Your Help Needed to Continue Willow Glen road Re-sizing

As most of you know, we have been promoting the Willow Glen/Lincoln Avenue Road Diet since early spring. The street redesign got rid of a travel lane in each direction, adding a center turn lane and bike lanes. Not only is the Avenue much nicer to ride a bike down, it is also safer for pedestrians and motorists as it has reduced speeds and improved sight lines.The pilot has wrapped up and the Department of Transportation now needs direction from our elected leaders. There are essentially three options: keep the road diet permanently, ditch it and revert to the old design, or extend the trial. I and several others feel the pilot was too short and we could gather more data about the safety and economic impacts with more time. An extension will also give City staff more time to make adjustments in order to improve traffic flow without sacrificing safety.Councilmember Oliverio has written a memo to the Rules Committee to that effect. The Committee will take up his request to extend the pilot this Wednesday, 9/23. The Committee will decide whether or not to bring the issue to the full city council for a vote.I am requesting your help! If you are free at 2:00 on Wednesday, 9/23, please join me at the meeting in City Hall Wing Rooms 118-120 and tell the Rules Committee you support an extension of the trial. Be ready to stay for one to two hours - we hear there will be a large constituency of opponents there and the comment period could take a while. Be ready to talk for just one minute - the typical two-minute comment time often gets shortened when there is a big crowd. Short and sweet and keep it positive!If you can't make the meeting, please email the members of the Committee with your support. In addition to the benefits for bicyclists, we suggest discussing the fact that the road diet increases safety for all users of the road and works toward the City's goals laid forth in the San Jose 2040 General Plan, the Bike Plan 2020, and the recently adopted Vision Zero policy. The fate of this project could have implications for bike, ped, and roadway safety projects throughout the city!Email addresses for the committee:Mayor Sam Liccardo: mayoremail@sanjoseca.govVice Mayor Rose Herrera: rose.herrera@sanjoseca.govCouncil Member Magdalena Carrasco: district5@sanjoseca.govCouncil Member Chappie Jones: district1@sanjoseca.govCouncil Member Johnny Khamis: district10@sanjoseca.gov