In recognition of his unwavering dedication and outstanding contributions to making San Jose a better place to bike, Kyle Wong received the prestigious Professional of the Year Award at the Silicon Valley Bike Summit 2023. As an advocate for sustainable transportation and a champion of bike infrastructure, Kyle Wong's journey from his educational background to his current role as a Transportation Specialist at the City of San Jose has been nothing short of inspiring.

Kyle's journey began at San Jose State University, where he pursued an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies with a focus on restoration. Driven by a desire to proactively address the challenges of today rather than reactively respond to them, he later pursued further education in urban planning. This shift led Kyle to delve deeper into the realm of transportation issues, particularly those related to climate change.

"I could see how impactful the department was on day-to-day life. As much as it’s great to encourage habitual change, physical infrastructure is the backbone of lasting transformation," says Kyle of his decision to step into local government. This mindset led Kyle to spearhead 16 (and counting) bike-related projects.

As a Transportation Planner, Kyle’s role primarily involved securing funding for the implementation of bike safety infrastructure. Acknowledging the collaborative nature of community change, he describes himself as one moving part within an operation. "I have a small but mighty team of two people. Devin Gianchandani and grad intern Max Freedman play a pivotal role in mapping and shepherding various department efforts.”

One of Kyle's notable achievements includes his involvement in San Jose’s Better Bike Plan 2025, a comprehensive initiative aimed at creating a more bike-friendly network in San Jose. The plan seeks to make bicycling safe and convenient for all ages and abilities in all parts of the city. This will be accomplished by building new bikeways, enhancing existing bikeways, and implementing supportive programs and policies. The plan entails extensive community engagement to prioritize bike infrastructure, ensuring that projects are context-sensitive and address the unique needs of each neighborhood.

See additional Bike Summit award winners:
2023 Program of the Year — Trace Walk n’ Roll
2023 Project of the Year — Midcoast Multimodal Trail

Reflecting on his favorite project, Kyle highlighted his engagement with the The McLaughlin Avenue Complete Streets Project and his contribution to the evaluation of the 2022 Senter Road Quick-Build project. Both projects, like many others he's been part of, focus on enhancing bike-pedestrian safety and making roads accessible to all. He describes the sense of pride that comes with seeing a completed project that began as a digital concept on a laptop. Looking forward, Kyle is excited to work on the bike lane on San Fernando Street in Downtown San Jose, with hopes of creating a more stable buffer along the bike lane in order to better protect bicyclists.

*The McLaughlin Avenue Complete Streets Project will improve safety for people who walk, roll, and bike along McLaughlin Avenue from Story Road to William Street.*

Intriguingly, despite his role as a bicycle advocate, Kyle heavily identifies more as a pedestrian. He lives downtown and enjoys a 15-minute walk to City Hall. It was just recently, during the pandemic, that he took up biking more frequently as a tool for both transportation and leisure.

Kyle’s journey to becoming the 2023 Bicycle Professional of the Year is a testament to his passion for creating a safer and more sustainable San Jose for people who walk and bike. As he continues to lead impactful projects, we hope his work inspires others to follow his lead as we all dream up a more healthy, just, sustainable, accessible community for people who walk and bike.