New Crosswalk Adds Shortcut to School Route

One crosswalk can make a huge difference for students walking and biking to school.

Students traveling across Lawrence Expressway in west San Jose to get to Archbishop Mitty High School or Cupertino High School used to have to cross at either Stevens Creek Boulevard or Bollinger Road. Using either crossing could add 30 minutes or more to a student’s route to school.

I was proud to open a new crosswalk this morning for pedestrians and bicyclists at the intersection of Lawrence Expressway and Mitty Way. This allows students to travel through quieter side streets rather than heading down busy roads.

The crosswalk can also lead residents directly to the San Tomas Aquino/Saratoga Creek Trail, rather than taking an indirect route far out of the way.

The crosswalk was a cooperative project between the county’s Roads and Airports Department and the City of Cupertino. But many of the advocates pushing to get the project completed were community bicyclist and pedestrian groups, including the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. Thanks to a grant obtained by the county, bicyclists and pedestrians now have a faster and safer way to get across Lawrence Expressway.

Working Out During the Commute Hour

Sometimes, Jerri-Ann Meyer is so busy that the only way for her to exercise is to turn her workday commute into a workout.

Jerri-Ann, the captain of my Bike Challenge team, rides 20 miles every day from her home in Mountain View to her office in Menlo Park and back again.

To complete her commute, Jerri-Ann follows the Ellen Fletcher Bike Boulevard along Bryant Street in Palo Alto. The street is blocked off to only allow bicycles through in some places so that cars don’t drive the entire length of the route.

“It reduces auto traffic and makes it more friendly to bikes,” Jerri-Ann says.

A route such as this can help local commuters realize that riding a bike can be a pleasant experience and less stressful than driving a car.

“People think of the freeway experience in a car as a commute,” she says. “But on a bike, there are safe and comfortable routes that make it a good experience.”

The Bike Boulevard also helps turn biking into a social activity, she says.

“A lot of times, I will strike up conversations and talk to everyone about where they’re riding,” she says. “It’s like a little community.”

During the past six years that Jerri-Ann has been commuting, she has gotten more involved in promoting bicycling as an everyday mode of transportation.

As a member of Silicon Valley Bike Coalition’s Board of Directors, she has worked to improve the safety of bicyclists on the road. On Bike to Work Day a couple weeks ago, she inflated tires, tuned-up bikes, and encouraged bicyclists at the downtown Mountain View Energizer Station.

For five years, Jerri-Ann has served on the City of Mountain View’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee. The committee recently released a new map of bike routes in Mountain View, and Jerri-Ann and her fellow committee members are currently working to update the city’s bicycle transportation plan.

Jerri-Ann has even taken her love of bicycling to the small screen. With other bicycle advocates from the Peninsula and South Bay, she appeared in a 30-minute television program titled “Try Bicycling!” to show how easy it is for local commuters to find quick, safe bike routes in their neighborhood.

“Silicon Valley is pretty flat and the distance from home to work is usually not far,” she says. “A lot of times, people can travel just as fast or faster than in a car.”

Jerri-Ann says one of the big rewards of biking to work is reducing stress.

“When I was sick in January, I had to drive, and it’s so stressful being in a car,” she says. “I couldn’t wait to get back on my bike, because it’s such a pleasant ride.”

Safety is Important at Any Age

Teaching a child how to ride a bike involves much more than taking off the training wheels.

Bicyclists follow the rules of the road just like cars, so when a child begins biking to school, taking a bike safety course is a good idea.

Residents can check out numerous classes offered by various organizations throughout the community. The Silicon Valley Bike Coalition has prepared more than 8,000 middle school students for daily rides in traffic by offering safety classes at schools in the community.

In addition to giving hands-on instruction on biking in traffic, the coalition’s qualified instructors also show how to properly fit a helmet, how to use hand signals to alert drivers about turns and stops, and how to avoid the most common types of bike crashes.

Instruction doesn’t end at middle school, though. The coalition also offers weekend classes for adults and teens, many of which are free thanks to funding from local governments and agencies. Residents can brush on their street skills, practice the techniques on the road, and learn maintenance skills in case of a bicycle breakdown.

These skills and laws are important not only to make every ride a safe ride, but also because bicyclists can face penalties for not obeying traffic laws and signs. Santa Clara County’s Traffic Safe Communities Network sponsors a “traffic school” for youths who violate laws while riding bikes, skateboards, scooters, or another vehicle other than a car. Rather than paying a fine for not wearing a helmet or not stopping at a stop sign, minors can take a class taught by local law enforcement officers.

Residents who have already taken advantage of these programs can help make sure people have access to them in the future. Many safety classes are funding through the California Kids Plate Program, which gives money to kids’ safety courses all over the state. By buying a personalized license plate for your car, you can help keep kids safe on the road, at school, and at home.

Still Biking Strong After Bike to Work Day

As many as 100,000 people pedaled their way to work yesterday for 511’s 13th annual Bike to Work Day.

The South Bay kicked off the event with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s CEO/Celebrity Bike to Work Day Challenge, and I was happy to join fellow elected officials, media columnists, and local business leaders on a ride through downtown San Jose.

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission has been promoting Bike to Work Day to show Bay Area residents alternatives to their daily commutes on local freeways. As Santa Clara County’s representative on the commission, I have worked to reduce commute times and find environmentally friendly ways to get to work. Be sure to check out the photos of the event to see who biked to work in your neighborhood.

Last night, I stopped by the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition’s “Bike Away From Work Bash” at Gordon Biersch in downtown San Jose. I had a chance to relax after a long day of biking with refreshments and a silent auction to support bicycling as an everyday means of transportation.
I am still going strong in the Team Bike Challenge, so even after yesterday’s events, I jumped on my bike this morning and headed to my office.

After biking to work today, I pinned a green ribbon onto my lapel to commemorate Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Supervisor Liz Kniss and I presented Lance Toma of the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center and Dena Dickinson, co-chair of the HIV Planning Council, with an official proclamation from the county to show our support for an important issue.

HIV/AIDS affects all communities, and we need to everything we can educate all our residents about the disease. The official awareness day is tomorrow, but we decided to hold an event at the County Government Center today and feature many organizations and performers that support the Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

Rolling Down Santa Clara Street for Bike to Work Day

Dozens of business and community leaders took off on their bicycles from the San Jose Diridon Train Station today, rode down Santa Clara Street, and arrived at City Hall to celebrate Bike to Work Day 2007.
The 8 a.m. ride was a challenge to CEOs, media personalities, and elected officials to be role models for the annual event. At a press conference after the trip, I was pleased to join fellow elected officials in acknowledging everyone who left the car at home and hopped on a bike. Not only does this annual event prevent waves of environmentally unfriendly gases from pouring into our atmosphere, it also shows commuters the ease of biking to work.

As Santa Clara County’s representative on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, I was happy to see so many commuters finding ways to bike to work, whether they live near or far. The commission, which oversees transportation planning for the entire Bay Area, is always working to ease residents’ commutes. I’m glad that this morning’s Energizer Stations kept bicyclists going strong.

At the press conference, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said he wants to increase the number of bike lanes throughout the city. Carl Guardino, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group which issued the challenge to local leaders, highlighted local businesses such as Webcor Builders and Lockheed Martin for setting good examples for their employees by supporting Bike to Work Day. As promised, San Jose City Councilmembers Sam Liccardo and Pete Constant rode a tandem bicycle, and their colleague Pierluigi Oliverio rode his own bike alongside.

Even though the morning commute of Bike to Work Day is over, there are more events still to come. Tonight is the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition’s “Bike Away From Work Bash.” Coalition Executive Director Corinne Winter led the pack this morning, and I will join her at Gordon Biersch in downtown San Jose tonight for the bash. The event goes from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

My biking days are far from over. Not only will I continue to bike to work for the rest of this month for the Team Bike Challenge, I will do so as often as possible in the future. I hope all of you learned easy ways to work exercising into your daily schedule.

Thanks to John Storey for taking the photo of me talking with Sam, Chuck, and Pete.

I Accept Your Bike to Work Day Challenge

I will be meeting with dozens of other local leaders tomorrow morning for the CEO/Celebrity Bike to Work Day Challenge. With my bicycle ready to roll and my helmet strapped on tight, I’ll join business executives and elected officials at 7:50 a.m. for a bike ride from the San Jose Diridon Train Station to San Jose City Hall.
Expected participants include San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed; Councilmembers Sam Liccardo, Pete Constant, and Pierluigi Oliverio (Sam and Pete reportedly will be riding together on a two-seater bike); Gary Richards, also known as the San Jose Mercury News Mr. Roadshow; and Carl Guardino, president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which is sponsoring the challenge.

During our ride, we will stop by the Bike to Work Day Energizer Station at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library. I hope to see some of you refueling with refreshments and picking up a Bike to Work Day 2007 tote bag.

Once we get to City Hall, local business and political leaders will host a press conference to tell why they think biking to work is important for our community.

After work tomorrow, I plan to stop by the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition’s “Bike Away from Work Bash” at Gordon Biersch in downtown San Jose. Bring some cash to participate in a silent auction featuring donations from local Bike to Work Day sponsors. I hope to see you there.

Inflate Your Tires for Bike to Work Day

If you opened up the San Jose Mercury News today, you might have seen an editorial I wrote with my colleague, Supervisor Liz Kniss.

As we continue with the budget process, I will stand by what we have written in the opinion piece. It’s time that the county used its “rainy day fund” to make sure that our residents get the services they need.

Before the budget workshops today, I rode my bike to a meeting with Santa Clara City Councilmember Pat Kolstad. I have been meeting with the members of the city councils in my district to discuss ways the county can work with the cities to better serve our residents. I was pleased to hear Councilmember Kolstad’s ideas.

As I rode back to the office, I passed by a gas station. Gas prices are hitting record highs, so Bike to Work Day on May 17 couldn’t come at a better time. Not only will Thursday’s event save gas during the commute hours, it will also help residents conserve gasoline throughout the day.

As I have found, people who bike to work tend to plan to complete their errands all in one trip when they get back to their cars in the evenings or on the weekends. People who drive to work tend to make several trips throughout the day to complete errands one at a time. Biking to work saves not only gas and the environment, but also time spent waiting in traffic and wear on our roadways and automobiles.

Don’t forget to stop by an Energizer Station on Thursday for refreshments, encouragement, and your free Bike to Work Day 2007 tote bag. If you need a break after work, the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition is hosting its annual “Bike Away From Work Bash” at Gordon Biersch in downtown San Jose. Enjoy food, beverages, and the crowning of the 2007 Bicycle Commuter of the Year.

I hope to see you all in the bike lanes Thursday.

A Vision of Integrated Trails throughout Santa Clara County

The Friends of the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens had a lot to celebrate last night at their annual Window on the River Park event. Executive Director Kathy Muller and hundreds of volunteers could all be proud to hold the event in the River Street Historic Park for the first time.

I have worked with the organization for 10 years now to extend trails throughout our entire valley, and I was pleased to announce that the Guadalupe River Park’s trails will connect to Alviso by November.

The trail will also extend south to connect to Almaden Lake and eventually to the Los Alamitos Trail, allowing anyone to hike, jog, or bike the trail from north San Jose to Almaden Valley.

The grand vision I have is an integrated trail network that connects together the Guadalupe River Trail, the Los Gatos Creek Trail, the Penitencia Creek Trail, the Coyote Creek Trail, the Willow Glen Spur and many others.

I also got a chance to catch up with Leslee Hamilton, president of the Friends’ board of directors and a member of my Team Bike Challenge team, the Rainbow Riders. Our team is eighth out of more than 40 teams competing in Santa Clara County. Leslee and I took a short walk along the Guadalupe River Trail to talk about how bicyclists can incorporate trails into their daily commutes.
Corinne Winter, executive director of the Silicon Valley Bikes Coalition, joined us and reminded us about the official Bike to Work Day festivities on May 17. Energizer stations with free beverages and giveaways will help bicyclists in the morning, and the Silicon Valley Bikes Coalition is throwing a Bike Away from Work Bash from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. that evening at Gordon Biersch in downtown San Jose. I hope to see many of you there.

Biking to Work Safely

As I got ready to bike home yesterday, I remembered that, like cars, bicycles need headlights when it gets dark. Luckily, I had already installed both a front light and rear light before my trip home.

During rides at night, you should have two lights to alert cars. One should be a steady white light attached to your handlebars and pointing directly ahead. Another should be a red blinking light attached to your back or the back of the seat to warn cars that might be approaching from behind.

Having the correct safety equipment is important on any bike ride, whether biking 3 miles or 30. Wearing a properly fitting bike helmet is the first step to ensure a safe ride. The helmet should fit your head snugly, without moving around too much when turning your head. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute has a special page all about correctly fitting helmets.

Being easily visible to drivers is essential. By wearing bright colors and staying in bike lanes, you can make drivers aware that you are sharing the road with them.

These are just some of the tips I wanted to pass long during my two days of biking to work. The Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, a local group that advocates for bicyclists in our community, offers classes not only about safety equipment, but also on biking in traffic. Classes are available for youth and adults.