Massive showing expected at San Mateo City Hall Monday in support of family struck at crosswalk

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) — A massive showing of support is expected Monday at San Mateo City Hall as the community calls for action in the wake of a family that was struck by a pickup truck at a crosswalk, which sent the father to the ICU.

“We’ve been telling the city for years that this was a dangerous intersection. They have data on a history of crashes, and yet they decided that they weren’t going to do anything until a father was put in the ICU,” said Mike Swire, an ambassador with Families For Safe Streets. He’s also on the San Mateo Transportation Authority Community Advisory Committee.

Swire says there are measures the city could quickly take to make the intersection safer, such as speed humps and flashing lights.

“We’ve had over a thousand people send emails to the city council in just a few days, and we’re expecting an enormous turnout tomorrow to tell the city council that they need to make safety their first priority,” Swire said.

He said that the community wants action now.

“I was in my office room when I heard the crash. And I ran out the door and then came out to this little corner right here. And then seeing the victim’s son on the — I’m in the middle of the crosswalk,” said Donald Yu. He lives on the corner of North Delaware and State Streets, where the accident happened last weekend.

Ramon Sandoval was crossing the street with his 8-year-old and 16-year-old. They were on their way to a nearby Safeway when they were hit. The driver stayed on scene.

“I also, like, shop at the Safeway across the street all the time. I jog, I’m crossing all the time, and I have to be super vigilant about cars,” Yu said. “And even if I am very vigilant about it — like you can’t, you don’t know what, like the driver is like, you know, unpredictability is going to be like.”

The city provided a statement, reading in part:

“The City continues to actively seek ways to improve roadway safety. As part of this effort, we are working on making near-term safety improvements at the intersection of North Delaware Street and State Street, which will include rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) and shortened crossings with striping and delineators, designed and installed by City staff. As part of a follow-up capital improvement project, the City is also planning to add concrete curb extensions, yellow high-visibility crosswalks, new curb ramps, and AB 413 daylighting improvements, which prevent cars from parking or stopping within 20 feet of a crosswalk to help with visibility.

More long-range safety improvements are also already planned for the section of Delaware Street spanning from State Street to Peninsula Avenue, as identified in the Bicycle Master Plan. You can review the Bicycle Master Plan, Pedestrian Master Plan, and Local Roadway Safety Plan, which together act as a roadmap for increased roadway safety across the City of San Mateo.”