Bicycle safety and infrastructure in the county will remain a concern in the coming years due to a need to address and increase safety initiatives, according to a San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury report.
In its report, released July 10, the jury looked at if the county and cities are well positioned to respond to safety concerns and increased bike demand, with calls for further education, coordinated planning and data keeping across cities, and more enforcement of bicycle laws. Many cities do not consistently keep records or data about bicycle near misses, accidents or complaints, losing out on available state and local funding to improve bicycle safety through improvement projects. The report noted a similar 2002 grand jury report about bike safety in the county recommended several changes, but little has changed in the decades following.
The grand jury recommended seven improvements by 2024, like having law enforcement agencies have more data updates on bicycle accidents, sending warning letters to motorists for violations of the 3-foot law and having law enforcement agencies provide ways for people to report bicycle-related incidents. The county and cities are recommended to offer a bike safety and laws education program for riders and motorists, generate a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan if its current plan is older than five years, and apply online to generate a Bicycle Friendly Community Report Card for the public. The report also recommends having cities meet with county officials to establish a regional effort to integrate all city bicycle plans and work on regional grant opportunities.
Bicycle safety has been an important priority for the county and cities for years as municipalities work to increase alternative forms of transportation to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, reduce traffic and decrease collisions. However, the report noted that only 1% of the county population rides bikes as a form of transportation, which remains similar to previous decades.
A 2021 report, from Walkup, Melodia Kelly & Schoenberger law firm, found heavily trafficked areas of Redwood City, Menlo Park and Burlingame see a high number of accidents. According to the study, the county’s most dangerous area is Ringwood Avenue and Van Buren Road in Menlo Park. The report noted that in a five-year period studied in the report, 1,275 bicycle-related collisions occurred in the county, resulting in 1,185 cyclist injuries and nine fatalities. The most common reason for the collisions included right-of-way violations, improper turning, unsafe speeds, being on the wrong side of the road or traffic signal and sign violations. In the unincorporated areas of the county, the Unincorporated San Mateo County Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee has expressed concern with the number of incidents between motorists and bicyclists that are not addressed by law enforcement, with the Sheriff’s Office working to address the issue.
Challenges remain due to the different types of geography and the density of cities in the area. Woodside and Portola Valley have hills with narrow roads, while Half Moon Bay has dangerous surface roads on State Route 92 and Highway 1 that make it difficult to plan and provide safety. Some cities have also focused more on bike safety to ensure safe routes to school, with more education needed on general rules that can help reduce the number of crashes throughout the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The grand jury consists of 19 citizens who investigate a certain issue and provide recommendations and guidance for improvements, with elected officials required to respond to the findings within 60 days.
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