Deja Vu: Los Gatos Mayor Leads Bike Infrastructure Ride
Photo by Lloyd Cha, SVBC Member/Volunteer
Two weeks ago, SVBC lead a tour of SVBC members to check out future and current bike projects in Palo Alto and Menlo Park. This week we did the same thing all over again in Los Gatos.Forty plus riders joined the Los Gatos Mayor and staff, Ying Smith and Matt Morley to experience and learn, firsthand, the bike lanes around Town.The ride was kicked off from Summit Bicycles (thank you Summit!) where participants watched a short video of the intersection near Roberts Road. There, hundreds of students walk and bike to school. During commute time, how cars behave creates no space for bicyclists despite the green paint. The video and discussion about how to fix the intersection helped riders start the ride with a better understanding of how difficult bike and road design can be.The most notable part of the tour for me was the crossing of the Los Gatos Creek Trail near the Highway 17 intersection and Highway 9. Staff explained that while the trail provides a wonderful commute corridor it is difficult to access. This particular intersection is complicated by Highway 17 on ramps and off ramps, creating a scary barrier. Fortunately, funding for design has been secured for a portion of the project.A special thanks also to the wonderful Maria Ristow who helped put the tour together. SVBC is fortunate to collaborate with so many great volunteers who work hard to promote a pro-bike agenda.
