Palo Alto moved a step closer Wednesday to realizing one of its top bicycle and pedestrian goals.

The Planning and Transportation Commission gave its unanimous stamp of approval to the Matadero Avenue-Margarita Avenue bicycle boulevard project. The project is ranked No. 2 among bicycle boulevards detailed in the 2012 Palo Alto Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

The 1-mile-long bicycle boulevard would start at the intersection of Park Boulevard and Margarita Avenue, run down Margarita, cross El Camino Real and continue to the end of Matadero Avenue. According to a city staff report, it would improve bicycle connections to the Barron Park neighborhood, the Bol Park path, Gunn High School and the Stanford Research Park.

The decision to approve the project wasn’t easy for Chairman Mark Michael, who raised concerns that Matadero Avenue is too narrow and well-traveled by fast-moving automobiles to serve as a bicycle boulevard. The street is roughly 20 feet wide and lacks sidewalks.

Chief Transportation Official Jaime Rodriguez said the project includes measures to slow traffic to the 25 mph speed limit. For instance, five speed humps would be placed along Matadero, between Laguna and Whitsell avenues.

Traffic would also be slowed by a speed table at the three-way intersection of Matadero Avenue, Tippawingo Street and Josina Avenue as well as a pedestrian refuge at Matadero and Josina, said Rodriguez.

Michael wasn’t convinced.

“You’re still going to have an unsafe condition,” the self-professed cyclist said. “It’s not wide enough.”

Michael was also troubled that the project didn’t call for marked bicycle lanes. Rodriguez said bicycle boulevards instead use shared-lane markings, or sharrows, to drive home the point that the street is to be used equally by cars and bikes.

“We don’t want bicycle lanes on a bicycle boulevard,” Rodriguez said. “We want shared space.”

Center lines on Matadero were another area of concern for Michael, who said it was a “bad mistake” not to remove them right away as part of the project. He argued that they would lead motorists to violate a new law that requires three feet of clearance for bicyclists.

Rodriguez countered that the lines are actually important for safety. Grinding them out now instead of potentially removing them as part of a resurfacing project in the future would also create an eyesore, he said.

Bob Moss, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, echoed Michael’s concerns about the project.

“I’m just worried about the safety in the area. We’ve been lucky. We haven’t had very many accidents,” Moss said. “But I don’t want to see it happen in the future because we encourage people to ride uncharacteristically bold on their bikes along a narrow street that carries a lot of traffic.”

Moss encouraged the city to instead explore the possibility of turning nearby Chimalus Trail into a bicycle route.

Commissioner Michael Alcheck urged approval of the project, pointing out that Matadero Avenue is already heavily used by children. He said additional measures could be taken to address lingering safety concerns.

“Sometimes perfect is the enemy of good,” Alcheck said. “Kids are already on this road. Let’s make it safer.”

Douglas Moran, who lives on Matadero Avenue near Emma Court, said he wasn’t entirely satisfied with the project either but agreed that it would make the street safer for bicyclists. He said he has spent the past two decades trying to get the city to make improvements.

“It’s been 20 years,” Moran told the commission. “We’re exhausted. Get something in there. Half a loaf or even crumbs is better than the nothing we’ve had to endure for this time.”

Pending city council approval, work on the project could begin by summer, Rodriguez said.

Email Jason Green at

jgreen@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at twitter.com/jgreendailynews.