"Walk sign is on for all crossings."
That's the crosswalk signal at Third Avenue and B Street. It now speaks when it's your turn to cross. Press the button too early and it reminds you to wait, every so often, until the walk sign comes on. The city installed it as a trial and is watching how it works before deciding whether to add it at other crossings nearby.
The talking signal is small, but it shows where downtown San Mateo's problems are now. The B Street pedestrian mall has been car-free year-round since September 2021, and by most measures it worked. Now the friction sits where the mall meets traffic: the three scramble crossings at First, Second and Third Avenues, and the garages people drive to. This fall's changes are aimed at those spots. They arrive just as new restaurants cluster on Third Avenue and the ice rink in Central Park gets ready to open.
A street that filled up
ABC7 reported in June that the Downtown San Mateo Association counted 50 new businesses downtown in 2025, in a district of about 600. Business owners agreed in 2023 to raise part of their annual assessment to pay for maintenance, marketing and safety work. That money has also paid for the permanent tables and seating on the mall. Mayor Adam Loraine told ABC7 the street closure "wasn't a sure thing but I do think it required a bit of collaboration and investment over time."
Fifty openings in one year on a base of 600 means roughly one storefront in twelve was new. More people now walk the blocks between First and Third. But the cross streets still carry cars, and at every one of those corners walkers and drivers have to take turns.
What changed at First, Second and Third
The city calls these intersections pedestrian scrambles. When the walk sign comes on, people can cross in any direction, including diagonally, while all vehicle traffic waits. The October newsletter from the Downtown San Mateo Association lists four recent changes, which the city says are meant to make the scrambles safer and to reduce driver frustration:
- New signs above the signals and push buttons at all three intersections. The rule they spell out: walkers go on the walk sign, and green lights are for cars.
- A new signal order at Third Avenue. Walkers now get their turn before drivers on B Street get a green light. The city says the goal is to reinforce that pedestrians wait for their own turn.
- The talking signal at Third and B, a trial that may spread to other crossings depending on how it does.
- Crosswalk lines that now run fully through the First, Second and Third Avenue intersections, so it's clear you can cross in any direction.
The city also plans more pavement markings inside the intersections and says staff will keep watching the corners to judge whether more changes are needed.
On a Friday night that changes a few things. Crossing diagonally from one corner of Third and B to the opposite corner is allowed, and the new striping says so. A green light for cars on B Street is not a cue to step off the curb. If you've drifted across on a car green before, Third Avenue now has a signal that will tell you to wait.
Third Avenue is where the new tables are going
The trial signal is at Third Avenue, and the newest restaurant announcements are clustered on the same street.
Redwood City Pulse reported in August that Roma Antica, a Roman trattoria open in San Francisco since 2017, was expanding to 172 E. Third Ave. and expected to open in late September, so it's worth checking the restaurant's own channels before planning dinner there. Owners Dogukan Solmaz, Roberto Sbaraglia and Alessandro Vasselli met at culinary school in Rome. Vasselli told the Pulse the San Mateo menu would be about 95 percent the same as the original, with handmade pastas like tonnarelli cacio e pepe and oxtail ragu over pappardelle at $21 to $28, plus pinsa Romana. The restaurant planned to start with beer and wine and add a full bar later.
A block over, Pineapple King Bakery is expected to open in December at 145 E. Third Ave., in the former Shabuway space, according to a Redwood City Pulse roundup of upcoming Peninsula cafes and bakeries. The same roundup has Auntea Jenny planned for 253 S. B St., in the former Hereetea space, without giving an opening date. That adds to a boba scene ABC7 already called a downtown signature. In June, ABC7 described Molly Tea as one of the newest, saying it opened in November and regularly draws lines.
Some of the change is new owners in familiar rooms. The association's October newsletter says Thonglor Thai Bistro is under new ownership and offers a free Thai iced tea with any lunch entree, Tuesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Rise Woodfire now serves weekend brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tai Er, one of the 2025 openings ABC7 named, has added weekday lunch combos at $25 for one and $55 for two. And Takahashi Market at 221 S. Claremont St. celebrated its 120th anniversary in September.
Put the addresses together and East Third Avenue has a trattoria announced for this fall and a bakery due in December, plus a newly retimed scramble at its corner with B Street. Each new dinner crowd adds to the crowd at that crossing.
The garage work runs through the busiest weeks
Meanwhile, part of the parking is under construction. The Main Street Garage is getting waterproofing work from October 2026 through February 2027 to protect the structure and extend its life. The top level will close for about three weeks, and the city hasn't announced those dates yet. The elevator will keep running to every level, and businesses stay open throughout.
That window covers every week of the ice rink season and the December holidays. Free parking helps if you can time your trip. Downtown city parking is free on Sundays and after 6 p.m. every day, though not in private lots. The city lists its garages and lots on its downtown parking facilities page. An evening skate followed by dinner on Third Avenue fits inside the free hours.
A late-fall calendar built around those corners
San Mateo on Ice opens Friday, Nov. 13, in Central Park and runs through Jan. 10, 2027. The outdoor rink has 11,000 square feet of real ice, and the operator offers daily public skating along with parties and private ice time. Standard public-skate admission is $20.33 with skate rental included. Sponsors fund free community skate days, and the rink also gives away hundreds of tickets a year to local kids through nonprofit partners.
Dates to know over the next two months:
- Nov. 13: San Mateo on Ice opens in Central Park.
- Nov. 16: Free community skate day at the rink.
- Nov. 21: HEAD WEST Marketplace on B Street, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. based on its October hours. Local makers, crafters and artists set up on the third Saturday of every month.
- Nov. 28: The Bougie Brunch at Golden Moon Studios, listed as a save-the-date in the association's newsletter.
- Dec. 1, 8 and 10: More free community skate days.
- December: Pineapple King Bakery's expected opening on East Third Avenue.
Many of these dates bring people downtown on foot, into the scrambles the city just changed. Most also fall during the garage work.
The corners to keep an eye on
The city has said what comes next. It will decide whether to put talking signals at First and Second Avenues once it sees how the Third Avenue trial goes. It plans more pavement markings inside the intersections. And it will announce the dates for the garage's top-level closure once they're confirmed. The Downtown San Mateo Association's monthly newsletter is where this October's city updates appeared, and DSMA.org keeps a running events calendar and restaurant guide.
If you're weighing how close you'd like to live to a downtown like this one, with Friday skates, Saturday markets and a walk to dinner on Third Avenue, Michelle Kennedy is glad to walk those blocks with you and talk about what daily life near B Street looks like. Let's talk about your home. Schedule a personal consultation.
