SETTINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES MOBILITY & ACCESS

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3 7 mobility & access how do people use el camino what is it like to drive on el camino/to park along el camino what is the pedestrian experience like what is the role of transit along the corridor what is the influence of caltrain

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5 MOVING CONDITIONS: The total length of this segment is about 2 1/4 miles. The bulk of the traffic on El Camino is generated by the neighboring residential uses or the commercial uses located along its length. Traffic traveling the entire length of the corridor (through traffic) represents a relatively small portion of the total traffic. There are four key transportation nodes within the study segment of El Camino: the SR 92 interchange, 25th Avenue, the Hillsdale Boulevard interchange, 42nd Avenue. SETTINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES MOBILITY & ACCESS influenced traffic conditions at the four transportation nodes. With the exception of the SR 92 interchange, each transportation node is adjacent to and provides access to a retail shopping area west of El Camino. Clearly, the Hillsdale Shopping Center is the most prominent of these transportation/retail nodes. As a major regional shopping center, it attracts traffic from locations throughout San Mateo County. The retail centers at 25th and 42nd Avenues serve the adjacent neighborhoods and have a less pronounce effect on El Camino traffic levels. Figure 7.1 Traffic on El Camino Real. These nodes represent intersections with the highest cross street volumes. Each node provides a crossing of the Caltrain tracks. The limited number of railroad crossings concentrates east-west traffic on SR 92 and Hillsdale Boulevard and to a lesser degree on 42nd and 25th Avenues. Access to the regional freeway system is provided at each node, but most directly at the SR 92 and Hillsdale Boulevard interchanges. El Camino serves as a collector for SR 92 and US 101 traffic. This creates a concentration of traffic on El Camino in the vicinity of Hillsdale Boulevard and on the northern end of the project segment. Land use patterns have 57El Camino Real Master Plan

6 TRAFFIC CONDITIONS In looking at the traffic volumes within the study area, El Camino handles between 34,000 vehicles per day near the Belmont City limit and 55,000 vehicles per day near SR 92. While the overall volumes give a picture averaged over the day, of more concern is the way the street handles the peak traffic levels in the morning and evening rush hours. Morning peak hour volumes on El Camino range from about 2,000 vehicles per hour near the Belmont City limit to about 2,800 vehicles per hour near SR 92. Evening peak hour volumes on El Camino range from about 2,700 vehicles per hour near the Belmont City limit to approximately 3,900 vehicles per hour near SR 92. When these peak volumes are divided by the number of lanes they are spread over, there is a range of about 500 vehicles per hour near the Belmont border in the morning (2000 vehicles travelling in four lanes) to about 975 vehicles per hour in the afternoon peak near 92. If volumes begin to surpass 1,000 to 1,100 cars per hour, the road would b begin to feel congested, so for the most part, the traffic on El Camino flows well over the entire corridor. Figure 7.2 The Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volumes for the area surrounding the Study Area illustrate the important connection of El Camino to the large traffic volumes carried on the two freeways, 101 and 92 as El Camino Real functions as a feeder into both of these regional connections. 58El Camino Real Master Plan

7 Figure 7.3 The above diagrams illustrate the average peak traffic counts (per hour) in the AM peak (above) and the PM peak (below). The two peaks reflect a similar pattern with the PM volumes approximately 30% greater over the entire corridor. The diagrams show the increase in traffic volume approaching 92 and the smaller volumes passing through the Hillsdale underpass which suggests that a majority of the traffic is not travelling through the entire corridor in this area.. 59El Camino Real Master Plan

8 Since the retail uses along El Camino and the Hillsdale Shopping Center create higher demand during the holiday shopping season, there is a seasonal traffic demand variations. Variation in traffic demand may also be affected by school traffic. Slightly lighter traffic conditions may be experienced during the summer when schools are not in session and many people are on vacation. While the overall traffic flow may seem smooth, the challenges occur at the major cross intersection where the traffic can back up to the high volumes of vehicles entering or leaving El Camino. Levels of service (LOS) at the major signalized intersections are generally between Level of Service C and D. The intersections of El Camino with 20th Avenue, 25th Avenue and the Hillsdale Boulevard ramp intersections are the most congested in the corridor and operate at or near their adopted level of service standard. Levels of service refer to the ratio of traffic that is currently handled on the road compared to the theoretical capacity of the roadway. The ratings for the level of service work much like a report card with A being the highest score (traffic is moving unimpeded) while a level of service F is the lowest score which is given to roads and intersections where traffic is constantly stop and go. The average travel speed is about 25 to 30 mph. This means that running speeds (speeds between stops at intersections) are between 35 and 40 mph. Most vehicles can travel this segment in just over 5 minutes in the morning peak hour and about 6 minutes in the evening peak hour. Midday travel times are slightly higher, particularly in the southbound direction where travel times can be almost 7 minutes. PARKING: The strong presence of parking serving retail uses adjacent to El Camino adds to the perception of the street being dominated by automobiles. As the figure-ground diagram (7.7) shows, there is an enormous amount of land surface taken up by parking for the commercial uses. The majority of the parking exists on-street or in small to moderate size private surface lots serving specific uses. Structured parking and large surface lots provide parking for customers at the Hillsdale Shopping Center. General offstreet public parking is not provided in the corridor. Off-street parking is provided at the Caltrain Hillsdale Station and is reserved for Caltrain commuters. Figure 7.4 The majority of parking along El Camino is in the form of surface lots, as shown here near the Caltrain station. Figure 7.5 Large volumes of parking are currently accommodated in structures surrounding the HIllsdale Shopping Center. 60El Camino Real Master Plan

9 PEDESTRIAN CONDITIONS The pedestrian environment on El Camino is not inviting. Narrow sidewalks, obstructions, frequent curb cuts, minimal landscaping, autooriented uses, and speeding traffic alongside combine to discourage walking for most residents. Indeed, in some sections of El Camino, there is no sidewalk at all and pedestrians are compelled to walk in the street. In other areas, long crossing distances or non existent crosswalk signals make crossing El Camino difficult. Despite these many obstacles, there are pedestrians along El Camino, and often far more than one would initially suspect. There are a number of uses that generate pedestrian activity including the Caltrain station, the SamTrans bus stops, Bay Meadows, and the small-scale retail establishments near 25th Avenue. Often the people who walk on El Camino are those who are dependent on public transit and do not have other options. Others are residents of immediately adjacent areas for whom walking a few blocks is convenient. Figure 7.6 View of typical sidewalk condition along El Camino. Figure 7.7 Figure-ground drawing showing the amount of land area within the study area that is used for parking (either surface lots or structures.) 61El Camino Real Master Plan

10 Often pedestrians on El Camino, especially near 25th Street, have driven to the area and are walking to one or more activities in the area. Recently the 1999 State of the Bay Area Pedestrian Report cited the intersection at 37th Avenue as one of the most dangerous in the Bay Area. This portion of El Camino consists of five lanes of traffic, plus one turn lane. The total pedestrian crossing distance is 86 feet. At an assumed pedestrian crossing speed of four feet per second, it takes a pedestrian approximately 20 seconds to cross the street. With a peak hour traffic volume of almost 4600 vehicles per hour, finding sufficient gaps in traffic can be difficult. There have been five intersection-related pedestrian accidents over three years even though the pedestrian volume is not particularly high. Pedestrian conditions are important to note because they affect the long term viability and perception of the street. Smaller scale commercial uses require pedestrian access from shared parking and are often dependent on customers visiting more than one store. Similarly, the overall perception of the street is influenced by the relationship of buildings to the street parking lot frontages contribute to an overall degraded perception, buildings at the street with parking in the rear or the side often include entrances from the sidewalk. Figure A walk along El Camino can take place within a very narrow sidewalk, or at the edge of the private property, along the curb, as well as in the street in some areas of El Camino Real. 62El Camino Real Master Plan

11 Future redevelopment at Bay Meadows and the Caltrain Station will bring more residents and transit-oriented uses closer to El Camino thereby encouraging more walking trips. Encouraging walking trips wherever possible will increase the long-term quality of the street by reducing short automobile trips and by making the street more inviting to all visitors. The key pedestrian issues to address are PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: Insufficient sidewalk space Lack of sidewalk in some areas Sidewalk obstacles Frequent curb cuts Large intersections with high traffic volumes Long crossing distances Infrequent crosswalks encourage jaywalking Non-signalized crosswalk PEDESTRIAN ACCESS: Sidewalks do not meet ADA requirements STREETSCAPE: Lack of amenities including landscaping Poor quality street furniture Poor quality transit facilities Architecture is automobile-oriented TRANSIT RESOURCES AND USAGE The study area is served by Caltrain rail service with stations located at Hillsdale and Hayward Park. Caltrain provides peak period service with 15 to 20 minute headways. During offpeak times the headways are approximately 50 minutes to an hour. The Caltrain at Hillsdale is one of the most used station stops along the corridor.. Bus routes 5M and 5L operate on El Camino Real over the entire El Camino Real study segment. Routes 18F, 40E, 43A, and 43G operate along a portion of the El Camino study segment. Route 7B operates between the Ralston and Hillsdale Caltrain stations. Average weekday ridership on the most popular routes in the El Camino Corridor is 3,277 passengers per day as follows: 5L = 1,338 passengers per day 5M = 980 passengers per day 7B = 959 passengers per day About 25 percent of the system-wide operating costs are recovered from the farebox (75% operating subsidy). The cost of bus shelters is either provided by SamTrans or local agencies. Advertising is not permitted on SamTrans shelters. 63El Camino Real Master Plan