Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle Master Plan

Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle Master Plan
Name	Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle Master Plan
Jurisdiction	Santa Clara County
Agency	Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority Bicycle Master Plan is a regional planning document produced by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to guide bicycle network development across San Jose, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and other jurisdictions in Santa Clara County. The plan articulates strategic goals, facility typologies, phased project lists, funding strategies, and evaluation metrics that align with federal, state, and regional policies such as the Federal Highway Administration, California Department of Transportation, and Metropolitan Transportation Commission. It integrates multimodal priorities reflected in documents like the California Climate Change Scoping Plan, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Plan Bay Area, and countywide sustainability targets endorsed by the County of Santa Clara.

Overview

The plan frames bicycle investment in the context of regional mobility led by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and coordinated with municipal partners including City of San Jose, City of Campbell, Town of Los Gatos, City of Gilroy, and City of Morgan Hill. It situates bicycle planning alongside transit initiatives such as VTA Light Rail and Caltrain, and regional corridors including U.S. 101, Interstate 280, and the El Camino Real corridor. The overview references statutory drivers like the California Complete Streets Act of 2008 and funding streams administered by agencies such as the California Transportation Commission and federal programs administered by the Federal Transit Administration.

Planning Process and Goals

The planning process combined technical analysis by consultants familiar with standards from the National Association of City Transportation Officials and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, community engagement through workshops coordinated with the Santa Clara County Office of Sustainability, and interagency coordination with entities like SamTrans and the Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Public outreach included meetings in neighborhoods served by landmarks such as San Jose State University, Stanford University, and the San Jose International Airport, and input from advocacy organizations including Commute.org, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. Goals align with greenhouse gas reduction targets from the California Air Resources Board, active transportation objectives from the National Complete Streets Coalition, and equity priorities reflected in Metropolitan Transportation Commission policy.

Network Design and Facilities

Network design adopts facility typologies recommended by National Association of City Transportation Officials including protected bike lanes, buffered bike lanes, neighborhood greenways, and shared-use paths comparable to segments of the San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail and the Los Gatos Creek Trail. Design standards reference California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and coordination with rail crossings near Caltrain and Union Pacific Railroad corridors. Key network components link activity centers such as Downtown San Jose, San Jose Diridon Station, Westfield Valley Fair, Stanford Shopping Center, and regional parks like Henry W. Coe State Park and Santa Teresa County Park.

Implementation and Phasing

Implementation is organized into short-, medium-, and long-term phases tied to right-of-way priorities along corridors including Almaden Expressway, Stevens Creek Boulevard, and El Camino Real. Phasing coordinates with capital projects managed by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and municipal public works departments in Campbell, Cupertino, and Los Altos. The plan includes recommendations for pilot projects, quick-build treatments modeled after demonstrations in cities such as San Francisco, and permanent infrastructure upgrades akin to long-running projects in Berkeley.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding strategies combine discretionary grants from entities like the California Transportation Commission, competitive programs such as Active Transportation Program, regional sales tax measures endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and federal grants from the Federal Highway Administration. Partnerships include interjurisdictional agreements with the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department, property stakeholders such as Stanford University, and corporate partners in Silicon Valley for employer-based programs. The plan references leveraging local measures modeled on initiatives like Measure A and countywide bond instruments.

Safety, Education, and Enforcement

Safety strategies draw on best practices from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and include engineering countermeasures at high-injury networks identified through crash data from the California Highway Patrol and Santa Clara County Department of Public Health. Education programs coordinate with school districts such as San Jose Unified School District and community groups including Safe Routes to School National Partnership to promote helmet use and bicycling skills. Enforcement partnerships involve local law enforcement agencies like the San Jose Police Department, Palo Alto Police Department, and Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office to address roadway behaviors and support Vision Zero-style objectives driven by policy examples from New York City and Los Angeles.

Performance Monitoring and Updates

Performance monitoring uses metrics consistent with regional planning by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and state reporting requirements from the California Transportation Agency. Key performance indicators track miles of protected lanes, mode share changes measured by surveys similar to those by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Vital Signs, crash rate reductions using California Highway Patrol data, and equity outcomes in disadvantaged communities identified under CalEnviroScreen. The plan establishes a schedule for periodic updates aligned with countywide planning cycles and major investment milestones coordinated with Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority board reviews and municipal general plan updates.

Category:Transportation planning in California Category:Cycling in California Category:Santa Clara County, California