EL CAMINO REAL

The El Camino Real corridor study area comprises two distinct zones:

(1) the southern portion from Millbrae Avenue to Taylor Boulevard, which has a frontage road on the western side of the street; and (2) the northern portion from Taylor Boulevard to the North city limit, which does not have a frontage road. Throughout the study area, El Camino Real is a 6-lane street (3 lanes in each direction), with a median and left-turn lanes in the center of the roadway. The roadway is automobile-dominated with minimal pedestrian facilities including narrow sidewalks, long crossing distances at the crosswalks, inadequate or nonexistent median refuges, and striped crosswalks only on one side of the intersections.

The vision for El Camino Real is a pedestrian-friendly, multimodal, green boulevard. Ultimately, this plan recommends a vehicular-lane reduction from 6 to 4 lanes (2 in each direction) in order to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. The plan describes two implementation phases, with the first phase maintaining the 6 vehicular lanes.

The recommended improvements for El Camino Real include:

1. Reduction in the number of travel lanes from 6 to 4 (where supported by Caltrans-required traffic studies)

2. Addition of bicycle lanes (protected or buffered Class 2 bike lanes, depending on location)

3. Sidewalk widening in certain locations

4. Additional tree planting, widened planted medians, and other green infrastructure improvements

5. Enhancements to the pedestrian realm including improved pavement, furnishings, and lighting