Editor,
A bicycle boulevard sounds nice! Unfortunately, it’s meaningless and dangerous. When I first heard the term, I was intrigued. After bicycling around San Mateo for over a decade, this concept was new to me. Once I learned more, I realized bicycle boulevards are not as nice as they sound.
On a bicycle boulevard, bikes share the road with vehicles. In San Mateo, examples include Fifth, 28th and Monte Diablo avenues. These roads feature a bike stencil on the pavement and a sign that reads “bicycle boulevard.” That’s it.
There’s no meaningful distinction between a bicycle boulevard and a regular road. A stencil and sign do nothing to protect cyclists or clarify behavior for drivers. Bicycle boulevards fail to provide the safety and separation necessary for confident cycling and are a waste of money. They require drivers to constantly look for cyclists and understandably seek to pass slower-moving bicycles.
Even more concerning, there are proposals to remove the Humboldt Street bike lanes (installed in 2022 and spanning 1.6 miles — the longest bike lane in San Mateo) and replace them with a bicycle boulevard. If this happens, I’ll be back in my car to navigate North Central, converting bike trips to car trips, increasing traffic and adding to the parking demand.
Don’t be fooled. Bicycle boulevards endanger cyclists — including children riding to and from school — and undermine San Mateo’s progress toward Safe Routes to School, Vision Zero goals and a greener future.
Allison MacQueen
San Mateo
The letter writer is co-lead of Move San Mateo.
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(1) comment
Thank you Allison. Anyone who gets on a bike knows that there are near misses with cars on almost every ride. It’s scary. And it is the reason more people don’t cycle. We need to feel safe. And this means bike lanes and protected lanes. Drivers are too distracted and too rushed to share the road safely. And the weather in the Bay Area is perfect for cycling most days! People want to bike…if they feel safe.
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