[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6102605,"mediaKeyId","2803854-5ee5b474256204b6a5820a863afc1ac0","parentId",2803854,"title","Atherton committee forwards two El Camino Real redesign concepts for further study","audioSeconds",2793,"startMs",4628000,"endMs",7421000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2803854-5ee5b474256204b6a5820a863afc1ac0&start=4628&end=7421","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2803854-5ee5b474256204b6a5820a863afc1ac0/thumbnail_4628000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6102605/California/Atherton-committee-forwards-two-El-Camino-Real-redesign-concepts-for-further-study","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6102605-4b562c6185a628367b658148a4862bdb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770641942&Signature=Ym2q-LKzmTzxKf7AusFkDmMtZgCbWsd1MS9fXuZPowxBgu3D8MgX8nnde02-Zebc-LYCn0US~D0lJZGrKpv1FSsEhzVtWMOZEniEmBNMVvInNOoB~XUwQ8G24g4lOPGzrnZZWqbZtWAOcxnHKxexTkc9Ow0doajgGinQE~WlsdRK6bHKITpm73YOq61HQnzQvyW89mUHUJ3V1ISjJPkNatNF1Xj0rVLwjyH7y7Lh2TxoMMzjKyAPLkWPO2gd3j7PVNyiHwdkwVgNlz45FxZWKms65v5MTy0U-SaXsSPR~qR~6qHAzF0oZp8gUDMwgHS8TcoNAtHxAE3kN9acMgrw3g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town Council of Atherton CA","date","2025-03-26T16:24:26Z","article","The Town of Atherton Transportation, Bike and Ped Safety Committee recommended Jan. 28 that the City Council move two conceptual designs for El Camino Real to the next planning phase for more detailed study and coordination with Caltrans and neighboring jurisdictions.

Robert, a transportation staff member, summarized the staff analysis and public outreach. He said three high-level alternatives were developed and screened: Concept 1 retains three travel lanes in each direction and uses limited shoulder space for a minimum sidewalk and bike lane; Concept 2 (a “road diet”) removes a travel lane in one or both directions to create wider sidewalks and buffered or physically separated bicycle facilities; Concept 3 was a middle-ground that staff said generated the least public support. Robert framed the choice: “what does the town want El Camino to be? Do we still want it to be a highway or do we want it to be something else?”

Staff presented traffic modeling that showed Concept 2 would reduce average speeds and increase travel time along the corridor by about one to one-and-a-half minutes in some conditions; intersections such as Fifth Avenue and the Watkins corridor showed the largest delay changes. The modeling assumed mitigation that is already planned as part of regional projects, including a future signal at Watkins tied to Caltrain’s electrification mitigation and potential improvements at Selby.

Public input was split. Atherton respondents tended to prefer Concept 1 to preserve vehicular mobility; respondents from the broader regional community tended to favor Concept 2 for pedestrian and bicycle improvements. In written and spoken comments, residents and riders urged stronger bike facilities than shown in staff concepts: Johnny Wilson urged the committee to review the town’s 2014 Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan and noted that the plan included a shared-use trail option the current concepts did not show. A public commenter who bikes locally said, “please forward a proposal that will have a buffered and protected bike lane because that will, tell anybody who even thinks about biking that they are safe.” Consultant Andrew Lee (Parametrics) and outreach lead Frank Ponciero (Winter) were present to answer technical and outreach questions.

Robert said the committee’s recommendation would inform discussions with Caltrans, SamTrans and neighboring cities; staff emphasized that El Camino Real is a state highway and that larger funding and implementation steps would involve state and regional agencies. Committee members voted unanimously to forward Concepts 1 and 2 for additional analysis and to ask staff to return with refined layouts and impact assessments.

Next steps identified in the meeting included carrying both recommended concepts forward into refined layout work, confirming intersection mitigation (including the Watkins and Selby intersections), coordinating Redwood City’s ongoing planning work north of Selby, and developing cost, right-of-way and utility-impact estimates. The committee asked staff to brief the council with the committee’s recommendation at an upcoming council meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Transportation Committee Meeting March 26, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Town of Atherton Transportation, Bike and Ped Safety Committee recommended Jan. 28 that the council advance two conceptual designs for El Camino Real — one preserving three travel lanes and using shoulders for bike/ped space, and another that removes a lane to create wider, buffered or protected bicycle and pedestrian facilities.","taxTitle","Atherton Town, San Mateo County, California","taxId",72378,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6102610,"Atherton committee recommends school-zone speed reductions, delays changes to safety-corridor limits",3940,675000,4615000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2803854-5ee5b474256204b6a5820a863afc1ac0&start=675&end=4615","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2803854-5ee5b474256204b6a5820a863afc1ac0/thumbnail_675000.jpg","/articles/6102610/California/Atherton-committee-recommends-school-zone-speed-reductions-delays-changes-to-safety-corridor-limits","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6102610-89627d3fa91978dbdf6cbde2fc53585a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770641942&Signature=R4QDW-pfjXYFhKteAAsE~gmg7SKwTUisNRaM1aVJRWwpMAsvP3N8nq4Kgv5hdub5MJbu-0a8ZMb8wyEBGl01p7G4XK01iCeW1JGaAdnBGDSgV-2yaP~PuSuCH22CgA1A6MXiGXoTU1tXr6voBVsAeG-hX6tRzDwPh-ZoKeqWtrwuEYOXuCNkYMhAEjhimlrKF0jYtclmvjkqIuVb6tTPcozwtpSJ4f4BK2GDrvR8i4k8-zr8P1xgufZqQuU1skPsgfiHmfMn0ptNZx48JrQ3n7skGGxVbqO0gfHWTdqQFVh5d17921PqvDXlF~XPTyDI6-TpDX-lVPb8KD8fky22Ig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Town of Atherton Transportation, Bike and Ped Safety Committee on Jan. 28 recommended that the City Council pursue lower speed limits at several school zones while declining to change speed limits along the town’s designated safety corridors at this time.

Robert, a transportation staff member, told the committee the California Vehicle Code normally sets speed limits using an 85th-percentile (often rounded to the nearest 5 mph) and that recent state law changes allow additional five-mile reductions in business districts, senior areas and along safety corridors and permit school-zone reductions as low as 15 mph when children are present. He said the council had already adopted a local roadway safety plan and designated Alameda de las Pulgas, Marsh Road, Middlefield, Oak Grove and Valparaiso as safety corridors and asked the committee to evaluate possible speed-limit adjustments.

The committee focused its safety-corridor discussion on Valparaiso, a road split jurisdictionally down the center line with Menlo Park. Staff noted recent bike-lane buffering and lane-narrowing on Valparaiso and said Menlo Park has asked Atherton to consider reducing Valparaiso’s non-school speed limit from 30 to 25 mph. Sergeant Metzger of the police department noted that school-zone enforcement differs from general speed enforcement: “When school’s in session, that 25 mile an hour zone all the way through there… the violation is 26,” he said, and added that critical speed measurements must be re-taken after traffic patterns change before enforcement at lower non‑school limits is practical.

Public commenters urged broader school-zone reductions. Johnny Wilson, a parent, said temporary traffic calming on Encinal has “been working really well” and that he observed “1 person violated it out of 50 cars.” Wilson and other public speakers urged committee support for 15 mph school-zone limits near elementary schools, arguing lower posted limits better protect young pedestrians and bicyclists while giving police enforcement tools. Adrian Silva, a parent volunteer with the Safe Routes to School program, asked staff to coordinate with school volunteers, San Mateo County and Menlo Park so school-focused infrastructure and outreach efforts are aligned.

After discussion and public comment, the committee voted to recommend no changes to the speed limits on the safety corridors at this time and to recommend that the council pursue speed-limit reductions in specific school zones: Camino Al Lago (coordination required with San Mateo County because a portion is under county jurisdiction), Edge Road, Laurel (the area near Nativity), and the stretch described as Emily (the committee identified Emily as a segment near the former Saint Joseph site / Sacred Heart area). The motion was seconded and approved by unanimous voice vote.

Committee members repeatedly emphasized coordination: several of the streets proposed for change either border Menlo Park or the county, and staff and members said any final signage or ordinance would need matching actions from those neighboring jurisdictions. The committee also recommended continued outreach and, where the town lacks jurisdiction, that staff pursue coordinated requests to county or neighboring-city traffic engineers.

The committee asked staff to summarize the recommended changes and return language and maps that the council could consider formally adopting.","The Town of Atherton transportation committee voted to recommend lowering speed limits in specific school zones and to hold off on changing designated safety-corridor speed limits. The committee asked for coordination with neighboring jurisdictions where roads are split across city/county lines.","actionData","errors"]

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Atherton committee forwards two El Camino Real redesign concepts for further study

Atherton committee recommends school-zone speed reductions, delays changes to safety-corridor limits