Meet Sup. Dave Cortese, Day-2 Keynote at Bike Summit 2020
Supervisor dave Cortese, Santa Clara County is our opening Speaker for Day-2 for the 10th Annual Bike Summit to be held online on Aug 6 & 7, 2020. Lets see what our keynote has to say to all of us:
What is Santa Clara County doing to promote bicycling and walking?
Promoting bicycling and walking is a multi-pronged effort. It comes not only from championing projects that encourage bike and pedestrian options, but also from promoting projects that seek to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). For example, I recently submitted a letter to the City of San Jose for them to consider pursuing the alternative of a bike and pedestrian overpass option for their Charcot Extension and Overpass project over Interstate 880. The project, as it stands, would increase traffic and make it potentially unsafe for the students/parents/cyclists nearby because it would also encourage more vehicles to travel down these corridors. If we take into account the recent BART stations that opened in Milpitas and Berryessa, and how close these stops are to North San Jose and the area that is being affected, we’ll find that these are projects are ultimately intertwined in the effort to promote bicycling and walking because they create viable alternatives instead of driving for folks to utilize.Pedestrian improvements to the closed section of Crothers Road just outside of the Alum Rock Regional Park are underway and are expected to be completed by early July. At my request, the Board of Supervisors agreed to repair and resurface the portion of Crothers Road that has been closed to vehicular traffic since 1996 due to a deep-seated landslide. This closed portion of Crothers Road provides a direct and convenient access for bicyclists and pedestrians from the surrounding neighborhood to the Alum Rock Avenue entrance gate to the park.Projects included in expressway and county roads construction and maintenance to preserve both vehicular and bicyclist/pedestrian traffic include adequate shoulders and railing, four corner intersection squaring, identifying and replacing bridges that do not allow for simultaneous traffic, adding adaptive signal timing, pedestrian signals and bicycle sensors, and green bike treatment.In my mind, the question that I think we should always keep in mind in our efforts is: “How can we invest in public infrastructure so that we can get to a point where it is simply more convenient for our communities to take alternative transportation measures instead of driving?”. I envision a day where we can reach a saturation point like in San Francisco or New York, where public transportation, bicycling and walking become the norm instead of the exception.
What are your top priorities and projects related to active transportation?
From my early days on the San Jose City Council through my time on the Board of Supervisors, I have initiated and/or heavily supported many important bicycle and pedestrian friendly transportation projects that connect neighborhood to neighborhood, city to city and county to county. As I mentioned earlier, investing in public infrastructure so that our communities can get to a point where it is simply more convenient for us to take alternative transportation measures is the way to approach this matter. To me, these are regional projects like the Eastridge BART Regional Connector and any future extensions of BART coming to San Jose. From a local perspective, this means helping to ensure that disenfranchised and lower-income neighborhoods have bus route access and bike trails in our effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Given the current situation, what do you think are some opportunities cities and agencies should take advantage of to make their streets safer for people walking and biking?
Many cities and agencies around the world have closed off streets to allow for safer, socially distanced biking and walking. These temporary closures could be explored for permanency as we redirect vehicular traffic so that multiple transportation modes can coexist in congestion heavy areas. Looking at the issue more broadly, cities should examine how their zoning policies encourage space generosity for multimodal transportation. In the near term, cities can invest in touchless intersection interfaces, which will make bicycle/pedestrian travel easier and less risky for germ transfer.I also think we have a unique opportunity right now to work cross-jurisdictionally with VTA, the Sheriff’s office, CHP, SJPD and with other city law enforcement officials by improving communication efforts while traffic is still relatively light thanks to shelter-in-place.
Tell us about your bike and where you like to ride?
I ride an old-school Schwinn ten speed. I enjoy biking in the Alum Rock/East Hills area mostly, with Clayton Road to Mt Hamilton Road being a favorite route. I also love biking the Guadalupe River Trail, especially during the annual Bike to the Bay event my office puts on as part of our Annual Day on the Bay festival held every Fall.
