SamTrans is exploring new options to improve transit service for those that live, work, or play along the El Camino Real corridor. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) can provide faster bus service that could reduce travel times by up to 30 percent, over local bus routes by employing skip stop service, traffic signal improvements, and other operational enhancements. This type of “development-oriented transit” would expand transportation options and complement the GBI’s efforts.
SamTrans has kicked-off a BRT Phasing Plan Study that will identify the optimal features for a BRT type service for the 26-mile El Camino Real corridor from Daly City in the north to the Palo Alto Transit Center in the south. The study will look at what low-cost operational improvements can provide faster bus service in the next 2-3 years while also analyzing the value of more capital-intensive improvements like dedicated bus lanes and improved transit stations in the long-term.
This feasibility study will involve substantial outreach to the public and private sector, including the GBI Task Force and local governments along the corridor, as well as public workshops in the fall of 2013.
Additional information can be found online here:
SamTrans El Camino BRT Phasing Plan
The Grand Boulevard Initiative was featured at the California American Planning Association 2013 Conference in Visalia, CA. The session addressed the value and success of regional and inter-jurisdictional planning, focusing on lessons learned and recommendations from three distinct Complete Streets, Economic & Housing, and Infrastructure Financing projects funded by a federal TIGER II Planning Grant.
Click here to see the informative presentation!
The 2013 Grand Boulevard Award Winners were endorsed by the Task Force today. For a list of award winners and to learn more about the program click the link below.
2013 Grand Boulevard Award Winners
SamTrans Press Release
SamTrans and the City of Millbrae are providing pedestrians with a safe, new crossing on El Camino Real to reach the Caltrain/BART Intermodal Station. The new signal, combined with landscape and walking path improvements, provide customers with a more pleasant way of getting from the transit hub to downtown Millbrae.
The Victoria Avenue project in Millbrae created a street crossing signal with a well-defined walking path and added sidewalk, bus stop and landscape enhancements to improve safety and access to the station for pedestrians. Making El Camino Real a more walkable, transit-friendly environment is one of the core objectives of the Grand Boulevard Initiative, which provided funding for the project.
Millbrae and SamTrans are both members of the Grand Boulevard Initiative, which seeks to transform El Camino Real into a pedestrian-friendly boulevard with mixed-use residential and commercial development. Grand Boulevard partners share a vision for the future of the Peninsula's "Main Street" and are taking a grassroots approach to achieving that shared vision on a project-by-project basis.
"While achieving a safer pedestrian environment was the project's most important goal, this work has the added benefit of encouraging walking and transit use by making the experience easier and the corridor more inviting," said Millbrae Mayor Gina Papan.
The improvements cost $475,590, which were contributed through a combination of federally available funds earmarked for local projects and local contributions.
The "Top of the Hill" intersection in Daly City recently underwent several improvements for pedestrians and transit riders. These improvements, which include a new transit plaza and crosswalk, were partially funded by the Grand Boulevard Initiative.
Check out this great Streetsblog article about Daly City's Top of the Hill improvements by Andrew Boone.
