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

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.