City of Foster City
MEMORANDUM
Public Works Engineering
DATE: April 13, 2026
TO: Stefan Chatwin, City Manager
VIA: Marlene Subhasini, Assistant City Manager
FROM: Andrew Brozyna, Public Works Director
Laura Galli, Engineering Manager
Claire McWilliams, Assistant Engineer
SUBJECT: The Addition of a Class IV Bicycle Facility to Foster City Boulevard
Background
Foster City Boulevard (FCB) is a primary north/south corridor serving both residents and visitors to Foster City and is currently configured with multiple travel lanes in each direction with dedicated turn pockets on the southbound side and residential parking on the northbound side. The corridor serves some of the highest traffic volumes for the City and plays an important role in the overall network.
During the design phase of the Street Rehabilitation Project (2025-2026), staff evaluated potential bicycle facility upgrades and safety improvements, ultimately adding intersection stop bars and additional turn lane arrows to enhance pedestrian safety. At the time the construction documents were developed in 2025, however, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan (BPMP) was still in its early stages. Without finalized recommendations from the consultants and input from Council on its priorities , it was premature to alter the striping plan and layout for FCB. Since improving the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) is a major priority for the City, the paving project proceeded as planned.
Later, as the BPMP progressed, it ultimately led to the recommendation for Class IV bike lanes, with the caveat that it would require a comprehensive feasibility study. If deemed feasible, this would evolve into a large -scale, standalone project requiring extensive public outreach due to anticipated traffic movement changes and new restrictions , meaning the design could take a significant amount of time to be developed.
Current Ask/Proposal
The current ask from the City Council is to incorporate a Class IV bike lane into the paving project, post-award in response to community interest.
While staff support expanding bicycle infrastructure , a Class IV bike lane represents a significant roadway modification and cannot be considered a minor adjustment which may result in a lane reduction and parking loss to an already awarded paving project.
Process
The standard process for implementation of any bike facility or alteration of a roadway’s cross section goes through, at a minimum, the following steps:
1. Traffic Study
Implementation of a Class IV bike lane on a major corridor of this type typically requires a detailed traffic analysis to evaluate the overall level of service (LOS), which includes, speed, travel time, and comfort. This level of analysis would need to be completed and requires a transportation consultant to perform the study.
2. Public Outreach
Public outreach is essential. Projects involving lane reductions and parking removal include a robust public outreach process. While general feedback has been received as part of the Bicycle and Pedestrian planning process , a focused effort would guide project development more effectively. During Phase 1 outreach of the BPMP, community members expressed concerns regarding potential traffic impacts, and these concerns should be explored more in depth to identify localized concerns to Foster City Boulevard.
As demonstrated throughout the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, a structured outreach process allows the City to present alternatives, evaluate trade -offs, and refine the design based on community input. Neighboring jurisdictions have followed extensive outreach and evaluation processes for similar projects:
1. The City of San Mateo’s Delaware Street Safe Routes to School Corridor Bicycle Improvements Project included over a year of public outreach prior to implementation.
2. The City of San Mateo’s 19 th Ave and Fashion Island Blvd Multimodal Improvements Project also involved more than a year of community engagement and technical analysis.
3. In contrast, recent implementation of bike lanes on California Drive in Burlingame generated community concerns related to limited outreach and impacts to local businesses.
These examples demonstrate the importance of a deliberate and transparent process, particularly for projects involving roadway reconfiguration and potential traffic impacts.
3. Transit Coordination
Foster City Boulevard also serves as a transit route. The addition of a bike lane to the roadway has implications for bus routes and bus stop configuration, which would be explored through collaboration with SamTrans. Without this phase, there may be unintended consequences for transit us ers and cyclists using the bike facility.
Constraints and Impacts
While bike lanes allow users to access a roadway through a new mode of transportation, there are multiple constraints and impacts that are considered and evaluated as part of the standard planning process.
The first of these impacts is to traffic. Currently, the width of both the northbound and southbound roadways on Foster City Boulevard cannot support the addition of a Class IV bike lane without the reduction of travel lanes and removal of some on -street parking.
These impacts have not been evaluated through a formal traffic study or public engagement process.
Additionally, the extent of the paving project does not extend along the full length of Foster City Boulevard. As a result, a partial installation of a Class IV bike lane, as proposed, would not provide a continuous bike lane and may direct cyclists onto higher stress roadways, limiting overall effectiveness. A formal capital improvement project (CIP) would examine the entire length of Foster City Boulevard, holistically, and not just limited to the extents of the paving project.
Adopted Policy
Current policy adopted by the City Council includes a Complete Streets policy , which emphasizes creating a transportation network that is safe, equitable, and convenient for all users, while also preserving flexibility, recognizing community context, and using best practices and appropriate design standards.
These principles require balancing the needs of all users, including motorists, transit riders, pedestrians, bicyclists, and ensuring that any improvements are appropriate for the corridor. Advancing a Class IV bike lane without sufficient analysis and outreach may not fully reflect this balanced, context-sensitive approach outlined in the Complete Streets policy.
Risks
Implementing a Class IV bike lane under the current proposed process may result in the following:
- Unanticipated traffic congestion; and
- Diversion of traffic to nearby streets; and
- Public dissatisfaction if impacts are not sought out, understood, and addressed in a thorough public outreach and design process; and
- A facility that does not function optimally due to gaps in connectivity; and - Reduced opportunity to refine the design through public input.
These risks are typically discovered and mitigated through the standard planning and outreach process.
Recommendation
Staff recommend that the installation of a Class IV bike lane on Foster City Boulevard not be incorporated into the current paving project. Instead, staff recommend:
1. Evaluating the corridor through the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan process
2. Conducting a detailed traffic study
3. Completing a thorough and robust public engagement process, similar to other jurisdictions
This approach ensures the City delivers a project that is not only consistent with policy goals, but also implementable and supported by the community.
To expedite this process, staff can move forward with the development of a Class IV bike lane prior to the completion of the BPMP, starting with a traffic study, which would include creating a new CIP and rearranging priorities. This would include skipping the public outreach outlined above and potentially streamline the project by 1 year. However, this is not the recommendation of staff for reasons stated earlier . Even with the expedited process, staff would likely not be able to onboard a consultant, perf orm a traffic study, and complete a striping plan prior to the completion of the paving project.
Conclusion
The City has a strong interest in advancing bicycle infrastructure and Complete Streets goals. However, implementing a Class IV bike lane on a corridor such as Foster City Boulevard requires careful study, design, and community engagement.
Incorporating this facility into a paving project at this stage would bypass key steps in that process and introduce normally avoidable risks. Taking the time to complete the appropriate analysis and outreach will result in a more effective, better supported, and ultimately more successful project.