Category: san jose

Input needed TODAY for VTA 3 bike rack proposals

In June 2017, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors approved a contract with a vendor to provide three-position exterior bike racks for their bus fleet. The award has been contested, and VTA is required to conduct a new procurement process. Individuals who were previously involved in the prior procurement process are not permitted to participate in this new procurement process. This includes anyone who provided comment on the previously approved design and vendor.

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If you have not provided comment before, you are invited to review and comment on sample three-position racks TODAY, Thursday, October 19 2017, from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM at the Cerone Bus Yard, 3990 Zanker Road, San Jose, CA 95134. Find the sample racks at the flagpole at this remote bus yard up by 237 on Zanker Road in north San Jose.

San Jose Ribbon Cutting: Story & Sunset Cycle Track & Bike Signal

New 2-way #cycletrack Sunset at Story. The bike detector in the pavement triggers a bike signal. #cycling

A post shared by Richard Masoner (@cyclelicious) on

Check out the new two-way cycle track and bike signal for Sunset Avenue & Hopkins Drive at Story Road, San Jose, California during the ribbon cutting ceremony this Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 6 P.M.

San Jose Sunset Hopkins cycletrack grand opening

Background

Sunset Avenue provides a north-sound connection across I-680 free of the high speed highway access ramp just north of Story Road. Other nearby crossings either have freeway ramps or, in the case of Highway 101, the crossing is completely inaccessible to cyclists and pedestrians.

Southbound cyclists at Story Road, however, cannot easily make the dogleg turn to Hopkins. The median on Story Road prevents left turns from Sunset. This engineering change normalizes what cyclists already practice to get across a tricky intersection.

Click here for Google Maps of this location. See previous discussion here.

San Jose Kooser Road safety improvements meeting

San Jose DOT will repave Kooser Road from Camden Avenue to Blossom Hill Road later in 2017. As part of the pavement project, the City of San Jose DOT plans a 4-3 lane reduction between Camden and Meridian. The community can give their input on these plans at a community meeting Tuesday, June 6th, 2017, 7:00 – 8:30 pm, at Vineland Branch Library, 1450 Blossom Hill Road, San Jose, CA.

Kooser Road San Jose safety improvements project

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San Jose’s first cyclist fatality for 2017: Leigh and Coit

On Tuesday afternoon, San Jose Police reported the city’s first fatality of a person riding a bicycle.

According to the Mercury News, the crash occurred at 2:52 PM, police are investigating, the driver is cooperating.

This portion of Leigh Avenue is an important North-South connector between the central part of San Jose and Los Gatos across South San Jose. I travel here somewhat frequently, and the Strava global heatmap also signals the popularity of this bike-laned road.

In spite of the 35 MPH speed limit and the presence of children from nearby schools (class dismissed from Fanmatre Elementary School 500 feet from the collision site a mere 10 minutes before the collision happened, so children undoubtedly witnessed this crash), people speed like maniacs down Leigh Avenue. The street looks like a freeway, after all.

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From 2006 through 2013, nine people on bikes and another nine people on foot have been injured after they were hit by a car within half a mile of this intersection.

Bicycle and pedestrian injury collisions 2006 - 2013 Leigh & Coit

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition San Jose Team meets tonight at the bike coalition office. I’ve requested a moment for the unidentified victim of yesterday’s traffic violence.

Other items on tonight’s agenda:

  • Automated Speed Enforcement legislation
  • Protected bike lanes in San Jose – candidate corridors/network
  • Complete streets and bike/ped projects in Santa Clara County Measure B
  • Announcements: Silicon Valley Bikes! Fest, Bike to Work Day, volunteer opportunities, SPUR panel(s)