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Which Cities in Santa Clara County Are Most Bicycle-Friendly?

See how Los Altos and surrounding cities have been trying to improve cycling culture and what initiatives bring them onto the map.

Written by Katherine Hafner

Michael McTighe has lived in Santa Clara County off and on for almost half a century, witnessing many changes to community governments, infrastructure and mindsets.

Foothill Expressway, for example, he says has long been the primary means of transportation. But watching traffic now compared to a few decades ago, or even a few years, he notices a major difference.

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“There are a lot more bikers,” said McTighe, who is the chair of GreenTown Los Altos, a volunteer group that aims to promote regional sustainability. 

McTighe, along with many others in Santa Clara County, have been pushing for years to increase the number of cyclists in local communities, matching a growing national trend of going green.

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All 15 cities in the county provide some sort of informational tools about biking in their communities, and most have committees devoted specifically to the cause, typically a Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Commission.

Several cities even have bicycle “master plans,” made in recent years to identify ways to handle and improve alternate transportation in the city.

But which cities are doing the best job?

Bike program highlights across Santa Clara County

The League of American Bicyclists, an organization created in 1880 that promotes bicycling and advocates for cycling rights, has named San Jose, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Los Altos, Cupertino, Santa Clara and Mountain View all as “bicycle friendly communities,” according to their website – just under half of the cities in Santa Clara County.

California has a total of 44 of these bicycle friendly communities, according to the website. Santa Clara County alone therefore accounts for about 15 percent of the state’s total bicycle friendly communities. 

Out of the seven cities deemed bike friendly, most were given a “bronze” award from the League, including Los Altos in 2011, leaving room for improvement but "heading in the right direction," said Bill Crook, then-Los Altos Traffic Commission chair. Mountain View was awarded silver, and Palo Alto was given gold.

The city of Palo Alto’s green bicycle lanes, contra-flow bicycle lanes, enhanced share-the-road markings, bicycle boulevards, two-way side paths, way-finding signs and pavement markings all contribute to its high ranking.

Similar attempts are made in cities like Los Altos, where for every capital project proposed, bicycle or pedestrian facilities must be accommodated. Similar stipulations exist in a “Bikeway Master Plan” in Milpitas.   

Cindy Hom, liaison for the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Commission of Milpitas, said the plan is the major way the city incorporates bicycles.

“Anytime we get a project in or around a facility, we’ll make (the facility) a part of the project’s approval, as identified in our master plan,” she said.

Hom said required facilities can include bike lanes, bike parking or improvements to trails. She added that Milpitas has not been officially deemed a “bike-friendly” city, but aims to eventually gain the title.

Challenges

But as Cedric Novenario, transportation project manager for the city of Los Altos, points out, bigger cities like Palo Alto often have the resources to embark on larger projects.

“One of the bigger hurdles is funding – a larger project can be millions of dollars,” Novenario said. “Typically those size projects we have to pursue grant funding for … and grants are competitive.”

He added that Palo Alto has a particularly robust staff. 

Matthew Jue, traffic engineer for the city of Campbell, said the cities of Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and San Jose are a few that come to mind for good biking reputations. He added that these cities’ location and resources could allow for more facilities.

Independent efforts

Outside organizations like GreenTown and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition also play a major hand in bike advocacy, often filling in where the nuances of city language can get confusing.

The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for and educates about cycling, provides many services aimed at bicycle safety and education.            

“Danger, real or perceived, is what keeps people off their bikes,” said Colin Heyne, deputy director of the coalition. “The truth of the matter is that bicycling is a safe activity … so we’re working to change that.”

The coalition conducts Bike to Work Day each year, advocates with officials for more bike infrastructure and works with schools for Safe Routes to School programs, among other initiatives.

Later Thursday, McTighe was slated to go to the farmers market in Los Altos, where GreenTown conducts a “bike valet” service to ensure the safety of people’s bikes as they attend the event, a service provided at Fourth of July and other festivities as well.

For now, it seems the cities making the biggest strides in bicycling are the ones that make bicycling a physical and active presence in the community.

“Biking is one of the most efficient transportation methods,” McTighe said. “It’s encouraging to see how many people are really embracing this concept.”

You can check out the community profiles of the seven “bike-friendly” cities here, and even Santa Clara County Parks’ own YouTube channel.


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