SJ Council Rides Were Biking Fun in the Sun
As a way to welcome newly elected council members in San Jose and strengthen community relations SVBC recently held two bike rides. We hosted these rides in San Jose’s Districts 4 and 10 with their associated council members in partnership with San Jose Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Energy Foundation. These rides served as a way for SVBC staff and members to meet the Council Members of each district and their staff and connect them to SVBC’s network and SVBC’s mission of making cities more bike-friendly. Folks in attendance included members of the council offices, SVBC staff, San Jose DOT staff, SVBC local team advocates and volunteers, LUNA (Latinos Unidos por una Nueva América), and other community partners.
We had an amazing time! Both Council Member David Cohen of District 4 and Matt Mahan of District 10 showed up in full force smiling with their staff, welcoming the opportunity to ride together, learn, share perspectives, and connect. Each group ride was about 6.5 miles and showed off past, present, and future bicycle infrastructure projects in these districts. Here are the links to the ride routes in District 4 and District 10, for reference. Routes were planned and narrated by San Jose DOT transportation planners who did a splendid job explaining what each project was, how it was planned, and the pros and challenges of the planning and implementation process.
Some examples of successful improvements include:
The Berryessa Transit Center in District 4
The City worked with BART and VTA to ensure all ages and abilities bike access and secure bike parking at the station. This includes off-street paths along both sides of Berryessa Station Way; a bike cage, bike lockers, and bike racks; as well as direct connections to Penitencia Creek Trail (existing) and Coyote Creek Trail (planned).
Along Taylor/Mabury, the bikeway combines sections of two-way cycle track and a separated path linking to the station.
Martial Cottle and Chynoweth Avenue in District 10
This road used to be 80 feet wide and was unpaved in certain sections and also devoid of sidewalks. Because this street was wide and dead ended, people used it as a dumping ground, drove very fast, and would often have sideshows doing donuts in their cars. The new design of the street, in addition to providing access, helped solve all these problems. The street was narrowed by putting in a 30 foot wide one-way frontage lane with diagonal parking; a 30 foot raised median; and a 30 foot wide two-way local street with protected bike lane and sharrows. Martial Cottle Park also added a two-way multi-use path along their Chynoweth frontage, making it a very pleasant street for all road users.
Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about bicycle infrastructure from “seeds to fruit” and the chance to be outside together on bicycles. We hope to plan more of these rides in the future with other district offices, and perhaps even a mixture of multiple districts in one. Thank you again to the Councilmembers, San Jose Department of Transportation, and the Energy Foundation!
