by Cherie | Mar 21, 2022 | El Camino Real, Safe Routes to School
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the 13-year who was tragically struck while riding his bike to Graham Middle School on Thursday morning.
Mayor Ramirez shared this in his weekly message to the community:
Dear Friends,
As you have likely heard, our community has suffered a tragic and horrific loss. On March 17, a 13-year-old student at Graham Middle School was killed in a fatal collision with a truck at the intersection of El Camino Real and Grant Road. A fundraiser to benefit the family of the student is available here.
Urgent and significant bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements are necessary to reduce and prevent future injuries and fatalities. The City of Mountain View, in partnership with Caltrans, is planning pedestrian and bicycle improvements on El Camino Real, which are scheduled to be constructed as part of the repaving project next year. More information about this project can be found on the City website.
Additionally, the City is developing an integrated Vision Zero Action Plan and Local Road Safety Plan. This Plan is focused on eliminating fatal traffic crashes that affect all transportation modes including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders. Through the action plan, the City will analyze historic crash data, compile proven countermeasures, identify and prioritize projects, and recommend safety projects for implementation.
Local Road Safety Plan Community Meeting
Join us for a virtual community meeting on the integrated Vision Zero Action Plan and Local Road Safety Plan at 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 24th, 2022 (new time).
Click here to join the meeting via Zoom.
Join by Telephone: 1-669-900-9128
Meeting ID: 890 6701 2664
Words cannot express how saddened we are at this loss. Safe Mountain View was organized around the goal of changing Mountain View’s roads to be safe enough for kids. We clearly have a long way to go.
by wendeeswonderings | Oct 14, 2013 | Council Meeting, El Camino Real |
It may be hard to imagine El Camino Real as a Great Street, but the City of Mountain View has begun work on a focused plan for El Camino Real to address housing, land use, mobility, and design options. Known as a “precise plan,” city officials and council will work over the next twelve months to identify opportunities and refine alternatives for the future of El Camino.
One of the first public meetings is a city council study session on Tuesday, October 15 at 6PM at City Hall, where high level strategies will be discussed to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety and access both on El Camino and from the surrounding neighborhoods. No decisions are made at Study Sessions but public input is taken and considered by City Council.
The plan area encompasses 222 acres and runs the entire 3.9-mile length of the El Camino Real corridor in Mountain View. The plan area includes the majority of parcels fronting El Camino Real plus additional parcels adjacent to the corridor.
El Camino Real is currently outside the boundaries of the Great Streets focus area, but the El Camino Real Precise Plan is an opportunity to build on the pedestrian, bike, and people-friendly streets central to the Great Streets vision and we’re interested in taking a closer look at some of the opportunities for the corridor, especially for biking. We’ve identified some of the issues below, but would love to hear your ideas in the comments and hope you share them with city council.
BIKING
The recently adopted city-wide planning blueprint, known as the General Plan, envisions El Camino Real as a “vibrant transit and pedestrian corridor” and bicycling is deemphasized since the street has heavy, fast-moving traffic, with many trucks. Only the fearless confidently pedal El Camino Real, but others ride the sidewalks since there’s often no other route, which endangers pedestrians and complicates bike trips. However, with new development slated for El Camino, and numerous existing retail destinations, strong bike access could play an important role on the street. Alternatively, parallel neighborhood streets such as Latham/Church could prioritize bicycling, but some destinations on El Camino would still be difficult to reach.
WALKING
While bicycle improvements are debated, the need for better pedestrian access is undisputed. Pedestrian crossings on El Camino are few and far between, with a half mile between some crossings. Crosswalks can feel dangerous with drivers not stopping for pedestrians and the walk sign set for only the healthiest and fastest walkers. Additionally, sidewalks are narrow, with poor lighting and the concrete is marred by years of neglect. The Precise Plan will set standards that increase the sidewalk width, but there may be additional elements to improve pedestrian safety and access.
TRANSIT
“Improved transit performance,” was identified by the city as a key goal for El Camino, but with the numerous barriers to biking and walking on El Camino Real complicates transit use before you even reach the bus stop. While larger projects such as VTA’s Bus Rapid Transit Project will be debated in the future, transit use in general will be suppressed without safe, direct, and attractive walking and biking routes to transit.
Let’s discuss what bicycle and pedestrian improvements could make El Camino a Great Street. Leave a comment below or send a note to council! You can also get in touch with lead city officials for this project here.
