What's New in Mountain View?

Bike Summit is coming up on August 1. This year, Bike Summit will be hosted by the City of Mountain View, and we couldn’t be more excited! To get to know the City better, we asked Ria Hutabarat Lo, Transportation Manager, a few questions about biking in Mountain View. Read our exchange below.What bike infrastructure/biking improvements is the City excited to be working on?We’re really excited to be working on several complete streets projects, including the El Camino Streetscape Plan and the Shoreline Boulevard Reversible Transit Lane project, both of which include protected bikeways on key corridors in the City.  Another major bicycle improvement project is the Mountain View Transit Center access improvements, which include a pedestrian/bicycle undercrossing of Caltrain and Central Expressway to improve access to the Transit Center and Downtown Mountain View.What is the progress? How is it going so far?For El Camino Real Streetscape Plan, we’ve done extensive analysis and outreach to produce a streetscape design concept that includes protected bikeways, pedestrian improvements, bus stop treatments, and other streetscape elements.  Although the Streetscape Plan has not been finalized yet, the City Council is in support of removing on-street parking in order to facilitate bikeway improvements. Council has also directed staff to work with Caltrans to incorporate protected bikeways from Castro to Sylvan into their upcoming repaving project. We’ll also be requesting that Caltrans include pedestrian improvements at intersections, and stripe lane widths to allow protected bikeways to be implemented along the other segments at a later time.For Shoreline Boulevard, the City adopted a Complete Streets plan a few years ago and now our Capital Projects group is finishing up final design for the segment north of Middlefield Road.  For this segment, there’ll be protected bikeway facilities, a center-running reversible bus lane, and a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the 101. This is going to transform how people access the North Bayshore area.For Mountain View Transit Center, we expect to complete environmental clearance and preliminary engineering for the Castro Street grade separation project by the end of this year.  With VTA’s 2016 Measure B Grade Separation Program, we hope the project can immediately proceed into final design so we can begin construction by 2021.  Over 300 bicyclists and pedestrians cross Central Expressway and Caltrain during the peak hour and we expect this number to grow substantially.  The pedestrian/bicycle underpass will allow bikes and pedestrian to make this crossing without any delays or challenges associated with traffic signals and train crossings.Where is there room in the City to improve bike infrastructure?Mountain View is a very dynamic City, so there’s a lot of work to do to address all the transportation and housing issues that come with economic success.  For bikes, we need to fill gaps in the low-stress bike network to create a tipping point for riding.  In order to know which pieces to prioritize, we’re currently working on a Comprehensive Modal Plan that should be completed within a year.  The City is also working on substantially increasing the housing supply, which is a huge issue in Mountain View and which also affects how easy it is for people to bike to the places they need to go. What’s exciting about hosting Bike Summit?We’re excited about all the teamwork that has gone into hosting the event and the special event pop up protected bikeway along California Street. Just to name a few: the Capital Projects and Construction teams completed the expansion and remodel of the Community Center; the City Manager and Community Services department supported the idea of hosting the event; the Traffic and Land Development teams provided input and permitted the pop up bikeway; and the Streets crews will be sweeping the street before the pop up goes in.  SVBC was also instrumental in proposing the pop-up bikeway and taking it through the permitting process, and Google provided financial support for the pop-up bikeway.Tell us about Thursday Night Live.Thursday Night Live is a free open streets event on Castro Street that’s held every Thursday in July and August. From 5:30 till 8:30. Castro Street is closed to motor vehicle traffic so people can walk the street and enjoy the restaurants, shops, activities, farmer’s market and a live band.  On August 1, 2019, we will have a Thursday Night Live “Bike Night”, so we encourage everyone to attend the event by bike or on foot.  As a kickoff for our new Safe Routes to School program, there will be a community-wide bike safety rodeo between California and Mercy Streets, and local community groups, including Safe Mountain View and Great Streets Mountain View, will be providing kids’ bike activities at the intersection of California and Castro. We’ll also be showcasing some of our local transportation projects and innovations in Mountain View.  And if you attend the Bike Summit, you get discounted drinks at the August 1 Thursday Night Live drinks station located at the intersection of Dana and Castro. (Remember to plan a sober ride home.)Where’s the best place to bike in Mountain View?I really like the new protected bikeway along Castro Street near Graham Middle School, but my personal favorite is still Stevens Creek Trail. I ride along the trail on my way to work and get to enjoy three of my favorite things: non-motorized transportation, outdoor activity, and California native plants.