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COMPLETE COMPLETE
STREETS PLANSTREETS PLAN
NORTH CENTRALNORTH CENTRAL
01 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
Photo: Winter Consulting, 2023
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Community Needs and Goals:
A Local Vision
METHODOLOGY
Over the course of the initial phase of community
engagement, the City and the project team
met with dozens of community leaders and
stakeholders. The community engagement plan
included structured meetings like focus groups
and one-on-one interviews, as well as informal
engagement activities like tabling at community
events.
The objectives of community engagement
for the Complete Streets North Central Plan
were to understand North Central community
leaders’ and stakeholders’ lived experience
of the neighborhood as it relates to mobility
and transportation, how individuals travel
within and through the neighborhood, and to
identify community needs to improve overall
safety, comfort, and function of neighborhood
streets. Through the initial phase of community
engagement, over 500 unique comments were
collected. The purpose of this document is to:
(1) document the existing needs through the
community’s eyes; and (2) summarize data
typically needed by funding agencies to justify
funding for the key projects coming out of later
phases of the plan.
KEY THEMES
Each comment collected during the first phase
of community engagement were reviewed by
the project team and categorized into a Key
Theme: Design and Infrastructure, Community
Accountability, Public Transit and Transportation,
Parking, Traffic Flow and Traffic Congestion,
and Context. The overarching narrative of each
key theme is to improve the overall public
safety, security, comfort, confidence, and pride
individuals have traveling through and within the
community by foot, bike, car, or other mode.
The Key Themes organize and facilitate a more
holistic understanding of the needs and priority
concerns of the North Central community based
on their lived experiences. Each section includes
a summary of the Key Theme and selections
of direct community feedback. Additionally,
each Key Theme is visually summarized using a
variety of data sources – both qualitative (e.g.
lived experiences of community members) and
qualitative (e.g. collision data, traffic volume, and
speed) to support and lift up the community-
identified needs.
In subsequent phases of community
engagement, the Key Themes will guide
community leaders and stakeholders in
identifying the appropriate physical and
programmatic interventions they would like to
see implemented in North Central to address its
unique needs and concerns.
02 It Takes a Village. A Lived Experience
Group (LEG) member welcomes
neighbors and community stakeholders
into their home to discuss North
Central’s transportation-related
challenges and potential solutions.
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Design and Infrastructure
Design and Infrastructure includes comments
on the overall design and programming of
streets and above-ground infrastructure in
North Central, including their deficiencies. This
encompasses feedback on physical street and
roadway improvements and interventions,
street lighting, street signage, and other non-
physical traffic calming measures.
Community members frequently cited having
witnessed near-collisions or collisions they
believe were a result of the existing design
and constraints of the streets (e.g. narrow
lanes, larger vehicles, on-street parking). To
address these issues, community members
have suggested additional traffic calming
features be implemented like controlled
pedestrian crossings, safer bike routes and
lanes, and adequate pedestrian and auto-scale
lighting. The design of roadway environments
can mitigate human mistakes, encourage safer
behaviors, and facilitate safe travel by the
most vulnerable users.
To support these claims, data was
collected from the University of California’s
Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS)
for bicycle and pedestrian collisions between
2018-2022. Over this period, a total of 67
collisions involving pedestrians or cyclists
were reported in North Central, 43 involving
pedestrians and 24 involving cyclists (see
Figure 1).
Along the North Humboldt Street corridor,
10 collisions occurred between Peninsula and
Third Avenues. Within a one block radius of
the intersection of North Humboldt Street and
E Poplar Avenue, a critical intersection that
borders San Mateo High School and College
Park Elementary/Turnbull Children’s Center, 12
total collisions involving pedestrian or cyclists
occurred.1
1 UC Regents; Transportaiton Injury Mapping System
Along the North Delaware Street corridor,
a total of 7 collisions occurred between
Peninsula and Third Avenues, including a
collision involving a pedestrian that resulted
in severe injury near the intersection of North
Delaware Street and East Poplar Avenue.2
In 2023, the City initiated the preparation
of a Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP)
to establish a framework and process for
identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing
roadway safety improvements throughout
the City including North Central, which has
been partially funded through a grant from
the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans).
The LRSP aims to identify and analyze traffic
safety performance, crash patterns and
recommended strategic and proven solutions
to improve safety performance at priority
locations throughout the City. The plan will
include focus areas and identify high-priority
locations based on crash history, stakeholder
collaboration and community feedback.
Findings from both the Complete Streets
North Central community engagement
process and the LRSP will help inform
community members and City stakeholders of
North Central’s needs and priorities.
2 ibid.
“There should be a four-
way stop at the intersection
of Tilton Avenue and North
Claremont Street. It’s a
safety concern for bicyclists
and pedestrians – drivers
don’t stop and some drive
fast.”
Community Member
Food Distribution Pop Up
11/07/23
03 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central DRAFTDRAFT
“The intersection of Poplar
and Humboldt is a zoo. Many
drivers are coming on and
off the freeway. We need to
prioritize this intersection
for kids -- there are so many
children going to schools
nearby.”
Community Member
HANCSM Pop-In 11/09/23
Community Needs and Goals
04 Figure 1: Collisions Source: UC Regents, Transportation Injury Mapping System
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Community Accountability
The umbrella of Community Accountability
includes the desire to encourage and enforce
safe, and responsible behavior by residents,
workers, and visitors of North Central, and
create conditions that prioritize their ability
to reach their destination comfortably and
unharmed. This includes the overall aesthetics
and quality of North Central’s public realm.
While there is an overall sense of pride and
ownership of the neighborhood, community
members acknowledge that the cleanliness
and deferred maintenance of its streetscape
need to be addressed. This includes
community members’ comments on the need
for road resurfacing, fixing potholes, sidewalk
repairs, and landscape maintenance. Frequent
comments received involved the need to clean
and discourage illegal dumping and littering.
In 2023, 318 maintenance-related requests
were entered into San Mateo Public Works’
workorder database for North Central.
Roughly a third of all requests (32%) were
for debris pickup or cleaning, which validates
what was heard during engagement.
Additionally, 24% of requests were related
to sewer, storm, and flooding-related issues,
including backups and overflows which illegal
dumping and littering may be contributing to.
Roughly 22% of requests were directly related
to street maintenance or hazards, including
pothole, streetlight, and traffic signal repairs
(see Figure 2).
Additionally, community members made
several suggestions for individuals’ roles
and responsibilities in improving the
neighborhood’s public safety, security,
and comfort, including increased driver
accountability and education. It was
suggested that individual responsibility is
needed to supplement City enforcement of
traffic laws and municipal codes in a joint,
collaborative effort to achieve the goals for
improving conditions in North Central.
05 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
FIGURE 2: SAN MATEO PUBLIC WORKS WORK ORDERS (2023) Source: City of San Mateo
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Colored Curbs 2%
Trees / Vegatation 3%
Traffic Signals 3%
Street Light Repair 8%
Street Cleaning 1%
Storm Drain System 13%
Signage Repair 7%
Sidewalk Repair 2%Sewer System 9%
Potholes 3%
Manholes 1%
Flooding 2%
Facilities 15%
Debris Pick Up 31%
Community members frequently observed
what they perceive to be vehicles being driven
at high speeds. To substantiate and better
understand concerns of congestion, average
vehicle speed estimates were derived from
StreetLight Data for June 2022-May 2023.
Figures 3-5 visualize the average speeds
during Weekday PM Peak, Saturday Midday
Peak, and Sunday Midday Peak periods.
The posted speed limit throughout North
Central is 25 MPH. During Weekday PM Peak
Hour, average speed estimates were at or
below the posted speed limit (see Figure 3),
which is likely a result of the higher volume of
traffic observed during commute time periods.
However, during this period, speeds exceeding
25 MPH were observed along Amphlett
Boulevard, likely attributed to its proximity to
access points to and from US Highway 101.
During Saturday and Sunday Midday Peak
Hours, average speed estimates were at or
below the posted speed limit on local streets
(see Figures 4 and 5). However, during this
same period average speeds exceeding
25 MPH were observed on major arterials
that border and go through North Central,
including Peninsula, East Poplar, and East
Third avenues, and North Humboldt and
Delaware streets.
Community Needs and Goals
06 FIGURE 3: WEEKDAY PM PEAK HOUR
SPEEDS (3 PM - 4 PM)
Source: StreetLight Data
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07 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
FIGURE 4: SATURDAY MIDDAY
PEAK HOUR SPEEDS
(NOON - 1 PM)
FIGURE 5: SUNDAY MIDDAY
PEAK HOUR SPEEDS
(NOON - 1 PM)
Source: StreetLight DataSource: StreetLight Data
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Community Needs and Goals
08 FIGURE 6: TRANSIT ACCESS
“There are no shelters at
bus stops. During winter
people do not want
to wait and use public
transit.”
Community Member
LEG Interview 07/31/23
Source: SamTrans
Public Transit and Transportation
Community members cited the need for improved access to public transit and transportation options, and improved safety, function, and comfortable transit facilities. This includes considerations for individuals with disabilities and seniors, ensuring that all transportation services and facilities are safe for all users, including those with mobility, vision, hearing, or cognitive impairments. It also refers to the overall inclusiveness of transportation systems, including affordability, the availability and frequency of service, and comfortable and convenient access.
TABLE 1: COMMUTE MODE SHARE
Source: US Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
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For public transit, the North Central neighborhood is served by SamTrans Bus Routes 53, 59, 292, and 250. SamTrans provides bus service throughout San Mateo County and into portions of San Francisco and Palo Alto. Routes 292 and 53 are the only routes serving the core of North Central and the routes travel primarily along North Delaware Street, with stops serving major activity centers including Woodlake Shopping Center, San Mateo High School, College Park Elementary, Martin Luther King Jr. Park and Community Center, and Downtown. North Central is also served by Caltrain, a commuter rail line serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley, with one San Mateo station located on the border of North Central and Downtown (see Figure 6).
“There is a need for more
parking on N Idaho Street.
Bike lanes are nice, but there
is limited parking in the
neighborhood for an area
that needs more parking
for multiple families living
in one household. People
are just parking their cars
in their front yards which
disrupts the neighborhood
character. Parking has been
a problem for many years.”
Community Member
Focus Group 11/09/23
In terms of commute mode, North Central
workers carpool, take public transportation,
walk, and bike to work at higher rates than
workers in the city, but driving alone is the
main commute mode in both geographies
(see Table 1).3
Parking
A consistent theme in community feedback
was that the availability of parking is a
constant challenge for residents and visitors of
North Central. The community implied several
factors contribute to this challenge, including
multi-family and generational housing and
resulting increased parking demand, as well as
limited alternative transportation options.
Another factor that has impacted parking
availability on Humboldt Street is the North
Central Bike Lanes project, which resulted in
the removal of approximately 270 on-street
parking spaces. After its implementation in
Summer 2022, community members began
finding it increasingly difficult for themselves
and visitors to find parking.
Prior to implementation of the bike lanes
project, the City began exploring options
to mitigate the anticipated loss in parking
by establishing a residential parking permit
program (RPPP), which has been implemented
in several neighborhoods across the City.
An RPPP survey was sent to 3,000 North
Central households and had a response rate
of ~5%. Though the survey had a relatively
low response rate, the survey produced useful
metrics to evaluate the need and parameters
for a North Central RPPP.
Of the survey responses, most households
indicated owning 1-2 vehicles and
approximately 1/3 of responses indicated
it was difficult to find on-street parking
3 US Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
near where they live. About 30% of survey
responses indicated parking at least one car
on the street. Further, while 81% of survey
responses indicated having access to a
parking garage, only 57% reported parking in
their garage.
As part of the survey, the City collected
parking inventory and occupancy data.
Parking inventory and occupancy data were
collected over a two-week period in November
2022 on two Thursdays and two Saturdays.
There are approximately 5,882 on-street
parking spaces in North Central (see Figure
7). There are no public off-street parking lots
or structures within the parking study area.
On-street parking is generally available on at
least one side of the street throughout North
Central. On all days observed during the hours
of 8AM and 5PM, parking occupancy ranged
from 50-60%. After 5PM on all days, parking
occupancy steadily increases through the
evening to a maximum observed occupancy
of approximately 75% (see Figure 9). To be
considered for a RPPP in the City of San
Mateo, streets must have a parking utilization
greater than 60%. As part of its evaluation, the
City looks at parking occupancy at the street
level in addition to several other factors.
To better understand the people who
make up North Central and their parking
habits, demographic information for the
neighborhood was pulled from ACS 2019
5-year estimates on data.census.gov
and analyzed in Excel. The North Central
neighborhood was defined as Census Tracts
6059, 6060, and 6062, which roughly aligns
with the neighborhood boundaries. A small
portion of the neighborhood lies in Census
Tract 6063 (bounded by Tilton Avenue, North
B Street, South Railroad Avenue, and First
Avenue, and the area bounded by South
Delaware Street, Fifth Avenue, Ninth Avenue,
and US Highway 101). For this analysis, Census
Tract 6063 was excluded. Multigenerational
09 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
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FIGURE 7: PARKING INVENTORY Source: City of San Mateo, IDAX Community Needs and Goals
10 DRAFTDRAFT
11 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
FIGURE 8: PARKING OCCUPANCY, WEEKDAY 3PM Source: City of San Mateo, IDAX
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Community Needs and Goals
12 FIGURE 9: PARKING OCCUPANCY, WEEKDAY 7PM Source: City of San Mateo, IDAX
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13 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
TABLE 2: VEHICLE OWNERSHIP
TABLE 3: HOUSEHOLD SIZE
“Overcrowding is a big
issue. Multiple families are
required to live together to
make ends meet because
rent is very expensive.”
Community Member
LEG 10/05/23
Source: US Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
Source: US Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.
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Community Needs and Goals
14 TABLE 4: HOUSEHOLD OVERCROWDING
TABLE 5: MULTIGENERATIONAL HOUSEHOLDS
Source: US Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Census Tracts 6059, 6060, and 6062)
Source: US Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (San Mateo County). Note: Multigenerational household data is not available on the census tract level data or in the 2019 5-year estimates.
household data was not available at the
neighborhood level or from 2019 5-year
estimates, so ACS 2010 1-year estimates from
San Mateo County were used instead.
Vehicle Ownership. Despite the high cost of
vehicle ownership and lower median income,
most North Central residents have access to
a vehicle for their commute (see Table 2).
Almost two-thirds of North Central workers
have access to two or more vehicles. North
Central has nearly double the percentage (4%)
of workers without access to a car compared
to the City of San Mateo (2%). North Central
also has fewer workers who have access to
multiple vehicles (64%) compared to the City
of San Mateo (76%).
Household Size. Over one-third of North
Central households are one-person
households. In comparison, only 27%
of households citywide are one-person
households (see Table 3).
Household Overcrowding. About 16% of North
Central households house more than one
occupant per room. North Central households
are significantly more overcrowded than in
San Mateo, where only 2% of households have
over one occupant per room (See Table 4).
Multigenerational Households. Approximately
6% of households in San Mateo County are
multigenerational. Financial relief is a common
reason for living in a multi-generational
household, especially for low-income families.
However, low-income multigenerational
households are more likely to experience
overcrowding than two-generation households
(see Table 5).4
4 Pew Research (https:/ /www.pewresearch.org/social-
trends/2022/03/24/the-experiences-of-adults-in-
multigenerational-households/)
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15 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
“The small and narrow
streets in North Central—like
Grant, Monte Diablo, and
Tilton—contribute to traffic
congestion and accidents.”
Community Member
LEG Interview, 07/31/23
FIGURE 10: WEEKDAY PM PEAK HOUR
TRAFFIC (3 PM - 4 PM)
Source: StreetLight Data
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Traffic Flow and Traffic Congestion
Given North Central’s neighborhood activity
centers, proximity to US Highway 101 and El
Camino Real (SR-82), the San Mateo Caltrain
Station, and Downtown San Mateo, the
community experiences congestion travelling
within and through the neighborhood. Traffic
congestion refers to the volume of vehicular
traffic on roads at a point in time, which the
community indicates has resulted in slower
speeds, longer trip durations, and increased
frequency of vehicular queueing. Traffic flow
refers more broadly to the overall movement
of vehicles and trucks, including speed and
volume, and driver behavior.
To substantiate and better understand
concerns of congestion, vehicle volume
estimates were derived from StreetLight Data
for the period between June 2022-May 2023.
Figures 10-12 visualize the average volumes
during Weekday PM Peak, Saturday Midday
Peak, and Sunday Midday Peak periods.
During the Weekday PM Peak, Saturday
Midday Peak, and Sunday Midday Peak
periods observed, the highest volumes of
traffic occurred on the major north-south
arterials North Humboldt and North Delaware
streets. The major east-west arterials of East
Peninsula, East Poplar, and East Third avenues
were also observed to have high volumes of
traffic. Each of the east-west arterials provide
access to and from US Highway 101 and San
Mateo neighborhoods beyond North Central,
including Downtown.
These data-supported findings are consistent
with the comments on peak traffic congestion
periods from community leaders. During the
afternoon and evening commute periods,
community members cited increased
pedestrian presence including significant
student presence along East Poplar, North
Humboldt, and North Delaware Streets,
contributing to congestion. Additionally,
Community Needs and Goals
16 FIGURE 11: SATURDAY MIDDAY PEAK HOUR
TRAFFIC (NOON - 1 PM)
Source: StreetLight Data
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17 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
FIGURE 12: SUNDAY MIDDAY PEAK HOUR
TRAFFIC (NOON - 1 PM)
“I really dislike it when
people park their cars on
their lawns; it’s against City
code and looks ugly.”
Community Member
Focus Group 11/30/23
Source: StreetLight Data
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the number of religious institutions in North
Central likely contributes to increased
pedestrian presence during the observed
Sunday Midday Peak period.
Context and Neighborhood Pride
The Context Key Theme includes responses
and comments that celebrate the North
Central neighborhood including its diversity,
community assets and activity centers
(see Figure 13). There were also comments
providing historical context of previous
planning efforts and community engagement,
recommendations for best practices, and
lessons learned. While some comments did
not directly address traffic or transportation
issues or solutions, they help inform where
and how improvements could benefit the most
people of North Central.
Several community members identified
Martin Luther King Jr Park and Community
Center as the social heart of North Central;
and the routes taken to the park and
community center are critical elements of
the neighborhood’s pedestrian infrastructure
and experience. Community members have
a sense of pride in the neighborhood and
its assets, but also recognize that existing
conditions, lack of ownership, and aesthetics
of the neighborhood sometimes diminish
the feeling of pride. Overall aesthetics was
a frequent comment made by community
members and is threaded throughout
the Key Themes, particularly Community
Accountability and Parking.
Improved aesthetics can be a co-
benefit to implementing community-led
recommendations, including improved
maintenance and debris collection, and
increased enforcement of municipal codes.
Community Needs and Goals
18 FIGURE 13: COMMUNITY ASSETS
Source: StreetLight Data
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19 San Mateo Complete Streets North Central
Photo: Winter Consulting, 2023
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20 Next Steps
As part of the next phase of community
engagement, the City and the project team will
seek concurrence on the community needs and
goals identified in this document. The City and
project team will meet with community leaders
and stakeholders through a series of additional
LEG meetings and community-centered
workshops/charrettes. Based on this Community
Needs and Goals document, community
members will have an additional guide to aid in
determining and defining what transportation
improvements are critical to improving mobility
and access in the next five years.
In determining and defining transportation
improvements, community leaders and
stakeholders will need to reconcile and
address conflicting outcomes desired by
the community. This includes maintaining or
increasing the availability of on-street parking
while also daylighting intersections to increase
pedestrian visibility and facilitate safer crossings,
which typically would require the removal of
parking. Additionally, community leaders and
stakeholders will need to evaluate the trade-
offs with the traffic calming interventions or
programs they select. This includes recognizing
speed tables or raised crosswalks are effective at
slowing traffic, but they can result in increased
traffic noise or interfere with above-ground
stormwater conveyance systems.
Community-Based. Lived Experience
Group (LEG) members meet in North
Central’s Martin Luther King Jr. Center to
kick-off the community-led work on the
Complete Streets North Central plan.
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