From: Viki Paganini
To: City Council (San Mateo)
Subject: concerned citizen
Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 5:01:05 PM
Dear Members of the San Mateo City Council,
I am writing to express my concerns about the proposed changes to South Delaware Street as part of the Safe Routes to School Corridor Bicycle Improvements Project. While I appreciate the City’s efforts to improve safety, I believe this plan presents serious challenges that have not been adequately addressed—particularly for those of us who live along Delaware Street between Bermuda Drive and Saratoga Ave.
Delaware St. is a key arterial road, used by a high volume of vehicles every day. The current plan is to reduce southbound Delaware St. between Bermuda Drive and Saratoga Drive to one lane--which risks turning it into a testing ground that may ultimately reduce mobility for the vast majority of its users. Should a key arterial road be the testing ground for that kind of transformation? If the result is bottlenecks, the inability of drivers to safely leave and enter their homes, and the prevention of Delaware St. residents from turning left onto northbound Delaware when leaving their homes or from turning left into their driveway from northbound Delaware St.--without meaningful increases in bike usage--then the plan fails on multiple fronts.
Additionally, residents like myself at Ironwood and residents of Mode Apartments and 2000 Delaware St. Apartments were not included in the planning process. No one in my building was contacted or consulted about these proposed changes, despite the fact that they directly affect our ability to enter and exit our property. As it stands, we already face challenges turning north onto Delaware from our driveway. The proposed plan will block us from doing so entirely and will also prevent left turns into our driveway from northbound Delaware St.— effectively cutting off basic access.
To make matters worse, delivery trucks frequently block the curbside southbound Delaware St. lanes, causing congestion and visibility issues that are not addressed in the redesign. These issues are common and will only become more problematic with reduced lane availability.
Finally, the traffic study that informed this project is now outdated. Conducted over a year ago, it does not reflect the current reality: significantly more traffic due to return-to-office mandates and post-pandemic lifestyle shifts. Any infrastructure overhaul based on outdated data should be reconsidered in light of current usage patterns.
I support safer streets for all modes of transportation, but these efforts must be grounded in current realities and include all stakeholders.
I respectfully urge the City to reevaluate the project, particularly between Bermuda and Saratoga, where it would create substantial access and safety issues for existing residents. A meeting for all impacted residents between Bermuda and Saratoga Drive should be held locally. An invitation in English, Spanish, and Mandarin should be mailed to every household affected so everyone in our community can be included in this meeting.
Thank you for your time and service to our community.
Sincerely,
Viki Paganini