Ana Mata, at the San Mateo Daily Journal:
Three alternative plans were presented by SamTrans Project Manager Cassie Halls to the San Carlos City Council for feedback and discussion Feb. 9.
One option prioritizes faster bus service and separated bike lanes, one prioritizes wider sidewalks and more trees, and another prioritizes continuous bike facilities on the major thoroughfare.
All reduce the current three southbound transit lanes down to two lanes, and will reduce the width of lanes from the current 12 feet down to 10.5 or 11 feet.
Of the three proposals, the bicycle priority option, which includes continuous separated bike lanes and maintains parking on southbound El Camino Real, aligns most consistently with the city’s recently completed Downtown Streetscape Master Plan.
“We did spend four years on our downtown plan, talking relentlessly about traffic and traffic flow,” Councilmember Sara McDowell said. “I’m glad our plans are reflected in [these] plans.”
I'm thrilled to hear that this article noticed that the bicycle priority option aligns best with the master plan. But...
Councilmember Neil Layton questioned if bicyclists would use the bike lanes on such a major traffic corridor that tends to see higher speeds than more local streets. The increase in electric bicycles also raised a concern about speed differentials using a designated bike lane.
and
Layton said he would more likely favor wider sidewalks and pedestrian focus rather than establishing dedicated bike lanes that go unused.
This is the classic chicken-and-egg problem. No one rides their bike on ECR because it's too dangerous, and some don't want to build bike lanes because people don't ride there. As I've pointed out, the protected bike lanes in San Francisco, where I ride regularly, are heavily used. Protected bike lanes on a major artery like El Camino would really open up riding over longer distances on the Peninsula.
San Carlos weighs in on ECR ‘road diet’ plans
Improvements made to El Camino Real in San Carlos should prioritize pedestrian safety and impact traffic flow as minimally as possible, councilmembers said during a presentation by SamTrans regarding a
www.smdailyjournal.com
