Peninsula Moves!

El Camino Real Gets Smart: While El Camino Real is a historic corridor with deep roots in the founding of San Mateo County, most everyone agrees that it could move a little better. Fortunately, the thoroughfare is in store for an upgrade. Construction is set to begin on the San Mateo County Smart Corridor project, an endeavor that will install fiber-optic communication signals, various traffic control devices, closed circuit television cameras and other gadgets designed to improve traffic flow and safety conditions on El Camino Real and its surrounding arteries. At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, officials from Caltrans, San Mateo County Transportation Authority and other local agencies will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the San Mateo Police Department to celebrate the launch of the Smart project.

Don’t Forget to Vote!: The most contentious election season in recent memory (maybe ever) will finally draw to a close on Tuesday, when residents go to the polls to vote on the President and countless other measures up for approval. The California ballot is stuffed with various propositions and local elections are as equally thick with proposed laws. Transportation funding is a particularly prescient topic this year, as funding measures are on the ballots in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco and Contra Costa counties, and a bond measure to support BART services is also on the docket. Depending on the wishes of voters, the Bay Area public transportation network could have a dramatically different feel to it on Wednesday morning.

South Asia Cinema Comes to Life in the Bay Area: From documentaries about the origins of Bollywood’s colorful movie posters to harrowing films about the Japanese Red Army, there will be something for everyone at the South Asian Film Festival. Presented by 3rd-I Films, the four-day festival will kick off this Thursday in San Francisco and will last until Sunday. Screenings will be held at theaters across San Francisco and also in the South Bay city of Cupertino. Now in its 14^th year, the festival has been a leading showcase for filmmakers from the South Asian Subcontinent, with celebrated releases like Slumdog Millionaire and Four Lions making their debut as past events. Passengers traveling on Caltrain can transfer to Muni and Valley Transportation Authority connections for trips to the participating movie theaters.