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Countywide transportation plan team asks Portola Valley committee for local priorities
Summary
San Mateo County transportation planners presented a 2050 countywide transportation plan update and asked Portola Valley's bicycle, pedestrian and traffic safety committee for local input on equity, traffic-calming, school routes and project priorities; planners expect a draft later this year.
Patrick Gilster, director of planning and fund management with the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, told the Portola Valley Town bicycle, pedestrian and traffic safety committee that the countywide transportation plan (CTP) update will produce a shared vision and project list through 2050 and guide regional funding.
"The CTP creates a vision for the future of transportation in San Mateo County," Gilster said in a condensed presentation to the committee, adding that the update will revisit metrics, equity definitions and the county project list used to set funding priorities.
Why it matters: the CTP is the county's highest-level transportation policy document. Gilster said the last plan was adopted in 2018 and that major changes — including express lanes, Caltrain electrification and new local safety projects — make an update necessary.
Committee members highlighted local needs during a focused Q&A. Angela Haye urged a stronger countywide traffic-calming policy and an e-bike policy, and asked that Portola Valley's painted bike shoulders be explicitly reflected in the plan. "Speed is one of the most important factors in traffic safety," Haye said, pressing for clear illustrations and class-based recommendations (where certain road classes would receive roundabouts, speed humps or other calming).
Kevin Welch and other committee members emphasized service gaps for elderly and mobility-impaired residents and recommended expanded microtransit or dial-a-ride options to supplement fixed-route buses. Pat Benon prioritized pedestrian safety and school routes, urging projects that make walking and biking to school safer.
Gilster said the outreach phase has been extended to allow the plan team to visit more local committees and incorporate their perspectives. He said staff will synthesize committee input into draft vision, goals and policies and return with a project list and draft document in late summer or early fall; final adoption by CCAG is expected later in the planning year.
Next steps: Gilster invited the committee to submit written comments and said the plan team expects another committee touch point in four to six months. The update will also seek to reduce and standardize metrics used to track progress so jurisdictions can more easily compare and communicate outcomes.
The committee did not take a formal vote on any policy at the meeting; Gilster described this session as part of ongoing outreach ahead of formal draft review.
