Agenda packet, special meeting — San Mateo City Council, April 15, 2024

CITY OF SAN MATEO
City Council Special Meeting
April 15, 2024
5:30 PM
City Hall Council Chamber 330 W.
20th Avenue San Mateo CA 94403
Entrance is on O’Farrell Street

COUNCIL MEMBERS
Lisa Diaz Nash, Mayor
Rob Newsom Jr., Deputy Mayor
Rich Hedges
Amourence Lee
Adam Loraine

REVISED AGENDA
THIS MEETING CAN BE ATTENDED IN PERSON OR REMOTE BY JOINING ZOOM – SEE CODES BELOW.

PUBLIC COMMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED BOTH IN PERSON AND REMOTEL Y.

SEE END OF AGENDA FOR OPTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MEETING.

To join via Zoom – click here:

April 15, 2024

To join via telephone: (408) 638-0968
Webinar ID: 859 9763 4669 Passcode: 879294

CALL TO ORDER
Roll Call
AB 2449 Requests and Considerations for Meeting Participation by Teleconference due to Just Cause or Emergency Circumstances

CLOSED SESSION
The public will have an opportunity to comment before the consideration of these items. Following the meeting a report of action from Closed Session will be provided if required.

1. Conference with Legal Counsel - Existing Litigation, Workers' Compensation (Paragraph (1) of subdvision (d) of Government Code Section 54956.9 Name of Case: Robert Davis

STUDY SESSION
The public will have an opportunity to comment during the consideration of these items.

2. Draft Local Roadway Safety Plan
Receive a presentation on the draft Local Roadway Safety Plan and provide feedback.

CEQA: This informational update is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)

ADJOURNMENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AGENDAS:

Agendas and material are posted on the City’s website on the Friday preceding each Council Meeting and can be viewed on the City's website at
www.cityofsanmateo.org
. Any supplemental material distributed to the Council after the posting of the agenda will be made part of the official record.

WATCHING A MEETING ON TV:

City Council meetings are broadcast live on Comcast/channel 27, Wave/channel 26, or AT&T/channel 99.

For transmission problems during the broadcast, please call (650) 522-7099. For all other broadcast comments, call (650) 522-7040, Monday-Friday,

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8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

WATCHING A MEETING ON A COMPUTER:

There are three ways to stream.
1) Public Meeting Portal
www.cityofsanmateo.org/publicmeetings
2) City YouTube channel and stream it on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/CityofSanMateo
3) Watch TV live stream:
https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/193/Channel-San-Mateo-Live-Stream

PUBLIC COMMENTS/REQUEST TO SPEAK
Prior to the Meeting
Send comments to:
[email protected]
until 4 p.m. the day of the meeting.

During the meeting
By Zoom:

Click the link at the top of the agenda and you’ll be added to the meeting. All attendees are muted by default. When the item of interest is open for consideration, select the “Raise Your Hand” icon and you will be called on at the appropriate time.

By telephone:

Call (408) 638-0968 and enter the conference ID found at the top of the meeting agenda. When the item of interest is open for consideration, select *9 to raise your hand. When called upon, press *6 to unmute, state your name and provide your comments.

In Person:

At the meeting complete a “Request to Speak” form, submit a request at the speaker kiosk or scan the QR code.

ACCESSIBILITY:

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, those with disabilities requiring special accommodations to participate in this meeting may contact the City Clerk’s Office at (650) 522-7040 or [email protected]
. Notification 48 hours prior to the meeting will
enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting.

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CITY OF SAN MATEO

CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 2 Section Name: STUDY SESSION Account Number: 10-4661 File ID: 24-8502 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Public Works Department
MEETING DATE: April 15, 2024
SUBJECT:

Draft Local Roadway Safety Plan
RECOMMENDATION:

Receive a presentation on the draft Local Roadway Safety Plan and provide feedback.

BACKGROUND:

In August 2020, staff from the Police and Public Works Departments introduced the topic of addressing traffic safety with a data-driven approach to City Council, and shared preliminary data correlating staff’s efforts on neighborhood Traffic Action Plans to collision trends. Council supported applying funds and concentrating efforts where they would yield the greatest safety results. Staff brought additional data to Council in November 2020, which identified the challenges with vehicle-to- pedestrian collisions in the City. In June 2021, more detailed information regarding collision trends was presented, and Council directed staff to continue pursuing traffic safety project prioritization through completion of a Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP).

The City’s Local Roadway Safety Plan creates a data-driven and community-informed decision-making framework that will work toward the goal of eliminating fatal and severe injury collisions on local roadways. The LRSP uses historical collision data and an understanding of local context, while factoring in equity priority communities, to assess existing roadway safety conditions in San Mateo, identifies areas for improvement, and provides recommended actions and an implementation plan that will help create a Safe System (an approach to roadway safety adopted by the United States Department of Transportation and Caltrans) and culture of roadway safety in the City of San Mateo. Additionally, having an approved LRSP qualifies the City for certain types of grant funding, such as the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant programs.

The LRSP is organized into five sections:

1.Vision, Mission, and Goals – Establishes a larger vision for transportation safety in San Mateo and sets goals for how to get there.

2.Plan Development Process – Details the collaborative data-driven and community-informed planning process.

3.Existing Safety Conditions – Provides an analysis of collisions in San Mateo.

4.Emphasis Areas, Countermeasures, and Strategies – Details the emphasis areas and lists proven countermeasures and strategies that can improve roadway safety.

5.Recommendations, Actions, and Implementation – Proposes short- and long-term projects and sets a city-wide strategy for assessing progress toward established goals.

The LRSP includes recommended systemic treatments to generally improve roadway safety in the City. Following the presentation, staff will request feedback from Council on how to prioritize implementation of the proposed systemic

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CITY OF SAN MATEO
treatments (improvements that can be made proactively at locations that do not have collision data trends but have similar characteristics to locations that do) with a focus on their impact city-wide, rather than any specific location.

Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission Feedback
Staff gave an informational presentation to the Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission (SIC) in July 2023 on initial LRSP development efforts, including outlining collision analysis findings, the community outreach plan, and project timeline. Feedback provided during that meeting included ensuring project costs are transparent within the plan and a recommendation to include quick-build projects.

In March 2024, staff went back to SIC and presented the draft LRSP including information about recommended site- specific and systemic treatments, noted how they relate to the feedback on safety concerns received during community outreach, and requested feedback specifically regarding the proposed systemic treatments. The Commission generally supported the proposed systemic treatments and recommended consideration for exclusive pedestrian phasing at some signalized intersections. The Commission noted a lack of representation from community members with mobility challenges and requested the Project Development Team be expanded to include additional viewpoints. Lastly, programmatic and informational recommendations were requested to be incorporated that pertained to increased enforcement for vehicles parked in crosswalks as well as a recommendation for roadway users to wear high-visibility clothing. All feedback has been noted and incorporated where appropriate into the draft LRSP.

Feedback and Next Steps
The project team will present the draft LRSP, including information about how this plan relates to a future Vision Zero Plan.

Staff will share information about the proposed systemic safety improvements and solicit feedback from Council on how to prioritize their implementation on a city-wide basis.

Following the meeting, the project team will incorporate Council feedback and bring the Local Roadway Safety Plan for adoption thereafter, tentatively in May.

BUDGET IMPACT:

There are no budget impacts for receiving an informational presentation about the Local Roadway Safety Plan. The project is funded through Caltrans grant funds, matching funds from the Citywide Traffic Calming project (466600) and supplementing funds from the Neighborhood Traffic Management project (462226).

ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:

This informational update is not a project subject to CEQA, because it is an organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(b)(5).)

NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.

ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 – Draft Local Roadway Safety Plan
Att 2 – July 12, 2023 and March 13, 2024 Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission Agenda Reports

STAFF CONTACT
Bethany Lopez, Senior Engineer
[email protected]
(650) 522-7313

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April 2, 2024

SAN MATEO LOCAL

ROADWAY SAFETY PLAN

SAN MATEO, CA

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Inside front cover
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San Mateo Local Roadway
Safety Plan
San Mateo, CA

Prepared for:

City of San Mateo
330 West 20th Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403

Prepared by:

Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
155 Grand Avenue, Suite 505
Oakland, CA 94612
510.839.1742

Project Number 27516

April 2, 2024

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 8

1.1 What is an LRSP? ........................................................................................................ 8

1.2 Plan Overview .......................................................................................................... 11 2 Vision, Mission, and Goals ............................................................................................. 13

2.1 Vision ......................................................................................................................... 13

2.2 Mission Statement .................................................................................................... 13

2.3 Overarching Goals .................................................................................................. 13 3 Plan Development Process ........................................................................................... 15

3.1 Project Development Team (PDT) ......................................................................... 16

3.2 Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission (SIC) .............................................. 17 4 Existing Safety Conditions ............................................................................................. 19

4.1 Existing Safety Practice and Culture ...................................................................... 19

4.2 Engagement and Outreach .................................................................................. 22

4.3 Citywide Safety Performance Analysis .................................................................. 32 5 Emphasis Areas .............................................................................................................. 50 6 Countermeasures and Strategies ................................................................................ 51

6.1 Countermeasures vs. Strategies ............................................................................. 51

6.2 Available Countermeasures ................................................................................... 51

6.3 Available Strategies ................................................................................................. 56 7 Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 59

7.1 Systemic vs. Site-Specific Treatments ..................................................................... 59

7.2 Systemic Treatments ................................................................................................ 59

7.3 Site Specific Treatments .......................................................................................... 66 8 Action Items and Performance Measures .................................................................. 70

8.1 Plan Updates and Evaluation ................................................................................. 72 9 Funding ........................................................................................................................... 74

9.1 Federal Programs ..................................................................................................... 74

9.2 State Programs ......................................................................................................... 76

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: FHWA’s Safe System Elements ................................................................................................................... 10 Figure 2: FHWA LRSP Planning Process ..................................................................................................................... 15 Figure 3: MTC Equity Priority Communities and CalEPA Disadvantaged Communities with Collision Overlay 25 Figure 4: SS4A Underserved Communities with Fatal/Severe Injury Collision Overlay ......................................... 26 Figure 5: Screenshot of San Mateo LRSP Story Map ............................................................................................... 28 Figure 6: Pop-up Community Engagement ............................................................................................................ 30 Figure 7: Comments Webmap from Community Engagement Activities ........................................................... 31 Figure 8: Reported Collisions by Severity (2017-2021) ............................................................................................. 33 Figure 9: Collision Tree – San Mateo Collisions by Location, Severity, Mode (2017-2021) .................................. 34 Figure 10: Annual Reported Collisions for Fatal and Severe Injury Collisions (2017-2021) ................................... 35 Figure 11: Collision Type of Reported Collisions by Collision Severity (2017-2021) ............................................... 36 Figure 12: Share of Fatal or Severe Injury Collisions by Collision Type and Collision Severity (2017-2021) ......... 36 Figure 13: Pedestrian-Involved Collisions by Severity (2017-2021) ......................................................................... 37 Figure 14: Bicyclist-Involved Collisions by Severity (2017-2021) .............................................................................. 38 Figure 15: Broadside Collisions by Severity (2017-2021) .......................................................................................... 38 Figure 16: PCF by Collision Severity (2017-2021) ...................................................................................................... 40 Figure 17: Share of Fatal or Severe Injury Collisions by PCF and Collision Severity (2017-2021) ......................... 40 Figure 18: Priority Intersections – City of San Mateo ............................................................................................... 44 Figure 19: Priority Roadway Segments – City of San Mateo .................................................................................. 46 Figure 20: Citywide Fatal/Severe Injury Collision Shares by Challenge Area Compared to Statewide Statistics ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 48 Figure 21: Near-Term Leading Pedestrian Interval Opportunities ......................................................................... 61 Figure 22: Signal Visibility Improvement Opportunities ........................................................................................... 64 Figure 23: Speed Management Opportunities ....................................................................................................... 65 Figure 24: Centerline Hardening Example in Oakland, California ........................................................................ 66

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Race and Origin (Information directly from ACS) .................................................................................... 23 Table 2: Language Spoken at Home ....................................................................................................................... 23 Table 3: Proportion of Fatal or Severe Injury Collisions in Disadvantaged Areas ................................................. 24 Table 4: Collision Severity of Reported Collisions by Road User Involved (2017-2021) ........................................ 33 Table 5: Collision Weights by Severity and Location Type ..................................................................................... 41 Table 6: Priority Intersections – City of San Mateo .................................................................................................. 43 Table 7: Priority Roadway Segments – City of San Mateo ..................................................................................... 45 Table 8: Summary of Available Countermeasures Toolbox for the City ............................................................... 52 Table 9: Site-Specific Projects (and Countermeasures) ......................................................................................... 67

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APPENDICES
Appendix A: SIC Meeting Presentation
Appendix B: Document Review Memorandum
Appendix C: Community Engagement Summary Memorandum
Appendix D: Countermeasure Toolbox Memorandum
Appendix E: Priority Projects with Proposed Countermeasures

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GLOSSARY
Aggressive Driving Challenge Area includes behaviors such as speeding, tailgating, running traffic signals or signs, and other reckless maneuvers (SHSP page 43).

Aging Drivers Challenge Area includes instances where the driver of a motor vehicle is 65 years or older (SHSP page 45).

Bicyclists Challenge Area includes instances where a motor vehicle is involved in a collision with a bicyclist (SHSP page 47).

Challenge Areas represent types of roadway users, locations, or collisions identified by the California Department of Transportation’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). These areas, when addressed, have the most potential to improve roadway safety.

Commercial Vehicles Challenge Area includes instances where the collision involves a truck, truck tractor, school bus or other bus (SHSP page 49).

Countermeasures are engineering infrastructure improvements that can be implemented to reduce the risk of collisions.

Distracted Driving Challenge Area includes instances where the driver of a motor vehicle was not paying attention or using an electronic device (SHSP page 51).

Emphasis Areas represent types of roadway users, locations, or collisions with safety issues identified based on local trends that merit special focus in City of San Mateo’s approach to reducing fatal and severe injury collisions.

Impaired Driving Challenge Area describes operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of a substance, including alcohol, marijuana, illicit drugs, or some prescription medications.

Intersections Challenge Area includes collisions identified by the responding officer as occurring at an intersection or involving a train or rail vehicle (SHSP page 62).

Lane Departures Challenge Area includes head-on, hit object, and overturned collisions (SHSP page 63).

Local Roadway Safety Plans, or LRSPs, are documents that provide local-level assessments of roadway safety and identify locations and strategies to improve safety on local roadways.

Crash Severity KABCO, as defined by the guidelines established by the Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC, Fifth Edition), is defined as a functional measure of the injury severity for any person involved in the crash.
▪ Fatal Collision [K] is death because of an injury sustained in a collision or an injury resulting in death within 30 days of the collision.
▪ Severe Injury [A] is an injury other than a fatal injury which results in broken bones, dislocated or distorted limbs, severe lacerations, or unconsciousness at or when taken from the collision scene. It does not include minor laceration.
▪ Other Visible Injury [B] includes bruises (discolored or swollen); places where the body has received a blow (black eyes and bloody noses); and abrasions (areas of the skin where the surface is roughened or blotchy by scratching or rubbing which includes skinned shins, knuckles, knees, and elbows).
▪ Complaint of Pain [C] classification could contain authentic internal or other non-visible injuries and fraudulent claims of injury. This includes: 1. Persons who seem dazed, confused, or incoherent (unless such behavior can be attributed to intoxication, extreme age, illness, or mental infirmities). 2. Persons who are limping but do not have visible injuries; 3. Any person who is known to have been

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unconscious because of the collision, although it appears he/she has recovered; 4. People who say they want to be listed as injured do not appear to be so. ▪ Property Damage Only [O] Collision is a noninjury motor vehicle traffic collision which results in property damage.

Motorcyclists Challenge Area includes instances where a motorcycle or moped is involved in a collision (SHSP page 65).

Occupant Protection Challenge Area includes collisions involving misuse, non -use, or lack of vehicle safety equipment including lap belts, shoulder harnesses, passive restraints, or child restraints (SHSP page 67).

Pedestrians Challenge Area includes instances where a motor vehicle is involved in a collision with a pedestrian (SHSP page 69).

Primary Collision Factors (PCFs) convey the violation or underlying causal factor for a collision. Although there are often multiple causal factors, a reporting officer at the scene of a collision indicates a single relevant PCF related to a California Vehicle Code violation.

The Safe System Approach is a layered method for roadway safety promoted by the FHWA. This approach uses redundancies to anticipate mistakes and minimize injury. For more, visit https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/zerodeaths/docs/FHWA_SafeSystem_Brochure_V9_508_200717.pdf.

Safety Partners are agencies, government bodies, businesses, and community groups that City of San Mateo can work with to plan, promote, and implement safety projects.

Strategies are non-engineering tools that can help address road user behavior, improve emergency services, and build a culture of safety.

Work Zones Challenge Area includes instances where the collision occurs in a work zone for construction, maintenance and/or roadway repairs (SHSP page 71).

Young Drivers Challenge Area includes instances where one or more of the drivers of the motor vehicles are between 15 and 20 years old (SHSP page 73).

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Introduction

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1 INTRODUCTION
The City of San Mateo is located about 20 miles south of San Francisco and borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster City to the east, and Belmont to the south. The City’s population, at the 2022 Census, was 10 0,9841. The City of San Mateo’s roadways see an average of one fatality and 1 6 severe injuries annually in the past five years . Despite an overall reduction in total collisions during the pandemic, the frequency of fatal and severe injury collisions has increased. Additionally, severe injuries involving people walking, biking, and rolling have tripled in the last five years.2 The City has a total of 418 lane miles of roadways, including freeways and state routes, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s standards3.

The City of San Mateo (City) is committed to eliminating fatal and severe injury collisions on its roadways. To advance this mission, the City developed a Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP), which establishes a framework to help San Mateo residents and visitors travel safely through the city to their destinations.

The City of San Mateo’s Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) is a living document designed to be updated to respond to evolving community needs . The City of San Mateo is diverse i n terms of land use context, comprising of urban and suburban neighborhoods, as well as a multilingual population. Additionally, the City’s growing economy and the presence of several major state-owned highways require the City to balance both the local and regional travel needs. Given these factors, this LRSP will be revisited and updated approximately every five years, to account for changes in travel patterns and road user behavior .

Additionally, the Action Items and Performance Measures identified in the LRSP should be tracked annually to assess progress towards achieving the LRSP’s Vision, Mission, and Goals.

1.1 What is an LRSP?
The purpose of an LRSP is to assess the safety of a city's roadways , identify areas that need improvement, and recommend engineering countermeasures and strategies to address those identified issues . The LRSP provides a range of strategies to address safety concerns, from engineering countermeasures to educational campaigns and emerging technology related strategies. The safety plan also provides a timeline and goals for implementation and evaluation. The approach is multi -disciplinary, meaning that stakeho lders from different agencies and organizations will need to work together to implement the recommended countermeasures, strategies, and overall vision for the plan. This includes law enforcement, fire department, neighboring jurisdictions, public health services, emergency response providers, community organizations, and the broader community.

LRSPs are recognized as a proven safety countermeasure by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

They prioritize investments and assist with the implementation of engineering strategies. Two Federal funding programs, the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) and Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), provide funding for the implementation of countermeasures that address road safety challenges on public roads. In California, to pursue HSIP grant funds through Caltrans’ grant program, a local agency must have an LRSP or an equivalent planning document. To pursue federal SS4A funding, a local agency must have a safety action plan that is equivalent to an LRSP, provided certain implementation frameworks are included that associate actions with timing, funding, and leads. In addition to these federal funding program s, the Active Transportation Program (ATP), managed by California Transportation Commission (CTC) consolidates federal and state transportation programs to encourage increased use of active transportation modes and ensure that disadvantaged communities fully share in the benefits of the program. Access to these funds can help

1 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/sanmateocitycalifornia/PST045222 2 UC Berkeley. Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS). Retrieved from https://tims.berkeley.edu/tools/safetypm/ 3https://www.cityofsanmateo.org/2133/Frequently-Asked-
Questions#:~:text=Q%3A%20How%20many%20miles%20of,A%3A%20210.

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the City to fund engineering - and non -engineering-related solutions that can make its roads safer for everyone.

1.1.1 Aligning with the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan LRSPs across the state complement the 2020-2024 California Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP), providing intentional and continual assessment and improvements to enhance roadway safety. The SHSP sets out California’s vision, goals, and objectives for reducing fatal and severe injury collisions on public roadways (local roadways and state highways).4 The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) leads ongoing efforts to analyze collision data and collaborate with traffic safety partners across the entire state to identify these focus areas and continually monitor and identify actions to address these focus areas . The SHSP identifies key safety needs and guides investment decisions toward strategies and countermeasures with the most potential to save lives and prevent injuries.

The SHSP identified California’s 16 Challenge Areas, or areas that should be the focus for roadway safety in California. As discussed in greater detail in the Statewide Comparison discussion in Section 4: Existing Safety Conditions, the three items bolded on this list were identified as high priority challenge areas for San Mateo, meaning improvements in these areas have the greatest opportunity to reduce death and severe injury.

1.1.1.1.1 SHSP Challenge Areas
◼ Pedestrians
◼ Bicyclists
◼ Aging Drivers
◼ Commercial Vehicles
◼ Distracted Driving
◼ Driver Licensing
◼ Emergency Response
◼ Emerging Technologies
◼ Impaired Driving
◼ Intersections
◼ Lane Departures
◼ Motorcyclists
◼ Occupant Protection
◼ Speed Management / Aggressive Driving
◼ Work Zones
◼ Young Drivers
Historically, the SHSP has used the five E’s (Education, Enforcement, Engineering, Emergency Response, and Emerging Technologies) to organize strategies. In 2021, state transportation officials shifted focus and adopted guiding principles that integrate social equity, utilize the Safe System Approach, and encourage the use of proven countermeasures and emerging technologies.

1.1.2 Incorporating the Safe System Approach
In January 2022, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) released its National Roadway Safety Strategy that adopted the Safe System Approach as its core strategy5.

There are five elements (or layers) to a Safe System (see Figure 1):
◼ Safe Roadway Users – All roadway users, including bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders, should be able to travel safely.
◼ Safe Vehicles – Vehicles should be designed and regulated to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions.
◼ Safe Speeds – The faster a vehicle is traveling, the greater its risk to human life. Safe speeds are speeds that reduce impact forces, improve stopping time, and improve visibility. ◼ Safe Roadways – Roadway design can accommodate human mistakes and improve injury tolerances through strategies, such as physically separating those traveling at different speeds or using signage to alert drivers to hazards.

4 Caltrans. Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). Retrieved from https://dot.ca.gov/programs/safety-programs/shsp 5 National Roadway Safety Strategy, United States Department of Transportation, January 2022 https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-02/USDOT-National-Roadway-Safety-Strategy.pdf

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◼ Post-Collision Care – If a collision does occur, first responders must assess, stabilize, and transport those who were injured. Forensic investigation or incident management teams are also important parts of post-collision care.

Figure 1: FHWA’s Safe System Elements

1.1.2.1 San Mateo and the Safe Systems Approach
This LRSP uses the Safe System Approach to identify ways that San Mateo and its safety partners can create layers to help protect all roadway users – even when they make mistakes. The City is the driving force behind implementing engineering -related safety measures such as speed management or roadway design.

Commitment from City staff and road safety partners to prioritize safety in their efforts and to implement both proven and innovative ideas are key to advancing road safety and for the LRSP to be impact ful. The Safe System Approach considers all road users and identifies potential conflicts, as well as locations where proactive safety treatments can be implemented. Collaboration among all stakeholders, including road users, transportation system managers, law enforcement, emergency responders, and vehicle manufacturers, is crucial for achieving its goal of eliminating fatal and severe injuries.

To build redundancy in the local transportation system, San Mateo and its teaming partners can:
◼ Establish and continue to revisit vision, goals, and partnerships to help implement the LRSP. ◼ Identify systemic and location -specific engineering countermeasures and use them proactively and reactively.
◼ Provide education programs and overlap stakeholder efforts to communicate key roadway safety information to residents, business owners, and schools and create a culture of roadway safety. ◼ Review and revisit policies, guidelines, and standards to prioritize roadway safety in the City.

Source: FHWA, 2022
https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/zerodeaths/zero_deaths_vision.cfm

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◼ Identify potential funding sources for project implementation, including quick-build projects.

This LRSP and its recommendations can help create a Safe System and culture of roadway safety in the City of San Mateo. However, state and federal policies, such as legislation for automated speed enforcement and continued regulation of vehicle safety stan dards will be essential to complete the Safe System categories that the City and local agencies cannot directly affect.

1.2 Plan Overview
This LRSP uses historical collision data and an understanding of local context to assess existing roadway safety conditions in San Mateo , identify areas for improvement, and provide recommended actions and an implementation plan. Ultimately, this LRSP creates a data -driven and community-informed decision-making framework to reduce the number of fatal and severe injury collisions on local roadways.

The plan is organized into five main sections:

1. Vision, Mission, and Goals – Establishes a larger vision for transportation safety in San Mateo and sets goals for how to get there.

2. Plan Development Process – Details the collaborative data-driven and community-informed planning process.

3. Existing Safety Conditions – Provides an analysis of collisions in San Mateo.

4. Emphasis Areas, Countermeasures, and Strategies – Details the emphasis areas and lists proven countermeasures and strategies that can improve roadway safety.

5. Recommendations, Actions, and Implementation – Prioritizes short- and long-term projects and sets a strategy for assessing progress toward established goals.

Emphasis Areas
Based on the collision
trends and patterns, key
safety concerns were
identified for the City to
focus on.

Countermeasures and Strategies
After identifying
emphasis areas, specific
engineering
infrastructure
improvements and non-
engineering strategies to
address the safety
concerns were identified
Recommendations
Proposed
countermeasures are
then assessed to confirm
feasibility given the City's
street context and land
use

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Vision, Mission, and Goals

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2 VISION, MISSION, AND GOALS
The Vision, Mission, and Goals of the LRSP were created collaboratively by representatives from the City and the Project Development Team (PDT) and covers both short- and long-term outcomes. The City of San Mateo is committed to implementing the FHWA's Safe System Approach in its future efforts related to road safety, to achieve its goals. Although the City's road network is extensive and intricate, ongoing, and anticipated safety initiatives are designed to gradually reduce the risk of accidents on the City's roads.

2.1 Vision
The City of San Mateo envisions a roadway network that prioritizes safety for all users, ensuring secure travel throughout the city.

2.2 Mission Statement
The City of San Mateo will use a collaborative, data-driven, and community-informed approach to proactively identify and address collision risk factors to implement safety countermeasures, strategies, and programs that can ultimately eliminate preventable fatalities and severe injuries within the City.

The City of San Mateo is committed to using data and Safe System principles recommended by FHWA and the California SHSP to assess road safety to prevent collisions proactively and systemically across the entire roadway network. The City is committed to reaching its goal of eliminating all preventable traffic fatalities and severe injuries by 2050.

2.3 Overarching Goals
The following goals will guide collaborative planning efforts with the PDT and other safety related partners:
◼ Use a data -driven and community -informed approach to identify priority locations for safety improvements.
◼ Implement proactive approaches to improve roadway safety and i dentify cost -effective systemic countermeasures.
◼ Prioritize investments in countermeasures and strategies that reduce collisions in identified emphasis areas.
◼ Collaborate with agencies and safety partners towards implementation. ◼ Educate and promote safe travel practices in the City of San Mateo. ◼ Periodically monitor and evaluate collision reduction goals with respect to emphasis areas and overall safety performance of the City's transportation network.

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Plan Development Process

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3 PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
This LRSP was developed according to the guidelines and requirements set forth by Caltrans and followed the FHWA's Developing Safety Plans manual and the Safe System Approach. The FHWA's LRSP development process is captured in Figure 2, and consists of four main steps:

1. Establishing stakeholders

2. Using safety data (analyzing safety data and identifying collision types and high -collision risk locations)

3. Choosing proven solutions

4. Implementing solutions
The first step of the plan involved bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, the Project Development Team (PDT), to provide input on roadway safety issues and identify needs. Subsequently, the City analyzed available roadway and collision data to understand collision patterns, risk factors, and areas for improving safety. However, since data can be incomplete or inaccurate, the LRSP used a community-informed approach that combined data analysis with input from the community and the PDT to provide a more comprehensive understanding of transportation safety issues. Based on this analysis, a selection of proven countermeasures was identified to form a countermeasure toolbox and guide the implementation plan for the LRSP.

Figure 2: FHWA LRSP Planning Process

Source: FHWA, 2022, https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/LRSPDIY/downloads/LRSP_FinalBuild_Infographic_508.pdf

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The following two stakeholder groups have been valued partners that represent a unique set of experiences, needs, and views on roadway safety in the City of San Mateo.

3.1 Project Development Team (PDT)
The PDT was developed to include representatives from a broad cross section of community, business, educational, and government interests. Each person represents a unique set of experiences and perspectives on the transportation system in San Mateo that helped shape the LRSP . The following departments and organizations were represented in the PDT:
◼ San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department
◼ San Mateo County Office of Education
◼ San Mateo County Health
◼ City of San Mateo Senior Citizens Commission
◼ San Mateo Police Department
◼ City of San Mateo Age-Friendly Implementation Committee ◼ Center for Independence of Individuals with Disabilities, serving San Mateo County

3.1.1 Meeting Dates and Topics
The PDT met twice over the course of the LRSP’s development, discussing topics as summarized below:

3.1.1.1 Meeting 1|June 26, 2023
 Define LRSP purpose and scope.
 Present and gather feedback on preliminary data analysis.  Present network screening results.
 Discuss potential emphasis areas based on data findings.

During the meeting, the PDT members requested the project team to refer to the High Injury Network (HIN) created by the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) team for identifying priority locations near San Mateo Schools, as applicable. Furthermore, the project team was advised to consider specific collision data related to vehicle types, collision trends, and develop maps detailing pedestrian and bicycle-specific collisions in the LRSP. Lastly, the PDT encouraged the project team to look at the City’s older populations’ origins and destinations to better understand and evaluate the sidewalk network within these regions.

For development of the countermeasure toolbox in the LRSP, the PDT members suggested including the following measures currently being installed near schools:
 Curb extensions
 Mini traffic circle
 High visibility crosswalks
 Rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs)

3.1.1.2 Meeting 2|January 17, 2024
 Discuss community engagement activity and reach.
 Discuss actions and performance measures.
 Review Draft LRSP recommendations.
 Discuss implementation and responsibilities.

One of the PDT members noted that the crosswalk at the intersection of 3rd Avenue/El Camino Real is slippery. The PDT members suggested tracking drivers running a red light and recommending installing stop

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signs or plaques indicating intersections are not all-way stop controlled, specifically at two-way stop- controlled intersections.

One of the PDT members noted that the Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons (PHB’s) are helpful for individuals with disabilities as they are mounted overhead rather than on the side of the roadway. They also noted that consideration is needed at high-traffic locations to make sure that the pedestrians in wheelchairs are visible and are in the driver’s line of sight. This PDT member also noted the consideration of pedestrian and bicycle improvements on Pacific Boulevard from Hillsdale Boulevard to south City limits and at the 25th Avenue/Flores Street intersection. These two locations were not part of the Tier 1 locations identified in this LRSP (noted in Section 4.3.2 Safety Performance Network Screening). As a result, they were neither specifically evaluated nor any countermeasures were recommended in this study.

3.2 Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission (SIC)
The SIC is an advisory body to the City Council, established to advise on policies and programs related to environmental sustainability, transportation and infrastructure. Each committee member represents a unique set of experiences, needs, and views of the transportation system and roadway safety in the City of San Mateo that helped shape the LRSP. Continuing to leverage City relationships with the SIC will help in identifying proactive safety strategies , countermeasures at high -risk locations , and adminis tering or promoting programs that encourage safe transportation behaviors.

Similar to the PDT, the SIC met twice over the course of the LRSP’s development, discussing the same topics as summarized above. The SIC meetings took place on July 12, 2023 and March 13, 2024. Copies of the SIC presentations are included in Appendix A. The SIC meetings were also open to the community.

During the first meeting, the SIC commented that the outreach should be transparent about the costs of implementing the safety improvements. The SIC members were also concerned about the intersection of Hillsdale Boulevard and Saratoga Drive which currently lacks a marked crosswalk on the eastbound leg of the intersection. Furthermore, the SIC suggested that the project team consider quick-build improvements6.

During the second meeting, the SIC commented that representation from individuals with disabilities committee would be helpful to understand their perspective on LRSP. One of the SIC members noted that there are three intersections on Santa Inez Avenue that are identified in the Tier 2 priority intersections list and that more explanation is needed in the LRSP on how Tier 1 and Tier 2 intersections are designated.

6 Quick-Build projects require minor construction activities but are built with durable, low to moderate cost materials, and last from one year to five years. These projects have moderate design flexibility to anticipate some adjustments that may occur. The purpose of a Quick -Build project is to immediately implement safety needs, all owing a community to benefit quickly from improvements made, and allowing the people of a community affected by the project to provide input and test the project improvements before they are permanently constructed.

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Existing Safety Conditions

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4 EXISTING SAFETY CONDITIONS
The existing safety conditions are determined by reviewing relevant regional and local planning documents, community engagement, and collision analysis. Prior to engaging with the community, the project team developed a community outreach and engagement strategy that incorporated an equity analysis to identify underserved and disadvantaged communities. The engagement strategy was r evised periodically as the LRSP progressed to ensure effective and meaningful engagement. The outcome from the existing conditions informed the emphasis areas and priority locations.

4.1 Existing Safety Practice and Culture
This section summarizes the regional and local planning documents pertaining to local roadway safety in San Mateo. Additionally, a summary is included to show the relevance of the document in the development of LRSP. The complete synthesis of roadway safety-related documents for the City of San Mateo and adjacent jurisdictions is included in Appendix B.

4.1.1 MTC Regional Safety/Vision Zero Policy (2020)
The MTC Regional Safety/Vision Zero Policy establishes a strategy for working with partner agencies to support equitable and data-driven action towards eliminating traffic deaths and serious vehicular injuries in the Bay Area by 2030.

Relevance to the LRSP development
◼ Establishes regional vision for collaborative and data -driven approach to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries.
◼ Emphasizes equity in roadway safety management planning and implementation.

4.1.2 C/CAG of San Mateo County Safe Routes to School Reports (2017)
In 2010, the C/CAG partnered with the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE) to develop and implement the San Mateo County Safe Routes to School program to the 25 school districts in San Mateo County, in which elementary schools and middle schools in the City of San Ma teo are affiliated with San Mateo-Foster City Elementary School District, and high schools in the City are affiliated with San Mateo Union High School District. The goal of the program was to improve the health, well -being, and safety of children by encouraging and enabling them to walk and bike to school.

Relevance to the LRSP development
◼ Opportunity for collaboration across agencies to create safe routes for students and integrate strategies across the LRSP and Safe Routes to School program. ◼ Identifies a toolbox of potential improvements for school-specific concerns and risks. ◼ Surveys include community -perceived barriers to walking and biking to school, which could inform development of targeted countermeasures for the LRSP.

4.1.3 San Mateo County Safe Routes to School High Injury Network Report (2022)
The High Injury Network (HIN) report details the process and outcomes of a youth-based HIN analysis. The HIN identifies segments in a roadway network where many pedestrian and bicycle collisions have occurred, prioritizing those with greater severity and those involving youth or active -mode victims. HIN synthesizes

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information about collision characteristics, collision patterns, and user types to identify roadway segments that account for the highest number of specific types of collisions.

Relevance to the LRSP development
◼ Opportunity to use HIN to identify segments near schools where students traveling to or from school may face increased safety challenges.

4.1.4 Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Pedestrian Access Plan (2022)
The San Mateo Transit -Oriented Development Pedestrian Access Plan serve s as a roadmap to enhance pedestrian safety and create comfortable walking routes to transit for all ages and abilities. The scope of the Plan includes the pedestrian path of travel within a half-mile radius of the City's three Caltrain stations and along El Camino Real to account for frequent SamTrans service along this corridor. Caltrain and SamTrans have created new visions for their service in San Mateo County and this plan aims to complement these visions by making it easy to access transit for existing and future residents, employees, and visitors.

Relevance to the LRSP development
◼ Identifies issues informed by the community related to pedestrian access to transit. ◼ Provides examples and takeaways from community engagement which informed the LRSP’s community engagement activities and safety recommendations.

4.1.5 San Mateo Bicycle Master Plan (2020)
The 2020 San Mateo Bicycle Master Plan is the culmination of over a year of robust community engagement, data analysis, planning, and design work. This Plan is an update of the City’s 2011 Bicycle Master Plan and serves as a blueprint for expanding and improving the San Mateo bicycle and mobility network in the coming years.

Relevance to the LRSP development
◼ Establishes goal to reduce bicycle-related crashes, injuries, and fatalities. ◼ Identifies bicyclist safety-related concerns and hotspots. ◼ Proposes bicycle facilities and intersection improvements that would enhance safety and comfort of bicyclists.

4.1.6 San Mateo Citywide Pedestrian Master Plan (2012)
The Citywide Pedestrian Master Plan is a blueprint for the City of San Mateo to improve the pedestrian environment, secure funds dedicated to pedestrian safety and livable communities, and increase the number of walking trips. The Plan provides a broad vision, strategies, and actions for improving the pedestrian environment in the city. Safety is identified as one of the six goals of the Plan. Specifically, the City sought to reduce the number of pedestrian related crashes, injuries and fatalities by 50 per cent from 2010 levels by 2020.

Relevance to the LRSP development
◼ Establishes goal to reduce pedestrian-related crashes, injuries, and fatalities. ◼ Identifies pedestrian safety-related concerns and hotspots. ◼ Integrates existing regulations and best practices into a set of pedestrian enhancements that can enhance the safety, convenience, and mobility for pedestrians in the City which was coordinated with the LRSP recommendations.

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4.1.7 San Mateo 2030 General Plan (2010)
The San Mateo’s General Plan is the community’s planning guide that defines the long -term vision and provides the framework for all zoning and land use decisions within the community. The General Plan seeks to establish a balance between the need for new g rowth and development and the preservation of the City’s high quality of life. At the time of writing this LRSP, t he City is working on updating the General Plan 2040, which will likely be adopted in March 2024. More information on this General Plan 2040 can be found at www.cityofsanmateo.org/1537/General-Plan.

The Strive San Mateo General Plan 2040 includes ten big ideas that will guide the next 20 years of San Mateo.

These Big Ideas are a mix of enduring principles that have guided decision -making in San Mateo for many years and support the City’s history and fabric while introducing new concepts and topics that reflect present-day concerns and challenges. The ideas are as follows:

1. Balance growth and change,

2. Enhance San Mateo’s neighborhood fabric and quality of life,

3. Preserve nature as the foundation of the city,

4. Encourage all ways to travel around the city,

5. Support the local economy,

6. Address historic preservation holistically,

7. Initiate a comprehensive sea level rise strategy,

8. Strengthen community outreach,

9. Focus on equity and health for all residents, and,

10. Improve community safety planning and awareness.

This General Plan 2040 recognizes the importance of improving the safety of the multimodal transportation network and includes a Vision Zero policy. Vision Zero is based on the five elements of a Safe Systems Approach advanced by the FHWA to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on roadways – the components and elements of the Safe System Approach is explained in detail in Section 1.1.2 Incorporating the Safe System Approach.

The General Plan also notes an action related to the Vision Zero Plan, as follows:

Action C 1.12 Vision Zero Plan: Complete and regularly update a plan that uses a safe systems approach to work towards Vision Zero and identifies specific citywide changes to policies, practices, funding, and other action items that will reduce speeding, collisions, and collision severity.

Relevance to the LRSP development
◼ Citywide safety-related goals and policies were considered in the LRSP. ◼ Coordination of long-term citywide improvements with LRSP recommendations and strategies.

4.1.8 Age Friendly San Mateo Three-Year Action Plan 2022-2025 The Age-Friendly Task force used public data to identify likely walking routes for older adults and partnered with the City Public Works Department to encourage prioritization of sidewalk repairs and minimizing safety hazards on those routes to reduce liability risk and encourage walking by seniors for health and socialization.

These results were also shared with the San Mateo Police Department to assist with enforcement of rules regarding parking that obstructs sidewalks.

Relevance to the LRSP development
◼ Identifies likely walking routes for older adults and locations for prioritizing sidewalk repairs.

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4.2 Engagement and Outreach
As part of this LRSP, a series of public engagement activities were organized to gain insights on safety issues and needs from the community. These activities were tailored towards the unique character of the City of San Mateo and informed by discussions with City staff. Focused neighborhoods for community engagement were determined based on the results from collision analysis and equity analysis.

A comprehensive collision database was developed using the reported collision data from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2021. Collision analysis revealed collision types, primary collision factors, and intersections and segments that have the highest collision frequency and severity. More information on collision analysis is described in Section 4.3 Citywide Safety Performance Analysis.

4.2.1 Equity Analysis
Equity is a fundamental consideration of the Safe System Approach, particularly given that pedestrian and bicyclist fatality rates on a per-capita basis vary largely by race,7 as well as by income, age, and gender to varying degrees in varying places.8 These outcomes underscore the need to explicitly examine correlations between sociodemographic and risk factors related to roadway infrastructure and operations.

To inform the communities in the City that are or have been historically underserved, Kittelson conducted the following evaluation:
◼ Demographic analysis
◼ Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s (MTC) Equity Priority Communities (EPC) ◼ State of California’s Disadvantaged Communities
◼ Transportation Disadvantaged Population Index
◼ SS4A Underserved Communities Census Tracts (Historically Disadvantaged Communities and Areas of Persistent Poverty)

4.2.1.1 Demographic Analysis
The City of San Mateo has a population of 104,333 according to the American Community Survey (ACS) 2019 5-year estimates. The working age population cohort (ages 20 to 64) represents the largest population segment in the City at more than 60 percent of the total population. San Mateo residents are highly educated, with nearly half (48 percent) of people aged 25 years or older holding at least a bachelor’s degree. Table 1 shows the racial composition of the City.

7 Federal Highway Administration. “Integrating Equity into the Safe System Approach” Presentation. Accessed Apr. 17, 2023: https://highways.dot.gov/safety/zero- deaths/integrating-equity-safe-system-approach-presentation. 8 Vision Zero Network. N.d. Equity Strategies for Practitioners. Accessed April 17, 2023: https://visionzeronetwork.org/wp- content/uploads/2017/05/VisionZero_Equity.pdf

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Table 1: Race and Origin (Information directly from ACS) Race and Origin Population Percentage
White alone, percent 55,216 52.9%
Black or African American alone, percent 2,044 2.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent 408 0.4% Asian alone, percent 25,141 24.1%
Chinese 11,593 11.1%
Filipino 4,393 4.2%
Asian Indian 3,355 3.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent 2,617 2.5% Two or More Races, percent 7,175 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino, percent 26,154 25.1%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent 42,623 40.9% Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014-19 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table DP05 Table 2 shows the language spoken at home data for San Mateo’s over the age of 5 years.

Table 2: Language Spoken at Home
Language Population
(5 years and over)
Percentage Percentage speak English
less than "very well"
English only 55,177 56.8% N/A
Spanish 18,403 18.9% 54.4%
Indo-European Languages 7,019 7.2% 26.0%
Asian and Pacific Languages 15,546 16.0% 38.7%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014-19 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table S1601 Findings
◼ 53 percent of the population is White, 25% of the population identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 24 percent Asian. Chinese, Filipino and Asian Indian constitute the major Asian groups in the City. ◼ Approximately, 57 percent people speak only English at home. Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the city with 19 percent residents fluent in Spanish, of which 54 percent do not speak English very well . Asian and Pacific Island languages constitute about 16 percent of the population, of which 39 percent do not speak English very well.

4.2.1.2 Equity Priority Communities
Formerly called “Communities of Concern,” EPCs are Census tracts that have a significant concentration of underserved populations, such as households with low income and people of color. A combination of additional factors helps define these areas, including Limited English proficiency households, seniors 75 years and older, zero -vehicle households, single parent households, people with a disability, and rent -burdened

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households. The EPCs were updated in 2021 and use ACS 2018 5 -year estimates.9 Figure 3 shows the EPCs in the City of San Mateo.

Findings
◼ Areas of North Central, Shoreview and parts of Downtown San Mateo as EPCs. These areas are generally located between Delaware Street, Peninsula Avenue, 5th Avenue and Bay Trail.

4.2.1.3 State of California’s Disadvantaged Communities The Disadvantaged Communities (DAC) represent Census tracts that experience high levels of pollution and/or Census tracts that are federally recognized as tribal areas. The DAC designations were updated in 2022 to designate census tracts receiving the highest 25 percent of overall scores in CalEnvironScreen4.0 as disadvantaged.10 Figure 3 shows the CalEnviroScreen 4.0 top 25th percentile DAC extent in the City of San Mateo.

Findings
◼ Similar to the EPCs, DACs are also located in the North Central and Downtown San Mateo.

4.2.1.4 SS4A Underserved Communities Census Tracts
The SS4A program allocates grants to support local initiatives aimed at preventing roadway fatalities and severe injuries. In alignment with the Justice40 initiative, USDOT is actively working to tackle and rectify decades of inadequate investment in under served communities. Currently, 25 percent of the total population is in Disadvantaged Census Tracts in San Mateo.

Figure 4 shows SS4A underserved communities. 11
Findings
◼ Similar to the EPCs and DACs, North Central and Downtown neighborhood remain underserved communities with an addition of the Hillsdale neighborhood west of El Camino Real.

Table 3 provides the total number and the percentage of fatal or severe injury collisions in EPCs and SS4A communities.

Table 3: Proportion of Fatal or Severe Injury Collisions in Disadvantaged Areas Disadvantaged Area Number of Fatal or
Severe Injury Collisions
in San Mateo
Number of Fatal or
Severe Injury Collisions
in Disadvantaged
Area
% of Fatal or Severe
Injury Collisions in
Disadvantaged Area
Equity Priority Communities
89 26 29.2%
CalEnviroScreen 4.0 (Top 25%) 14 15.7%
SS4A Underserved Communities 31 34.8%
Source: Kittelson and Associates, Inc (2023)

9 MTC Equity Priority Communities: https://mtc.ca.gov/planning/transportation/access -equity-mobility/equity-priority-communities accessed on September 12 , 2022
10 CalEnviroScreen is a screening methodology that can be used to help identify California communities that are disproportionately burdened by multiple sources of pollution.

11 USDOT. SS4A Underserved Communities. Accessed from
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/99f9268777ff4218867ceedfabe58a3a

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Collision analysis identified collision patterns, trends, and high-priority intersections and roadways, and equity analysis informed the historically underserved areas within the City , with potential issues related to specific collision types and severities. These two pieces of information were used to determine focused neighborhoods in the City that warranted extra attention during community engagement activities.

The overview of engagement strategies is provided below, detailed information related to each of these strategies and their reach can be found in Appendix C.

4.2.2 Project Webpage
Kittelson collaborated closely with the City staff to create a project webpage 12, which was hosted on the City’s website. This dedicated webpage served as a one -stop shop for updates and information related to the LRSP. The webpage featured an array of valuable resources, including an overview of the LRSP, details on upcoming events, project updates, an interactive web map, a story map, and access to relevant documents.

4.2.2.1 Interactive Map
The interactive map was utilized to get location-specific feedback from communities throughout the city. A total of 507 comments were received between early June 2023 through September 2023 after Labor Day, September 8, 2023. Of the total comments, 57 percent (289) of the comments were in focused neighborhoods. Duplicate comments were removed during the revi ew. Figure 4 shows the location of comments by user-defined type.

4.2.2.2 Story Map
Kittelson completed data analysis of collision trends in the city and compiled examples of safety countermeasures (or improvements) that can address these collision related trends in the Story Map13. A Story Map is an interactive web -based tool that provides information on the overview of LRSP, citywide collision patterns and trends, preliminary data analysis findings, countermeasures list, and a link directing users to interactive map, shown in Figure 5.

12 www.cityofsanmateo.org/SafetyPlan
13 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/11cb2a44f9aa4280948c0d2ec924d1b5

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Figure 5: Screenshot of San Mateo LRSP Story Map

4.2.3 Project Flyers and Posters
Kittelson identified the greatest safety performance needs and historically underserved communities in the city, also known as focused neighborhoods, that required focused community outreach – Downtown, Hillsdale, and North Central. Kittelson placed 100 community-specific flyers in English, Spanish, and simplified Chinese, selecting spots in these neighborhoods strategically focusing on activity -centers, i.e., near the schools, transit stops, commercial and retail centers/hubs, community centers, and areas with high pedestrian movement.

4.2.4 Pop-Up Events
This LRSP was developed concurrently with the ongoing 2024 Complete Streets Plan, which organized a series of public engagement events. Because safety is central to both plans’ recommendations, those public activities and feedback inform locations, priorit ies, and input for this LRSP. The 2024 Complete Streets Plan project team conducted a series of pop-up events, of which the LRSP project team participated in two pop- up events (Figure 6). These were conducted at the San Mateo Central Park and San Mateo Farmers’ Market.

At these public engagement activities, City Staff and project team members received input on what infrastructure would best meet the needs of San Mateo’s residents, busine ss owners, workers, and other visitors.

4.2.4.1 Business Cards
Kittelson developed easy-to-carry business cards for the participants that attended the pop -up events. The business cards provided a link and QR code to the project webpage. The business cards were developed in two languages, English and Spanish.

4.2.5 Findings
Figure 7 shows the location of comments received on Interactive Map tool based on user-defined type. Most of these comments include speeding cars near schools and residential areas, intersections with limited access for vulnerable users, inadequate pedestrian crossings, poor visibility, and maintenance issues.

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adding stop signs or traffic lights, improving crosswalks, enhancing bike lanes, increasing enforcement, and narrowing or removal of traffic lanes.

Below is list of key themes of safety issues and concerns from the pop-up events:
◼ Red Light Running and Speeding:
o Red light running at intersections: 12th Avenue/Hobart Ave/El Camino Real, 20th Avenue & El Camino Real, and El Camino Real corridor.
o Speeding on several streets in the City, including El Camino Real, Tilton Avenue, Palm Avenue, and 20th Avenue.
◼ Pedestrian Safety:
o Need for pedestrian crossing signals, signal heads, additional crosswalks, pedestrian related infrastructure improvements near schools and in higher pedestrian activity areas. ◼ Bike Safety:
o Lack of bike lane presence, bike infrastructure, and bicycle lane connectivity. ◼ School Zones:
o Speeding in school zones, safety concerns at school pick-up/drop-off areas. o Suggestions included reducing pedestrian crossing lengths by adding curb extensions at intersections.
◼ Intersection Design:
o Need for stop signs and better visibility.
◼ Traffic Calming Measures:
o Need for more speed humps and speed cushions on various streets, including Alameda de las Pulgas and Delaware Street.
◼ Pavement Conditions:
o Presence of potholes on various streets, including Poplar Avenue, El Camino Real, and Pacific Blvd.

The findings from the data were informed and expanded using community engagement and feedback.

For key themes identified above, if the data findings were supported by community feedback (for example, need for speed management on some city roadways), we addressed those key themes by identifying systemic treatments as discussed in Section 7.2. For site-specific comments from the community, if the data findings supported community feedback and experience, site-specific treatments were recommended at priority locations that address those factors identified, described in detail in Section 7.3.

For key themes and comments from the community that were not informed by the data (for example, maintenance needs on city roadways), we were not able to assess if pavement conditions are associated with an increase in collisions. The City may consider monitoring this as part of their implementation of the LRSP. By incorporating findings from the data and listening directly to community needs, this LRSP reflects data-driven and community-informed desires to improve roadway safety performance in the City of San Mateo.

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Figure 6: Pop-up Community Engagement

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4.3 Citywide Safety Performance Analysis
Kittelson developed a collision database using the reported collision data from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2021. The data was cross -checked and supplemented with information from the California Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), University of California Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), and City’s internal collision database. Collisions on Caltrans-owned and operated roads such as US 101 and State Route 92 were excluded from the data, while those on at-grade facilities with direct interaction with the City’s roadway network, such as State Route 82, were included. Collisions reported at the ramp terminal intersections that are associated with grade -separated freeways and highways in the City are also included in the analysis database. Duplicate records were also identified and removed. The final dataset is comprised of 1,909 collisions from SWITRS/TIMS and 690 collisions from the City’s internal collision database.

The citywide roadway safety performance is summarized using findings from the following analyses:
◼ Citywide Collision Patterns and Trends, which identifies relevant collision factors such as collision types, primary collision factors, and users involved.
◼ Network Screening, which spatially locates collisions and identifies intersections and segments with the highest collision frequency and severity to determine locations where improvements may have the highest impact.
◼ Statewide Comparison, which compares local collision statistics with statewide data to identify areas for safety improvement.

4.3.1 Citywide Collision Patterns and Trends Summary
This section describes collision patterns and trends for all reported collisions between January 1, 2017 , and December 31, 2021. These statistics helped develop systemic and location -specific countermeasures for safety projects across the city. The following is a summary of key findings from all reported collisions:
◼ 2,599 collisions were reported (an average of 519.8 per year), including 89 fatal or severe injury collisions (an average of 17.8 per year).
◼ Intersection collisions are more frequent than roadway collisions, representing 93% of reported collisions and 92% of fatal/severe injury collisions.
◼ 230 collisions (9% of reported) involved pedestrians, including 31 fatal and severe injury collisions (34% of fatal and severe injury).
◼ 144 collisions (6% of reported) involved bicyclists, including 15 fatal and severe injury collisions (17% of fatal and severe injury).
◼ Sideswipe (26%), rear-end (22%), and broadside (18%) collisions are the most frequently cited collision type.
◼ Improper turning (26%), unsafe speed (15%), and driving or bicycling under the influence (14%) are the most frequently cited primary collision factors.

In this analysis, the project team focused on understanding the overall collision risk factors and primary contributing factors, with an emphasis on their relationship with fatal and severe injury collisions. This is because Caltrans Director’s Policy commits to Safe System Approach to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on California roadways.

Figure 8 and Table 4 summarize the reported collisions by severity in the City of San Mateo. Table 4 also shows a breakdown of City collisions by road users involved. 230 collisions involved pedestrians, 31 of which were fatal or severe injury collisions (1.2% of total collisions, but 35% of fatal and severe injury collisions citywide).

Similarly, 144 collisions involved bicyclists, 15 of which were fatal and severe injury collisions (0.5% of total collisions, but 17% of fatal and severe injury collisions citywide).

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Figure 8: Reported Collisions by Severity (2017-2021)

Source: SWITRS, TIMS, City of San Mateo, compiled by Kittelson (2023)

Table 4: Collision Severity of Reported Collisions by Road User Involved (2017-2021) Road Users
Involved
Fatal
(% of
column)
Severe
Injury
(% of
column)
Other
Visible
Injury
(% of
column)
Complaint
of Pain
(% of
column)
Property
Damage
Only
(% of
column)
Total
(% of column)
Pedestrian-Involved 4 (50%) 27 (33%) 106 (19%) 79 (15%) 14 (1%) 230 (9%) Bicycle-Involved 2 (25%) 13 (16%) 81 (15%) 43 (8%) 5 (<1%) 144 (6%) Vehicle Only or
Vehicle-Fixed
Object
2 (25%) 42 (52%) 366 (66%) 396 (77%) 1,421 (99%) 2,227 (86%) Reported Collisions 8 (100%) 81 (100%) 553
(100%)
517
(100%)
1,440
(100%)
2,599 (100%)
Severity Share of
Reported Collisions <1% 3% 21% 20% 55% 100%
Source: SWITRS, TIMS, City of San Mateo, compiled by Kittelson (2023) Due to uncertainty in the reported locations of collisions, 1,1 59 out of 2,599 reported collisions were geolocated and analyzed when assessing collision location (essentially all non-PDO crashes). Figure 9 shows the collision tree with fatal and injury collisions broken down by collision location (intersection/roadway segment) and road user involved (pedestrian, bicycle, motor vehicle). 91% of reported collisions and 92% of fatal and severe injury collisions occurred at an intersection. Of the 1,055 general collisions and 82 fatal/severe injury collisions related to intersections, over half took place at unsignalized intersections.

Fatal
<1%
Severe Injury
3%
Other Visible Injury
21%
Complaint of Pain
20%
Property Damage Only
56%
Fatal Severe Injury Other Visible Injury Complaint of Pain Property Damage Only 2,599
Reported
Collisions

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TOTAL COLLISIONS
1,159
89 TOTAL COLLISIONS