Welcome to the El Camino Real Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan!
The Town of Colma received a grant from the Caltrans Sustainable Communities Program to improve safety and mobility for people who walk and bike along El Camino Real, and to increase access to public transportation. Currently, El Camino Real in Colma has many challenges, particularly for those walking and biking. To address this, we are developing a draft bicycle and pedestrian improvement plan. Improvements to the corridor will enhance safety, encourage the use of sustainable transportation, and provide better connectivity to BART stations and bus stops to improve overall quality of life.

What’s Happening Now?
We have selected a concept design based on community input and Caltrans feedback. Watch our video and view the design below. You can also see what people thought about the design concept by viewing this map that we hosted in October 2020.
Concept Design
Based on what we learned through the community engagement process and our existing conditions assessment, and our discussion with Caltrans, we developed a preferred alternative concept design for El Camino Real. This concept incorporates the opportunities identified for the corridor and helps Colma realize its vision for a safe and comfortable El Camino Real that is convenient for all users.
The concept design includes separated bikeways and continuous sidewalks throughout the corridor, as well as crosswalk enhancements at intersections and new pedestrian crossings. A lane reduction, or road diet, on Segment A (north of Mission Road from Albert M Teglia Boulevard to Mission Road) addresses concerns about speeding, while the number of travel lanes is maintained on Segment B (south of Mission Road from Mission Road to Arlington Drive) to provide continuity throughout the corridor with two lanes per direction. Parking is maintained where existing on the corridor to support local businesses.
You can see the input we heard from the community in October by viewing this map.
Watch this video to visualize how our concept for a reimagined El Camino Real in Colma could come to life.
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About the Plan
The El Camino Real Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan will identify walking and biking improvements on El Camino Real in Colma, from Daly City to South San Francisco. We want to enhance comfort, safety, access, and convenience for people walking and biking. Improving ways to walk and bike not only enhances your overall quality of life, but also helps us reach our sustainability goals!
Learn more about the planWhy do we need the plan?
Segments of El Camino Real in Colma are challenging to access by walking, biking, or public transit. El Camino Real has no bicycle facilities and, in some areas, there are no walkways or the walking paths are not accessible for all people. This lack of multimodal facilities presents a barrier for safe and efficient travel. This plan will assess ways for how the corridor can be improved to provide safe paths of travel for people who choose to walk or bike.
What's being considered in the plan?
The plan will identify ways for improving walking and biking in the Town of Colma and will consider safety, comfort, accessibility, and convenience. Traffic congestion and parking occupancy levels will also be considered.
What is the process for developing the plan?
The plan will be developed in partnership with Caltrans and local and regional stakeholders. We will also incorporate input from the community, which we will gather at different stages throughout the process. First, we reviewed the existing transportation conditions along the corridor and asked the community to identify their priorities for El Camino Real. Based on these findings, we developed three conceptual design alternatives for El Camino Real. In March 2020, we presented these concepts to the community, Caltrans, and City Council to identify a preferred design. After this, we started preparing a Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan which we will present to Caltrans and City Council for approval. Finally, we will work with Caltrans to identify potential funding sources for implementation.
How will the plan be used?
The plan will outline the infrastructure changes along El Camino Real that are needed to improve walking and biking along the corridor. The final plan will include a preliminary cost estimate, an implementation strategy, design concept, potential funding sources, partnerships and programs. We will use the plan for guidance on how and when recommendations will be implemented.
Project Timeline
Summer 2019
Existing conditions evaluation
- Data gathering & field observations
- Identify existing facilities
- Review plans, previous studies & planned improvements
Summer-Winter 2019
Community outreach phase 1
- Understand community priorities
- Identify constraints and opportunities
Project alternatives development
Spring-Summer 2020
Community outreach phase 2
- Present three design alternatives
- Identify preferred alternative
Community outreach phase 3
- Present preferred alternative design concept
- Request input on design elements
Fall 2020-Winter 2021
- Complete preliminary design plan and report
- Identify grant funding for design
- Present to Caltrans and City Council for approval
What we heard
In 2019, we reached out to the Colma community to understand your experience traveling on El Camino Real in Colma. We heard a lot of valuable information—thank you for partcipating! We asked for your input on project goals and improvements the community would like to see prioritized along El Camino Real in Colma.
Project Goals and Values


Safety and Public Health
Creating safe conditions reduces the severity and frequency of collisions for all modes, as well as promotes physical activity by enhancing the experience of walking and biking.

Connectivity and Access
Reducing gaps in the transportation network for all modes, including improving pedestrian sidewalks and crossings, bicycle paths, and transit access.

Quality of Experience
Creating an integrated environment for pedestirans and bicyclists with improved pathways, vibrant public spaces, and better landscaping.

Cost Efficiency
Prioritizing cost-effective solutions that align with potential funding sources and minimize project complexity.

Mobility and Reliability
Reducing travel times along the corridor for all modes, including increasing transit reliability and public parking.

Sustainability
Reducing vehicle use by making walking, biking, and riding transit more accessibility improves congestion and environmental impacts.

Economic Development
Developing solutions that encourage economic growth and equitable economic opportunities for all neighborhoods and corridor users.
Desired Improvements on El Camino Real


Sidewalks

Improved Pedestrian / Bike Crossings

Traffic Calming to Reduce Speeding

Lighting

Improved Accessibility (E.G., Curb Ramps)

Bike Lanes

More Reliable Public Transit

Landscaping and Street Trees

On-Street Parking

Small Public Spaces Such as Pocket Parks or Plazas
We also asked you to share specific improvements you would like to see at certain locations, and barriers that prevent you from traveling by bike or on foot in this area. We reviewed those, along with recommendations from previous studies and existing transportation conditions.

Corridor Issues

No Bicyle Facility

Speeding
Potential Corridor Improvements

Provide Bicycle Facilities

Implement Road Diet

Provide Trees

Provide Pedestrian Scale Lighting

Install Speed Feedback Signs

Provide Public Space Around Bus Stops

Provide Sidewalks Where Missing & Increase Number of Pedestrian Crossings
Intersection Issues

High Risk Intersection

Missing Sidewalk

Failure to Yield to Pedestrians

Conflict with Major Street

Wide Travel Lanes

Unsafe Crossing

Poor Visibility
Potential Intersection Improvements

Add Pavement Marking Delineation

Install Traffic Signal

Green Pavement Markings for Bike-Vehicle Conflicts

Implement Leading Pedestrian Interval

Install Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon

Add / Entrance Crosswalk

Reduce Number of Left Turn Lanes

Update Signal Timing

Prohibit Right Turn on Red

Review ADA Compliance

Provide Protection for Bicycle Turning Movement

Modify Turn Lane
Corridor Alternatives
In early 2020, we shared cross‐section alternatives that we were considering to improve travel on El Camino Real. There were alternatives for Segment A, from Albert M Teglia Boulevard to Mission Road, and Segment B, from Mission Road to Arlington Drive.

We learned that, for Segment A, the community highly preferred the alternative that removes a vehicle travel lane in each direction to provide space for a protected bike lane and sidewalk, separated from the car lanes by landscaping. For Segment B, the community showed equal preference for the alternatives with and without a road diet but agreed that bicycle and pedestrian facilities need to be added on this segment. Stakeholders strongly preferred the option to maintain the two existing travel lanes on Segment B, voicing concerns about traffic congestion and connectivity if a travel lane were removed in each direction. The section shows how these preferences became a project design.
Given the free-flow traffic conditions and excess capacity on El Camino Real north of Mission Road today, Segment A presents an opportunity to repurpose a travel lane in each direction to provide a separated bikeway and continuous sidewalk to enhance bicyclist and pedestrian comfort. It also presents an opportunity for streetscape enhancements, all with minimal impact to vehicle traffic flow.
Segment A Existing Cross Section
- Six-lane cross section encourages speeding
- Missing sidewalks in some sections of the corridor
- No bicycle facilities
- Parking on both sides
- Wide median
Segment A Preferred Cross Section
The preferred cross section for Segment B maintains the existing two lanes per direction, consistent with the number of travel lane proposed for Segment A and the existing number of travel lanes to the south of Arlington Drive. The cross section also adds bicycle and pedestrian facilities on both sides of the roadway by converting the existing landscape area to a sidewalks and separated bicycle lanes.
Segment B Existing Cross Section
- Four-lane cross section
- No sidewalks
- No bicycle facilities
- Hardened centerline separates traffic in opposite directions
- Steep terrain adjacent to roadway
Segment B Preferred Cross Section
What’s next?
The creation of the Colma El Camino Real Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan is an important first step in transforming the corridor. Additional steps will need to be taken before the vision can be fully realized, including conducting follow-on studies to support Caltrans approval and securing funding for construction. There are opportunities to continue the momentum of the project in the near-term as well, through the implementation of “quick-build” improvements, which have the added benefit of helping refine the designs before implementation of a full and permanent project. Some of our next steps include:
- Confirming the cost of fully designing and constructing these improvements.
- Identifying funding, which may be possible through a variety of regional, state, and federal sources.
- Determining an implementation process through coordination with Caltrans.
Resources
Community outreach meetings and activities
Throughout this project, we've provided multiple in-person opportunities to provide feedback, including tabling at the Colma BART station and hosting community meetings uring phases 1 and 2 of outreach. We appreciate the community input we received at this events.
We are conducting additional community outreach virtually in September/October 2020 to get a feedback from the community on the design concept.
Project Documents and Related Efforts
Project documents
- Project Goals and Vision
- California Transportation Plan 2040
- California State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan
- Caltrans District 4 Bicycle Plan
Related planning efforts
Contact Us
Send us a question or comment
Send us a question or comment
Interested in learning more about the project?
Contact: Abdulkader Hashem
Associate Engineer/Project Manager
1198 El Camino Real, Colma, CA 94014
www.colma.ca.gov
ahashem@colma.ca.gov
650.757.8897
