On Wednesday night at City Hall at 7pm, Redwood City’s El Camino Real Citizens’ Advisory Group will review a detailed and thoughtful plan to improve pedestrian and bike safety, support needs for car parking and delivery, add affordable housing, create more attractive conditions for local businesses, provide public spaces and public art, and make El Camino Real a better place for years to come.

Considering a majority of comments from the community, the draft plan includes protected bicycle lanes for El Camino, to improve safety and encourage people to take short trips without driving and bring customers to local businesses.

The addition of bike lanes would require removal of underutilized street parking; the report includes a variety of thoughtful recommendations for ways to provide replacement customer parking and curb space for deliveries. Proposals include encouraging property owners to share off-street parking areas to serve existing businesses and anticipated new development, and creating short term parking zones on side streets near intersections for loading, drop-offs, and other quick stops.

Another major set of safety improvements is the removal of “slip lanes” that create scary and hazardous conditions for people walking and bicycling.

Along with proposed improvements for street crossings and sidewalks, to create a more pleasant environment to walk.

The report recommends some zoning changes to encourage the creation of affordable housing, and design patterns for “activity centers” to cluster businesses within easy walking distance. 

To share your thoughts, come to the Wednesday meeting or send email to: elcaminoplan@redwoodcity.org

Sunnyvale starts “Vision Zero” plan – survey and public meeting

Meanwhile, the City of Sunnyvale is in a much earlier phase of developing a “Vision Zero” plan intended to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

The city’s safety practices will benefit from an upgrade, as could be seen this past summer by staff’s recommendation, and city council’s decision to add “sharrows” on Fair Oaks Avenue, a relatively busy street, despite evidence that sharrows do not improve safety in such conditions.  Vision Zero programs are intended to take a data-driven approach to identifying street designs that contribute to injuries and deaths, and improving the designs.

If you walk or bicycle in Sunnyvale, you can take this survey until November 3. If you can make it, there is a public workshop on Thursday, October 5, 2017, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 E. Remington Drive.