A Year in Review Safe Routes to School in Gilroy

During my daughters first few weeks in Transitional Kindergarten, I noticed the efforts of Walk & Roll Wednesday’s, a national program designed to promote traveling to school/work by walk, bike, skateboard, scooter, and more.  I thought it was great to see this, until I was told it was because parents over the past decades were choosing to drive their kids to school.  This has a huge side effect on public health, traffic, pollution, lack of mass transit users, and our kids independence.  That’s when I joined the City of Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission because I saw a lack of leadership in my community when it came to bike and ped.  I couldn’t agree more with Bill Gates when he stated, “I like to push the level of risk of doing things that wouldn’t happen without leadership and vision.”

Safe Routes to School (SRTS) had another successful year in Gilroy.  The Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (#GilroyBPAC) along with Santa Clara County Public Health (SCCPHD) had its first successful year after the formation of the Safe Routes to School Task Force.  The task force will guide and sustain the program for the long term.  The funding agreement and submission template for VTA (who oversees Measure B funds) is fully executed. In order to receive reimbursements for E&E activities, the City Council will approve work plans created by Staff and the Gilroy BPAC during their Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Mid-Year Budget as an amendment.  Fiscal years 18/19/20/21 have been approved by the VTA Board and are available for Gilroy.  We are getting $35,648/year and that gives us $142,592 available today to spend on education & encouragement.   It’s important to get this program into the mid-year budget cycle, because it’s a use it or lose it program.  You need to provide written explanation to carry over funds over three years from a fiscal year.  We are currently in FY 20.  This started FY 18.  June 30, 2020 will be end of three year for FY 18.  I know that we can do a great job sustaining the momentum we have from our efforts and the public health safe routes to school grant ending, while utilizing the savings we have built up from past fiscal years in Measure B.

SRTS has huge economic benefits that spill over into the City when we stay local and play local.  When you engage the youth to walk and ride to school they become more comfortable with their streets, neighbors, and surroundings.  Suddenly walking and riding to Downtown, Hillside Adventure Park at Gilroy Gardens, Gilroy Library, House of Bagels, The Patio, and the Garlic City BMX’s Dirt Pump Track seem a lot quicker and easier than driving in your car.  Shifty Cycles will continue to offer free bike valet for Downtown’s Thursday Night Live.

The Specialized Foundation Outride program began last year at Ascencion Solorsano Middle School (ASMS).  This P.E. program was such a success that GUSD Superintendent Dr. Flores encouraged all the middle schools to apply for the grant. South Valley and Brownell Middle School were both awarded the grant too.

“Outride’s primary activities focus on three key areas: Primary scientific research, school-based cycling programs, and the creation of cycling communities. The aim is to increase accessibility to cycling through both fun and sustainable school cycling programs. And through these programs—along with the research—we're advancing the understanding of how riding bikes can help improve the social, emotional, and physical wellbeing of children, with a particular focus on those with learning differences like ADHD. Finally, through the Outride Fund, we are supporting opportunities for kids to continue to benefit from cycling by funding trail, race, and education projects”

Program’s like this start to take their own spin in the schools.  ASMS held its first bike schoolwide assembly in May 2019 during Bike Month!  Specialized Bicycle in Morgan Hill attended and featured a pro rider who spoke to the group about his journey.  Our GilroyBPAC spoke about bike/ped projects in Gilroy, and we got to hear about the newly formed South County Composite High School Mountain Bike Team.  You can find more information about the team on our section of the City’s website.  Before the assembly we were able to take two separate rides with the students off campus and through Christmas Hill Park on the paved and dirt trails.

Garlic City BMX is continuing to meet with the City regarding site evaluation for the construction of a dirt pump track at Christmas Hill Park, and they held their first fundraiser at Hecker Pass Winery.  The Gilroy BPAC PASSED the following motion at their regular meeting on September 24, 2019.  Gilroy BPAC “Recommend the City of Gilroy or Gilroy Gardens enter into an Agreement to Lease with Select Contracts for the Adventure Park Proposal” To date we have received over 200 emailed public comments to both the City Council and Bicycle Pedestrian Commission.  We currently have letters of support from Santa Clara County Parks, Garlic City BMX, Bike Therapy, and South County Composite Mountain Bike Team.  More will follow.  Bay Area Ridge Trail, Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley Mountain Bikers, and Trailhead Cyclery have all spoken in public comment about their support.  15 people spoke in public comment in support of the project at our meeting.

The Adventure Park in Gilroy will be a positive project in the region for people that bike, hike, and enjoy the outdoors. It will provide a benefit to our local community and attract tourism to the city. The park would be an amazing resource for local high school mountain bike teams, mountain bike enthusiasts, new riders, hikers, and those who enjoy emerging trends in recreation. There is not another project like this in the region.  Gilroy is a Bicycle Friendly Community and the Adventure Park supports the 2018 Tourism in the Hecker Pass Corridor Resolution.  Having places like this that are open to public year-round in our parks support our efforts for biking to school and playing local.

SRTS summary reports for residential developments and bike/ped infrastructure reports are in the packets for Planning Commission and City Council now.  This is information for them to see what the strengths and weaknesses are for current infrastructure around proposed developments.  Look around the City for the new Bicycle Friendly Community signs being installed this month.

We encourage you to nominate kids/adults for our monthly award within Gilroy that strives to make Gilroy a better place in regards to biking and pedestrian activities.   Nomination form is on our website.  Come to one of our meetings on the 4th Tuesday of each month 6pm at the City Council Chambers, or email any of us.  http://www.cityofgilroy.org/280/Bicycle-Pedestrian-Commission

The youth in our community will shape the future, but it’s up to us to show them the way.  If you are looking for ways to get involved in SRTS then look to the schools that need parent volunteers or contact us. #GilroyBPAC

10th St Bridge in Gilroy

How many times in the past did you want to get a deeper look into why Council’s, Commissions, Committees, and Board’s vote the way they do?  You hear from them during their campaigns and interviews, but then it’s silence till the next time they want to run.  So many of them don’t write columns, blogs, OpEd’s, social media posts, videos, or speak to the media.   This is especially true when it comes to large projects or budgets.  Even while sitting in the same room watching their votes happen in real time, you sometimes leave confused about the reasoning for their decisions, and often even remember what they voted on as a governing body.  

This recently happened to me on November 15, 2019 during a Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Special Meeting regarding the 10^th St Bridge Scope Modifications.  During the meeting, as Chair, I guided us through a process that we haven’t been through before.  We were to provide recommendations on 6 options to change the scope of the 10^th St Bridge.  The cost of the bridge keeps raising and we were told that the bridge project along with improvements along 10^th St to Princeville, could cost up to $27M.  Staff created these options, and like most Staff reports they provided a recommendation on each option too.  As we went through the options we began to sway back and forth on providing a thumbs up/down based on Staff recommendations and Staff’s options listed.  Staff will create options that they don’t recommend, in order to provide all options. 

Here are the 6 recommendations our Commission approved November 15^th.  

1. Recommend to Reduce the Width of the Bridge
2. Recommend to Keep Breezeway for Uvas Bike/Ped Trail
3. Recommend to Keep the Roundabout at Uvas Park Dr
4. Recommend to Remove GHS Drop-off Zone West
5. Recommend to Keep GHS Drop-off Zone East
6. Recommend to Remove Orchard Dr Roundabout and install HAWK signal if necessary (Currently planned and budgeted for 2020 is a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon RRFB that will be installed at this location)

So many policies and programs have changed in Gilroy since 2008.  We became a Complete Streets City, Safe Routes to School Programs, Middle School Specialized Outride Program, NACTO Street Design City, and a Bicycle Friendly Community. I am going to go through each of the recommendations and provide my reasons why I voted the way I did. 

One of the strongest statements I heard from the new Caltrans District 4 Director at the CalBike Summit in LA was “we can’t build our way out of traffic”.  We have been adding more lanes to roadways and taking away green space for decades and it hasn’t gotten us anywhere.  When they plan to open an Express Lane on HWY 101 through San Mateo County, stats show that the commute time compared to when they started planning it vs opening day, the commute time will increase and not decrease.  Investing into better mass transit including electric busses, shuttles, walking and biking is where the focus needs to be.  Private Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV’s) are clogging up our streets and highways.  Expanding the 10^th St Bridge to 4 lanes in the future won’t be in the mindset of planners or residents. 

Having a breezeway for walkers and bikers below the bridge is essential.  The Uvas Bike/Ped Levee Trail is the recreation spine of the City.  Eliminating the breezeway would create a point of conflict with vehicles on the bridge.  The breezeway will be a safe passage for all, and have great lighting 24 hours a day.  Eliminating the breezeway would go against so many policies and standards we have for Gilroy.  Complete Streets, NACTO Bikeways Design Guidelines, Bicycle Friendly Community, and Safe Routes to School.

Keeping a roundabout at Uvas Parkway when you exit the bridge keeps the flow for all users of the road.  If you were to place a stop sign here, the back up of traffic would be extensive.  The project is all about keeping a steady flow along 10^th St.  Placing stop signs and signals will break that flow of traffic.  Roundabouts are natural traffic calming devices too.  The less we have vehicles idling, the better we are doing for reducing our greenhouse gases and emissions.  

Remove GHS Drop-off Zone West.  By the time the bridge is built the students will know the future of transportation is NOT Single Occupancy Vehicles (SOV’s) and free front row drop off should not be rewarded.  We are focused on decreasing traffic around school and discouraging the parents who come drop off one kid and then drive back home.  We’ve built up 3 years of Safe Routes to School programs, and have engaged the TK and K parents to keep on walking and rolling.  This current generation in Elementary and Middle schoolers will be at the high school by the time the bridge is built.  This new generation of parents and kids has Measure B funding to keep up the education and encouragement of staying out of the private single occupancy vehicles for the next 30 years.  

Keep GHS Drop-off Zone East.  This drop off is a well designed airport style loading zone, and includes a wrought iron fence and landscape down the center of 10^th St for pedestrian safety and keeping vehicles from doing illegal U-turns.  I can envision this drop-off zone to be exclusively for mass transit shuttles, busses, and vanpools 20-30 years from now.  

Remove Orchard Dr Roundabout and install HAWK signal if necessary.  Currently planned and budgeted for 2020 is a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon RRFB that will be installed at this location.  You can’t see clearly across roundabouts.  I know we say that you can, but it’s just not true.  They are raised and have growing vegetation.  I think it’s more visible to see students with a clear line of sight as you approach Orchard.  

I want to encourage City Council to be creative in financing this bridge.  Whether it’s a loan from the General Fund which has been done with Gilroy Gardens in the past.   Several of these recommendations we made will reduce the cost of the 10^th St Bridge Project without compromising the walkability/bikeability of the project.  We are actively embracing, advancing ideas, and projects that promote the concept of free-range people in the City of Gilroy.  We advocate for building and planning for the future generations as well as current residents who don’t own cars. This reflects what we are teaching the youth in our community through Safe Routes To School and Safe Routes for All. 

E-Bike/E-Scooter RFP in Gilroy 2020

Its Monday night and I’m sitting with my daughter Avery who is working on her homework, when my name is called upon inside the City Council Chambers.  Every time I am called upon to speak, my heart beats a little faster as adrenaline pumps into my veins.  I am passionate about the work that I have been doing, and I have never taken the easy way. We are here tonight to speak up in public comment about e-bike/e-scooter operations in Gilroy.

It’s in support of your adopted Economic Development Incentive Framework. Lets be visionary. Anticipate the integration of cutting-edge and future technologies, both within City services and in the community as a whole. Maximize the use of smart infrastructure through partnerships that expand technology and create value for residents. Enhance and streamline the workflow process for internal and external stakeholders through the use of technology. E-scooter trips have doubled since 2017, and are apart of multi-modal transportation.  In total there were 84 million trips in 2018.  Gilroy Costco is selling e-scooters today, you can buy them online, and many are being used around town and to commute by VTA/Caltrain.  Well-connected bike networks like ours have shown to keep scooters and bikes off sidewalks.  We have the capacity to fit in scooters.

We aren’t going into this blindly.  There are best practices all around us and a national best practices playbook from Transportation for America.  Through a Request for Proposal (RFP) we control the expectations and guidelines with a strong ordinance and permit process for all micro-mobility options.  Many City’s are writing ordinances that include various modes of transportation such as the use of electric one-wheels and electric skateboards, so they don’t have to go through the process each time.  Both of these are sold online and being used in the City. Caltrain is currently studying ways to increase walking and rolling to their stations without the use of automobiles, our Caltrain parking lot is getting more full with no plans to expand current parking.   

Last year, the outdoor industry generated:

• $92 billion in consumer spending

• $6.2 billion in state and local tax revenue

• 691,000 jobs

There is a large segment of our population that doesn’t want to own a car or simply can’t afford it.  Owning your own car is not a dream that occurs any longer when you turn 16.  Walking and rolling is still the safest and cheapest way to travel compared to the automobile.  Speeds can be governed down in high pedestrian areas unlike automobiles with the use of technology.  We are building and planning our streets with a Complete Streets approach since 2012.  We plan for current and future generations.

  

We welcome the increase of traffic by walkers, bikers, scooters, one-wheelers, and skateboarders.  It means our neighbors are staying local and being active in the community.  The most liberating way to live amongst all incomes and the most profitable investments we can make in a community today are to make them more walkable and bikeable.  Thank you City Council for listening to this opportunity. As we move forward you have a dedicated Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (#GilroyBPAC) that has the capacity to ensure we do this the right way.  We are already out in the public doing education & encouragement throughout the year.  Now with a dedicated funding source that was passed earlier from Measure B, our efforts will even be more sustainable.  

Our efforts paid off.  After taking public comment and discussion the Gilroy City Council decided to move forward with a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the operations of e-bikes/e-scooters and invite vendors in the first quarter of 2020. Having Avery there watching me speak up in public comment is one of the most important values I can pass along to her.  After all I am advocating for her generation too.  Avery and I gather our helmets, water bottles, and homework.  We fill up the bottles in the hallway bottle filling water station, and walk out to the bike racks.  Dark skies are above us now, and bike lights are a must.  She loves the way they glam up the bike!  As we finish our ride back home Avery looks at me and says, “riding my bike is freedom Dad.” I am honored and excited to be receiving this years Healthy Hero Award from the Mt. Madonna YMCA.  The awards dinner is open to the public at Sarah’s Vineyards on October 11.

Riding Caltrain by Bike from Gilroy

It’s the heart of the summer, and the perfect time of year to try commuting by bike on Caltrain from Downtown Gilroy. I haven’t ridden my bike and used public transit since I was in college.  The french press coffee is ready and I fill up a Jakroo Cycling water bottle.  As the garage door opens, I can get an instant feel for the weather. After checking the air in my tires I enter onto 3^rdSt and begin the 1.6-mile bike ride to the Gilroy Transit Center in Downtown Gilroy.  You can smell the fresh garlic being processed this time of year in Gilroy. 

Today I am heading north for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalitions (SVBC) 9th Annual Bike Summit in Mountain View, CA.  Each year I am able to build contacts and project ideas to bring back to Gilroy.  I meet fellow Commissioner Patrick Flautt at the train who’s riding his scooter.  As a designated Tree City USA, the roads to the downtown train station are pleasant and provide shade for my 10-minute ride. I pull out my smartphone and open the Caltrain app.  Within a few clicks I have my $21 day pass to Mountain View. I’m first to board the 7:06am train, since Caltrain has a bikes board first policy.  As I enter the bike car, I place my bike against the bar and secure it with a bungee cord.  You need to make sure that the yellow bike tag around my seat post shows my destination. There’s a tradition amongst bike riders that you don’t place your bike in front of someone that is not riding as far as you.  It all works out.  You can sit on the same level as you bike or go up top for a bird’s eye view of the ride. We choose of course to be like kids and sit up top.  I put my glasses on, sit back with my coffee in hand, and we talk almost the entire 1 hr. and 20 min. ride.  I didn’t forget to glance at the Waze app, which shows that if I were in a car on HWY 101 it would take me 1 hr. 17 min.  If I were driving I wouldn’t get to relax like this and I’m saving money with zero gas and maintenance on my car. 

We arrive to volunteers waiting to take our bikes at the free bike valet thanks to SVBC!  Over the course of the day we discussed many topics including new mobility, Oakland’s equity-centered bike plan, bike related improvements at Caltrain, and I attended a breakout session on how to get things done.  The day ended with watching fellow Gilroy citizen Ed Solis receive a Person of the Year Award.  It was for the work he’s done into coordinating the Viva Calle Open Streets event in San Jose, CA.  

We pick up our bikes and head back to Downtown Mountain View.  There’s time to stop for happy hour food and drinks. Our train leaves at 5:57pm for an arrival in Downtown Gilroy at 7:17pm.  Before we board we pick up some beers to go because we are about to enjoy the happy hour on the bike car train home.  Yes, alcohol and food are permitted on Caltrain.  This group of riders would entertain us the entire ride home. 

So what’s preventing you from commuting using public transit?  Gilroy’s Train Station has 30 bicycle lockers and 13 bike racks.  Many employers reimburse travel expenses and have a network set up for you to ride share to work from Caltrain or VTA.  At the Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission (#GilroyBPAC) we are constantly working on education & encouragement to get you out of your cars.  County Measure B funding for education & encouragement has just been released.  At our June meeting we learned that the funding agreement with VTA (who oversees Measure B funds) needs to be signed by City Staff in order to receive reimbursements for E&E activities.  Fiscal years 18/19/20/21 have been approved by the VTA Board and are available for Gilroy.  We are getting $35,648/year and that gives us $142,592 available today to spend on education & encouragement.  Look for more updates at our meetings inside the Gilroy City Council Chambers every 4^thTuesday at 6pm or find us online. 

Do Not Block The Bike Lanes

It’s a warm spring morning, and I take a sip of my locally roasted Gilroy Fifth St Coffee on my front porch.  I am looking up and down the street to see who else is joining us on the bike train.   My wife Katie, daughter Avery and I fill the air in our tires and hopped on our bikes because it’s the final citywide Walk & Roll Wednesday of the year.  You can smell the fresh flowers that are starting to bloom in the neighbor’s yards and the sun is just starting to warm our backs as we travel up 3^rdSt to our first stop along the train route. We find ourselves in a teachable moment with our group when trashcans block our bike lane.  

It happens to be the day before trash day pickup.  Most everyone knows that the trashcans/carts belong against the curbside right?  Well, we find a few houses along our route where they are being placed in the bike lane for pick up.  Some think that it’s helping the garbage truck drivers and some just don’t have an open curbside.  I completely understand every reason why.  My goal here is to let you know who the users are of the bike lanes, and that we rely on them being clear at all times.  

The Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission received an email from a GUSD School Teacher who uses Church St to commute to work.  She experienced the same obstructions in the bike lane, but on a larger scale.  Her entire route along Church St was like riding on an obstacle course.  Weaving in and out of the traffic lane and bike lane, all while avoiding trashcans.  We discussed the topic at our February 2019 meeting.  Besides the existing California Vehicle Code that states bike lanes CAN NOT be blocked, we decided as a group with public input that we would create a campaign based on education and encouragement.  

First step was to establish a relationship with Recology.  We need them as a partner in the campaign for messaging to their customers.  The League of American Bicyclists recently recognized the City of Gilroy as a Bicycle Friendly Community. One of the goals set by our Commission is education and outreach to the public. Whether it’s commuting, recreation, or Safe Routes To School we have many users that rely on our network of bicycle lanes. We believe that it has been a long time since our residents have been educated about the users of the bike lanes and how we can accomplish trash pick up safely and efficiently for everyone.  After a few emails with their General Manager, they agreed to add “Do Not Block Bike Lanes “on their existing flyers to customers.   They also agreed to add a flyer to their bill inserts that was mutually created by the Gilroy BPAC and Recology, as long as it was printed on City of Gilroy letterhead.  The City of Gilroy has already begun helping by including our flyer artwork in a City Express email campaign, and we have begun social media posts as well.  

We will begin doing direct campaign on two streets that were identified from public comment.  These streets are Church St and Eigleberry from 1^st-10^thnear the Downtown District.  That will include leaving a flyer at the property that places their trashcans in the bike lanes.  It has been mentioned that creating a sticker with the artwork would be useful to pass out when we are doing our outreach in the public as well.  The sticker artwork is great for all languages spoken, because of the visual graphics included.  

While doing research on this campaign I wasn’t able to find many campaigns out there that dealt with this issue.  If you ever need help in forming a similar campaign, please reach out to us. #GilroyBPAC  

Spring is in the Air

The great thing about living in Gilroy is that the sunny weather is just around the corner with Spring in the air.  My family checks the air in our tires, brakes, and chains on our bikes religiously before each ride.  We ride off down the bike lane on 3^rdSt with the sun at our backs, and take it directly into Downtown Gilroy.  3^rdSt would make a perfect bicycle boulevard in the future.  We lock the bikes up at 6^th/Monterey and walk a few steps to Promised Land Brewery.  The large glass windows up front increase the walkability by making it inviting.  You can see directly into the newest taproom in Downtown Gilroy while driving, walking, scooting, or biking.  A parklet out front would enhance the walkability even more. 

If you have not taken a walk in Downtown Gilroy lately you have missed out on all the activity.  Downtown Gilroy is going to experience a huge boom soon with new restaurants, breweries, new residential units, and retail.  We are ready for all you walkers, scooter, and bike riders.  There are over 100 free front row bicycle parking locations and a free bicycle fix it station located at the bus stop on 5^th/Monterey Rd.  So when you come down for the Poppy Jasper Film Festival, Art & Wine Stroll, and Health Fair we will reward the effort with free parking.  We have plans for the free bike valet to come back this Summer for the Thursday Night Live Series. 

The Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission released our 2019 Strategic Plan, Work Plan, and Budget Recommendations. One of the Downtown projects that we would like to complete is the downtown artistic bike racks.  Creating a sustainable and integrated bicycle network connecting to all our bicycle friendly facilities in Gilroy. Downtown is a cycling destination for residents, visitors, and employees and a place to dine and shop.  Caltrain users can travel to Gilroy with their bikes and connect safely throughout the City.  With the addition of e-bikes/e-scooters, and a car share company we will reduce the need for owning your own vehicle.  We would like to build off our success of a public/private source to fund the remaining 7 artistic bike racks.  We have a Downtown Bicycle Parking Plan in place, and a successful bike rack decal program that contributes to our Public Bike Fund.  The cost is $350 for 5 years and then that donor will get first rights for another 5 years. We have a focus on vehicle parking in the Downtown and how it can be accomplished while creating equity amongst all road users.  The only type of angled parking we recommend is called back-in-angle parking. It's the safest for all users of the road.  We will be working on a test section for this style of parking on Eigleberry St this Summer for possible future use around the City and in the Downtown. We do not support or recommend parallel parking on any street for safety of motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclist.  It's a highly dangerous maneuver to reverse out blindly into a traffic lane.

I’m proud to announce that we agreed with City Staff to provide recommendations on bicycle parking on all projects as they come through Planning.  Sumano’s Bakery will be coming to Downtown Gilroy soon and will feature a small retail shop.  Sumano’s will not only be providing bicycle parking for their employees but they will have bike racks right out front of the retail shop for its customers to come pick up fresh bread daily.  This brings back memories for me as a kid growing up in Berkeley and my Mom would give me money to go get bread for dinner, and the ends of the sourdough baguette were always missing when I returned home on my bike.  

Come join us on May 9^thfor Bike to Work Day at the Caltrain VTA Station where we will be cheering on all the bike commuters and those that use public transportation with their bikes.  We will be apart of Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalitions 150 energizer stations located throughout Silicon Valley.  Whether you use a tech shuttle, VTA, or Caltrain (where bikes board first) we got you covered with goodies and a free tote bag while supplies last! 

Please remember to not block the bike lanes on trash pick up days.  If you have to place them in the bike lane, please remember all the users of the bike lanes that rely on it being clear and bring them back curbside as soon as possible.  Follow us at #GilroyBPAC

The Future of Gilroy is Now

The future of Gilroy is now.  You sip your morning coffee as the sun is starting to shine upon your balcony. You just moved into your new apartment at 8955 Monterey Rd and you are starting to put the plans together for a Sunday in Downtown Gilroy.  You have many options to get there.  The 68 VTA bus stops in front of your residence every 20 minutes or we could hop on a Bird E-Scooter that are right out front sitting in the plaza.  

Ride share companies like Uber and Lyft are in Gilroy now. Encouraging residents to get out of their cars and use these transportation options is being encouraged from the World down to our City.  Your Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission works hard to advocate and make these options possible.  8955 Monterey Rd like other recent larger apartment complexes feature bike storage rooms inside the complex that can safely secure 80 bikes.  The public plaza that will be built in front of the complex will cater to those that walk and bike.  The public plaza will have commercial spaces under the housing suited for small grocery and eateries.  Along with public benches and secured front row bicycle parking, there will be a water feature and public art.  Initially the developer had no plans for public art at the site but Councilmember Dion Bracco asked the developer to include a public art piece not to exceed $10,000 and the developer agreed.  The Gilroy Public Art Committee will approve that public art piece.  We are currently reaching out to car share companies like GIG car share to come to Gilroy.  When you build developments like this one you need to provide many options to residents in order make them transit oriented and have alternative modes of transportation at their fingertips. 

The weather is nice for a 30-minute walk to Promised Land Brewery located in Downtown Gilroy.  This newest brewery located between 5^thand 6^thSt features a taproom where the beer is piped fresh from the kettles in the back.  Brewery owner Eric Ingram owns many successful BBQ restaurants and this will be his first brewery.  You continue the adventure by taking an Uber six blocks down the road to the new CineLux theatre that will be coming this Spring located at the old Platinum movie theatre.  There you can grab a bite to eat at the café and sip on some local beer/wine from South County.  

One way cities successfully increase turnover in their Downtowns is with parking meters and enforcing a time limit.  Paying for front row parking at a premium will encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation. Uber/Lyft, e-bike share, e-scooter share, transit, walking, and biking all bring a visionary and technology based future to parking in the City and Downtown.  If the City were to change to a metered system where you paid to park, the City could collect funds and help offset the cost of sidewalk cleaning in the downtown and enforcement staff.  Tourists would pay for prime spots and locals would know where they could park and walk for free.  This will reduce parking in prime spots by downtown residents, employees, business and building owners. All while keeping a constant turnover, which is what restaurants want. 

The Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission is going to be making many recommendations for changes to the parking policy and parking code once the General Plan is finished. We need to include more healthy language and establish parking maximums rather than minimums.  Currently and in the future not everyone will own a personal vehicle.  Santa Clara County Healthy Cities Initiative is looking for these changes from Gilroy, as other cities have already made the shift. 

The League of American Bicyclists recognized the City of Gilroy with a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award.  We join the ranks of only 65 communities in the State of California that have achieved an award level.  Gilroy is the 8th city out of 15 to have this designation in Santa Clara County.  Look for a public ceremony coming up this May during bike month and some signs near the gateways into the City promoting this award.  Follow us at #GilroyBPAC

A Year in Review of the Gilroy BPAC

Here’s a year in review from the Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission that all Gilroyans can be proud of. Since last year we have had many accomplishments and put in motion many projects that will come to fruition in 2019. Gilroy BPAC’s strategic plan is our guiding document and changes throughout the year.  It’s located on our website and contains our logo, invitation to the public, goals, action plan, grants, and bike/ped projects.  It allows new Commissioners to come on board and get caught up before their first meeting. Our 2018 work plan was created in May and provides a forward look at what we are working on and its based off of the City Council goals. 

Finance came to our October meeting to present the process for the upcoming City budget.  In November we will submit our requests/projects and aligned them with City Council’s top 5 Strategic Plan Goals and our current work plan. We are asking that select Commissions/Committees be audio and video recorded for increased transparency.  By live streaming, governments are demonstrating transparency and accountability; it also provides real-time and accurate information to citizens quickly and efficiently.

We applied and were awarded the League of American Bicyclist Bicycle Friendly Community Bronze Level for 2019-2022.  Only 8 out of 15 cities in Santa Clara County have this award and we are one of them now. Our monthly award is a great way to interact with the public, recognize those that strive to make Gilroy a better place in regards to Bike/Ped activities.  Nomination form is on our website.  It’s a great tool for recruitment to Commissions.

For 2018’s Bike to Work Day on May 10 in our continued partnership with the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, the City of Gilroy’s BPAC one again participated and cheered-on Bike to Work Day event participants and commuters located at the Caltrain Station. The goal is to begin to change the car culture within local business communities and folks that commute to work.  51 participants 2018 vs. 27 in 2017

We passed an amendment to our Commission’s Ordinance so that we could be more effective and have a voice for bike/ped projects, and ensure transportation projects include Complete Streets, which we believe, should be a way of life and not chosen just for specific projects.  Thank you to City Council for approving these changes.   

Cool stuff happening at Gilroy Unified School District's Ascension Solorsano Middle School. We got to ride and visit with the The Specialized Foundation #RidingForFocus program that was awarded to the school this school year!  I heard that the two other middle schools in Gilroy were asked to apply for the grant funded program from our neighbors to the north because of the success of the program.  Our Commission provided a letter of support for the grant.

Every kids starts out on a BMX style bike and Gilroy has never had an official bike park for the community until on Oct 15, 2018 when City Council approved a motion to enter into a MOU with Garlic City BMX to operate a Bike Park Pump Track at Christmas Hill Park.  Gilroy Mayor Roland Velasco said it will be coming back to City Council for final approval 1st quarter of 2019.

Council approved a budget amendment for each Commission/Committee to have a $1000 training budget to include the purchase of business cards.  The return on investment was three of the Commissioners along with our VTA BPAC rep Carolyn, and City Staff attended the annual SVBC Bike Summit. We made contacts, built relationships in the region, and received education to bring back to the Commission and City. trainings identified. We hope that this budget item will continue for our Commission in the next budget process.  We have a mix of free and paid training opportunities that you can see in each of our agenda packets.  We met the public affairs director for Bird E-Scooters at the bike summit conference and they want to operate here in Gilroy.  Gavilan College is still onboard to launch, but is looking for the City to lead the way.

We have established a bike rack decal program for the decorative bike racks in Gilroy.  The cost is $350 for 5 years and then that donor will get first rights for another 5 years.  It’s a brushed aluminum decal that is purchased through TFB Designs in Downtown Gilroy.  The funds go into a Public Bike Fund where we can support public bike projects.  The fund can accept direct donations as well. We currently have 6 locations in Downtown Gilroy with active decals and 3 that are open.  (7^th/Monterey at Art’s Center, 4^th/Monterey, & 4^th/Eigleberry)  We have 7 open locations for decorative bike racks.  We currently have 100 bicycle parking spots in Historic Downtown and with all the current unused public spaces we could reach 300 bike parking spots, which includes all the Downtown Districts.  

In 2018 we have closed down the streets around Downtown to automobiles and have opened them up to walkers/bikers more than in the recent past.  Events like Downtown Live, National Night Out, Garlic City Car Show, and the CARAS Tamal Festival support the equity of our streets to other users besides an automobile.  The Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Commission supports these open streets events, and we are advocating for the use of Measure B funds once released to host a variety of open streets events sponsored by the City.  

We currently have 34 miles of bike infrastructure.  We didn’t add any this year because the City has not taken over what you might currently see that’s new out there.  There are plans to add approx. 15 miles of bike infrastructure next year.  I’m happy to report that the recent repaving at Wren/Welburn Ave closed a gap in our bike route and you will see the first green paint on the streets in Gilroy.  Sharrows inside green boxes have been placed on Welburn from Wren to Carmel. 

HWY 152/1^stSt will have bike lanes, ADA curb ramps, and high visibility crosswalks from Santa Teresa to HWY 101.  More details of the final striping plan should be available soon.   Town Place (Nob Hill/Starbucks/House of Bagels/Anytime Fitness/Pineapple Village) at Wren Ave/1^stSt installed 16 bicycle parking spots for their customers after we advocated for it.  Businesses along 1^stSt should prepare for the addition of bike lanes by next summer.  Contact us for help.  

The Patio project, which was just presented at the Planning Commission, is the 2nd project that we believe shows where the future of auto vehicle parking standards are heading. Our parking policy and codes are outdated and don’t contain enough healthy language in them, and are skewed towards autos rather than providing equity towards other modes of transportation. We provided comments that mirrored what Caltrans and VTA are planning for the future.  Caltrans District 4 is the first district in CA to have a Bike Plan and they are currently forming a Pedestrian Plan.  This project has plans for a bike fix it station, short and long term bike parking. Hecker Pass trailhead at Santa Teresa/1^stSt will be coming soon and will feature a bike fix it station, bike racks, access to water, trees, and benches.  It will serve as a meeting location to ride the bike/ped trail along Hecker Pass and enjoy the new commercial ag-tourists destinations planned. This connection will continue along the recreation spine all the way to the sports park.  

Once these bike fix it stations are installed Gilroy will have 6 of them.  Downtown, Library, Gavilan, The Patio, Hecker Pass Trailhead, Hecker Pass Ag-Tourist Commercial, all will show up on an interactive map from Dero.com.

We begin our new session January 22, 2019 at the Gilroy City Council Chambers.  https://www.cityofgilroy.org/280/Bicycle-Pedestrian-Commission Come join us! #GilroyBPAC

Electric scooters could be in Gilroy in 2019 (Gilroy Dispatch Article)

Gilroy Dispatch
December 21, 2018
Bryce Stoepfel
Reporter

After being snubbed by Lime Bike bicycles in June this year, the City of Gilroy is taking off its training wheels to try again for a rideshare alternative. This time, it’s electric scooters.
The city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee late last month passed a draft resolution from Bird Scooter to introduce at least 200 rideshare elec- tric scooters to the city, pending approval by the Gilroy City Council.

Bird electric scooters are pay-per-mile, stand- up devices that can reach speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. Touted as a “first mile and last mile com- muter option,” (from home to public transit, then to the final destination,) Bird hopes its scooters will ease street congestion and reduce air pollution.
"We want to capitalize on our growth and pursue alternative modes of trans- portation for residents,
visitors and workers in Gilroy," said committee chairman Zach Hilton.

Bird is in its first year of operation and already has electric scooters in more than 100 cities throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the European Union and at hundreds of col- lege campuses through- out the country, includ- ing San Jose State. Two of Bird's Bay Area markets, Oakland and San Jose, are also two of the largest. Bird's stated mission is to take cars off the road
to reduce traffic conges- tion and carbon emissions. According to Bird spokes- person Martin Fatooh, in its first year of business, Bird riders have traveled 14.3 million miles on their electric scooters, remov- ing 12.7 million pounds of carbon emissions from the air. A nearby exam- ple of Bird's environmen- tal potential is in Oakland.
"We've only been operating Oakland for four months, and I can tell you that over 74,000 pounds of carbon emis- sions have been reduced," Fatooh said.

Instances of scooter riders sowing panic on the city sidewalks have dot- ted the news throughout the year. In San Francisco, havoc wrought by scooter riders forced the city to ban electric scooters. The
ban was lifted in October after safety and parking concerns were resolved.
A draft resolution passed by Gilroy’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee on Nov. 27 stated that scooter riders must use the streets and bike lanes when possible. Parking regulations, which became a major issue in San Francisco, require rid- ers to park their scooters upright near bike racks,
designated Bird park- ing spots or next to an unmarked curb.
Scooters cannot block entrances, bus stops, benches, fire hydrants, call boxes, utility poles or areas designated for pedestrians.

Addressing safety concerns, Fatooh said statistics from the Austin, Texas, Department of Emergency Services showed fewer scooter injuries compared with bicycles.
"Despite traveling nearly 13 times as many miles than bicycles in Austin, there were half as many accidents from scooters than bicycles," Fathooh, who said Bird also has over 4,000 bikes in Austin.
Bird has an alert sys- tem where riders can report scooter-related safety issues directly to the company.

To get started Bird, riders are required to download an app on their smartphones, which describes safety procedures, how to ride the scooter according to the rules of the road, and parking.
Hilton said he expects the resolution to be taken up by the city council in January or February.

San Bruno Hill Climb

Zachary Hilton
San Bruno Hill Climb
Category 35+ 4/5 Combined with 35+ 1,2,3

San Bruno, CA 
Place: 9th
Teammates: None

Weather:  48 Degrees, Sunny and cold, windy on top
Start Time: 10:04 am

Total Time: 00:22:25
Power: 222 W avg, 601 W max, 232 W NP  

Average Speed: 9.54 MPH, Top Speed 23.2 MPH

Average HR: 179 Max HR: 186
Elevation Ascent: 1191 ft

Training Peaks Data

I'm riding a 2015 Specialized S-Works Tarmac with a Dura-Ace 9000 50/34 11 speed group set with an 11/28 for this race. I have a pair for Race Rim carbon tubular 32's for this race. Cycling kit for 2019 is from Jakroo Custom Apparel, S-Works Evade helmet, and shoes from Pearl Izumi.

My goals for this race are simple...I need a kick in the butt to get back out and race.  My last race was April 2018.  So this is a revival.  I've called back in love with training hard and racing often.

We line up on the cold start line combined with the 35+ 1,2,3's.  Word is that its windy at the finish with no fog.  We stay together as a group for the entire climb until right before the stoplight.  I was sitting midpack and glad that no one was attacking.  I'll admit I'm not prepared at all for this race but I'm happy to be back.  At the light an attack goes off the front and we are stung out single file going up the climb.  Now I'm feeling it and have to back off and race my own pace.  The good part about being off the back on a hill climb is that you can use the road to your advantage.  Sometimes I'll pass someone up with that move.  In a hill climb you take the shortest distance too the next turn.  So you can go from the centerline to the right side of the road if thats the shortest route.  Made it to the top where Pen Velo brought up our warm weather clothes.  Nice job to my teammate Joe Sullivan for taking 2nd place in the 45+ 1,2,3's!

Next race will most likely be Ward's Ferry on March 9.

Thanks for reading!
Thanks to High Brew Coffee!

Thanks to Nature's Bakery!

Thanks to SJBC Race Team!