Burlingame staff recommend buffered bike lanes on Merchon, drop Trusdale from current grant; Davis to get phased safety measures

City staff presented recommended designs for a three‑street bike‑and‑pedestrian grant project and asked the commission to provide feedback before a community meeting and a future request for a motion of support.

"To summarize ... Merchon Drive will go with the alternative which is just buffered bicycle lanes, Trusdale will be removed from the project and on Davis Drive work with a phased approach," said Mr Wong, the staff presenter.

Why it matters: the project affects school routes, on‑street parking and a time‑sensitive grant. Staff said the grant deadline requires moving from concept to design soon; Commissioners asked whether funds could be reallocated if Trusdale is removed.

What staff recommended: for Merchon the plan is a parking‑protected, buffered bike lane adjacent to parked cars and a buffer zone that preserves most on‑street parking. For Trusdale staff recommended dropping the street from the current grant because converting lanes would reduce peak‑period level of service (the staff presentation said AM peak backups could fall from Level‑of‑Service C to F). For Davis Drive staff proposed a phased approach that starts with green back sharrows (to increase cyclist visibility), painted edge lines and quick‑build bulbouts and could later add a raised crosswalk or targeted speed cushions if the community supports them.

Commissioners pressed staff on school connections and low‑stress routes. Commissioner Couchi noted that removing Trusdale would eliminate a low‑stress bicycling route for students traveling to nearby schools referenced in the meeting as “bis” and Franklin; she asked whether Davis or Merchon could be modified to provide a safe connection. Staff replied they would re‑examine potential connections (Ogden, Casada, Rosedale) and check with the grant administrator about reallocating funds (staff referenced a grant total informally as "1.8" but said the amount and units must be confirmed).

Public comments and outreach: the meeting included emailed neighborhood comments read aloud. Samantha French asked for stop signs, speed bumps or crosswalks at Vancouver and Adeline after a recent run‑off crash; other residents supported traffic calming, raised concerns about parking loss from bike lanes, and described speeding on Flora Bunda. Mr Wong said staff will follow up on the Vancouver/Adeline request and that outreach for the three‑street project will include mailed notices to residents and businesses within 500 feet, targeted meetings with major stakeholders such as Mills Peninsula, e‑newsletter postings and a combined community meeting and staff presentation before returning to the commission.

School site work and bus loading: in the Engineers' report Mr Long said Burling school district plans to relocate and expand the bicycle cage so students will no longer need to cross busy driveways, and the district anticipates adding a third bus and swapping the bus loading zone to reduce conflicts near the school entrance.

Timeline and next steps: staff said the design team will work through winter and spring, with construction and implementation targeted for summer/fall 2025 if schedules and grant conditions permit. The commission did not take a formal vote on the project at this meeting because there was no quorum; staff said the project will return for a combined community meeting and a future commission vote or motion of support.