Active Transportation is…
San Mateo County established the Active Transportation Coordinator staff position in 2014 in partnership with the City/County Association of Governments (C/CAG) and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority. Active transportation includes any form of human-powered transportation: walking, running, cycling, using a wheelchair, skateboard, scooter, and more, to get around town for errands, shopping, or business.
The goal of formalizing Active Transportation as part of government policy and programs is to address traffic congestion while adding a few more minutes of healthy activity to daily life. Helping people make more of their daily short trips by walking or using bicycles or by making a few trips by bus or train generates benefits on many levels: improved air quality, reduced road wear, improved health, and more. Short trips of less than one mile make up 20 percent of our traffic, but it often takes less time to walk half a mile (10 minutes) than to drive and find parking.
Removing a small percentage of cars from the roads can dramatically improve the flow of traffic at peak times. If you’re new to getting around without a car, start by choosing to walk or bike for a non-work trip like a quick trip to the corner store, or going to lunch. Short errands like these represent 70 percent of the trips we make each day. Shifting a few of those to walking cleans up the air and leaves some parking spaces for those who still have to drive.
Click here for Resources and Training on best practices.
Click here for Complete Streets guidance and references.
One role of the Active Transportation Coordinator is to act as a resource for city and county staff to implement the priorities and projects identified in the Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan 2011
Bike Plan Excerpt Pages: Bike Way Map_new
SanMateo2(3-8-2010)-bike-map1 (side 1: Southeast)
San Mateo County Full Size Bicycle Map Side 2 (side 2: North/Mid-coast)
San Mateo Bike Map Printer Friendly Southeast booklet (tiled) (side 1: Southeast)
San Mateo Bike Map Printer Friendly North booklet (tiled) (side 2: North/Mid-coast)