Caltrans El Camino
Real Removal of
Parking for Bike
Lanes Project
April 1, 2024 www.cityofpaloalto.org
2 Key Considerations
The City supports creating a sustainable and safe transportation network.
With this proposed project, the City has concerns regarding:
• Loss of on-street parking and its impact on local businesses and residents, especially those potentially displaced by parking removal.
• Lack of detailed plans and safety analysis, including intersection safety, continuity of bikeways, and DIB-94 compliance.
• Lack of alternative design considerations (e.g.. parking- protected bike lanes, lane reduction) to maximize safety and community benefits.
3 Requests to Caltrans and City Concerns
• Detailed data that demonstrates that the proposal will address the safety issues and validation of DIB-94
design approaches.
• Intersection safety enhancements and bicycle amenities, including protected intersections, signal modifications, and clear demarcations for bikeway crossings.
• Evaluation of lane vs. parking reduction alternatives, with a focus on DIB-94 compliant designs that prioritize safety and minimize impact on parking.
• Comprehensive community outreach & clear
communication strategies.
• Phasing of parking removal.
4 Options for Council Consideration
Caltrans Requested Option: Support for the removal of parking, to be replaced by bicycle lanes on El Camino Real.
Option A: Defer action related to bike lanes until Caltrans provides a Safe System Approach Design that is DIB-94 compliant.
Option B: Adopt a phased approach that implements the proposed bicycle lanes with the repaving project & acknowledges additional analysis is needed to incorporate a Safe System Approach into a future improved bike lane design Option C: Defer action pending a Caltrans feasibility analysis on travel lane reductions to support parking protected bike lanes.
Option D: Align decision of bicycle facilities on ECR with the update of the BPTP to complete in late 2025.
Philip Kamhi
Chief Transportation Official
Office of Transportation
[email protected]