San Mateo County to see significant upgrades to its bus stops

But the scope of the short-term recommendations — which would comprise a smaller list — total $53 million, which will be funded by a mixture of local funds and grants. 

“We’re shooting for an implementation timeline of three to five years. These improvements are spread throughout San Mateo County with an emphasis on high ridership, high-impact stops,” said Daniel Shockley, principal planner at SamTrans, the county’s transportation agency.

Such upgrades would likely include about 170 new shelters and about 200 digital signs with real-time schedule and information. Discussions surrounding the availability of trash cans at the stops were also raised, especially in light of the relatively high cost to maintain them.

“The frequency of having to empty them is laborious,” SamTrans Chief Operating Officer David Olmeda said. “Often it’s best to remove them because we don’t have control as to how much we accumulate in those areas. Typically, when they’re close to an establishment … it invites elements that are not riding the bus, so it does become a challenge for us to maintain a safe and sanitary area.”

However, Board Member Ray Mueller, also a San Mateo County supervisor, expressed concern over their removal, stating the lack of trash cans in San Francisco leads people to “just drop it if they don’t know where to put it.”

Other design and project input came from local residents, including Ken Kershner, an advocate with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. 

“We’re working on a series of bikeway projects that will run along El Camino, and by some careful design on bus stops, we can minimize the conflict mixing zone between bikeways and bus stops,” Kershner said. “It’s a significant safety issue.”

Implementation of the near-term recommendations is slated to begin in 2025, with coordination between jurisdictions on the rollout to begin this summer.