In July, the city of San Mateo proposed an improvement project for 19th Avenue and Fashion Island Boulevard, a busy thoroughfare connecting eastern and western parts of the city. The project, which has experienced some pushback from residents, would implement protected bike lanes, pedestrian improvements and changes to the roadway itself.
The multimodal project aims to address concerns about safety for cyclists and pedestrians, enhance transit connectivity and decrease congestion on the road.
“It’s making transportation for today’s San Mateans easier, safer, more efficient and more accessible,” said Deputy Mayor of San Mateo Adam Loraine. “We expect there to be significant change and growth within our city over the next 20 years. And so it’s [important] to consider … projects and transportation that can serve more people … in more diverse modes.”
The city’s plan to make the road more accessible to cyclists and pedestrians involves making several safety improvements. Currently, 19th Avenue, which turns into Fashion Island Boulevard, has bike lanes. However, two intersections along the road have been named bike injury hotspots by San Mateo County, and in some places, the road lacks a proper sidewalk.
According to a presentation at a Sept. 15 City Council meeting, there were 200 collisions along 19th Ave and Fashion Island Blvd from 2019 to 2024. Of these collisions, six involved pedestrians or cyclists. Additionally, there was a hit and run collision on Fashion Island Blvd that resulted in a pedestrian fatality earlier this year.
Math teacher Denise Morones regularly rides her bike to school on 19th and Fashion Island and said the fatality reminded her of how dangerous biking can be.
“I hate it when I go by [the site of the hit and run], because they put up the guy’s picture and everything,” Morones said. “And every time I go by, it makes me rethink how you can be as safe as you want, but if someone drives into the bike lane, [it] doesn’t matter how safe you’re being.”
The project plans to address these concerns by adding barriers to existing bike lanes, further separating drivers and cyclists, and it will improve the road’s sidewalk and crosswalk network.
However, others are skeptical that implementing protected bike lanes would increase bike usage.
“The people they’re trying to target with this don’t bike around that much,” said sophomore Linus Zhao. “There’s a reason why they don’t want to bike around as much; a car is easier. People who don’t bike right now either want to be in a car, don’t have a bike or they don’t want to [bike] … They’re gonna stay in their cars.”
The plan has also faced pushback from residents who say it would not do enough to address residents’ concerns about traffic.
“We’ve been working on and waiting for congestion relief for over 20 years, and now we’re going to take that money and work on bike lanes,” said former San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer in the San Mateo Daily Journal.
Other San Mateo bike lane projects have also faced criticism from residents. In February, City Council approved the partial removal of bike lanes on Humboldt Street and began exploring alternative solutions after residents complained they reduced space for parking.
Loraine said that City Council has learned from its past missteps and is looking to increase community engagement for future projects.
“The Humboldt bike lane project was a tough experience,” Loraine said. “We’re considering increasing the time we spend on these projects where we can to make sure that we have a robust community outreach … and come up with creative, iterative solutions that seek to reduce parking and traffic lanes only where needed.”
With multiple community meetings scheduled in the coming months, the city plans to move forward with the 19th Ave and Fashion Island Boulevard project. The design is expected to be finalized by spring 2026.
