San Mateo County's Road Safety in Spotlight After 4-Year-Old's Tragic Death
The death of a four-year-old boy on the streets of Burlingame has reignited calls for improved road safety measures in San Mateo County, with many residents saying that cities on the Peninsula have prioritized driver convenience over pedestrian well-being.
Ayden Fang, who was walking with his mother when he was struck by a car, is among a growing number of young victims of road accidents. His family's story has highlighted the urgent need for more protected bike lanes and safer street design in San Mateo County cities.
"I'm worried about it every day," said Seema Patel, co-founder of a pedestrian safety group. "We got our first protected bike lane last year, but that's only two in the entire county. We have to do better."
Patel's concerns are echoed by her husband Colin Madere, who has had close encounters while riding his bike around neighborhoods. "A lot of people are courteous, but there's still a percentage that either don't care or hate you," he said.
Redwood City Councilmember Isabella Chu is pushing for more aggressive steps to redesign roads and make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists. "Car crashes have been the leading cause of child death in this country, without a close second, for almost a century," she said.
Chu hopes that with better policy and determination, San Mateo County can move closer to zero traffic-related deaths. However, critics say that cities on the Peninsula still lag behind other areas in terms of road safety infrastructure.
As the conversation around road safety continues to shift, one thing is clear: something must be done to address the alarming rate of child fatalities on San Mateo County's roads.
The death of a four-year-old boy on the streets of Burlingame has reignited calls for improved road safety measures in San Mateo County, with many residents saying that cities on the Peninsula have prioritized driver convenience over pedestrian well-being.
Ayden Fang, who was walking with his mother when he was struck by a car, is among a growing number of young victims of road accidents. His family's story has highlighted the urgent need for more protected bike lanes and safer street design in San Mateo County cities.
"I'm worried about it every day," said Seema Patel, co-founder of a pedestrian safety group. "We got our first protected bike lane last year, but that's only two in the entire county. We have to do better."
Patel's concerns are echoed by her husband Colin Madere, who has had close encounters while riding his bike around neighborhoods. "A lot of people are courteous, but there's still a percentage that either don't care or hate you," he said.
Redwood City Councilmember Isabella Chu is pushing for more aggressive steps to redesign roads and make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists. "Car crashes have been the leading cause of child death in this country, without a close second, for almost a century," she said.
Chu hopes that with better policy and determination, San Mateo County can move closer to zero traffic-related deaths. However, critics say that cities on the Peninsula still lag behind other areas in terms of road safety infrastructure.
As the conversation around road safety continues to shift, one thing is clear: something must be done to address the alarming rate of child fatalities on San Mateo County's roads.
we need more protected bike lanes and safer street design ASAP, it's not that hard to put the kids first 
seema patel is totally right we've only got 2 protected bike lanes in the whole county, what are we even doing 
this is so sad for that little boy and his family. it's crazy how many kids have lost their lives in accidents like this 
. i think it's time for our city leaders to step up and make some real changes to the road design. we need more protected bike lanes and wider sidewalks, and we need them now! 
. it's not like they're taking up the whole road or anything 
. i'd love to see more community events and awareness campaigns to get everyone talking about this issue.
. we need leaders who are willing to take risks and make tough decisions to keep our communities safe 
. it's not going to be easy, but i'm rooting for her and all the other activists who are fighting for change 
. But, can we really blame the whole peninsula for prioritizing driver convenience over pedestrian safety? Like, haven't cities been doing that for decades? It's not like it's a new thing.
. It's not that simple.
. Maybe we need to focus on education and awareness rather than just slapping on more bike lanes and expecting everything to magically improve?
Road safety has been a major concern for years now and I'm still not convinced that all these changes will make a huge difference 
. What really gets me is how some cities are only now realizing they need to prioritize pedestrian and cyclist safety... where have they been the past 4 years? 
this is just crazy... 4-year-old Ayden Fang was literally just walking with his mom and gets hit by a car 
. Seema Patel's concerns are valid - 2 protected bike lanes in the entire county is ridiculous! 
and yeah, Colin Madere's right too, some people just don't care about sharing the road 
but we need to take action now - no more excuses or delays 
️.
. I wonder if we could learn a thing or two from Japan... or maybe even just try to prioritize people's safety over convenience for once 
.
this is just unacceptable we need more protected bike lanes and safer street design in these cities its not just about drivers convenience we have kids on the streets every day walking to school or playing outside they deserve our protection 
. I've seen videos of European cities with protected bike paths and it's a total game changer 
. Anyway, let's get some serious action going to make our streets safer for everyone 
. It's crazy to me that we only have two protected bike lanes in the whole county?! Like what even is that?
. That's not okay, fam!
. I mean, car crashes have been the leading cause of child death for like a century... what are we even doing?!
. Seriously though, who doesn't want safer streets? It's all about prioritizing the little ones, right? 
... yeah, let's do better. I'm all for some aggressive redesigns and policies to get those road fatalities down 
. It's time for our cities on the Peninsula to step up their game 
I feel so bad for Ayden and his family 
. It's crazy that people are still dying like this in San Mateo County 
. Isabella Chu is doing a great job trying to push for change 
.
So, instead of throwing more cash at bike lanes, we should be investing in better road design that prioritizes driver safety 
We need more protected bike lanes and safer streets, like Redwood City Councilmember Isabella Chu is saying 
We need more support for families dealing with these tragedies 
. It's like we're just talking circles around each other without actually making progress. I wish our forum would do more to facilitate serious discussions and provide resources for people to get involved in the conversation 
.
my friend's kid is always scared of crossing the road when they're riding a bike with them 
i remember when my own kid was little i used to take her to the park all the time and now idk man it's just really scary