Belmont City Council Meeting: Transportation Project Updates - March 24, 2026
Belmont City Council Meeting: Transportation Project Updates - March 24, 2026
This regular city council meeting focused primarily on a comprehensive update from staff on active and planned transportation projects, including bike and pedestrian improvements, major corridor studies, and the development of a new Transportation Master Plan. Council members expressed support for the initiatives and asked clarifying questions, while one public commenter voiced frustration about the gap between plans and implementation.
Discussion Items
- Bike and Pedestrian Projects: Staff reported that the Belmont Village Loop bike/pedestrian project (part of the 2017 Belmont Village Specific Plan) has completed design and been awarded a contract, with construction expected to begin in the next few months (early to mid-2026). The project includes Class II buffered bike lanes on Sixth and Fifth Avenues and bike share on O'Neill Avenue.
- Ralston Segment 4 Feasibility Study: Staff announced a new feasibility study for the Ralston Avenue corridor segment from the 92 ramp to Alameda de las Pulgas, citing outdated original design (over 10 years old) and increased safety concerns, especially for children traveling to Ralston Middle School. The study will consider Class I separate trails and Class IV protected bike lanes. A contract is expected to be brought to the council next month. Multiple public outreach meetings are planned.
- Alameda de las Pulgas (ADLP) Corridor Project: Originally started in 2020 from a multi-agency traffic study, the project has slowed due to staff changes and budget constraints but was restarted in 2025. It is currently at 65% design, with plans to release an IFP to complete design and bid documents. Staff is coordinating with San Carlos and pursuing grant funding.
- Transportation Master Plan: The city received a $673,000 grant for a new Transportation Master Plan, which will provide a long-term framework for investments. Staff emphasized extensive public outreach (40% of budget), with two phases including over 10 community pop-up events. Consultant interviews are underway, and the project is expected to kick off in summer 2026.
- Pavement Condition: The city's pavement condition index is 71, up from 68 last year, exceeding neighboring cities (Redwood City 68, San Carlos 57, Millbrae 52).
- Traffic Enforcement: Police conducted over 2,700 traffic stops and more than 400 direct enforcement efforts in 2025, a 27% increase over 2024 attributed to more drivers on the road (return-to-office) and increased enforcement focus. Education first approach on AB413 (daylighting) around schools.
- Regional Coordination: Staff is actively participating in the L Camino Real multimodal corridor plan and Grand Boulevard initiative, and three Belmont projects were identified as top priorities countywide by SMCTA's 101 Corridor Connected program.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Juliano (public commenter): Expressed appreciation for the presentation but criticized the gap between described ambitions and actual implementation. Noted that the Belmont Village Loop is unfamiliar even to long-term residents, that the Hill Street project was passed quickly on consent, and that proposals for Ralston improvements were rejected due to being "too ambitious" despite falling under PTSC purview. Questioned the viability of the loop due to hills and lack of connectivity, and stated that reasons for rejecting proposals shift.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes were taken; the presentation was for informational update.
- Council expressed strong support for the staff's work and direction, particularly noting the importance of transportation to residents and the value of integrating multiple plans into a comprehensive Transportation Master Plan.
- Council requested that slides shown during the presentation (which were not in the original online agenda packet) be posted online for public reference.
- The Ralston Segment 4 feasibility study contract is expected to return to the council for approval at a future meeting (likely next month).
- Council highlighted ongoing coordination with neighboring cities (San Carlos) and school districts.
- The meeting included brief verbal reports from council members (housing subcommittee update, visit to third-grade class) and the city manager (cybersecurity awareness).
- The meeting was adjourned until the next regular meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Well it does have a delay, but I'm still not seeing it here. So okay. We're okay? Now we're good. All right, thank you. We're back from our five-minute quick recess. Um so let's take it at the top of the slide, the the beginning of the slide. Okay. Okay, thank you. Uh the beginning from the No, I just mean the beginning of that slide that we were on, just in case it went down. So that one, yeah. Okay, to start there. Thank you. You have a question? No. Um I did, but do you want to first give your uh the little bit about the presentation and then I'll just ask? Because I'm not sure when Zoom went down, so I just want to make sure the public hears it. Sure. Okay. I will continue with our uh back to the project, a bike project. Uh yes, please. The country the project uh we already finished the design and the contract uh has been awarded. Uh we should uh start the construction in the next few months. Okay, I do have a question on that then. Um quick question. We do have a lot of folks who are interested in um in the bike pedestrian, you know, uh ability to to get around the city. So with the thick black line, can you just explain again what that is indicating? Okay. Uh in the uh I think in the like Sixth Avenue, uh Sixth Avenue and the uh uh Fifth Avenue, we are going to have the class two bike lane, so with the buffered uh dedicated bike lane. And uh like the on the O'Neill Avenue, we are gonna have the bike share like assigned. So currently there is no any dedicated bike facilities. And with the construction awarded beginning twenty early twenty twenty-six, is that still are we early? Are we getting mid it should be in the next few months? Yeah. It's already s uh uh just f a few like the document scenes and uh the contract already be awarded. Yeah. Great. Thank you. Can I ask a follow-up? Yes, please. So um, I just really want to understand that so the thick black line is kind of like the the best bike process, the best bike sort of bike and pedestrian like walkways. Uh uh, I can show you in the previous uh image. Uh I this is uh our like the Belmont uh village loop. The uh this uh the yellow path is shows Belmont village loop. Other than that, you see the green one and the other other that means the place is good for people like to suggest people to walk on that bike on that. Save connect area. Yeah. Okay, great. Thank you. If I can just gonna put some context in a as part of the Belmont Village specific plan, we identified some connectivity and mobility uh infrastructure needs and this is what this loop kind of indicates is based on the points of uh attraction for the neighborhoods.
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