Commission recommends Board adopt 'Get There Together' transportation demand management plan for Half Moon Bay and the Midcoast

The San Mateo County Planning Commission on Jan. 22, 2025 voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors adopt Get There Together, an action plan for transportation choices in Half Moon Bay and the unincorporated Midcoast. The commission’s recommendation asks the Board to find the plan consistent with the county general plan and local coastal program and to adopt a resolution to formalize it.

Chanda Singh, senior transportation planner with the county planning and building department and project manager for the county side of the plan, summarized the joint effort with the City of Half Moon Bay and consultant staff. Singh said the plan was funded primarily through Measure W funds from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and advanced a coordinated approach to transportation demand management (TDM) in order to reduce drive‑alone trips and support multimodal options in communities including Montara, Moss Beach, Princeton, El Granada and Miramar.

Singh described the plan’s scope and development process: an existing‑conditions analysis, review of TDM best practices in comparable communities, and community and stakeholder engagement that reached roughly 680 people through pop‑ups, focus groups and advisory‑body briefings. The final draft organizes recommendations into three buckets—transportation options, programs and incentives, and management and regulations—and pairs each with phased implementation steps that scale with staff capacity and funding (examples include using a part‑time TDM fellow, hiring a dedicated coordinator, and seeking grants to expand service).

Singh told commissioners examples of actions that could follow each staffing/funding milestone, including transit stop improvements with SamTrans, outreach to businesses to expand Clippert card retail availability, and longer run times or expanded hours for on‑demand microtransit (Bridj+/bridal plus references in the transcript refer to SamTrans microtransit). Staff also concluded Get There Together is not a project under CEQA and that CEQA review will be applied as individual recommendations are implemented.

Commissioners asked about emergency evacuation planning; Singh said the county Department of Emergency Management is leading a separate, concurrent effort on evacuation and wildfire readiness, with draft deliverables expected in the coming months. Members of the public praised the study’s case studies and suggested looking to other jurisdictions for lessons learned.

Commission action: Commissioner Ramirez moved that the Planning Commission recommend the Board find Get There Together consistent with the county general plan and local coastal program and adopt the plan; Commissioner Hansen seconded. Commissioners Gupta, Hansen, Ramirez and Chair Serrano Quan voted aye and the commission forwarded the recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. Staff noted the plan will go to the Board on Feb. 25, 2025.