Belmont City staff detail transportation master plan, Ralston feasibility study and bike projects; public urges closer alignment with prior plans

City staff briefed the Belmont City Council on a suite of transportation projects and planning steps on Thursday, saying design work for a bike and pedestrian project is complete, a construction contract has been awarded and construction is expected to begin within months.

A city staff member said the presentation showed dedicated, class 2 buffered bike lanes and bike-share signage planned for parts of 5th and 6th avenues. “We should start the construction in the next few months,” the staff member said, noting design is finished and procurement is complete.

The presentation also described the Belmont Village Loop — a connectivity route the staff member said was developed as part of the 2017 Belmont Village Specific Plan — and staff said they have pursued grants and competitive bids to fund the project’s final phases.

Staff announced a new feasibility study for Ralston Segment 4, the corridor between SR 92 and Alameda de las Pulgas. The staff member said the original design is more than a decade old and that safety concerns near schools prompted the city to take “a fresh look.” City staff said they refined project scopes in 2025, are finalizing a scope and fee, and expect to bring consultant contracts to the council next month; the effort will include multiple public outreach rounds, BPAC meetings and community pop-ups.

On the Alameda de las Pulgas corridor, staff summarized recommendations from a multi-agency traffic study that include signal timing work, roundabout inspections and the potential addition of school entrance improvements, continuous sidewalks and class 2 bike lanes. Staff said design for that corridor is about 65% complete and that the city plans to issue an RFP to finish the remaining design work and pursue grant funding for construction.

Staff also announced that Belmont secured cultural and sustainable transportation planning grants totaling $673,000 to develop the city’s first transportation master plan. The grant-funded plan, staff said, will prioritize projects by safety, connectivity and available funding and will be outreach-forward — staff proposed dedicating roughly 40% of the plan budget to public engagement across two phases of work.

On enforcement and safety, staff reported increased directed traffic enforcement in 2025 — more than 2,700 traffic stops and over 400 directed enforcement actions — and said the city received a DUI enforcement grant to support pedestrian and cyclist safety. When a council member asked whether a reported increase (about 27% versus 2024) reflected more enforcement capacity or more vehicles on the road, staff and an agency official responded that it was a mix of both higher traffic volumes and greater enforcement focus.

During public comment, resident Giuliano urged the city to align implementation with prior plans and said the on-screen loop concept did not match the Belmont Village Specific Plan’s earlier descriptions. “When the rubber meets the road, what we’re actually doing doesn’t cut it,” Giuliano said, arguing that some smaller proposals he has made in the past were rejected and that those rejections have not been consistently explained. Council members thanked staff for the update, said transportation remains a top resident concern, and noted the upcoming contract will return to council for formal review.

City staff said next steps include launching the transportation master plan this summer, beginning construction on the Belmont Village Hawk crossing and the bike/pedestrian project in 2026, initiating the Ralston Segment 4 feasibility study with public outreach and advancing Alameda de las Pulgas corridor improvements. The council received the update and will review the consultant contract and associated documents at a future meeting.