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BPAC vets El Camino intersection designs and urges stronger pedestrian, lighting and bike protections
Summary
City staff presented two El Camino intersection projects for a One Bay Area grant; BPAC members and residents urged protected bike lanes, clearer wrong‑way signage, pedestrian‑level lighting, coordination with Caltrans and transit boarding considerations. Staff will attach BPAC comments to the grant checklist submitted to VTA/MTC.
City staff asked the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee to review complete‑streets checklists for two proposed intersection projects along El Camino, part of a One Bay Area grant application the city plans to submit through VTA to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Lauren (staff) summarized the grant process and said the city selected two intersection projects for design or construction funding. “We selected two projects…they are in your packet,” staff told the committee and noted that the complete streets checklist responses and BPAC comments will be uploaded with the grant.
Robert Gonzalez, principal civil engineer, described the projects as early in design and encouraged BPAC to focus the checklist comments on missing elements and clarifications. He said the projects are being staged to meet the grant’s delivery timelines and that some design work (for example at the Castro corridor) remains conceptual.
Committee members and several residents raised specific concerns: protected intersections and corner refuge islands to slow turning vehicles; clearer signage to discourage wrong‑way cycling; pedestrian‑level lighting where crosswalks are dark; and measures to reduce vehicle speeds such as narrowed lanes and no‑right‑on‑red restrictions at busy school crossings. Residents also asked whether signal and pavement changes would remain the responsibility of Caltrans where El Camino is state right‑of‑way; Gonzalez said that Caltrans would maintain infrastructure that meets its standards and that the city has previously contributed funding to voluntary Caltrans upgrades.
Speakers also discussed parking reconfiguration tied to the Castro Commons development, green infrastructure and stormwater opportunities in the Phyllis/Castro project, and how bus stops adjacent to the projects could be handled without creating conflicts with bike lanes. Staff said VTA review will be sought early and that bus boarding islands would make the project considerably larger if pursued.
The committee asked staff to attach the detailed BPAC comments to the MTC checklist when the application is submitted. Staff said VTA will conduct a first‑cut nomination (likely around September) and MTC will make final awards in a later selection round; the program is highly competitive and applicants were advised to provide clear, narrowly defined scopes in the checklist.
BPAC’s input will be packaged with the grant application. The committee emphasized that design detail should reduce pedestrian and cyclist conflicts, enhance visibility and account for maintenance/ownership questions where Caltrans right‑of‑way is involved.
