CITY OF SAN MATEO
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CITY OF SAN MATEO
Agenda Report
City Hall
330 W. 20th Avenue
San Mateo CA 94403
www.cityofsanmateo.org
Agenda Number: 9 Section Name: OLD BUSINESS Account Number: 10-4661 File ID: 25-10263 TO: City Council
FROM: Alex Khojikian, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Public Works Department
MEETING DATE: September 2, 2025
SUBJECT:
Delaware Street Safe Routes to School Corridor Bike Lane Improvements — Update RECOMMENDATION:
Receive an update and provide direction to staff on the Delaware Street Safe Routes to School Corridor Bike Lane Improvements project.
BACKGROUND:
Project Overview & Background
The Delaware Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Corridor Project (Project) is a grant-funded initiative supported by $1.66 million from the State’s Active Transportation Program Cycle 5. The Project will enhance safety and connectivity for students accessing two public schools via Delaware Street and improve multimodal access to the Hillsdale and Hayward Park Caltrain stations.
The Project supports the City Council’s FY24-25 and 25-26 Priorities and is consistent with the adopted Bicycle Master Plan, particularly in completing high and medium-high priority corridors.
The project proposes to:
Upgrade bike infrastructure to physically separated (Class IV) bike lanes on Delaware Street from 19th to 28th Avenues
Convert Delaware Street into a bike boulevard south of 28th Avenue to the southerly limit of Delaware Street where it transitions to Pacific Blvd
Improve pedestrian crossings and curb ramps for ADA compliance Implement safety enhancements for intersections, including new signals and crosswalk treatments Maintain acceptable levels of vehicle congestion
Since the start of design work in late 2023, City staff conducted two phases of extensive community engagement to gather feedback on project elements and refine the design comprised in spring 2024 (Phase 1 outreach) and spring 2025 (Phase 2 outreach), as outlined below.
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Phase 1 – Spring 2024
Project Webpage – Provided project information, updates, and links (Online Survey, Online Presentation Recording, Design Concepts).
Outreach Materials – Distributed printed flyers, A-frames, mini-flyers/postcards, and posters at in-person pop-up events.
Online Survey – Collected input on travel habits, bikeway preferences, and safety enhancements (4/29/2024 – 5/29/2024).
Online Video – Posted on City’s YouTube channel to present project background, funding sources, and design concept overview.
Door-to-Door Canvassing – Reached residents directly along the study corridor in addition to mailers. School-Specific Outreach – Conducted targeted meetings with school populations. Pop-Up Events – Engaged corridor users through in-person events.
Phase 2 – Spring 2025
Door-to-Door Canvassing – Continued outreach directly to residents. Project Website Updates – Shared new project information online. Public Meetings – Three offerings, and two of these offerings had a virtual attendance meeting option. Mailers (English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese) – Over 10,000 San Mateo residents received mailers notifying them of the upcoming public meetings held at College Park Elementary and Nueva School in 3 languages. County Events Center Meeting – Met with board of directors on 5/28/2025 and held conversations with Events Center Chief Executive Officer about the project.
A-Frame Posters – Installed along the corridor to notify residents and commuters of the upcoming public meetings.
San Mateo Consolidated Fire, San Mateo Police Department, and County OES meetings – Met with these agencies regarding the project design to assess any concerns from a public safety standpoint Field Observations between Bermuda Dr to Saratoga Dr intersections – Staff observed conditions in the field to validate some of the resident concerns regarding persistent issues between this segment for buses, trucks, and delivery vehicles blocking bike lanes and vehicle travel lanes. Counted bikes/scooters using Delaware Street during these observations.
Summary of Key Community Concerns
During the second phase of outreach in April 2025, the City hosted two community meetings, one focused meeting for residents in the northern segment of the Project where more substantial parking and lane configuration changes were proposed, and a broader meeting to gather general feedback from the wider community. Staff also presented Project information to the San Mateo United Homeowners Association.
Feedback during this phase centered largely on the originally proposed reduction of southbound travel lanes between Bermuda Drive and Saratoga Drive. Residents and stakeholders raised concerns about increased congestion, particularly during school pick-up and drop-off periods, and during large-scale events at the San Mateo County Event Center. A recurring concern was that delivery and rideshare vehicles, which already park and block the existing bike lanes, could block the single remaining southbound lane, creating backups and impeding traffic flow.
The Event Center expressed additional concerns about the corridor’s ability to accommodate traffic during peak events.
Emergency access also emerged as a key topic, with questions about how first responders would navigate the corridor under constrained conditions or respond effectively in a major incident.
Some residents flagged issues related to bus stop locations and changes to solid waste collection, particularly for multi- family homes along the corridor. Ensuring that transit operations and essential services could continue without disruption was an important theme.
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While much of the input focused on the northern segment, some concerns were also raised about a portion of the northbound bike lanes just north of 28th Avenue. Residents noted that delivery vehicles and short-term parking frequently block the existing Class II bike lanes, creating safety issues. Large trash bins are also often left in the bike lane, further impeding use. Feedback in this area focused on whether the project could help address these ongoing operational challenges.
Revised Project Design to Address Community Feedback from Phases 1 and 2 In response to community feedback, particularly regarding the proposed reduction of southbound lanes between Bermuda Drive and Saratoga Drive, City staff conducted a detailed evaluation of the Project’s design and its operational impacts. The original Project design proposed reducing the number of southbound travel lanes from two to one (from Bermuda Drive to Saratoga Drive) to create space for Class IV protected bike lanes, while preserving the majority of on-street parking.
To directly address operational concerns with the one-lane configuration, staff implemented the following strategies:
Confirmed with San Mateo Police, Fire, and the County Office of Emergency Services that emergency access would not be hindered by the proposed lane reduction.
Conducted field observations showing that large trucks currently block both lanes temporarily and that this condition would not be worsened by the new configuration. Proposed a loading zone near Pacific Boulevard for delivery and rideshare vehicles to reduce travel lane obstructions.
Verified with SamTrans that bus operations near Mode Apartments would remain unaffected and that southbound vehicles would be able to pass a stopped bus in this area Identified that all parcels along the west side of Delaware have usable driveways, reducing the need for curbside stops.
Initiated discussions with the San Mateo County Event Center to improve event-related traffic management, including a planned quarterly coordination process.
These efforts demonstrated that the concerns related to the single southbound lane configuration could be effectively addressed without compromising the Project’s goals. However, despite these mitigations, community concerns, particularly about congestion during peak periods and event traffic, persisted.
Rather than continuing along a path where substantial public opposition remained, staff reevaluated the design approach with a focus on preserving the second southbound travel lane, which emerged as the broader and more consistently expressed concern across outreach phases.
This led to the development of a revised design, which retains both southbound travel lanes between Bermuda Drive and Saratoga Drive. To fit the required bike and vehicle infrastructure within the existing right-of-way, the design narrows vehicle, bike, and buffer lanes to minimum allowable widths at the corridor’s narrowest point. The tradeoff for preserving the second travel lane is a greater reduction in on-street parking on the east side of Delaware Street, retaining 6 of the original 18 parking spaces (a loss of 8 more spaces compared to the original design).
Importantly, no comments were received during the prior outreach efforts from residents living directly along the segment where parking loss would occur. However, to further offset this impact, staff is exploring re-striping Pacific Boulevard west of Delaware Street to add approximately 3 to 6 new parking spaces.
The revised design maintains all key pedestrian improvements at Pacific Boulevard, including a slightly narrowed but fully compliant refuge island consistent with the original design. Waste collection staging is preserved in the public right-of-way, and coordination with Recology is ongoing to ensure smooth operations.
Additional changes further south of this area were also made near Montara Apartments (north of 28th Avenue), where the Project now adds short-term parking spaces and keeps the existing SamTrans bus stop in place (rather than moving the bus
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stop southerly closer to the 28th Avenue intersection in the original design). Trash bin staging will be moved to private property at no cost to the apartment complex, addressing past concerns about bike lane blockages.
Final Community Meeting and Public Feedback on Alternative B The final community meeting was held on August 19, 2025, at College Park Elementary School in the Fiesta Gardens neighborhood to present the revised design and gather final community input. This meeting built on the earlier outreach phases and was held specifically to close the loop with residents and provide a clear comparison between the revised and original designs.
More than 21,000 multilingual notices were delivered to over 7,000 households in English, Spanish, and Simplified Chinese.
A-frame signage and direct outreach, including door-to-door canvassing, were also used to ensure robust noticing and to garner participation, especially in the segment of South Delaware Street most impacted by the changes.
At the meeting, the revised design was generally supported by both supporters and prior opponents of the original design.
Residents along the west side of Delaware Street appreciated that the revised plan preserved both southbound lanes while still incorporating protected bike lanes and driveway access.
While the revised approach resolved many concerns, some attendees continued to express worries about increased cut- through traffic due to the retained travel lanes. Others were disappointed that the Project does not address the gap between Delaware Street and College Park Elementary along Bermuda Drive, which remains outside the current Project scope. There were also lingering concerns about the proposed bicycle boulevard south of 28th Avenue and its effectiveness in calming traffic and supporting safe biking.
Concerns about the loss of bicycle racks near Saratoga Drive and multimodal access to the Event Center were also raised.
Event Center staff present at the meeting acknowledged these concerns and committed to considering improvements as part of any future redevelopment of the site.
Council Consideration and Next Steps
City staff recommends moving forward with the revised design for the 900-foot segment of South Delaware Street between Bermuda Drive and Saratoga Drive. The revised design was developed in direct response to ongoing community concerns about the previously proposed southbound travel lane reduction. It retains both southbound travel lanes while accommodating Class IV protected bike lanes in this segment along with key pedestrian improvements. Although it results in greater on-street parking loss compared to the original design, no comments have been received from residents living along the affected segment about this change. Regardless, staff is exploring opportunities to offset the parking loss through nearby modifications. Pending Council direction, staff will proceed with final design and advance the Project to construction in alignment with funding timelines, with continued notifications and updates to property owners and stakeholders.
BUDGET IMPACT:
There is no budget impact for receiving an informational update on the Delaware Safe Routes to School Corridor Bike Lane Improvements project. The Project consists of a variety of funding that include Measure A, the Bike San Mateo, Quick Build Mobility, and Citywide Pavement Rehabilitation projects, and the Sewer Fund, but most importantly is the ATP Cycle 5 grant funds. $1.4M in ATP Cycle 5 funds have been incorporated into the 2025-26 project budget for construction, which was allocated by the California Transportation Commission on June 26, 2025.
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION:
This Council action in receiving an informational update and providing direction for the Project is not a project subject to CEQA review, in that it consists of the planning for possible future actions which the City has not approved, adopted, or funded. (CEQA Guidelines Section 15262.)
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NOTICE PROVIDED
All meeting noticing requirements were met.
ATTACHMENTS
Att 1 - Delaware Bermuda - Saratoga Revised Design
STAFF CONTACT
Sang Hee Cho, Associate Engineer
[email protected]
(650) 522-7348