Get There Together: An Action Plan for Transportation Choices- Transportation Demand Management (TDM)


Get There Together: An Action Plan for Transportation Choices in Half Moon Bay and the Midcoast

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Update

Get There Together: An Action Plan for Transportation Choices in Half Moon Bay and the Midcoast was adopted by the Half Moon Bay City Council on February 4, 2025, and by the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors on February 25, 2025. The final approved plan can be found at this website.


What is Get There Together - Project Overview 

San Mateo County and the City of Half Moon Bay are partnering on a new transportation plan called Get There Together. Get There Together will create an action plan of strategies to improve our transportation options on the Coastside today. These solutions, often called Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies, aim to make it easier, more convenient, and more affordable to walk, bike, share rides, and use public transit. Community shuttles, programs that find and match carpoolers, bike riding classes, and other strategies will improve the Coastside’s connections, air quality and access for everyone. Additionally, this plan will increase transportation equity and affordability by focusing on the Coastside’s vulnerable residents, workers, and visitors.

This project is funded in part by the San Mateo County Transportation Authority.


Project Map

Study Area


Background

The City of Half Moon Bay (“City”) is situated along the Pacific Coast, approximately 28 miles south of San Francisco, and lies within the westernmost portion of San Mateo County. Half Moon Bay is directly south and adjacent to the unincorporated Midcoast.The unincorporated Midcoast includes the communities of Montara, Moss Beach, Princeton, Pillar Point Harbor, El Granada, and Miramar, as denoted by the County’s Local Coastal Program Mid-Coast Land Use Plan Area.  Approximately 11,900 people reside in Half Moon Bay and 12,200 live in the unincorporated Midcoast.

On April 7, 2022, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA) issued a Call for Projects for the Measure A Alternative Congestion Relief and Measure W Transportation Demand Management program funds. The County and City partnered to prepare separate grant applications for consideration in support of a singular project: to prepare a Transportation Demand Management Plan to cover both the City of Half Moon Bay and the unincorporated Midcoast. Both the City of Half Moon Bay and the County of San Mateo were recommended for funding by the TA Board of Directors on August 4, 2022.   

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) encourages the use of sustainable transportation options and enhanced mobility, working toward ensuring that all modes of transportation are safe, reliable, and convenient while discouraging driving, managing congestion, and reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT).  Vehicle Miles Traveled is the product of the number of trips a project is expected to generate and the average length of those trips.

The midcoast region of San Mateo County has unique mobility challenges. With limited roadways, long travel distances, plentiful agricultural and open spaces, and heavy tourism traffic, it is no surprise that this part of the county sees higher use of automobiles than more urbanized areas: 86% of commute trips are made by driving alone (compared to 66.5% countywide). Coastal communities generate higher VMT compared to bayside communities (C/CAG SB 743 Implementation Decisions Whitepaper).  According to Commute.org’s Coastside Commuter Transportation Survey, the average one-way trip distance in miles for residents who live and work on the coastside is 9 miles, and for residents who live on the coastside and work elsewhere is 23 miles. 

Transportation options to and from the coastside are limited, with Highways 1 and 92 serving as the primary routes with no functional alternative routes, which must serve drivers, transit users, bicyclists, and pedestrians.  The coastside has a lower density land use pattern and high rates of tourism, which means that tailored programs for specific user groups and many partnerships are required for the successful implementation of TDM measures.

Half Moon Bay’s Local Coastal Land Use Plan(LCLUP) was comprehensively updated in 2020 and certified by the California Coastal Commission in April 2021. The LCLUP includes Policy 5-57, which explores and supports TDM programs that reduce the reliance of Half Moon Bay residents, and especially visitors, on the use of private automobiles.

San Mateo County and Half Moon Bay are committed to making it easier to travel to and on the midcoast by transit, active transportation, and shared modes. There are compelling reasons to do so. A more “balanced transportation diet" for midcoastside residents, employees, and visitors will support climate goals, enhance economic mobility, support physical and mental health, and make mobility more affordable for low-income families.


Project Events

  • 2/25/2025 - San Mateo County Board of Supervisors Meeting (Consideration for Approval)
  • 2/4/2025 - City of Half Moon Bay City Council (Consideration for Approval)
  • 1/22/2025 -  San Mateo County Planning Commission Meeting 
  • 11/19/2024 - City of Half Moon Bay City Council 
  • 11/14/2024 - City of Half Moon Bay Bicycle Pedestrian Committee
  • 11/13/2024 - San Mateo County Planning Commission Informational Meeting
  • 11/12/2024 - City of Half Moon Bay Planning Commission Meeting 
  • 11/2/2024 - ALAS Dia De Los Muertos Pop-up
  • 11/2/2024 - Coastside Farmers Market Pop-up
  • 10/29/2024 - Half Moon Bay Library Pop-up
  • 10/28/2024 - Canada Cove Housing Community Pop-up
  • 10/23/2024 - Midcoast Community Council Meeting
  • 10/12/2024 - Fallfest at Quarry Park
  • 5/7/2024 - Virtual Workshop
  • 4/25/2024 - In-person Workshop
  • 4/6/2024 - Half Moon Bay Farmer's Market Pop-up
  • 3/15/2024 - Half Moon Bay Library Pop-up
  • 8/3/2023 - Make it Main Street, Half Moon Bay
  • 7/28/2023 - Safe Routes to School Bike Rodeo at Cunha Intermediate School, Half Moon Bay


Documents and Meeting Materials

Engagement Documents

Request for Proposals & Contracting

Transportation Authority Grant

Contact Us

For questions about this project, please contact:

Helen Wolter, Senior Management Analyst, City of Half Moon Bay 

hwolter@hmbcity.com