Blue Sky Goal Setting Offsite
One of my favorite Council meetings is in February when we hold our annual Blue Sky Goal Setting session at College of San Mateo. We review current Council priorities that City staff is working on, and debate new priorities that each Council Member proposes. Current priorities are far-ranging, from implementing our General Plan 2040 to enacting a comprehensive stormwater safety plan, to reconstructing failed streets and more.
My priorities for 2025/2026, agreed by Council and inspired by you, are 1) Create Senior Hubs at the MLK Center and San Mateo Senior Center to expand our current senior program offerings, improve engagement, and overall well-being; 2) Explore creating a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers; and 3) Complete speed surveys and other analyses to ensure speed limits are enforceable and improve traffic safety.
The full list of City Council Priorities can be found at: https://sanmateo.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=9648.
Humboldt Bike Lanes
Many residents and nearby cycling advocates turned out for the February 3rd City Council meeting to discuss the future of the bike lanes running North-South on Humboldt. The lanes were installed 2 years ago as part of the San Mateo Bike Master Plan. The bike infrastructure approved so far (most recently as part of the 3rd and Norfolk traffic safety upgrade project) has largely been welcomed by residents. The reaction to the Humboldt bike lanes, however, has been mixed. Opposing neighbors want the removal of the bike lanes and the return of over 200 parking spots in an already overcrowded neighborhood. Defenders say these lanes are critical to fighting climate change and protecting pedestrian and cyclist safety. All speakers agreed that improved traffic safety and better parking management in North Central are necessary.
Council directed staff to address traffic safety by installing improved lighting in the affected areas; speaking with organisations (e.g. SMC Courts, DMV, SMFC School District) that potentially could provide more overnight parking spaces; and researching how a customised parking permit program could alleviate parking shortages.
While no final decision was taken on the bike lanes, Council directed staff to conduct further community outreach and pilot bike boulevards on neighboring streets as an alternative to the lower end of the Humboldt bike lanes. The northern end near the schools would remain in place. This would reinstate well over 100 parking spaces while ensuring cycling safety near schools. Any changes would be accompanied by additional traffic calming measures on any of the streets involved, and a robust data set developed so that more data-driven decisions could be made.
This will continue to be a contentious community discussion. I strongly support traffic safety measures and moving toward a more pedestrian/cyclist friendly San Mateo. But I also support our residents’ need to be able to work and live their lives in realistic ways. Please reach out to me if you have ideas or strongly held opinions on this topic. This is far from over.
Caltrain Noise, Vibrations and Wall
Caltrain representatives held a community meeting at City Hall on January 30 to answer community questions about train noise, vibrations and the neighborhood wall. Key takeaways:
While the new Caltrain electric train horns were set at levels above national standards, as of early December 2024, all electric train horns are within the 96-97 dB approved range.
The ongoing issue is that electrification enables many more train trips along the corridor and, therefore, many more train horn soundings. Caltrain will be adding a webpage to provide more details on train horn usage and decibels. The webpage will go live shortly and the City has requested the link so our community can track train horn noise themselves. We will stay on top of this important issue.
The ultimate solution is the City’s efforts to implement a Quiet Zone in San Mateo. This Federal program sets safety standards that, if met, enable almost all train horns to stop sounding in San Mateo. Based on our current work plan, San Mateo could be approved to be a Quiet Zone in 2026 or 2027.
Vibrations
Neighbors complained that their homes were heavily vibrating as the new Caltrain electric trains travelled by them. Caltrain conducted a vibration test, and we are awaiting the results. The impacted neighbors also will allow Caltrain staff into their homes to conduct vibration tests.
Side Track Wall
As part of the original community agreement, Caltrain promised to create a solid wall along a portion of the track on the Hayward Park side to further shield the neighbourhood. During construction, however, Caltrain staff discovered archaeological artifacts that made completion of the wall not possible as it originally was imagined. At the meeting, however, Caltrain committed to finding the funding to complete the work, as well as landscaping the completed wall.
City staff will follow up with Caltrain to ensure their commitments are fulfilled. Please make me aware of any issues related to Caltrain train horn noise, vibrations or the sidetrack wall.
Please ban gas driven weed blowers ASAP. What took the City so long?