ESSJ: Alum Rock Avenue bike trail feasibility study

Santa Clara County Parks has a public meeting TONIGHT (Tuesday, March 22, 2016) to discuss options for a pedestrian and bicycle trail along Alum Rock Avenue between White Road and Alum Rock Park.

Alum Rock Avenue bike path public meeting announcement

A community meeting is scheduled for March 22, 2016, at the City of San Jose’s Dr. Roberto Cruz (Alum Rock) Branch Library (3090 Alum Rock Ave. San Jose, 95127) to share information, discuss, and receive input from attendees on a planning study known as the Alum Rock Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Trail Improvements Feasibility Study.

A key goal is to improve access to the County’s network of regional trails, including the Bay Area Ridge Trail and Penitencia Creek Trail.

Local road cyclists know Alum Rock Avenue as the access to Mount Hamilton Road. This road is the main drag into town for people who live in the Alum Rock neighborhood and beyond.

Alum Rock Avenue Streetview

Besides recreational access to Alum Rock Park and connecting trails, Alum Rock Avenue also provides important access to the transit centers along Capitol Expressway a half mile west of White Road, including stops for VTA light rail, and high frequency VTA 22 / 522. VTA Bus Rapid Transit on Alum Rock begins service in 2017. BART Phase II will also stop on Capitol at Alum Rock provisionally in 2025.

According to 2010-2014 US Census American Community Survey estimates, nearly 4.6% of Alum Rock residents, and 9.4% of the women, ride public transportation to work. The neighborhood itself is poorly served by transit with hourly buses only between 6:40 AM to 6:40 PM, which means many of these workers likely walk down Alum Rock to the Capitol Expressway transit corridor. As the Google Streetview image above suggests, commutes aren’t the only trips people make on foot and on bike down Alum Rock.

California SWITRS shows 7 cyclists and 12 pedestrians have been hit by cars along Alum Rock Avenue outside of the San Jose city limits at White Road from 2005 to 2013 (inclusive). Two of those pedestrians were killed by cars.

Alum Rock Avenue pedestrian and bicycle crashes

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For additional information, visit Santa Clara County Parks & Rec: ALUM ROCK AVENUE PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS FEASIBILITY STUDY.

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