Caltrans Wants to Hear From Sunnyvale about El Camino Real
- Daria Mukhachova
- Aug 21
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 26
If you live, work, shop, walk, bike, or take transit along El Camino Real, Caltrans wants your opinion. Caltrans is developing a long-term plan for State Route 82 — better known as El Camino Real — from Palo Alto to San Jose. The goal is to identify transportation improvements for everyone who uses the corridor: people driving, walking, biking, and taking transit. This is a chance to tell Caltrans what you think El Camino Real needs.
Survey ends September 18, 2026
Why Your Input Matters
A recent report from the California Bicycle Coalition, Incomplete Streets, looked at 200 Caltrans projects and compared the improvements Caltrans staff identified as necessary with what ultimately got funded. The result? Only about 23% of the identified walking and biking infrastructure was actually programmed. The report also found that safer, more protected bicycle facilities were frequently downgraded to less-protective designs, while projects were sometimes delayed or pushed toward future funding. That means our input matters more than ever. We need to tell Caltrans that safe walking and biking infrastructure is important so that they will devote the resources to build complete streets now.
What You Should Ask For
El Camino Real is more than a road for cars. In Sunnyvale, it runs through neighborhoods and commercial areas where people need to cross the street, go to school, reach businesses, walk to transit, and get around without necessarily driving. But making a street “multimodal” is more than just adding a sidewalk or painting a bike lane.
When you take the survey, think beyond simply “more bike lanes” or “better traffic.” Think about your own experience: What is difficult or unsafe today — and what would you like to see instead? What would make El Camino Real work better for You? Here are some ideas.
Walking
More crosswalks where people actually need them, not just at major intersections, and enough time to cross safely. For example, a mid-block pedestrian crossing between Maria Ln. and Remington/Fair Oaks, connecting Hacienda Shopping Center (where Safeway and Michaels are) with Mega Mart on the other side would make the foot commute much faster.
Circuitous route for pedestrians (left). How they actually cross (right). Better visibility, clearer crossings, and improvements at places where you've had a close call or feel unsafe. For example, for drivers making a right turn from southbound Wolfe Ave to El Camino Real, the intersection makes it difficult for drivers to see pedestrians. The pork chop island should be removed and the corner sharpened.
At the Wolfe/El Camino Real intersection, drivers have a hard time seeing pedestrians (left). A sharp corner needs to replace the pork chop island (right). Continuous sidewalks, shade, and lighting.
Biking
Protected bike lanes.
Protected intersections with dedicated bike signals.
Safety measures for bike lanes crossing business entrances and drive-throughs.
Traffic lights that detect bicycles as bicycles, not cars, and give riders enough time to cross.
Public Transit
Dedicated bus lanes and priority at traffic signals so buses don't get stuck in traffic.
Safe, comfortable, and shaded bus stops.
Take the survey
You don't have to be a transportation expert, just a road user. If you've ever walked, biked, driven, taken transit, or tried to cross El Camino Real, your experience matters. The survey takes only a few minutes, but the decisions that come out of this planning process could shape El Camino Real for years. If we want a better El Camino Real, this is one of the moments when we need to speak up.
Survey ends September 18, 2026
If you'd rather send detailed comments and include images, you can email the project team directly: south82corridorplan@publicinput.com
About the Author
Daria Mukhachova has a passion about doing urbanism right. She believes that streets should be designed for people first. That means creating places where walking, biking and taking transit are safe, comfortable, and enjoyable, while still supporting occasions when driving is necessary.
