Draft bicycle master plan is up for review in San Mateo

Jay Yu, engineering manager with the city’s Public Works Department, acknowledged several new ideas and strategies for enhancing the bicycling experience have been developed since the city adopted its first bicycle master plan in 2011. Launched in August of 2018, the effort to imagine improvements to and expansions of San Mateo’s more than 77 miles of bicycle routes has garnered input from those who attended community events across the city as well as others who weighed in online, according to a staff report.

Acknowledging the bar for acceptable bicycle improvements has been raised in recent years, Yu looked forward to shifting the department’s focus from scoping possible changes to implementing a safer and more efficient bicycle network in the city.

“I think this is a big milestone for San Mateo,” he said. “We’re excited to really embark on our next chapter as this plan finalizes.”

The effort to update the city’s bicycle master plan overlapped with the city’s General Plan update process — which is aimed at setting a vision for the city’s next 20 years and is expected to include discussions on housing, land use policy, circulation, open space, noise, safety and conservation — as well as the building of the city’s first bicycle boulevard on 28th Avenue in the Hillsdale neighborhood, according to the draft plan.

By analyzing the city’s existing network of bicycle paths, identifying the system’s needs and defining goals for the city’s future bicycle network, city officials developed a list of short- and long-term projects aimed at boosting safe bicycle riding in the city, according to the draft plan.

Yu said city officials were pleased with the level of public input gathered to inform the plan, which he noted was collected through a bicycle tour of the city and pop-up events at the College of San Mateo Farmers’ Market and the Hillsdale Caltrain station, among others. On an online interactive map, residents also flagged sites throughout the city where they have encountered bicycle-related issues, routes they currently use while riding their bicycles and places where they would like to ride in the future. San Mateo’s Citizen Advisory Group, Technical Advisory Group and Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission also weighed in on plan as it took shape, according to the draft plan.

Creating a low-stress bicycle network accessible to all ages and abilities, improving the safety of bicycle routes, fostering bicycle-friendly attitudes, ensuring the city’s bicycle network serves all and reducing dependency on driving are among the goals pegged in the plan. To reach those goals, targets such as upgrading or creating five miles of low-stress bicycle routes annually and allocating funds to support signs directing bicyclists to routes throughout the city were identified, according to the draft plan.

Acknowledging most people identify as interested in bicycling but concerned about doing so unless speeds and volumes are low, Yu hoped the effort to establish better bicycle connections between city destinations would motivate more people to leave their cars at home and try another form of transportation.

“One of the biggest goals for us is giving confidence to the average rider to trust the network and really able to switch their mode of transportation,” he said.

The draft plan proposes separated bicycle lanes — which use curbs or parked vehicles to establish a designated lane for bicyclists separate from car lanes — on Fashion Island Boulevard, stretches of West Hillsdale Boulevard near the College of San Mateo and on East Third Avenue in the city’s downtown. New bicycle lanes, traffic signal improvements and pavement markings are among the upgrades pegged for intersections like 25th Avenue and El Camino Real, Franklin Parkway and Saratoga Drive and Fashion Island Boulevard and Norfolk Street, according to the draft plan.

To ensure the recommendations can be implemented, the plan also outlines policies that can support an effective and safe bicycle network, such as educational resources like a bicycle web page and stepped-up enforcement of bicycle-related traffic violations. Though the city typically funds bicycle-related projects through grants and capital improvement program funds, the plan includes a list of local, county, regional, state, and federal funding sources San Mateo officials could pursue.

If the city’s Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission approves the draft plan Wednesday, Yu said the City Council could adopt it as early as February.

The commission will also consider a draft 2020 Climate Action Plan at its Wednesday meeting. Aimed at providing updated estimates on citywide greenhouse gas emissions and strategies for reducing them, the plan includes policies encouraging all-electric building development and a commuter program to cut down on car use.

The city’s Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission meets 7 p.m. Dec. 11 at City Hall, 330 W. 20th Ave. Visit cityofsanmateo.org/3944/Bicycle-Master-Plan-Update for more information on San Mateo’s draft Bicycle Master Plan. 

anna@smdailyjournal.com

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