City details accelerated 'quick‑build' safety program as crash counts fall year‑over‑year

San Mateo City officials told the council on June 1 that the city is moving to deliver short‑term safety improvements faster while continuing multi‑year capital projects.

Jay, the city’s engineering manager, told the council the department is pursuing a “quick build” safety program intended to cut typical project delivery from roughly 16 months to about six months by using paint, delineators and targeted devices. He said the program has 12 active quick‑build projects, including work at El Camino/17th, and a pool of gap funding for capital projects that need small additions to move to construction. "Our goal is to fit the planning, the designing and the construction of a project in about six months," Jay said.

The presentation framed quick build as a complement to the Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP) and larger CIP work. Staff reported 22 active safety projects and said 70% of LRSP priority projects are currently funded or in progress. Jay also estimated the city has more than 200 centerline roadway miles, 90 signalized intersections and 60 signalized locations with lead pedestrian intervals installed or planned.

Councilmembers and residents asked detailed questions about data, equity and maintenance. Jay acknowledged a staffing bottleneck: design and implementation currently rely heavily on in‑house crews, and the department is procuring on‑call design consultants and planning a quick‑build specialist contractor to accelerate delivery and reduce the load on city staff.

The presentation also described progress on active transportation: the city reported completion of about 9.3 miles (roughly 24%) of the high and medium‑high priority bicycle network from the 2020 Bicycle Master Plan and said the 2025 pipeline includes additional protected bike lanes and Safe Routes to School projects. Staff cautioned many remaining high‑priority bike projects will require lane reductions or parking removal and will need intensive outreach.

On collision trends, staff reported year‑over‑year reductions: total collisions (non‑freeway) decreased 12%, pedestrian collisions decreased 13% and bicyclist collisions decreased 19%, though staff warned sample sizes can vary by year. The department emphasized data‑driven selection of quick‑build sites and monthly reviews with police and fire to triage high‑injury locations.

What’s next: staff said it will continue to develop evaluation and maintenance criteria for quick builds, expand its online project tracker and seek dedicated funding and on‑call contractors to scale the program.