San Mateo officials hope for support on new bike lane plans

While there are currently bike lanes on 19th Avenue, which eventually turns into Fashion Island Boulevard, the project would construct Class IV, or protected, lanes between Pacific Boulevard west of Delaware Street and Mariners Island Boulevard east of the Marina Lagoon, enhancing connectivity to other parts of the city and major transit connections. Pedestrian crossing and sidewalk improvements would also be implemented, including between Pacific and Mariners Island boulevards and on the bridge over Seal Slough, also known as Marina Lagoon.

Public Works Director Matt Fabry said some neighboring residents were concerned that the project would prioritize bike lane infrastructure over vehicle congestion relief, which many have been advocating for over the course of many years.

But to mitigate traffic at the often-congested Fashion Island Boulevard and Norfolk Street intersection, the city proposes lengthening the left turn lane — which would turn into a lane for left turns and through traffic — by about 400 feet. There would also be traffic signal modifications and a reconfiguration of lanes on the Seal Slough bridge, creating two eastbound lanes and one westbound lane. Currently, the configuration comprises one eastbound lane and two westbound.

The project highlights a broader issue with which the city is contending — improving bike lane infrastructure while balancing the needs of nearby residents who park and drive their cars in the area. Earlier this year, the City Council voted to start the process of removing bike lanes on one street in the North Central neighborhood — funded by a $1.5 million federal grant that the city will probably have to repay in part — after residents complained about the subsequent loss of parking spaces and voicing concern their input wasn’t included prior to its implementation. And earlier this month, the city revised its Delaware Street bike lane project after resident concerns over the initial proposal to eliminate a vehicle travel lane.

Like the North Central grant project, the bike lane and pedestrian improvements along 19th Avenue and Fashion Island Boulevard will be largely grant-funded, which Councilmember Nicole Fernandez said comes with pros and cons.

“It feels a little bit like we are rushing ... because we have this grant money that’s coming, and we’re sort of putting our timeline behind the grant money instead of putting our timeline behind the residents,” Fernandez said. “That’s concerning to me considering that I live in a district where we’re living with the effects of a similar project with the bike lanes.”

Fabry has stated that the congestion relief aspects of the project “wouldn’t be possible” without the grant funding.

While the council generally supported the project, Mayor Rob Newsom also stated the project is a “mixed modal solution” that needs to cater to all users.

“It’s got to be focused on being right for the cyclists. It’s got to be focused on being right for pedestrians, and it’s got to be focused on being right for car traffic, and hopefully if we solve for all of those we’ll see people using more alternatives,” he said.

The project is estimated to cost about $27 million.