City Council moves forward with pedestrian mall as residents adjust to traffic signal changes on Castro

Stephen Procedo comes to Castro Street most days of the week to soak in the sun and enjoy downtown. Though he’s not a Mountain View resident, as a wheelchair user, he said the pedestrian mall, which came about due to pandemic public health measures, has been a big draw for him.

“I just come out here for the mobility and to walk my dog and to spend money in downtown,” Procedo said.

When the temporary pedestrian mall was first established, the city changed traffic lights on intersecting streets to blinking red, essentially turning them into stop signs for cars passing through. This allowed pedestrians to move freely between the blocked-off streets, but made it a bit of a free-for-all when it came to vehicular traffic.

Beginning Oct. 6, the city announced that it would begin turning some of those traffic signals back to normal. City staff said these locations will be “evaluated for the appropriate long-term traffic control as part of the Castro Street Pedestrian Mall project” over the next couple of months.

As of Oct. 11, the Villa Street crossing had been turned back to normal signal operations. The city contracted with a traffic management company to make sure cars and pedestrians were following the signals.

“Some people get angry when we ask them to wait for the right of way,” said traffic controller Destiny Williams as she worked Oct. 11. “Some people just jump out there anyway.”

But most people, Williams said, are following the new rules.

Castro Street regular Procedo said he looks forward to the pedestrian mall becoming a more permanent fixture in the future, but in the interim, he believes the city is doing “the best they can with it.”

“People are creatures of habit,” Procedo said as the Villa Street walk sign blinked on. “It’s trying to change everybody’s habits.”

The city council took the next step toward making the Castro pedestrian mall permanent at an Oct. 11 public hearing. The council approved the first reading of an ordinance establishing the interim mall between East Evelyn Avenue and California Street, with a second reading slated for Oct. 25.

“After an ordinance is adopted to establish the pedestrian malls, there will be substantial staff work and council approvals in 2023 and 2024 to create an interim pedestrian mall,” city transportation planner Aruna Bodduna said at the meeting. “This interim pedestrian mall would be in place until a permanent pedestrian mall can be funded, designed and constructed in the future.”

While no design standards for the interim mall were established at the Oct. 11 meeting, city staff shared some ideas to make the streets more pedestrian-friendly for the next few years until a permanent mall can be constructed. These measures include traffic bollards at intersections to improve safety, ADA access ramps, repaving the street to remove street markings, adding markings to delineate the pedestrian path and adding outdoor furnishings. The city estimates these improvements will cost around $1.5 million, and plans to use American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Multiple members of the public – both business owners and residents – voiced support for the pedestrian mall during public comment.

“I actually started my business literally six months before COVID hit, so I saw a lot of changes as we were growing,” said Money Singh, owner of Dandies Barbershop on Castro Street. “I was talking to all of my patrons and customers all the time and they agree that Mountain View has become very vibrant since the street closure.”