San Mateo County road safety under renewed criticism following death of 4-year-old Ayden Fang

BURLINGAME, Calif. (KGO) — The safety of San Mateo County roads is under renewed scrutiny following the death of 4-year-old Ayden Fang.

For Seema Patel and her husband Colin Madere, it’s an issue they worry about almost everyday.

“Here in San Mateo, we got our very first protected bike lane for one block last year. Redwood City has one protected bike lane. And as far as I know, those are the only two protected bike lanes in San Mateo County,” said Patel.

Patel, a co-founder of a pedestrian safety group, says cities in the Peninsula have long put driver convenience over pedestrian well-being.

RELATED: Advocates fight to keep controversial bike lanes in San Mateo from being cleared for more parking

“In this part of the Bay, we’ve historically had a larger percentage of people driving. But we’re seeing that shift now to have more and more people walking and biking,” she said.

Madere believes most San Mateo County cities are drastically behind on improving pedestrian infrastructure and enacting safe street protocols.

He says he’s had numerous close encounters while riding his bike around the neighborhood.

“A lot of people are courteous but there’s still a percentage that either don’t care, don’t look or hate you,” said Madere.

RELATED: 4-year-old killed in tragic Burlingame ‘chain reaction’ crash described as ‘the sweetest little boy’

But the conversation is shifting, says Redwood City Councilmember Isabella Chu, who tells us the numbers nationwide are too high to ignore.

“Car crashes have been the leading cause of child death in this country, without a close second, for almost a century,” said Chu.

Chu says it’s true that there are too many traffic related deaths in the county every year.

But she hopes that with better policy and determination, that number could start to move closer to zero.

“I am always in favor of aggressive steps to redesign roads to make it safer for people on foot and bikes. And, again, because that makes them safe for everyone,” said Chu.