Improved bike lane painted on university Ave southbound
Thank you to the City of East Palo Alto Public Works team for repainting the southbound bike lanes on University Ave.
Previously, the bike lane markings faded out a few hundred feet before the pedestrian/bicycle overcrossing, creating a confusing and potentially dangerous situation for cyclists approaching the crossing.
According to SWITRS collision data, there were 39 collisions within one block of University Ave & Donohoe St between 1/1/24 and 6/30/25 — including 7 involving bicyclists and 2 involving pedestrians. All of these crashes occurred before the new University Ave pedestrian and bicycle overcrossing opened in July 2025.
The overcrossing is already bringing significantly more bike and pedestrian traffic to University Ave, and this week’s closure of the Newell Bridge for the next two years will likely increase southbound bicycle traffic even further.
Long term, the University Ave Grand Corridor Project is in the design phase and will bring more comprehensive safety improvements. In the meantime, Councilmember Dinan and I had multiple conversations with Public Works about the need for near-term safety improvements given the concerning collision history at this location.
Public works confirmed with us that there was ample road space to add a bike lane buffer since the lanes on university Ave are wider than most other streets. Narrowing the lanes slightly actually would decrease vehicle speeds and potentially discourage cut through traffic.
https://epasun.org/closing-the-gaps-to-the-university-avenue-overcrossing/