Foster City prioritizes bike, pedestrian projects: Council identifies 6 bike lane efforts along parts of Beach Park, Edgewater and Foster City boulevards

The projects would include three new Class IV bike lanes — or fully separated, protected bike lanes — on Beach Park Boulevard, between Foster City Boulevard and Gull Avenue; Edgewater Boulevard between East Hillsdale Boulevard and city limits; and another section of Edgewater Boulevard between Boothbay Avenue and Hillsdale Boulevard. Another two would comprise Class III bike lanes — which are delineated lanes but not by physical barriers — on Gull Avenue between Beach Park Boulevard and East Hillsdale Boulevard and Marlin Avenue between Catamaran Street and Beach Park Boulevard.

The prioritization method included several aspects, focusing on safety, connectivity and feasibility components, especially in places like Foster City Boulevard.

“Anecdotally, I do hear from students and kids that they actually don’t use the streets … because they’re nervous and they’ll ride on the sidewalk,” Councilmember Phoebe Venkat said during the council meeting. “We might reduce lanes and there could be some parking loss as well. I’d rather have parking loss than other things lost.”

The council also decided to add another Class IV bike lane project to the priority list on parts of Foster City Boulevard, however, some concerns were raised about emergency access and vehicle congestion if a travel lane would need to be eliminated for some of the projects.

“If we go on Foster City Boulevard from two to one lane, even right now, it gets backed up. We’re backed up getting onto 92 west,” Mayor Art Kiesel said during the meeting. “Losing a lane is, to me, a big deal.”

One travel lane would likely be eliminated on Beach Park Boulevard and possibly on Edgewater, however, it’s still too early to know for certain, according to the staff presentation.

Once the initial phase is finalized, a draft plan will be shared with the public, eventually going before the City Council for adoption.