Tag: Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale City Council to discuss Duane Avenue lane reduction tonight

Richard MasonerSeptember 10, 201311 Comments on Sunnyvale City Council to discuss Duane Avenue lane reduction tonight

Update: City Council selects to remove parking and lanes on Duane Avenue to make room for buffered bike lanes.

Tonight, the city council for Sunnyvale, California will discuss a city staff proposal to add bike lanes to a one mile segment of Duane Avenue between Stewart Drive and Fair Oaks Avenue. Space for the lanes will be made by removing some street parking and reducing the stroad from four lanes down to three.

Currently, Duane Avenue is 72 feet of two parking lanes and four 12-foot-wide travel lanes, as shown below. (And please never mind the backwards parking on the right hand side – mistake on my part!)


duane-street-sunnyvale-existing

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Sunnyvale to replace parking with bike lanes on El Camino Real

Richard MasonerJuly 30, 20131 Comment on Sunnyvale to replace parking with bike lanes on El Camino Real

The Sunnyvale City Council approved a plan to remove street parking and replace that with bike lanes on El Camino Real (ECR) between Sunnyvale Avenue and Remington Drive during their meeting on July 23, 2013.

ECR is a six lane traffic sewer in this part of Sunnyvale. This half mile segment of bike lanes will be the very first bike lanes painted into this historic highway in Santa Clara County. Because this state highway is under Caltrans control, the city could only obtain permission to stripe ECR if they removed street parking. The below map shows existing bike lanes in blue and the new proposed lanes in green. Click through to Google Maps for the larger geographic context.

Bike lanes on El Camino Real Sunnyvale, California

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Road rager on a Raleigh in Sunnyvale

Richard MasonerJune 12, 2013Leave a Comment

Wrong way rider takes umbrage at suggestion to ride on the right side of the road.

I was asked to not reveal identities, so I’ll just share this Just Riding Along story without names to protect the identity of the innocent (and the guilty).

Friday before last I was commuting home the slightly-scenic route, and took the Moffett bay trail to Borregas Ave. On Borregas between 237 and 101 I yelled “Ride on the right please!” at a cyclist coming north in the middle of the southbound lane (no bike lanes on this quiet residential stretch).

I got to the stop sign at Weddell Dr (alongside 101) and heard the guy yelling at me, having turned around and started biking back my way. Me being me, I waited for him to see what he was going on about. However this guy wasn’t up for a civilized conversation — he jumped off his bike and punched me in the ear!

Fortunately a bystander/witness showed up and distracted the guy who continued yelling profanities and threats while I took his picture and dialed 911, at which point the perp rode off.

Road rage in Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale PD took 20 minutes to show up and naturally didn’t find the guy in the neighborhood / local greenway.

If you see this [guy] on a too-small Raleigh, don’t yell at him but please do call 911 regarding case CR13-4422. I’d love to see charges pressed against him. But meanwhile I can’t help myself and still yell at cyclists and drivers doing dumb stuff. The “please” has gotta help right?

Does anybody know if Sunnyvale’s anti-harassment law applies if the harasser is riding a bike?

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Grade separation for Lawrence Expressway?

Richard MasonerJune 6, 20132 Comments on Grade separation for Lawrence Expressway?

Those of you who like the freeway-style feel of Central Expressway across Santa Clara County will love this: Santa Clara County Roads has a vision for a fully grade separated Lawrence Expressway. You’ll have an opportunity to learn more about these plans and provide your input at the VTA Bike / Ped Advisory Committee (BPAC) open house next Wednesday, June 12, 2013.

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Sunnyvale passes anti-harassment ordinance. This time for real.

Richard MasonerJuly 17, 20124 Comments on Sunnyvale passes anti-harassment ordinance. This time for real.

Remember on June 22 when I published that the city of Sunnyvale California passed a bicycle harassment ordinance?

The bill passed its second reading at tonight’s city council reading. Congratulations to the city BPAC and bike advocates for helping to make it happen.

The Sunnyvale measure was approved by the council passed on a 6-1 vote, with council member Jim Davis dissenting.

The Sunnyvale ordinance is modeled after a similar ordinance passed last year in Los Angeles, which makes it unlawful to intentionally force or attempt to force a bicyclist from a roadway with the intent to injure or distract the bicyclist simply because they are bicycling. Sunnyvale becomes the second Bay Area city with a bicycle harassment ordinance on the books. Berkeley passed a similar law last February.

The ordinance, which creates a right of civil action for cyclists who are harassed by force or distraction while riding in the City, empowers cyclists to seek treble damages and attorney’s fees in civil court in addition to standard criminal and civil protections. The new rule takes effect August 17, 2012.

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Sunnyvale passes 1st reading bicycle harassment ordinance

Richard MasonerJune 22, 20123 Comments on Sunnyvale passes 1st reading bicycle harassment ordinance

IMPORTANT CORRECTION: This ordinance is not yet law — it passed its initial hearing, but a second reading and passage is required before it becomes city law. Thank you to a staffer from the city of Sunnyvale communications office for providing the correction.

On Tuesday, the Sunnyvale City Council passed a cyclist anti-harassment ordinance, sponsored by the Sunnyvale Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

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Posted In advocacy | law
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