San Mateo unveils new speed limits for public schools

Schools affected include North Shoreview Elementary, College Park Elementary, LEAD Elementary, Bayside Academy, Parkside Elementary, Sunnybrae Elementary, San Mateo Park Elementary, Borel Middle School, Fiesta Gardens International Elementary, Beresford Elementary, George Hall Elementary, Laurel Elementary and Abbot Middle School.

Slow for Students hopes to reduce speed limits and give students more options to walk and bike to school, following directions from the City Council to identify ways to improve transit safety around schools. The Public Works Department is rolling out new speed limit signs in three phases, with public elementary and middle schools getting signs first, followed by private elementary and middle schools, and then high schools. Notifications with construction information will be sent to schools and residents near schools at the beginning of each phase. San Mateo Principal Transportation Planner Sue-Ellen Atkinson said the city was excited to roll out a program focused on public transportation safety around schools, a priority for many parents. The hope is the speed reductions would increase bike and pedestrian safety around schools and reduce the severity of collisions.

“This was one method of speed reduction to focus on safety,” Atkinson said.

San Mateo has identified 34 public and private schools serving kindergarten through high school within the city. Of the 61 streets near these schools, 11 did not qualify for the school zone speed limit because they have more than two total through traffic lanes and 12 because they are not in a residential district, according to a city report. 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. The plan is for phases two and three to be constructed during the school year.

Phase two will include Centennial Montessori School, The Carey School, Shiloh United School, Stanbridge Academy, St. Gregory Elementary School, St. Matthew Catholic School and St. Timothy School. Phase three will be Hillsdale, Serra and San Mateo high schools.

The efforts are part of the city’s Complete Streets Plan to change the car-centric transit modes and include better safety and use for bikes and pedestrians. The city has been looking at ways to improve safety for several years after the council made it a priority.

The city has previously said data from previous years show most pedestrian collisions in San Mateo are driver violations, with the majority happening at locations with higher vehicle volume. Pedestrian right-of-way collisions account for a majority of pedestrian collisions.

“As my children and yours return to school this week, I’m excited to share our city’s progress to reduce speed limits near schools. We all play a part in keeping our streets safe whether we walk, bike, or drive in San Mateo,” San Mateo City Mayor Amourence Lee said in a press release. “This effort is part of a comprehensive approach to achieve Vision Zero and eliminate road fatalities in our City.”

The San Mateo Police Department will be enforcing speed limits on a rotational basis at the schools.

People can go to https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/90844/Reduced-Speed-Limits-Phase-1-Map?bidId= for map information about the changes.