Announcing the 2017 Silicon Valley Bike Summit Award Winners

Photos, clockwise from left: Viva CalleSJ 2016, Penny Ellson on Bike to Work Day 2017, King Road bike lane along with SVBC Mural Ride For the second year, we are presenting awards for the following categories at the Silicon Valley Bike Summit on August 8 in Mountain View. We held open, online nominations in May 2017 and voting in June 2017. Come to the event to honor the award winners, who will all also be participating in panels at the Bike Summit!

• Bicycling Professional of the Year –city, county, or other agency staff or volunteer whose efforts go above and beyond to ensure safe and comfortable bicycling
• Project of the Year – bike lane (buffered, green, or protected), bike bridge, bike boulevard, bike box, bike parking, etc.
• Program of the Year – education and encouragement programs or bike plans that shift the needle to get more people on bikes.

Bike Professional (or volunteer) of the Year: Penny Ellson, Palo Alto PTA Traffic Safety Committee ChairFor more than 14 years, SVBC member and Palo Alto PTA Traffic Safety Chair Penny Ellson has volunteered full-time to help grow one of the most successful Safe Route to School programs in the nation. A standout example of a stellar bicycle advocate and professional, Penny’s mantra that ‘we are the traffic’, her mentorship to hundreds of local Safe Routes to School advocates and her commitment to ensuring that program offerings are accessible to all students, has helped sustain a robust public commitment and grassroots network in support of the local program. Penny will soon be retiring from her role, and her legacy as a champion for making streets safer for our most vulnerable users will continue to inspire the next generation.Project of the Year: King Road bike lane, San JoseThis 4.5-mile project provided a critical gap closure on San José's East Side. The project wasn't easy - a dramatic re-striping at the intersection of King and Story Roads was necessary, and involved the elimination of an existing second left-hand turn lane. Community outreach leading up to the project was extensive - community organizations were consulted and asked to reach out to constituents, and materials were prepared in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.Program of the Year: Viva CalleSJ 2016, From the West: Glen meets Zen:The second annual event in San José's open streets program shut down over six miles of streets to cars and saw 100,000 people come out to play and explore by foot, bike, skateboard, and scooter. With termini in Willow Glen, West San Carlos, and Japantown, the event showcased San José's diverse cultures and tight-knit communities.