San Mateo’s work to improve street infrastructure for bicyclists is progressing because of awarded funding and prioritization, according to a presentation at the recent Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission meeting.
Making the city more bike friendly has been a priority of the City Council as it works to reduce greenhouse gas, increase safety and promote alternative transit modes other than cars. Since 2020, the city has completed bike infrastructure projects on Fifth and 28th avenues, in the North Central neighborhood, and Pacific Avenue, with ongoing work to make improvements elsewhere. The city is requesting bids for the design and community engagement sections of the Delaware Street Safe Routes to School bicycle project, which will place a separate bike lane on Delaware Street from 19th Avenue to 28th Avenue and a bicycle boulevard on Delaware Street from 28th Avenue to Pacific Boulevard to improve safety and connectivity to nearby schools. The city has been awarded $1.66 million in funds from the California Transportation Commission for the project. The city plans to pave a bicycle boulevard on Sunnybrae Boulevard from South Delaware Street to South Amphlett Boulevard this summer and install a bike lane on Fifth Avenue between B Street and Railroad Avenue in June, according to a staff report from the June 14 meeting.
The city is also reducing school zone speed limits to reduce collisions between vehicles and pedestrians and bicyclists. The rules call for 15 mph within 500 feet of the school and 25 mph between 500 to 1,000 feet. The current speed limit at San Mateo schools is 25 mph. The project will go in phases and starts with elementary and middle schools. It will then go to high schools and then private schools. The first phase for public elementary and middle schools is ongoing, with city staff noting construction that consists of putting up signs may finish close to the first day of school in August. The city is doing outreach for phase one, focused on educating residents and the school community. The city will begin outreach to residents on the changes in late July. San Mateo police officers will provide rotating speed enforcement near the schools.
Of the 34 schools in San Mateo, 11 do not have any qualifying streets to reduce speed, meaning only 23 qualify. Aragon High School is ineligible because it is on Alameda de las Pulgas and has more through-traffic lanes than allowed under California Vehicle Code criteria.
Commissioner Pamela Rittelmeyer noted that while more federal bicycle infrastructure funding will come in 2026, she worried about the dangers bicyclists face now and called for more urgency. She said her correspondence with Aragon High School students who bicycle shows that many want safer routes, and she argued that safer routes would increase bicyclists and decrease car use.
“I would like to see the city of San Mateo really get on par with other cities around the Peninsula and other places,” Rittelmeyer said at the June 14 meeting.
Several public speakers echoed the need to make areas near schools safer for bicyclists and walkers, with a call for more near Borel Middle School on Barneson Avenue.
It would be nice to not have total tunnel vision on bike lanes and truly consider the realities of neighborhoods. A huge mistake was made in North Central, removing over 200 parking spaces in an area where cars and trucks are part of resident livelihoods. This is to be fixed, and it would be nice if City Council ensures it is fixed before any new bike lanes are installed.
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(1) comment
It would be nice to not have total tunnel vision on bike lanes and truly consider the realities of neighborhoods. A huge mistake was made in North Central, removing over 200 parking spaces in an area where cars and trucks are part of resident livelihoods. This is to be fixed, and it would be nice if City Council ensures it is fixed before any new bike lanes are installed.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.