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Politics & Government

Could Cyclists, Pedestrians Rule the Road in Downtown?

An event sponsored by the Sierra Club and Housing Leadership Council featured films on livable streets and a presentation on San Bruno's downtown plan, giving the city a glimpse of what San Bruno could be in the coming years.

Watching scenes from films where bikes in Copenhagen rule the road and pedestrians in Manhattan are trying to reclaim the streets, a handful of residents on Thursday got a taste of what could be possible in San Bruno under its plan to revamp downtown.

The event, which was co-hosted by the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta Chapter and the Housing Leadership Council at , was designed to increase resident’s participation in the city's and promote some of concepts presented in the films, said Megan Fluke, grassroots organizer for the Sierra Club.

The films, produced by Streetfilms, covered bike mecca Copenhagen, where thousands of cyclists ride on separated and elevated bike lanes, as well as a project closer to home.

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San Francisco’s Pavement to Parks Program takes underused street spaces and converts them into public use. One example is on Divisadero Street where parking spaces were removed to make room for outdoor seating for restaurant/bike shop Mojo Bicycle Café.

In another film, Donald Shoup, professor of urban planning at UCLA, said that cities should to still have free spaces so that drivers don’t have to circle the block, wasting time and energy.

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Taller buildings could be downtown's boon

After the films, Aaron Aknin, the city's director of community development, gave an overview of the transit corridors plan.

Aknin said San Bruno’s growth has been limited by an ordinance passed in 1977 that excludes buildings over three stories and doesn’t allow increased density in residential neighborhoods.

But during workshops the city held on the downtown plan, Aknin said residents claimed the policy didn’t work.

“We got a lot of people coming out saying, ‘We want a change,’” he said.

The plan’s catalyst projects include a seven-story office building next to the new Caltrain station, which is , to attract jobs near public transit.

Another catalyst project is a five-story mixed-use building at San Bruno and Huntington avenues.

Because of the buildings’ height, however, the projects and other elements of the plan that clash with the ordinance will have to go to a public vote.

More pedestrian, bicycle crossings suggested for downtown

The plan also includes roundabouts at key locations and paid parking in some spots to get people to use the parking lots and keep employees from taking up customer parking, Aknin said.

At Thursday's event, the Sierra Club distributed a comment letter that it intends to send to the city. Among the recommendations is installing more mid-block pedestrian crossings.

Aknin said the city plans to include a mid-block crossing on El Camino, but it would be good to include similar crossings throughout downtown.

The Sierra Club letter also calls for narrowing roads from four to two lanes on San Bruno and Huntington avenues to provide additional space for bikes and sidewalks.

City taking wait-and-see approach to 'road diet'

Aknin said the plan’s steering committee wanted to take a wait-and-see approach with that issue. City officials said they want to wait until the new Caltrain station is complete and do additional traffic analysis before proposing the so-called “road diet.”

“I think we are going to eventually get there once we see more density and people living in the area,” Aknin said.

He said the final environmental impact report will be distributed soon for comments, and the city is planning a community meeting in May.

San Bruno resident Scott Smith said he wants to see the city become more of a destination, not just a place for people to pass through.

“I think it’s important that we revitalize our downtown and make it more of a community,” Smith said.

Smith added that the city could be more bike-friendly and make connecting paths to the Bay Trail.

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