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.