Bike Share will bring much needed improvements to downtown San Jose

Two great changes are on the table next year in the South Bay. At the last Caltrain BAC (Bicycle Advisory Committee) meeting it was announced by Caltrain staff that an RFP will be initiated in December for vendors to manage the Bay Area bikeshare system. We should see a roll out of the system by late early 2013.

In preparation for an extensive bike share system in downtown San Jose, the city will be making some changes to improve cycling infrastructure. In conversations in the last couple of weeks with San Jose Department of Transportation staff I was informed of several projects that cyclists will be sure to love.

The long awaited San Fernando buffered (and colored) bike lane will finally come to fruition. This project (along with the paving of the Guadalupe River trail north of the airport) has been brought up at previous San Jose Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meetings, but it now looks like we will have a iconic cycletrack in our future. This will create a key link with Diridon Station at the west end of downtown and the city hall and university areas at the easterm end.

Other improvements will include;

• One-way freeway feeder streets such as 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th will gain a bike lane. These are key streets bordering San Jose State University that will provide a visible invitation for new cyclists.
• A road diet on San Carlos Street along with much needed streetscape improvements.
• Improvements to the Park Ave. bike route. This will be a great improvement to the fading sharrow markings that currently mark the route.

City staff stressed that the timing of these improvements will coincide with the opening of the bikeshare system and will encourage more residents and vistors to either ride their own bike or rent one on a short term basis. Thanks for the great news.