SVBC News
Speed Cameras Get Green Light From Privacy Committee
It was a small step for legislation, a huge win for roadway safety. Yesterday, the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee of the California State Assembly passed AB 342: the Safe Streets Act of 2017. As previously discussed on this blog, the legislation, authored by David Chiu, would enact a five-year pilot program allowing the cities of San Francisco and San Jose to use speed safety cameras in select areas. This is a crucial tool in our fight against the rising tide of bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities.
Learning from LA: VTA Visits CicLAvia
Thanks to Nuria Fernandez, General Manager and CEO of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, for authoring this guest blog post sharing her recent experiences traveling to Los Angeles with the Viva CalleSJ crew!San Jose has Viva CalleSJ—Los Angeles has CicLAvia. Last month, Los Angeles celebrated its 20th CicLAvia in grand style, with thousands biking on car-free Venice Boulevard, from downtown Culver City to Venice Beach. Santa Clara County Supervisor Ken Yeager, San Jose Councilmember Sylvia Arenas, and I were there, participating in a study tour sponsored by the City of San Jose, and led by nonprofit 8 80 Cities.
Youth Advocates Help Pedal Forward a Bike-Friendly Design for Middlefield Road in North Fair Oaks
Last Thursday, March 23, the North Fair Oaks Community Council voted to approve improvements for Middlefield Road between Pacific and 5th Avenues, including buffered bike lanes. This vote comes after years of work from the community, San Mateo County, North Fair Oaks Forward, and SVBC staff and advocates. Most recently, SVBC worked with Siena Youth Center’s biking club, Bulldog Riders to enhance youth and community participation in the process.
Support the Safe Streets Act of 2017
SVBC doesn’t usually get involved in State legislation. We have a statewide organization - CalBike - to do that and there’s plenty of work for us at the local level. However, this year we’re prioritizing an important bill that helps advance our Vision Zero work, because the bill is directly related to San Jose. Assembly Bill 342: the Safe Streets Act of 2017, authored by David Chiu, would enact a five-year pilot program allowing the cities of San Francisco and San Jose to use speed safety cameras in select areas.
Get a Job: Motivate Seeks Bike Fleet Manager
Motivate International, the company that manages Bay Area Bike Share, is looking for a Bicycle Fleet Manager to join its team.
Work Continues on VTA Complete Streets Policy
In November 2016, Santa Clara County voters approved Measure B, a one-half cent sales tax to fund transportation projects, collected over a 30-year period. In addition to a bicycle and pedestrian category of projects in the measure, there was also a requirement that Local Streets and Roads (pavement) projects funded by the measure implement Complete Streets (CS) practices to maintain and improve access and safety for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit users on the roadway network. Since Measure B was passed, SVBC has been working on multiple fronts to ensure the CS requirement is adhered to.
Sunnyvale Proposes Multimodal Crossing of 101 and 237
The City of Sunnyvale hosted a “Community Kickoff” meeting to discuss a proposed Mary Avenue overcrossing of Highways 101 and 237 on Tuesday, January 17. SVBC helped spread the word about the project and attended the meeting to learn more.