SVBC News
Highway 35 Bicycle Access Online Survey Now Open
Caltrans District 4 has released an online survey regarding bicycle access on the Highway 35 at Highway 1 following SVBC's meeting with Caltrans staff last week and a now rescinded decision to prohibit bicyclists from this roadway segment.
San Jose Plans Two Years of Vision Zero Action
Kudos to the City of San Jose this week for approving the draft Vision Zero Two-Year Action Plan. The plan, approved by the city council’s Transportation & Environment Committee on Monday, lays out actionable steps the City will take over the next two years as it seeks to reach the goal of eliminating roadway fatalities and major injuries.
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.
Grim Numbers Discussed at Vision Zero Presentation
Nine pedestrians, one bicyclist, and one driver. Those were the grim fatality numbers my colleague Jaime Fearer, of California Walks, had featured on a slide for our joint presentation at SPUR earlier this week. Sadly, by the time we were in front of the lunchtime audience, another pedestrian fatality had already rendered the slide out-of-date. And now, as I write this post, I can unfortunately add another motorist to the list, bringing the death toll on San Jose’s roads to 13 for the first 95 days of 2017. There have been six homicides in the same period.
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.
Westbound Sand Hill Road Bike Lanes at Highway 280 to get Green Treatment
On February 16, 2017, the San Mateo County Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (SMC BPAC) voted to recommend bike safety improvements to westbound Sand Hill Road at Highway 280. The committee added the consideration that when westbound has been completed work on eastbound Sand Hill Road should be pursued. This is a huge win that came after months and years of advocacy and meetings by various groups, stakeholders, and individuals.