Is Traffic in Palo Alto Really Such a Nightmare?

When residents are surveyed about what issues they think about or are of concern, traffic has been near the top of the list for decades. People complain about rush hour traffic, school traffic, and neighborhood cut-through traffic, people running red lights and stop signs, cyclists running
stop signs, and congestion in general.

Thus it is interesting that recently the City Council and Planning Commission overwhelmingly endorsed traffic lane reductions on California Avenue and Arastradero Road.  Maybe traffic problems aren’t as bad as everyone thinks.  Or maybe traffic flow is falling back as an issue.

Narrowing California Avenue from four lanes to two was supported as a way to widen sidewalks and create mini-parks and outdoor seating, improve bike lanes and reduce distance and time for pedestrians to cross the street. Many merchants were very upset at the proposal, fearing that narrowing the street would cause traffic congestion, especially when cars are backing out of the angled parking spaces, or trucks are stopped for deliveries. They are skeptical of promises by staff that all would be well and traffic flow would be fine.  Their request for a trial of the two lane configuration was denied.  In a few years when the lane narrowing is completed we’ll know if predictions of minimal impact are true.  Unfortunately if they are wrong it will be almost impossible to take corrective actions.

Arastradero is a different situation.  Unlike the commercial California Avenue, it is residential with four schools between Clemo and Foothill Expressway. It is much wider with many speeding drivers.  The lane reduction from four to two or three lanes reduced maximum speeds but it also created long lines and traffic jams, especially during morning rush hour. Evening rush hour isn’t as bad since school traffic is gone by mid-afternoon.

Accidents seem to be down slightly, although far more cases of road rage and drivers cutting off others as they merge from four lanes to two were reported. I drive Arastradero mainly in non-rush hours and often have cars cut me off where the eastbound lane narrows by Gunn.  Despite claims by staff of minimal traffic diversion onto neighborhood streets, morning rush hour traffic on Maybell increased 70% and other local streets saw 10% to 20% traffic increases. The staff and Commission conclusion was that the reduction in speed and increase in safety for pedestrians and bicyclists is worth the increased congestion and driving time and spill over traffic.  We shall see.

Lane reduction of major streets isn’t a new idea. In 2002 there was an active attempt to reduce El Camino from six lanes to five and four lanes in areas between Stanford and Adobe Creek. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and the proposal was dropped.

Residential auto traffic increases about 1%/year without new housing. Currently about 150 new housing units/year are being built, increasing traffic even more. We also are seeing an increase in jobs.  VMWare is doubling the size of the old Roche campus to accommodate about 3000 more workers. Offices are replacing the Shell gas station at Alma and Lytton, and the night club at 260 California Avenue among others.  The vast majority of those new workers will drive to and from work. More traffic and congestion is certain.