Frequently Asked Questions

Vanpools and carpools are available for residents and commuters to, from, or through Contra Costa County. For more information, please call 511 or visit 511.org.

Public Transit: Local bus service provides public transportation throughout the City of San Ramon and neighboring cities. Bus service, also, connects to regional forms of public transit, including BART and ACE. For more information, please visit cccta.org, acerail.com, and/or bart.gov

Vanpool Incentive: Residents and/or commuters traveling to, from, or through Contra Costa County can join a vanpool and receive a 50% discount off their vanpool fare for the first three months. A participant must complete a vanpool passenger application within three months of joining a vanpool. Please contact the City of San Ramon Transportation Services for more information at (925) 973-2650

Carpool and Transit Incentive: Residents and/or commuters traveling, to, from or through Contra Costa are eligible to receive incentives. Please visit www.511contracosta.org for more information.

The San Ramon Transit Center is located at the intersection of Executive Parkway and Camino Ramon and provides 54 parking spaces for residents and/or commuters to leave their cars and meet a carpool, vanpool, or ride public transit. It also provides bike racks and lockers for those residents/commuters bicycling to the transit center.

TRAFFIX is a student transportation program designed to reduce traffic congestion along key intersections throughout the San Ramon Valley. The program is funded by the Measure J 1/2 cents sales tax program and is managed by the Measure J Traffic Congestion Relief Agency -TRAFFIX. Service begun in the 2009/2010 school year and offered at selected school sites within San Ramon. For more information, please contact the TRAFFIX Program Manager for TRAFFIX Student Transportation Services at (925) 866-TRFX or email [email protected]

The City of San Ramon strives to keep the play equipment safe and fun for all of our younger residents. To accomplish this, all play equipment is inspected frequently for loose parts and other safety issues. If you notice any problems, please contact the Public Works Department at (925) 973-2800 or complete a CRM service request. If you see a Parks Maintenance worker nearby, let him or her know about the problem.

The Parks Maintenance Staff maintains all 15 restroom facilities located in our parks. The restrooms are cleaned and checked daily. If you see something broken, lighting that does not work, overflowing trash cans or any other issue that needs attention, please contact the Public Works Department at (925) 973-2800 or or complete a CRM service request.

The Public Works Department sends out field condition information through E-San Ramon when fields are closed, open, and under renovation. Once you subscribe, this information will be sent real time to your wireless device (phone or PDA) and can be updated as often as necessary to keep field users informed as to the status of fields, particularly during inclement weather. To receive Sports Field Conditions Alerts, subscribe to email updates.

An encroachment permit is needed if you are going to "encroach on a public street or city right of way. Some examples are: transporting an oversized vehicle, doing work in the city street or right of way, parking a dumpster on the street, or putting in a swimming pool. Click here for encroachment permit details.

Grading permits are required for any grading involving moving 50 cubic yards or more, or the excavation of a hole or a trench 5 feet deep or more. Click here for grading permit details.

Please contact USA North at (800) 227-2600 two days prior to digging.

A special event permit is needed when coordinating a public event, such as a charity walk or other event that will include the use of City streets or require City staff resources (for example: police assistance), you will need a special event permit. Special Event Permits adhere to strict regulations, and may require insurance, a $600 permit fee, as well as additional fees for City staff resources, when applicable.

If you are interested in applying for a Special Event Permit in the City of San Ramon, you must complete and download the San Ramon Special Event Permit Application, sign the Waiver of Liability and complete a written description on a separate document that addresses all nineteen (19) items listed in the application. Not all nineteen (19) items will apply to every permit. The Special Event Permit Application is designed for all events covered by Ordinance No. 231

NOTE: This application process is separate from the facility and park rental process. If you are interested in renting one of our parks and/or facilities for your special event, please click here to inquire about park and facility rentals.

Speed humps can be installed on local, residential streets as part of the City’s Residential Traffic Calming (RTC) Program. In order to initiate the speed hump process a petition package must be obtained by the requestor. Once the petition is signed by 75% of the residents along the affected street, City staff will begin to schedule traffic counts and conduct a warrant analysis to determine if speed humps are a feasible option for the particular roadway.

Stop signs are installed for right of way management at intersections where current traffic control is inefficient; and when the proposed location meets the stop sign installation criteria. Stop signs are not installed to slow vehicles or serve as traffic calming mitigation.

In order to analyze the effectiveness of stop sign control at an intersection, many factors must be considered, which include: traffic volumes, traffic accident history, pedestrian volumes, etc. Because stop signs are only used for right of way management, a specific traffic concern may be addressed through other traffic mitigation measures found in the Residential Traffic Calming Program.

The City's Radar Speed Trailer can be deployed on local or residential streets. Generally, the trailer is deployed for 1-2 consecutive days along a segment of roadway where speeding is a concern. In order to request the Radar Speed Trailer, please contact PJ Dhoot at (925) 973-2656.

The City of San Ramon makes every effort to remove graffiti as promptly as possible from public property, and the right of way. Graffiti located on private property is the responsibility of the property owner. You can report graffiti by calling the Public Works Department at (925) 973-2800 or by completing a CRM service request.

The City of San Ramon and the Contra Costa County Animal Control work together to remove dead animals from our roadways. You can contact Animal Control directly at (925) 335-8300 or submit a CRM service request.

The Public Works Department is the first stop towards getting your sidewalk repaired. Staff will inspect any complaint received regarding a problem with a sidewalk. Repairs that we make can range from grinding lifted areas or patching irregularities to eliminating trip hazards. Major or permanent repairs are performed as part of the Sidewalk Replacement Program, which is managed by the City's Engineering Services. You can report sidewalk problems by calling the Public Works Department at (925) 973-2800 or by completing a CRM service request.

You may call the Public Works Department at (925) 973-2800 or complete a CRM service request to report a pothole. The City is proactive in repairing potholes, and routinely performs repairs. Your assistance is appreciated; if you see a pothole, contact the Public Works Department and report the location. We will dispatch a repair crew to the site and make any needed repairs.

The City schedules a crew to clean all storm drains each year prior to the rainy season to help ensure proper flow of water runoff. Please remember that these storm drains drain into the creeks and ocean. Never put anything into the drain that is harmful to the environment, this includes motor oil, coolant, pesticides, herbicides or other organic materials. Always dispose of these items properly. For information regarding Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), please contact the Central Contra Costa County Sanitary District HHW Hotline at (800) 646-1431 or visit the Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Web Site.

Please contact the Public Works Department at (925) 973-2800 or or complete a CRM service request.

Suggested Routes to School Maps are created every summer for the following school year. These maps are designed to encourage students to walk or bike to school as opposed to being driven. The maps take into account sidewalks, crosswalks, crossing guards, traffic signals and stop signs and recommend the easiest route for students. Click here for these maps.

Street Smarts is a traffic safety education program in the San Ramon Valley whose mission is to change pedestrian, driver and cyclist behavior. Through grant funding and community partnerships, Street Smarts offers engaging traffic safety programs at elementary, middle and high schools and the community at large. Find more information about Street Smarts at www.street-smarts.com or by contacting the Street Smarts Coordinator at [email protected]"

In general, traffic signals operate predictably. Someone who drives a corridor on a regular basis will know the order of every movement (phase sequences), have a sense of how long they have to wait for their turn (cycle length), and know how long their light will be green (green time). Cycle length and phase sequences are fixed based on a “time of day” plan. The City’s signals are programmed with minimum and maximum green times, which are triggered based on vehicle detection. Basically, traffic signals have been restricted to operate in a linear, predictable fashion.

The system serves vehicles as quickly as possible based on delay. This operation will result in a different experience for drivers who are accustomed to the traffic signals serving most of the vehicles each phase. Also, the system attempts to utilize available segments of green time, which may result in a portion of the waiting vehicles not getting served with the first green light. Generally, drivers should notice an improvement in their commute time, although some drivers may experience a slight increase in delay accessing Crow Canyon Road or Bollinger Canyon Road.

There are a number of actions we can take to ensure that the green time is extended, but the unusual sequencing is part of the new system’s unique logic. An understanding of the theory behind the new system operation may help explain why it often serves out of the traditional order.

The new system counts the number of vehicles in each lane, and sends the data to a computer to optimize the allocation of green time. It attempts to follow a timing sequence that best serves the greatest number of cars, without regard to the traditional sequence. To accomplish this, sometimes it serves a movement twice while others wait. We learned that the system tends to overprotect the main street traffic priority at the expense of the side streets. Consequently, we have made major system changes to improve service for the minor streets.

Traffic volumes are recorded on a yearly basis as part of the Citywide Traffic Monitoring Program along major arterial roadways in San Ramon. The data is collected and analyzed annually for key roadways and street intersections to identify problem locations so that necessary mitigation measures can be developed in a timely manner. Traffic count data can be obtained by calling (925) 973-2650.

If a traffic signal light is not functioning, please contact the Public Works Department at (925) 973-2800 during normal business hours (8:30 am - 5:00 pm). For after hours, or on weekends, you can contact the City of San Ramon Police Services non-emergency dispatch at (925) 973-2779.