San Carlos takes on traffic, parking, downtown

Although these changes will undoubtedly have an effect on traffic flow, consultants believe long-term congestion and competition for parking will more likely be due to the development growth underway in the city, including the East Side Innovation District.

“Congestion is going to get worse but the streetscape itself would be a very small piece of that,” Brian Canepa, a consultant from WTrans, said. 

By addressing the city’s main thoroughfares in anticipation for such development, the city can have a proactive approach to incoming development in the downtown and east side areas, Mark Spencer, a consultant from WTrans, said.

Short-term traffic conditions will be only slightly affected by the street designs, Spencer said, and long-term forecasts by 2045 show slower traffic and queues, though they still are at a manageable level. 

“Traffic is resilient and things will adjust over time,” Spencer said. 

In the long term, the traffic study showed that queues on El Camino Real, Holly Street, San Carlos Avenue, Elm Street and Brittan Avenue will grow. Travel times will also likely increase by more than 30 seconds per vehicle through the entire area. 

Identified hot spots of congestion will be at intersections along Holly Street, the intersection of Brittan Avenue and Elm Street, in addition to those along El Camino Real. However, Spencer said it’s notable that traffic delays will happen “whether we do something or not” and the worst case still won’t result in bumper-to-bumper frustrations.

“This is not a system of gridlock,” Spencer said. 

After parking studies were conducted, staff found the current redesign proposal would mean the removal of 47 on-street spaces on San Carlos Avenue and Laurel Street, however, the reduction is relatively small compared to what is available today, Canepa said. 

The study found that during peak hours, only about 60% of nearby parking is occupied, and the Wheeler Garage is often underutilized, Canepa said.

Although the design proposals reduce some streets and parking spaces, these changes coincide with efforts to promote multimodal forms of transportation and establish a sustainable bicycling network through the area. 

Arroyo Avenue will serve as a “bicycle boulevard,” or a street for bikes that cars are allowed to drive on, rather than vice versa, and will serve as a connection from the Arroyo underpass to the east side.  

“Looking down 10 years ahead, we see a very steady flow here,” Jim Stickley, a consultant from WRT Design, said. “We want this to be the way to go if you’re on a bike.” 

Another way for cyclists to go will be on Brittan Avenue, with the hope of establishing connectivity with East San Carlos. 

“If we can make that happen, then we’ve gained a lot on the bicycle network side,” Spencer said. “The higher the level of bike facility and the more we can complete the network, the more it’s going to be used and the more people are going to feel comfortable using it.” 

Mayor John Dugan suggested that the design on Brittan Avenue also consider future allowance for a bus route to promote east/west mass transit options in the city. 

The refined street designs look to elevate the downtown experience, centered around the recently established pedestrian mall at 700 block at Laurel Street, and increase connectivity between downtown, Caltrain and East San Carlos for all modes of travel. 

Proposals include significantly widened sidewalks on Laurel Street and San Carlos Avenue, an increase in protected bike lanes throughout downtown, urban greening, and room for outdoor dining, seating, event spaces and more. 

“I’m so pleased that we’re here,” Vice Mayor Sarah McDowell said. “It’s such a major transformation of Laurel Street. I think it’s just beautiful with the trees, the seating, the dining.”

The council adopted the final street designs, and staff will continue drawing the Downtown Specific Plan and Streetscape Master Plan with council’s input. The finalized Specific Plan will likely be presented to the council by next summer.