Dear Supporters of Safe Streets To Schools in San Mateo,

Thanks for your continued support.  The next step in our battle is to convince the San Mateo City Council not to abandon its plan for bike lanes adjacent to San Mateo High School.  We need you to email Council and make a public comment on Tuesday night, letting them know that our kids deserve the ability to bike and walk to school without fear.  

The Council will have a final vote on whether to move forward with bike lanes on Poplar and Humboldt, which border San Mateo High School (1,700 students) and are within a block of College Park Elementary School (450).  The City has been working on this project for four years and has approved it several times.  Unfortunately, they are getting immense pressure from residents who object to "their" parking spots being repurposed for bike lanes that will improve safety.  Cyclists currently must share a single lane with aggressive drivers in one of the most crash-prone areas of the City.  This is the same street where a 78-year-old cyclist was recently hit and put in a long-term coma by a driver.  As a result, very few kids cycle to these or the many other schools in the neighborhood.

We need your help ASAP.  Please:  

1) Email the City Council at citycouncil@cityofsanmateo.org.  Tell them that you think the taxpayers' streets should prioritize safety over convenience.  

2)  Attend the City Council meeting tomorrow night, Tuesday, 2/22/22, and make a public comment.  The meeting starts at 7p but the bike lane discussion will likely start much later as it is #13 on the agenda.  To join via Zoom:  CLICK HERE .  To join via telephone:  (408) 638-0968, Conference ID: 814 9988 1689, Passcode: 674655.  Please follow the instructions on how to raise your hand to make a public comment when that time arises.  It is imperative that we have more speakers than the anti-bike lane opposition.

Thank you so much for taking this important next step in the fight to make the streets safer for our kids.  We appreciate your assistance.

Mike Swire & Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, San Mateo Chapter