Attachment 3. Frequently Asked Questions
Below are a list of Frequently Asked Questions and responses from the community engagement process.
Question: How will a road diet impact traffic congestion on El Camino Real? Response: A road diet means reallocating a general purpose lane to another use, such as a transitonly lane, bikeways, or wider sidewalks. Implementing a road diet on El Camino Real is anticipated to create a more inviting environment for people to walk, bicycle, or take transit. In South San Francisco, about 20% of trips along El Camino Real are shorter than three miles, a distance that many people may choose to walk, bicycle, or take transit if the options are available and safe.
The El Camino Real Mobility Plan does not yet include detailed traffic operations analysis; that work will be completed in a later phase of the Caltrans project development process. However, based on current traffic volumes, El Camino Real is considered to be within common thresholds where road diets have been successfully implemented elsewhere.
In other communities where road diets have been implemented, a few common themes have emerged:
• Fewer cars traveling on the street
• Better safety outcomes for all people using the street • Shifts to walking, bicycling, and transit
For example, a road diet on Lincoln Avenue in San José resulted in a 15% decrease in daily vehicle traffic, while walking increased by 20% and bicycling increased by 80%. Other projects, such as those in Culver City and Washington, DC, have seen increased transit use, walking, and biking and improvements in safety.
Question: How will the In-N-Out Burger development impact El Camino Real? Response: A new In-N-Out Burger is being constructed at 932 and 972 El Camino Real.
Throughout the engagement process for the El Camino Real Mobility Plan, many business owners and residents had questions about whether the new restaurant would impact traffic on El Camino Real. In response, staff shared that the restaurant will:
• Include onsite queuing for 39 cars and onsite parking for 51 cars • Have additional procedures to implement when the drive-through queue reaches certain thresholds, including deployment of associates outside to take orders and activation of a third burger grill,
• Install a new traffic signal at Southwood Drive / 1st Street, and • Include a pedestrian connection to the Centennial Way Trail via a gate at the back of the site.
Additional details are provided below:
The new In-N-Out Burger is a drive-through restaurant with dedicated onsite queuing for 39 cars, onsite parking for 51 cars, and onsite vehicle circulation with no “dead end” parking aisles and two driveway access points to El Camino Real. The parking area can serve as additional vehicle queuing for the drive-through if needed, and no queuing onto El Camino Real is anticipated.
Queuing onto the public right-of-way is further prevented by In-N-Out Burger’s standard store operating procedures that outline the various procedures to implement when the drive-through queue reaches certain thresholds, including deployment of associates outside to take orders and activation of a third burger grill.
In addition to the on-site access and circulation improvements proposed, the project also includes the off-site improvement of a new traffic signal at the intersection of El Camino Real and Southwood Drive / 1st Street.
Following In-N-Out Burger’s application for the new restaurant on El Camino Real, staff identified the need for a traffic signal at the intersection of El Camino Real (SR-82) at Southwood Drive/1st Street primarily to achieve operational and safety improvements, responding to existing deficiencies and anticipating the traffic associated with the proposed restaurant. This location already requires attention as the unsignalized intersection operates below acceptable standards.
Crucially, analysis shows that based on existing traffic volumes alone, the intersection already satisfies the peak hour traffic control signal warrant outlined in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, leading to the recommendation that the City consider installing a signal.
Furthermore, installing a signal is the preferred solution for addressing existing safety and circulation issues for vulnerable users; El Camino Real is designated as part of the City’s High Injury Network, and the current unsignalized crossing lacks marked crosswalks, complicating access for pedestrians, including those using the adjacent SamTrans and South City Shuttle bus stops. The new restaurant development will contribute additional traffic volume that maintains the signal warrant condition and notably introduces a high volume of vehicles performing U-turn movements at this intersection due to the project's right-in/right-out access design, thereby increasing the difficulty of safely utilizing the unsignalized crossing. The traffic signal is therefore recognized as the necessary ultimate improvement to optimize operation, while simultaneously providing pedestrian signals, push buttons, and signal interconnection to adjacent signalized intersections, as recommended by planning documents like the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.
Question: Did the study consider center-running bus rapid transit (BRT) on El Camino Real?
Response: Yes, the project team did consider center-running BRT on El Camino Real in South San Francisco.
Bay Area transit agencies have found that center-running BRT roughly doubles the cost of construction (relative to curbside transit lanes) for not that much more operational benefit. Centerrunning bus lanes introduce a lot more complexity related to rebuilding the entire street, signals, utilities, and other operational infrastructure. Curbside bus service provides more flexibility to retrofit what is existing.
In the Bay Area, Muni in San Francisco originally planned to add center-running BRT on Geary Boulevard and has since pivoted away from this and is maintaining curbside bus service. AC Transit has also pivoted away from center-running BRT on San Pablo Avenue. The cost and complexity of the center-running bus lanes on Van Ness Boulevard and International Boulevard in the East Bay are what prompted the change back to curbside bus service for Geary Boulevard (in San Francisco) and San Pablo Avenue (in the East Bay).
In the context of the Grand Boulevard Initiative, each city along El Camino Real may have different street configurations for El Camino Real. Currently, the Town of Colma is not planning for center-running BRT, and the City of San Bruno is still considering how to redesign El Camino Real. If South San Francisco had center-running BRT and the adjacent cities did not, this would cause the buses to switch back and forth. Providing curb-side transit service provides consistency and cost and time efficiencies.
Question: When would construction begin?
Response: Construction could begin in approximately five to ten years.
The project will enter the Caltrans process later this year to initiate the project. The next phase will include additional analysis and environmental review, followed by detailed engineering and analysis, which is anticipated to take up to three years. After this work is completed, the project team will pursue funding for implementation and construction.
Question: How can I continue to provide input on this?
Response: As the project advances through the Caltrans planning and design process, there will be additional opportunities to participate, including during the Project Initiation Document (PID) phase and the Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA&ED) phase. Project updates, meeting announcements, and engagement opportunities will also be shared through the City’s website at www.ssfca.gov/ECRMobility and other communication channels so community members can stay informed and involved as the project progresses.