CITY OF PACIFICA
COUNCIL AGENDA SUMMARY REPORT
9/25/2023
1 SUBJECT:
City of Pacifica response to the Grand Jury Report: "Bike Safety in San Mateo County: Making Bicycling Safer in the County"
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Move to approve the response to the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury Report titled "Bike Safety in San Mateo County: Making Bicycling Safer in the County" STAFF CONTACT:
Bob Palacio, Director Parks Beaches and Recreation
650 738-7382
[email protected]
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
Early in California’s history, the California Constitution established grand juries in each county.
The California Penal Code provides for the formation of civil grand juries and their powers and duties. With respect to public agencies, grand juries are authorized to “Investigate and report upon the operations, accounts and records of the officers, departments, functions, and the method or systems of performing the duties of any such city or joint powers agency and make such recommendations as it may deem proper and fit.” California Penal Code § 925(a). Within 90 days after the Grand Jury submits a report regarding the operations of any public agency, the “Governing body of the public agency shall comment to the presiding judge of the Superior Court on the findings and recommendations pertaining to matters under the control of the governing body…” California Penal Code § 933(c).
As bicycle riding has become an ever more meaningful form of transportation, especially with the popularization of eBikes, the demand by San Mateo County residents for safe micro-mobility solutions has soared. A Civil Grand Jury was formed and asked the question "Are San Mateo County and its municipalities positioned to respond to safety concerns and meet those demands? The Civil Grand Jury report was released on July 10, 2023. The City of Pacifica is required to respond to the findings and recommendations by October 10, 2023.
In summary, the report finds that due to differences in terrain, population density, and existing infrastructure, the 20 different municipalities and the unincorporated portions of the County have differing bicycle safety needs and requirements. Some cities are very hilly, making commuting to work, school, or transit stations nearly impossible. Others are more urban and accommodate many more commuting bicyclists. The County also has some areas that are primarily recreational biking destinations and areas that accommodate both commuting bicyclists and recreational bicyclists. As a result, each community also assigns a different level of importance to bicycle safety relative to other issues, such as crime, motor vehicle safety and public works improvement projects. And education and enforcement about bicycle laws varies from one jurisdiction to another.
Pacifica City Council 2
September 25, 2023
Despite the differences among the jurisdictions, there are several commonalities. One is that cities and law enforcement do not consistently maintain records about bicycle near misses, accidents, or complaints; data is neither broadly available nor consistently maintained. Another commonality is that government entities focused on bicycling and/or improving bicycle safety do not communicate and collaborate with each other often enough, if at all. This makes it difficult to get accurate information on the number and severity of incidents and gauge how safe it is to bicycle in San Mateo County. Without data, and communication among the municipalities, San Mateo County and its cities and towns lose out on available state and local funding to improve bicycle safety through physical improvement projects.
2022-2023 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury Recommendations To improve bicycle safety and thereby increase ridership, San Mateo County and its cities and towns need to:
1. Create effective ways to educate bicycle riders and motorists about bicycle rules of the road to enhance predictability.
2. Develop consistent communications among government organizations responsible for bike safety (e.g., between law enforcement and public works).
3. Conduct enforcement details in each jurisdiction to ensure enforcement leads to education.
4. Collect accurate data about accidents and incidents that is crucial to supporting and justifying grant applications and funding from State and local agencies for physical improvements to infrastructure for bicyclists (e.g., connectivity of bicycle routes from one city to another), needed signage, and other engineering improvements.
The City of Pacifica responses can be found in Attachment B "Bike Safety SMC Civil Grand Jury Pacifica Response Letter.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION:
Decline to accept the draft response to the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury and provide additional direction to staff.
RELATION TO CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND WORK PLAN:
Improve and steward City infrastructure, streets, and facilities FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact of accepting this report and implementing the recommendations are minimal and can be addressed with budgeted resources.
ORIGINATED BY:
Parks, Beaches & Recreation Department
ATTACHMENT LIST:
Attachment A: Bike Safety in San Mateo County Final Report (PDF) Attachment B: Bike Safety SMC Civil Grand Jury Pacifica Response Letter (PDF)