In Portland they 'put a bird on it'. In San Jose let's 'put a corporate logo on it.'

Early morning crew removes
the HP Pavilion sign from
the new SAP Center @ San Jose

This week work crews have been busy taking down the last remnants of the HP Pavilion era and began putting up new signage that will highlight the SAP Center at San Jose. All this week and last, arena management has been cleaning house, inside and out. Crews have been cleaning the shiny steel exterior and painting the white lattice work on the building corners. Inside the arena Shark management has been cleaning house as well (see the Silicon Valley Business Journal's Lauren Hepler series of articles on the changes), one of which was installing a new Chief Operating Officer. Interestingly enough the majority owner of the San Jose Sharks franchise, Hasso Plattner, is a co-founder of SAP.

SAP signed the five year deal valued at $8.4 million or $1.7 million per year with the proceeds being split up equally between the team and the City of San Jose. To put this in comparison the deal on the new Forty-Niner stadium in Santa Clara is valued at $220 million for 20 years (third largest deal ever) and the deal for ATT ballpark is valued at $50 million for 24 years. Yahoo also just signed signed a 10 year deal that will make that company the "exclusive online sports content, social networking, and photo and video sharing partner" for the  Forty-Niners.

In a post on his blog, San Jose City Council member Sam Liccardo highlighted a recent independent study which showed that bring the Oakland A's to the city would benefit downtown business by about $83 million annually. Additionally the sale of the future ballpark's naming rights would also bring additional and much needed cash to the city. I'm not sure how naming rights funnel into city coffers. Do they get diluted into the city's general fund? Does it go for maintenance of the arena, or other city assets, such as downtown museums or parks?

But given that the naming rights game is somewhat new (except in the St. Louis area) and limited to mostly sports facilities how else could an innovative city such as San Jose expand the concept. In Japan they even extended it to the teams themselves such as the Seibu (Department Store) Lions which play in the Seibu Dome, the Nippon Ham (meat products) Fighters, and Yakult (Yogurt) Swallows baseball teams. I'll discuss more in my next post but until then; "put a bird on it".

Silver Creek High School cyclist killed this morning on Capitol Expressway.

RIP: Silver Creek High School
student killed
photo: dbking

Sad news this morning on the streets of San Jose. An unidentified Silver Creek High School student died at a local hospital after suffering injuries from a collision with a car while riding across Capitol Expressway in East San Jose. The crash site is two blocks from the high school and just over a quarter mile from the 101 Freeway.

Silver Creek High School Principal Adolfo Laguna in this morning's San Jose Mercury News, stated "the (student's) death is a poignant reminder of how careful motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists have to be around the school area, particularly during rush hour. We want our students to be safe."

Dangerous By Design

Yes this student's tragic death is a poignant reminder; but asking motorists, pedestrians and bicyclist to be careful as a preventive measure against these types of incidents is completely wishful thinking. This intersection is dangerous by design.

Here are some reasons that make this intersection dangerous for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

The speed limit is 45 miles per hour but given that the the proximity to the 101 freeway entrance, speeds typically can reach over 60 miles per hour.

San Jose City Council member Pierluigi Oliverio has been championing 15 mph speed limits near schools but he is limited by California state law to only two lane streets, not 10 lane expressways.  This expressway also known as" Capitol Raceway" is notorious for impromptu races among race tuned autos.

The intersection was designed to reduce congestion by increasing the speed at which autos can negotiate turns. As you can see in this photo (Google Maps), the intersections uses large radii turns creating a triangular area to place the traffic signal. This design to increase the speed of right turning cars is a safety risk to cyclists and pedestrians.

Given San Jose suburban development pattern this expressway channels a high volume of traffic to the freeway during rush hour, bringing large volumes of traffic and young students together in a dangerous mix. The school, with almost 2,500 students also creates its own commuter congestion with parents rushing to bring their students to school before heading on the freeway to go to work.

Crossing Capital Expressway subjects student, cyclists, pedestrians, and the elderly to a 200 foot crossing with no refuge or rest area in the middle of the intersection.

I am always amazed that we have been lead to believe that the suburbs are by design safe than cities. It is evident in this Wall Street Journal Blog post titled "Is Generation Y a "Game Changer" for housing?"   The article quotes a financial services consultant who recently bought a 2,500-square-foot house in south San Francisco. The 23-year old single woman mentioned that she anticipates moving to the suburbs later in life, stating, "In my 20s, I definitely want to live downtown; I like the whole high-rise, in-the-city feel,” she said. “But, definitely when I have children, I want to live in a single-family home. It’s easier for parking, transportation and it’s safer to live in the suburbs away from the city."

The community should use this tragic incident as a starting point to do something about the lack of safety so close to their children's school.

A side note: When I went to the Google aerial photo of the school a counted 9 bikes (out of a student population of 2,500) in one bike parking location; and I'm not surprised.

Update (San Jose Mercury News): The bicyclist, believed to be 16 years old, was traveling east along East Capitol Expressway around 7:35 a.m. when a white Ford F-150 pick-up going northbound on Silver Creek Road collided with him, Officer Albert Morales said. Emergency personnel performed CPR at the scene and took the injured boy to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:10 a.m.

Creating a nonprofit to enhance profits. Or is this road paved with good intentions?

Everybody wants good roads but paying
 for them is a whole other story.

In a San Jose Mercury News column written by Gary Richards titled Mr. Roadshow, a reader asks after describing the conditions of local roads and the abundance of potholes:

"I'm wondering. Has anyone looked into what that ends up costing all drivers in added maintenance costs?"

Mr. Roadshow responds quoting "a nonprofit group known as The Road Information Project (TRIP)" that the additional vehicle operating costs due to road conditions in San Jose are the highest in the nation (TRIP's Urban Road Report 9/22/2010). This may be so, but what he fails to clarify is that TRIP (and it's California affiliate, Transportation California), although a non-profit, is organized to enhance the business growth of its member companies which build and maintain transportation infrastructure (also known as roads, highways, bridges, and tunnels). There is a reason they are located in Washington D.C. (and Sacramento), and that is to influence federal and state construction funds and transportation financing to benefit their companies.

Now there is nothing wrong with that (influencing public opinion to benefit the construction industry). But to give readers a false sense of security that they are some altruist nonprofit tasked with providing Americans with the complete picture on transportation, confuses readers, many of which have no idea how our roads are built, maintained and financed.

The board of directors of TRIP reads like a who's who of the construction industry (and you have to be a company to join, no individuals please) but this is no different than the California Transportation Commission that (outside of Carl Guardino, CEO of the Silicon Valley Learderhip Group representing the tech industry) has its fair share of commissioners from the real estate development and construction industry.

For the last 60 years, since the construction of the federal interstate system, we have built a transportation system that relies exclusively on automobile travel and consisted of large and expensive infrastructure projects. Now the maintenance bill is coming due and our information is coming from the very industry that stands to profit from it. Mr. Roadshow, all I am asking is that we balance this view with other voices.We should be more transparent in the future when a "nonprofit" issues reports which will bolster their bottom line long before it will improve our lives.

Thank you.

For more on the current status of California Roads see my series "Road's Cost"

TRIP Urban Road Report 9/22/2010
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D

Good roads or good jobs?

Tomorrow, the San Jose City Council will consider "an agreement" between the city and Samsung Semiconductor to allow for up to $7 million in incentives. As many of you know I have been writing a series of posts describing California cities desperate attempt just to keep their roads maintained. San Jose needs to spend $100 million each year over the next 10 years just to maintain the current level of road quality, but in the last few years the city has roughly averaged about $5 to $ 10 million from the general fund to maintain our roadways. So one way to look at the incentive package proposed for Samsung is about the same that the city commits to road repair each year, or about 10% of what is needed.

The fear is that Samsung will take its R&D proposal and move to Austin where they will, according to city officials offer even greater financial incentives. But Texas officials already have a track history of huge giveaways to large corporations. According to a database of state incentive packages published on the New York Times website Austin has already granted Samsung alone $232 million, through the Texas Enterprise Fund, the Tax Refund for Economic Development, and Texas' Chapter 313/Economic Development Act.

So in preparation for tomorrows meeting I have included a link to a great series of articles written by Louise Story, an investigative journalist for the New York Times. The series is titled "United States of Subsidies" and examines business incentives and their impact on jobs and local economies.

Here is a radio interview with Louise on Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

A solar system in search of a sun - decentralization has its costs




photo:Destination:Freedom

 Most readers of this blog may know of my involvement with trains. While a student in Japan, I had used local trolleys, commuter and express trains, and even have considerable experience with their "bullet trains". Travelling throughout Europe, I have travelled to and within thirteen countries by train.

Here locally in addition to the Caltrain and Bart systems, I have also used long distance Amtrak trains as well. I have chaired  a Caltrain committee and have participated in the process of developing station (rail) plans. Recently while browsing Caltrans (Caltrans administers Amtrak California) I came across the draft of a new California State Rail Plan. I was surprised to learn that the public open house meetings to comment on the plan was taking place only during the month February of this year.

When I check the locations of the meetings these are the cities that were listed:

• Sacramento
• Oakland
• San Diego
• Los Angeles
• Fresno
• and an online webinar

Except for Sacramento (the state capitol) they were all the home of a Caltrans district offices and the venues were either in Caltrans offices and state office buildings.

This got me to thinking. If San Jose is the third largest city in California, the future home of the "largest train station west of the Mississippi" (during station plan meetings city planning staff often repeated this phrase), and a future high speed rail station,  how did we get passed up by places like Fresno, Sacramento, and Oakland?

One reason comes to mind. When it comes to San Jose, and especially downtown San Jose; the city is a government, corporate, agency, and non-profit leadership backwater. Every city on the list for the rail plan open house is the home to some type of California state district office. San Jose has none. It was only recently that the city even got additional representation on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC is the regional transportation funding authority) board to match the growth in population.

To develop a more vibrant downtown, yes you need to have housing, jobs, retail, and entertainment. But to truly be a central part of a major city you need to be a nexus, a hub, a network; were leaders, administrators, legislators, media outlets, judicial bodies, doers, thinkers, creators, and innovators all come together; face to face; and not just on Skype.

If you look at the downtown area it is absent many of these institutions. Yes the city brought back city hall to downtown San Jose after a long absence, and yes San Jose State University never left, and yes thanks to the Silicon Valley Leadership Group's muscle the U.S. Patent office has relocated for the first time an office outside of Washington D.C.; although in a much vacant city hall.

Absent are governmental organizations that in most cities are located in a downtown core. Santa Clara County headquarters left downtown long ago, as did the city's largest newspaper, and the NBC affiliate vacated several years ago. The state office building is a depressing two-story concrete bunker that houses only a few offices. Likewise the federal building is only five stories hosting mainly a immigration office. Above the city level, no elected official has an office in downtown San Jose (see map below).

Likewise agencies, such as the Santa Clara Valley Water District and the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority are located in the sprawling suburbs to the south. The San Jose Water District and VTA (both the regional transportation authority and transit provider) moved out to the northern suburbs. Many nonprofit institutions like the United Way and YMCA, and even the Silicon Valley Leadership Group also mange their affairs from outside the downtown area.

If San Jose truly wants to be "the Capitol of the Silicon Valley", to make their city a more vibrant, lively, and more enriching city it should start to woo these institutions, these leaders to this corner of the world. The city would benefit greatly to have a central place for leaders and ideas.

In my train example, if more locals could have provided input to a rail plan as residents of a city with the largest train station west of the Mississippi, we could be on our path to a true transportation hub as well as a modern technological center.

Partial listing of goverment and agency offices in the Bay Area


View San Jose Administration in a larger map

Video: Michael Freedman speaks on revitalizing strip commerical districts

Willow Glen Town Square, an
FTS project completed 2012

Michael Freedman’s of Freedman, Tung, and Sasaki (FTS) gave a great presentation on June 20, 2009 focused on what makes a “Grand Boulevard” and how each jurisdiction in the region (San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in the San Francisco Bay Area) can interpret the concept to fit their unique community. 

Gregory Tung spoke to the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) last year and was also involved in the Willow Glen Town Square project that has added so much to the Willow Glen community.

To download Michael Freedman's report on corridor revitalization, click: "Restructuring the Commercial Strip" (PDF, 16.3MB).

Thanks to the Grand Boulevard Initiative, SamTrans, and PenTV

San Jose: Road and trail improvement projects in process.



Shopping on the Avenue (Willow Glen)
photo: WGBA website

 As chair of the city of San Jose's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) I recently signed a letter of support for funding for various transportation projects in the city.  The city will be submitting grant requests for the projects listed below. Funding is through the One Bay Area Grant Program (OBAG) administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). 

OBAG is investing roughly $800 million over a four-year period (FYs 2012-13 through 2015-16), funded through continuations of the current surface transportation legislation currently known as SAFETEA (the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act).
.
OBAG will better integrate the Bay Area region’s federal transportation program with California’s climate law (Senate Bill 375, Steinberg, 2008) and the Sustainable Communities Strategy.

Please note the city will apply for these grants individually and these grants are on a competitive basis with other Bay Area (the nine-county region) cities, counties, and agencies. These projects are in the very initial, or conceptual stages (with the exception of the first project, the Alameda "Beautiful Way").  These grants will help fund the planning and design phases of the projects. Most of the projects have not been put before the public in community meetings. That will be included in a later phase.

I have included at map at the bottom to illustrate approximate citywide locations where possible.

• The Alameda “Beautiful Way” Grand Boulevard Phase 2
• St. John Complete Street Corridor:  HP Pavilion to St. James LRT Station
• Cottle Light Rail – Urban Village Connection
• East San Jose Bike/Ped/Transit Connections
• Penitencia Creek Trail Connection to Berryessa BART Station
• San José PDA Pedestrian Oriented Traffic Safety Signals Program
• San José PDA Ped/Bike/Transit Safety Lighting Program
• Jackson Complete Streets
• Autumn Parkway Extension – Diridon Transit Center Area
• Almaden/Vine “Livable Streets” Couplet Conversion
• Willow Street/Bird Avenue “Road Diet” and Three Creeks Trail Connection
• Oakridge/Almaden Urban Village Trail & Transit Connections

View OBAG - One Bay Area Grant Request in a larger map

Book Review: Boomerang by Michael Lewis

Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was classic Michael Lewis in that he deconstructs quantitatively driven scenarios and converts them into easily digestible stories albeit, with interesting characters. To imply that the author is an economic academic, rather than the journalist that he is, is stretching one's expectations.

Throughout the book he use the metaphor of what individuals or countries do with a pile of cash or credit once the lights have been turn off (left to our own private desires). In the case of the United States, we all went out and bought bigger houses. But the bigger picture he spins in the last chapter is that we wanted it all (until we were "too fat to fly"), we had grown used to having an economy of abundance that we decided to continue with the delusion even though it would have long term consequences. As he states in his last chapter:

"...And as he (Vallejo's new City Manager, Phil Batchelor) talked about the bankrupting of Vallejo I realized that I had heard this story before, or a private-sector version of it. The people who had power in the society, and were charged with saving it from itself, had instead bled the society to death. The problem with the police officers and firefighters isn't a public-sector problem; it isn't a problem with government; it's a problem with the entire society. It's what happened on Wall Street in the run-up to the subprime crisis. It's a problem of people taking what they can, just because they can, without regard to the larger social consequences. It's not just a coincidence that the debts of cities and states spun out of control at the same time as the debts of individual Americans. Alone in a dark room with a pile of money, Americans knew exactly what they wanted to do, from the top of society to the bottom. They'd been conditioned to grab as much as they could, without thinking about the long term consequences. Afterward, the people on Wall Street would privately bemoan the low morals of the America people who walked away from their subprime loans, and the American people would express outrage at the Wall Street people who paid themselves a fortune to design the bad loans..."

The last chapter also touches on the fiscal problems of San Jose, a city with the second highest level of per capita incomes in the U.S., after New York City, and yet, "is not all that far from being bankrupt".

All in all a good entertaining read which includes a globetrotting narrative into the stories and background of the European debt crisis. But if you remember to tell yourself that this is no financial thesis you enjoy the book as I did.



View all my reviews

Could New York soon become safer than San Jose?

Interesting article posted by the Associated Press yesterday afternoon on the significant decrease in the homicide rate in New York during the Bloomberg administration. Last year the city experienced 418 homicides, the lowest number since reliable statistics have been kept since 1963. In 1990, New York City had an all-time high of 2,245 killings.

A couple of other interesting statistics from the article are that each year on average 33 people each down die due to homicides (over 12,000 annually) and 40 Americans commit suicides with a gun each day (over 14,500 annually).

Using quotes from the article for New York and Chicago and data from a homicide map that was produced by the Bay Area News Group I came up with some statistics of homicides per 100,000 residents

All homicides are for 2012. Population figures are from Wikipedia.

San Jose
46/958956=.000048               4.8 per 100,000 residents

New York

418/8224910=.000051           5.1 per 100,000 residents

Chicago
487/2707120=.00018            18.0 per 100,000 residents


View 2012 San Jose homicide map in a larger map

Starting today use your Clipper Card on three SF Bay ferry routes

Golden Gate Ferry at
Ferry Building dock

Starting today, October 1, 2012, you can use your Clipper card on three San Francisco Bay Ferry routes:

• South San Francisco/Alameda/Oakland
• Alameda Main Street/Oakland/San Francisco
• Alameda Harbor Bay/San Francisco

Passengers purchasing adult single one-way tickets can save between $1.25 and $1.50 each time they ride the ferry. Transferring to and from MUNI? San Francisco Bay Ferry will offer a $0.50 discount to adult MUNI passengers using Clipper.  These transfer discounts will only be available to riders using Clipper. Paper transfers will no longer be accepted by MUNI after November 1, 2012.

Clipper will be accepted on the Vallejo/San Francisco route later in 2013.

Before using Clipper on the San Francisco Bay Ferry, you must make sure your card has enough value. You can use passes or cash value on your Clipper card to ride the ferry. Currently you cannot add value to your Clipper card at the South San Francisco, Oakland, or Alameda ferry terminals. You can purchase a Clipper card or load value:

• Online at clippercard.com
• In person at a participating Clipper retailer, such as Walgreens and at a Golden Gate Ferry ticket vending machines (TVM) at the San Francisco ferry terminal or at transit ticket offices
• By phone at 877.878.8883 (TDD/TTY 711 or 800.735.2929)
• At work through your employee transit benefit program

To learn where and how to add value to your Clipper card, click here
How to Use Your Clipper Card
When boarding the ferry, make sure you Tag On.

1. Locate the Clipper card reader at the ferry terminal.
2. Tag your card by holding it to the Clipper logo on the reader.
3. Wait for the beep, look for the green light and continue to board.

When leaving the ferry, make sure you Tag Off. You must tag off at your destination station by holding your card to the Clipper logo on the card reader. When you tag off, the system calculates your actual fare based on the route(s) traveled and refunds you the difference. Tagging off at the end of your trip ensures that you are not overcharged for your trip.

Inspiring video from Europe on great bicycle (and human) infrastructure

Here is a video a friend sent to me highlighting some great city infrastructure. The clip highlights investments geared towards making people feel comfortable in an urban setting. Traffic engineers have use manuals for years to reference what makes great roads, highways, bridges, and ramps. These manuals are supported by AASHTO  (American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, sadly the emphasis is on the word Highway) and other traffic engineering professional groups.

Have you ever heard of cities having professional placemaking groups with a goal of making excellent public spaces? Does your city have design guidelines that prioritize residents, workers, pedestrians, and people when designing their public spaces? Why hasn't our cities' plans and agendas incorporated the design of excellent public spaces? Isn't it about time you started to ask?


Thanks Mark S.

Hedding St. maintenance project underway

Construction signs are out on 10th and
Hedding Streets.

The San Jose City voted unanimously on August 21, 2012 to add bike lanes to Hedding Street between the Guadalupe River Trail and Seventeenth Street. This bicycle infrastructure project was to piggyback on the urgently needed maintenance project for that stretch of road. While riding along Hedding yesterday morning I got a shot of some of the work in progress. Actually the contractor started a couple of weeks ago. I am not sure of the estimated completion date.

Related posts:

• Hedding St. bikeway to be discussed
• San Jose City Council Agenda - 6. Transportation, August 21, 2012 
• San Jose City Council votes to create a key east/west corridor on Hedding St.

View Proposed Hedding St. Bike Lane Addition in a larger map

Mark Gorton energizes the crowd at the Pro Walk Pro Bike Conference in Long Beach

Yesterday, Mark Gorton stirred up the crowd with a rousing keynote speech at the 2012 Pro Walk Pro Bike Conference wrapping up yesterday in Long Beach. In a speech titled "Rethinking the Automobile" he delivered a message on the need for change in the priorities of our elected officials and highway engineers.


The following was included as subtext to a Streetfilms.org post with an included video titled "Rethinking the Automobile".

For more than 100 years New York City government policy has prioritized the needs of the automobile over the needs of any other mode of transport. Working under the faulty assumption that more car traffic would improve business, planners and engineers have systematically made our streets more dangerous and less livable. As a result, even the idea that a street could truly be a “place” – a shared space for human interaction and play – has been almost completely destroyed.

During his decade long effort to understand and improve the streets of New York City, entrepreneur and livable streets advocate Mark Gorton has gathered together a compelling set of examples of how transportation policy impacts the quality of our daily lives. Mark is regularly invited to speak in public about these issues.

In his current presentation “Rethinking the Automobile” Mark explores the history of autocentric planning and considers how New York and other cities can change. Filled with ample video footage of dozens of Streetfilms, we’ve worked with Mark to create a version of the presentation here.

As the founder of Streetfilms, Streetsblog, OpenPlans, and the New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign, Gorton has been on the front lines of the battle to transform New York’s streets. But Mark is not done fighting. He contends that the recent improvements that have been implemented in New York should only be considered as the “tip of the iceberg” and that a truly comprehensive set of changes are still necessary.

For more on Mark’s continued efforts to make our world more equitable, livable, and safe visit www.rethinktheauto.org

San Jose Transportation and Environment Committee to meet next Monday.

San Jose Transportation and
Environment Committee

 The City of San Jose's Transportation and Environment Committee will meet Monday, September 10-, 2012 at 1:30 in a special meeting in San Jose City Hall Wing Room 118/119/120.

The committee consists of councilmembers Chair Sam Liccardo, Vice-Chair Rose Herrera, Xavier Campos, and Donald Rocha, Ashwini Kantak representing the City Managers Office , Kevin Fisher representing the City Attorney's office and, Jeff Jansen of the Mayor's Office.

This month's special agenda will include the following items on the workplan.

1. Develop Incentives for Transportation Innovations.
2. Automated Transit Feasibility Network (recommend deferral until November)
3. Water Pollution Control Plant Staffing (recommend deferral until November)
4. Update on Homeless Encampment Cleanups (recommend drop)

Also included on the agenda are Reports to Committee
1. Regional Transportation Activities Report (Transportation) Recommendation: Accept status report on various regional transportation projects and programs of interest to the City of San José.
2. Public Works Muni Code Revisions (Public Works)
Recommendation: Provide input to staff on proposed streamlining and clarification updates to the provisions of the San Jose Municipal Code regarding the procurement and administration of public works construction contracts. Attachment
3. Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) (Planning, Building and Code Enforcement) Recommendation:
Approve the proposed schedule for the City Council’s discussion and consideration of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Plan, including the resolution of Concerns previously identified by the City Council:

Parking again on the San Jose City Council Agenda - This time it's a good thing.

The San Jose City Council Agenda for Tuesday, September 11, 2012 will include one transportation related item concerning the cities promotion of a downtown carsharing service by allowing for parking spaces.

The agenda item reads:

6. TRANSPORTATION & AVIATION SERVICES
6.1 Carshare Vehicle Parking Incentives.
Recommendation: Adopt a resolution to repeal Resolution No.76177 and set forth an updated Master Parking Rate Schedule to authorize the Director of Transportation to designate up to 20 on-street and off-street parking spaces for exclusive parking privilege for participants in a Carshare Pilot Parking Program in accordance with California Vehicle Code Section 22507.1 for an 18 month pilot period and set the parking permit fee of $35 per vehicle and sign/marking fee of $225 per location, and authorize the Director of Transportation or designee to negotiate and execute parking agreements and amendments with car share service providers for participation in the pilot parking program. CEQA: Not a Project, File No. PP10-066, Agreements/Contracts. Council District 3. (Transportation)

Zipcar lot just south of the '88

This agenda item will seek to approve a vote for a council resolution (pdf link) allowing for the parking spaces. Hans Larsen, Director of the Department of Transportation gives some background on the recommendation in this memo to the Mayor and City Council dated August 20, 2012. Currently ZipCar has expanded their carsharing network to San Jose, but decided to do it without any help from the city by parking their cars on visible lots downtown. I have spotted a group of about three ZipCars in the parking lot just south of the Safeway store in the 88 building.

California Assembly Passes 3 foot safe passing bill

California Passes 3 foot
passing bill.
photo: everymantri.com

The California Bicycle Coalition is declaring a victory this week after the California State Assembly passed SB-1464 "The Safe Passing Bill" by a margin of 54-24. All South Bay and Peninsula Assembly members voted for the bill. A previous version of the bill was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown in October of last year. The previous bill called for a 15 MPH speed limit when a 3 foot clearance was not possible in passing. The new bill replaced the 15 MPH language with "a speed that is reasonable and prudent given traffic and roadway conditions and only pass when it’s safe to do so.This provision is patterned after the Basic Speed Law (California Vehicle Code Section 22350) and California’s “Move Over” law (CVC 21809)" CBC

Twenty-one other states and the District of Columbia have already enacted safe passing distances from 3 to 4 feet.

  SB-1464 Vehicles: bicycles: passing distance.

(Full Text) An act to amend Sections 21460 and 21750 of, and to add Section 21750.1 to, the Vehicle Code, relating to vehicles.

Bay Area Votes (San Francisco to San Jose)

District 12 Fiona Ma Aye
District 13 Tom Amiano Aye
District 19 Jerry Hill  Aye
District 20 Bob Wieckowski Aye
District 21 Rich Gordon   Aye
District 22 Paul Fong  Aye 
District 23 Nora Campos  Aye
District 24 Jim Beall Aye

April Economides returns to the Silicon Valley to talk about Bike Friendly Business Districts

April Economides of
Green Octopus Consulting
photo:womenonbikessocal.org

Last week Thursday, April Economides of Green Octopus Consulting returned to the Silicon Valley to speak to a packed house (the house being the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce) of about 50 attendees. I last saw April at the Grand Opening of 359 State Street, a new cycling lifestyle shop in Los Altos.

For the last two years April has been bringing the concept of bike friendly business districts to the four districts of Long Beach California. Working with Bike Long Beach, the districts draw cyclists to the area with events, promotions, ample bike parking, along with valet bike parking for some events.

BikeLongBeach.org
Twitter

Since cyclists who are either car-free or car-lite tend to have more disposable income $6,000 to $9,000 per car depending on the car, the districts have been focusing on attracting those customers locally. Attracting those customers would bring an intensity and vitality that is lacking from many cities traditional business districts.

What's amazing about the City of Long Beach however isn't just the Bicycle Friendly Business District promotion but the way the city not only has embraced cycling as a practical, alternative form of transportation but the way in which it promotes and delivers information related to cycling in the city.

To a cyclist (or transit user, or pedestrian) new to a city it is difficult to find information on cycling in one place, delivered in a straight forwards style. Try this: type in _________ Department of Transportation filling in the blank with you city name. Go to their "Transportation" page, usually a public works or traffic page. Look carefully and see how prominently a cycling subheading is displayed if, at all. Here are some examples

San Jose
Long Beach
New York
Portland
Santa Barbara
Denver

As you can see most city webpages contain little if any information. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advocacy groups are of little help as well, and really are not set up to provide a quality user experience while in the city. Tourism agencies or councils are geared towards traditional sightseeing as well. In the case of San Jose, there is no tourism organization, the bicycle coalition focuses mainly on advocacy, and the city transportation page focuses mainly on their wonderful safety program for school age children.

One city does stand out (and I'll write about this later) and that is Santa Barbara, with their Car-Free Santa Barbara program, one of the only programs that I am aware of.

BikeLongBeach.org

Although there is a very vague connection between the city of Long Beach's official web page and BikeLongBeach.org, the city has done an amazing job of making cycling information accessible to tourists and residents alike, as well as to experienced cyclists and novice cyclists. If anyone knows of any other webpage as in-depth as this one please contact me.

The website is broken down into basic bicycling categories such as Biking 101 which includes topics such as bike laws, bike security and safety, commuting, riding at night, and many other topics but also as an area devoted to bicycle planning which covers the more wonky, policy related topics. There is also a blog to keep readers up to date on rides, tours, and events. The get involved section has topics on bicycling community, volunteer opportunities, and bicycle friendly workplaces.

Many cities could benefit from a close collaboration with the city transportation staff, the city's economic development departments, business and business districts, transit and train lines, cycling and other alternative transportation groups to provide information on cycling in the city to help answer questions on bicycle parking, bike routes, bicycle promotions, as well as travel packages.

I'm sure cyclists would be excited to have special deals at hotels if they arrived by bike or if events will have valet parking, or if their favorite restaurant is offering a cyclists special. Long Beach has been at the forefront on promoting local business to cyclists. Let's just hope this is the start to many more city initiatives.

Thanks again for stopping by April.

Conversation with an engineer, a road engineer.

This video is from my good friends over at Strong Towns who we might be seeing this fall in the San Jose area. If you ever wondered how suburbs have evolved and how streets have turn into arterial conjestion pits, this funny little animation says it all.

The story background is that it is a conversation between a city's DOT (Department of Transporation) and a local resident, a mother who's children are accustomed to playing in the street with very low traffic. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.

In a Flash, out with the old, and in with the new

The old paper based
 Flash Pass (L)
 now being replaced by
 the Clipper Card (R)

VTA (Valley Transportation Authority) is no longer in the paper pass business; at least not for monthly passes. The old paper Flash passes are passee being replaced by the Clipper Card.

The Clipper Card is a (see previous post, Clipper Card Tutorial) is an RFID based card that allows you to put more than just the VTA Flash pass on it. You can also put Caltrain, BART and other transit authorities passes on it as well.

VTA is the last transit agency in the Bay Area to incorporate the clipper passes into their system.

In the past my employer, through a company called Wage Words would send me a montly Flash Pass in the mail. Now after receiving a 'Clipper only debit card' I purchase the card each month with the funds on my debit card. This card is only for use in purchasing any transportation agencies tickets or passes. So now before each light rail ride you have to swipe the card near Clipper readers on the light rail platforms and each time you enter the bus.

Clipper promotion in front
 of Walgreens in
downtown San Jose.

VTA has been aggressively promoting the new clipper card on advertisements on the sides of buses and light rail cars, at bus stops and at special pop-up events around the county (see photo at right). Day passes will continue to be a paper based pass that is printed when you board the bus and pay the day pass fare (which is $6 for adults).

New building going up in the heart of downtown Campbell

New commercial/rest. bldg
going up in Campbell.

The last bit of work is being done on a new mixed use building to replace the old I.O.O.F., or the Independent Order of Odd Fellows building. The building located at 1st St. and Campbell Ave. right in the heart of the bustling downtown corridor is different than adjacent buildings for a few reasons.

First, the design is such that the building is actually adheres to traditional design. It is replacing a 50 year old building which was set back from the both streets and allowed for at least 20 parking spaces adjacent to the street (see Google Maps Street View link).

Second, if you also look at the Street View map and the photo below you'll notice that the City of Campbell already has done some great work on softening the streets scape by placing bulbouts, textured sidewalks, large radii corners, and nice street furniture (benches, lamps, and trash cans).

Attractive streetscape adds
 to the developer's
building improvements.

Third, the restaurant space has a courtyard on the north side of a building on the south side of Campbell Ave., which with the ample street trees will keep this space well shaded when the sun rises higher in the sky in the summertime. This will add even more outdoor dining options to downtown Campbell (compared with a decline in outdoor dining options in downtown San Jose).

And lastly, what is really nice and rarely seen in the Silicon Valley outside of Palo Alto or maybe Mountain View is the folding accordion doors. In James Kunstler's now famous TED talk (James H Kunstler dissects suburbia), he speaks of restaurants and other commercial establishments of possessing a permeable membrane, in which strollers passing by can see activity within the restaurant, pub, or shop.

Well done, Campbell. This project brings many improvements to an already successful downtown.

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Related posts.

Cafe Culture is for Canadiens not for Californians

Day 9 Trois Rivieres to Quebec City  While bike touring through Quebec, Canada I was amazed that in a smaller town on a Thursday eveing the streets were alive with people eating, walking and just generally enjoying themselves outdoors.

A new stardard for civility. How about liveability?

Cafe Culture in Romania

They make great coffee, just not great places

 

Installing sliding accordian doors.