2015 Successes at SVBC
As the year comes to a close, we would like to take a moment to celebrate the 2015 biggest wins for SVBC and the bicycling communities in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.First, thank you. Thank you to the membership, volunteers, partners, staff, and board for helping to improve the community, economy and environment through bicycling. Below is an outline of some of our favorite successes this year but it’s not comprehensive. Please feel free to share your favorite accomplishments with us by email or through social media by tagging us (@BikeSiliconValley) and using the hashtag: #BikeWins.Advancing Vision Zero: Arguably the most poorly named initiative around, since 2010 SVBC has been working toward “Vision Zero,” the goal of zero deaths and life-altering injuries on our roadways. This year, SVBC partnered with California Walks to release the Vision Zero Toolkit, a roadmap for city staff and policymakers to adopt and implement a Vision Zero policy and plan. This Toolkit will help more cities move towards safer streets and provides a how-to manual for making Vision Zero easy to implement.Educating New Bicyclists: Kids are the future which is why SVBC dedicates so much time getting in to schools and teaching kids how to safely ride. SVBC's Safe Routes to School education team taught over 100 bicycle and pedestrian safety workshops in 2015, reaching nearly 3,000 youth participants in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. We anticipate reaching over 6,000 students by the end of the 2015-16 school year.35,000+ Bicyclists and Pedestrians Take Back San Jose’s Streets: SVBC partnered with the City of San Jose to produce the region’s largest Open Streets event ever with Viva CalleSJ on October 11. Official estimates by the City of San Jose were that more than 35,000 people of all ages and abilities filled the streets to walk, bike, skate, and play. For many, Viva Calles provided the perfect excuse to dust off the bike and pedal the six mile stretch from Downtown to the East Side. One of the common refrains from participants was that while six miles seems like a long distance, it’s not, (an important lesson in convincing people to view the bike as a viable option for every day use.)Improving Bike Access on Caltrain: Tired of getting bumped off Caltrain due to a lack of space for you and your bike? Thanks to all of your petition signatures, comments, and letters, Caltrain voted in July to increase bike capacity on future trains (coming in 2020). The vote also included a commitment to a minimum of $3 million for bike parking improvements. This will increase bike capacity over today’s levels and allow for future increases as the cars will be designed with the flexibility to remove seats.SVBC Transitions: After nine years with Corinne Winter at the helm, SVBC welcomed me as the new Executive Director. Corinne built a strong organization from scratch, starting with a staff of one to what it is today – 9 full-time employees. Transitions can be difficult but in this case, due to a great Board, capable staff and a supportive membership, the move to new leadership has been smooth. On top of that, the organization took on some new challenges with Viva CalleSJ, navigating the merger with the Bay Area Bicycle Coalition and soon to come, a new bikepool program.We have much to celebrate. Thank you for your part in supporting our ability to advance a pro-bicycling culture.
