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 10th 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 10th St Bridge. The cost of the bridge keeps raising and we were told that the bridge project along with improvements along 10th 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 15th.
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)
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 10th 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 10th 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 10th 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 10th 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.
