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San Carlos reviews SamTrans El Camino Real multimodal concepts; council presses on parking, bus lanes and safety
Summary
SamTrans presented three design concepts for the Central El Camino Real corridor in San Carlos — transit, pedestrian and bicycle priorities — and councilmembers asked for data on parking impacts, bus-stop delay and safety at key crossings as the agency advances alternatives for selection in 2027.
San Carlos council members heard a SamTrans presentation Feb. 9 on design alternatives for the Central El Camino Real multimodal plan, a corridor-level effort intended to improve safety and travel along State Route 82.
Cassie Hall, project manager for SamTrans, told the council the study offers three San Carlos alternatives: a transit-priority option with a bus-only lane and separated bike lanes; a pedestrian-priority option with wider sidewalks and more trees; and a bicycle-priority option with continuous separated bike lanes. "We're asking for council input on the design concepts that we're bringing to you all today for El Camino Real in San Carlos," Hall said.
Why it matters: The corridor spans multiple jurisdictions and must satisfy Caltrans' process, Hall said, which requires evaluation of multiple alternatives before moving into project development. Hall said the corridor-level effort will be advanced in segments, and estimated the broader El Camino effort could cost roughly $1 billion; federal grant packaging will be used to seek funding.
Council questions focused on practical trade-offs. Vice Mayor Rak said San Carlos currently enjoys good traffic flow and cautioned, "I'm always worried that we're gonna mess things up and not have the traffic flow that we have in San Carlos," urging flexibility in plans and attention to parking on the west side of El Camino. Councilmember Layton asked how the downtown streetscape master plan aligns with these alternatives and stressed the need to study side‑street spillover and e‑bike speed differentials; Layton said she would "prefer to keep the traffic flowing" while prioritizing targeted pedestrian improvements. Councilmember McDowell urged caution on a dedicated bus-only lane unless data show buses would fully use such a scarce lane.
SamTrans staff answered operational questions: the agency reported there are six bus stops in San Carlos, described three separate sources of bus delay (stops, signals and movement) and said a combination of treatments — bus bulbs or boarding islands, improved transit signal priority and enforcement of bus lanes — would be needed to speed buses without creating unintended congestion. "Transit lanes are something that are very effective, as long as they're enforced," Hall said.
Next steps: Hall said SamTrans is in phase 2 outreach through March, will refine alternatives with local feedback and expects to return in summer 2026 with narrowed options. The corridor's preferred alternative(s) for each city are expected to be advanced through the Caltrans PA/ED process in 2027 for more detailed study.
