Traffic Relief Pilot Program

Status

Regarding the permanent installation of the No-Left Turn project at East Hillsdale Boulevard and Edgewater Boulevard: 

Effective Monday, May 2, 2022, the City will be starting a test-trial to remove the U-turn movement at the intersection of East Hillsdale Boulevard and Edgewater Boulevard, for the period from 4pm to 7pm Monday through Friday, in an attempt to address illegal left turn movements that have continued to occur since the illuminated message signs were activated on March 21, 2022.  

The signage at the Edgewater Boulevard intersection currently restricts left turns but allows U-turns.  Staff has observed continuing confusion by many motorists and on-going illegal left turns despite Police presence and reconfiguration of traffic control devices and signal timing.  Due to safety concerns, Staff has made additional signal program changes at this intersection and traffic control adjustments over the last few weeks.  

The no U-turn trial will be implemented on May 2, 2022, and the City will evaluate the impacts.  The City welcomes the public’s feedback during this testing phase.

Background:  The City Council initiated the program after observing and receiving numerous requests to reduce traffic cutting through Foster City during peak commute hours. During a pilot phase, staff closely monitored the impacts of the No Left Turn restrictions on traffic patterns and flows. The City Council authorized the permanent implementation of the program and the changeable message signs went live on March 21, 2022.

About the Program:

At the December 17, 2018 City Council meeting, the City Council approved a 3-month Traffic Relief Pilot Program that will be implemented starting Monday, February 11, 2019 to address traffic congestion in our community.

The Pilot Program will seek to reduce cut-through traffic down the City’s main corridor by prohibiting left turns and u-turns from eastbound East Hillsdale Boulevard onto Edgewater Boulevard and onto Shell Boulevard during peak evening commute hours, Monday-Friday from 4 PM - 7 PM.

The City Manager may terminate the Pilot Program at any time if deemed unsafe.

At the August 19, 2019 Council Meeting, the City Council voted to continue the Traffic Relief Pilot Program (TRPP) long term until traffic patterns change or other programs negate the need for the TRPP.  To learn more, click the link in the "Links" section at the bottom of the page to view the Council Meeting and staff report. 

The project was brought back to the City Council on June 15, 2020 for the approval of plans and specifications, and authorization to call for bids, however due to the significant traffic reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic, the project was put on hold.

At the City Council Special Meeting on March 29, 2021, the City Council directed staff to remove the hold on CIP 301-694, proceed with the competitive bid process necessary for the acquisition of the traffic signal poles, and provide the City Council with data prior to implementation. As directed, staff provided another project update to the City Council at its meeting on May 3, 2021 indicating that an additional funding of $250,000 was requested in the FY 2021-2022 Budget, and if approved, the project has been brought to City Council again for approval of plans and specifications, and authorization to call for bids on August 16, 2021.

CIP 301-694 Dynamic Signage and Appurtenances is the permanent implementation of the Traffic Relief Pilot Program is no longer accepting bids and is reviewing the bids received. Please see the bid summary in the " Supporting Documents" below.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

To learn more and get your questions answered regarding the Program, view the full FAQ here. 

Background:

Foster City is facing a significant challenge to the quality of life of its residents. The City’s main roadways are experiencing an influx of regional cut-through traffic as motorists seek out alternative routes to avoid the freeway gridlock on Highway 101 and State Route 92. For example, at peak times during the afternoon commute, many of the cars commuting on East Hillsdale Boulevard and East 3rd Avenue are just passing through in order to bypass the Highway 101 and State Route 92 interchange, only to get back onto Highway 92 to continue their travel eastbound across the bridge.

There are several factors that have led to this rise in traffic congestion. It includes:

• A severe jobs and housing imbalance on the Peninsula;
• Foster City’s locality at the crossroads between where jobs are located and housing in the East Bay; and
• The rising popularity of navigation apps, such as Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze, that direct regional commuters from the surrounding highways onto our City’s local streets in order to save a few minutes.

Community Feedback:

The City engaged in extensive research, including significant dialogue with community stakeholders and the public regarding this problem and the proposed pilot program. Specifically, a Community Dialogue Series was held on October 20, 2018 to brainstorm traffic solutions in our City. A number of additional resources from that meeting are available for review by following this link. An online survey was made available to the meeting attendees and as well as to those who could not attend. The survey was open for four weeks following the community meeting. A total of 547 unique responses were recorded. 

In order to gauge public sentiment about how the program was being received, City staff also prepared an online survey in March 2019. The survey was sent to prior participants in the previous TRPP survey, advertised in the local paper, and links to the survey were displayed at City facilities and included on the City website. The survey was open for three weeks from March 11-March 31, 2019 and over 800 responses were received. The raw survey results can be found here.

Questions or Comments:

If you have questions or comments you would like to share with City staff, please call the Public Works Department at (650) 286-3270 or email us at trafficrelief@fostercity.org.