Atherton advances two El Camino Real complete-streets concepts after wide public safety debate

The Town of Atherton council voted unanimously April 16 to advance two conceptual designs for the El Camino Real Complete Streets Gap Closure Study for further evaluation, project-approval documents and environmental review.

Public Works Director Robert (last name not specified in the transcript) presented a multi-phase study that narrowed seven initial alternatives to three and, following community outreach, recommended moving two concepts forward for more detailed analysis. Robert told the council, "This is just trying for us to figure out what we would like El Camino Real to look like," and stressed the study is at a conceptual stage intended to feed regional planning by Caltrans, the Transportation Authority and SamTrans.

What the concepts would change: - Concept 1 (minimal change): keep three through lanes in each direction; add constrained pedestrian facilities (4'6-foot sidewalks) and striped bike lanes. - Concept 2 (protected multimodal): reduce vehicle capacity in places to create wider sidewalks (about 8 feet) and buffered or separated bike lanes (physically separated on-street bike facilities), trading some vehicle capacity for protection of pedestrians and cyclists. - Concept 3 (middle-ground): a hybrid with two lanes in one direction and three in the other; staff and public feedback did not favor advancing concept 3.

Public outreach and technical findings: - The study collected almost 500 survey responses, pop-up events and targeted outreach; overall respondents split between concepts 1 and 2, but Atherton residents showed stronger support for concept 1 (retain three lanes). The Transportation Authority and SamTrans participated in the study. - Traffic modeling done at the conceptual level estimated that removing a lane in the commute direction would add time in the corridor; staff summarized the maximum modeled delay at about 90 seconds (one minute and a half) in the peak direction under the assumptions used (including proposed new signals and other regional changes). - Staff noted planned regional coordination: Caltrans is conducting a multimodal corridor planning process, SamTrans and the TA may apply for project-approval and environmental documentation grants, and Redwood City and other neighboring jurisdictions are advancing parallel work on the corridor.

Public testimony: residents, bike advocates and safety organizations gave extended testimony. Representative comments included: - Katie Beruzzi (Menlo Park resident): "I was taking my life in my hands" when biking on El Camino, she said, and urged safer infrastructure. - David Pollock (safe-routes advocate): described being struck by a car while riding and urged prioritizing pedestrian and cyclist safety. - Matt Jones (Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition): urged the council to "choose option 2" to prioritize children and vulnerable users and to provide protected bicycle lanes. - Several commenters described deaths or severe injuries on El Camino and urged protected facilities rather than painted lanes.

Council discussion and decision: Council members expressed a range of views. Some emphasized resident concern about potential congestion and the need to preserve auto access; others said the modest projected delay was outweighed by safety gains and the opportunity to enable more walking and biking to school. Council member statements noted Selby Lane as a specific safety and flooding problem where the staff recommendation included pursuing funding for signalization, improved crossings and flood mitigation at the intersection.

The council motioned to advance concepts 1 and 2 for further evaluation, project-approval and environmental review. Mayor Lewis moved the motion; Council member Widmer seconded. The motion passed unanimously (yes: 4; no: 0; abstain: 0; absent: 1).

Next steps: staff will finalize the study document, continue coordination with Caltrans, SamTrans and the Transportation Authority, and pursue funding opportunities (including potential grant applications for project-approval and environmental documentation). Selby Lane intersection improvements and associated flood concerns were flagged as a near-term funding priority to pursue.