roadside visibility
(e.g., lighting) Low Medium High Medium
Addresses flooding impacts
Low Medium Medium Medium
Multimodal
Options, Equity
& Access
Fills gap in biking, walking, and transit network
Medium High High High
Creates more opportunities for multimodal travel
Low High High High
Improves access for disadvantaged communities
Low High High High
Construction Cost & complexity Low Medium High High
25 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Next Steps
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Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Next Steps
• Tonight – Confirm concepts for further evaluation
• Refine selected concepts, including layouts for each alternative • Seek community/stakeholder feedback to finalize conceptual designs. • Continue coordination with adjacent jurisdictions and other efforts along the corridor
• Consider technical constraints, public feedback, overall performance, recommend preferred alternative to the City Council in March 2025 27 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Future Efforts
• Work with Caltrans to seek approvals for the study to allow for implementation
• Seek grant funding for future design, environmental evaluation and construction
28 Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Discussion
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Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Discussion Questions
30 • What works well about these alternatives?
• What does not work well about these alternatives?
• Is there anything else the project team should consider? • What input would you like to hear from the community during Phase 2 outreach? Town of Atherton | El Camino Real Complete Streets Study Thank You!
31 Douglas Kim
Town Consultant
[email protected]
Carolyn Mamaradlo
Senior Project Manager
[email protected]