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