San Mateo leaders call for enhanced transit connectivity

One of the projects also includes the Grand Boulevard Initiative, a nearly 20-year-old effort that involves ECR improvements throughout the entire county, however, it has undergone some twists and turns. The initiative was once focused on housing and land use along the corridor. But with stricter housing mandates from the state, SamTrans recently pivoted to focus more on transit-related projects and has been collecting feedback from numerous cities along the Peninsula to improve biking, transit and pedestrian access along 22 miles of El Camino Real, from Daly City to Palo Alto.

During a meeting Jan. 14, Sustainability and Infrastructure Commissioner Kimiko Narita said she hopes the county’s plans prioritize projects that enhance bike lane connectivity throughout the Peninsula.

“I think there is a gap in the connectivity for bike and pedestrian infrastructure but especially bike infrastructure between cities. This chronically falls through the cracks,” Narita said. “That is not something a city by itself can do, but a county plan can do.”

According to Transportation Injury Mapping data from University of California, Berkeley, about one-third of county collisions that occurred on ECR in the first half of the year involved either a bicycle or pedestrian. As a state-run corridor, however, cities are extremely limited in how they can make improvements to it, though county agencies are currently coordinating with Caltrans to make the changes.

Individual segments of the plan will be completed at different times — Burlingame, for example, is beginning a major development to underground Pacific Gas and Electric utilities and repair surfaces, sidewalks and street lights along El Camino Real. In San Bruno and Millbrae, plans are in various stages of development and have not yet begun in earnest. South City recently discussed removing a lane of vehicle travel between Hickey Boulevard and the city border to make room for protected bike lanes.

Other transit projects discussed as part of the county’s transportation plan include the Dumbarton rail line, which could become a busway connecting the Dumbarton Bridge to Redwood City, passing through several localities in between, such as Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and North Fair Oaks.

The Peninsula’s Dumbarton railroad was built in the early 20th century, but hasn’t been in operation for several decades, and discussion over its potential use has been discussed on and off for years. Rather than reopening the corridor to expand rail service — which doesn’t have as much estimated demand — the effort would likely create a dedicated bus-only lane parallel to the existing railway. The project would also take place within an equity-priority area, or vulnerable communities, which Commissioner Jean-Paul Renaud said was of critical importance.

“We [need to make] sure that we have an equitable representation of people who don’t even have cars,” Renaud said.