The Planning & Transportation Commission unanimously voted on Nov. 12 to recommend the city council adopt the draft 2026 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan (BPTP), a ten‑year strategy that prioritizes low‑stress bike boulevards, pedestrian districts and near‑term projects.

Senior transportation planner Ozzie Arce presented the draft plan, funded in part by an MTC Transportation Development Act program grant, and stressed the council’s June direction to prioritize low‑stress residential streets (bike boulevards) over large arterial retrofits except where no parallel alternative exists (San Antonio Road was cited as a clear exception). Arce described the two‑step prioritization framework (initial safety and connectivity scoring followed by a supplemental evaluation for fundability, readiness and community support) and said the near‑term action list includes 16 projects, 23 crossing improvements, and several district studies.

Arce emphasized that "safety is the number 1 priority, especially for students," and commissioners and public commenters pressed staff on detailed corridor choices and implementation questions: members suggested performance measures (automated counts and near‑miss tracking), flagged specific intersections (Embarcadero/Kingsley/Emerson) for safety fixes, recommended coordination with TDM and business needs at retail nodes (El Camino Way), and discussed funding tools (CIP, grant pursuit, assessment districts for large corridors such as San Antonio Road).

Two public commenters generally supported the plan while requesting focus on specific locations and speed limits on bike boulevards. Staff said the public comment period closes this Friday, the draft BPTP will be presented to council for a study session on Dec. 1, and the final plan is expected to return to council for adoption in early 2026.

The commission’s recommendation will go to council with the full record of public comment and the committee’s technical feedback.