Housing & Transportation City Council Candidates Forum

by | Sep 3, 2014 | City Council, Elections, Events

CandidatesFlrumMountain View will select three new City Councilmembers this November to join the four existing Councilmembers. This new City Council will define the character of Mountain View for years to come. During their term, they will decide the intensity and type of development in the San Antonio, North Bayshore, El Camino Real Corridor, and East Whisman areas. They will decide how we will allocate space to motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit riders throughout the city including California Street and Shoreline Boulevard. They will tackle thorny issues like how much and where to grow the housing supply and office space, the minimum wage, and Bus Rapid Transit. How do the candidates stand on these issues? How do you stand on these issues? More than 120 people turned out at the Housing & Transportation Forum yesterday to join the conversation by submitting their questions and hearing all nine City Council Candidates articulate their vision for Mountain View. As Keith wrote in the comments of our Candidate Forum Page, “The conversation is headed in the right direction. What a special time to be in The MV!”. We agree!

See below to watch the video of the Candidates Forum and to catch the live tweets from @ladyfleur and @jakatmu

The Forum was co-sponsored Great Streets Mountain View, Bicycle Exchange, Community Action Team, Friends of Caltrain, Greenbelt Alliance, Safe Mountain View.

Special thanks to Debbie Mytels for moderating the forum and Wendee Crofoot to for organizing the event!

Candidates for Mountain View City Council

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Mountain View’s 2014-15 Bicyclist and Pedestrian Projects

by | Jun 17, 2014 | Bike lanes, CIP, City Council, Trails

Source: Flickr gregraisman

Tonight, the Mountain View City Council adopted the FY2014-15 Budget and Capital Improvement Program. In addition to the projects underway, the budget includes several projects aimed at improving the bicycle and pedestrian experience. Great Streets Mountain View met with City staff and City Councilmembers and, spoke at City Council, Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Parks and Recreation Commission, and Environmental Planning Commission meetings to push for bike and pedestrian projects. Thanks to all of you who also spoke or emailed and lent your support! Please see the list of projects funded for the coming year.

Mobility Coordinator Position
Funding: $150,000
Provides funding for a new Mobility Coordinator position. This is intended to be a two-year, limited-term position to focus on furthering the Council goal of Improve Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility. This new position would provide expertise in developing policies, guidelines, and projects; support the B/PAC; and provide input on private development projects. It will also free up some staff resources in Traffic Engineering and Transportation to focus on other priorities.

Associate Civil Engineer—Traffic
Funding: $110,500
Provides funding for an Associate Civil Engineer position to support the increased workload in the Traffic Section due to the high levels of private development activity.

Permanente Creek Trail, Rock Street to West Middlefield Road, Design
Funding: $370,000
Extension of the Permanente Creek Trail from its terminus at Rock Street to West Middlefield Road.

Permanente Creek Trail Extension – West Middlefield Rd to McKelvey Park, Feasibility Study
Funding: $55,000
Feasibility study to extend the Permanente Creek Trail from West Middlefield Road to McKelvey Park.

Permanente Creek Trail – Amphitheatre Parkway Crossing, Construction
Funding: $1,265,000
Construct improvements to the existing Trail under-crossing at Amphitheatre Parkway.

Modifications to Grant/Phyllis/Martens Intersection
Funding: $897,000
Pedestrian improvements including shortened pedestrian crossing distances, elimination of free right-turn lanes to reduce vehicle speeds, and replacement of an aging traffic signal with a new signal with a dedicated left-turn movement.

Shoreline Boulevard Pathway (Villa St to Wright Ave), Design
Funding: $280,000
Design of pathway and connection improvements for bicycles and pedestrians along Shoreline Boulevard between Villa Street and Wright Avenue.

Green Bike Lane Pilot Project
Funding: $65,000
This pilot project will improve bike safety through the application of green paint to bike lanes in select areas to be determined.

Dana Street Reconstruction
Funding: $374,000
Additional funding for the existing West Dana Street reconstruction project to provide a safe pedestrian route to Mariposa Park from the adjacent neighborhood. Additional outside design services are required.

Additional projects to be undertaken by the Mountain View City Staff

  • Feasibility study for safer bike lanes on Shoreline Blvd from El Camino Real to Wright Ave with the possibility of reducing lanes from six to four to improve  the bicyclist and pedestrian experience
  • Feasibility study of an east-west trail with the first option to be studied being the Caltrain Corridor
  • Study greater access to bulk transit passes for residents
  • Study a city-wide community shuttle
  • Library Bike Stop, including a bike fix-it service station

Funded!

by | Jul 3, 2013 | California Street, City Council, Council Meeting, Escuela Avenue

On Tuesday, June 18, City Council formally approved the 2013-2014 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) list including $250,000 for the California Street and Escuela Avenue study!

Green light for bicycle and pedestrian friendly streets! Image: Flickr user The Scooter Guy.

The CIP is funded as a part of the FY 2013-14 budget and the decision on May 21 maintained the proposed bicycle and pedestrian CIP projects.

With the hard work of the Great Streets Rengstoff Park neighborhood coalition, including letters and emails sent to council, and seventeen people attending the CIP study Session May 21st, we have taken one step closer to neighborhood streets that are great places and safe for everyone.

We want to especially thank city council and city staff for their work to bring these ideas to the table. By prioritizing investment in safer, more beautiful streets, we all benefit from an asset that touches every person who lives, works, or travels in our city.

We are researching next steps for the California Street and Escuela Avenue study with city staff. We do know there will be many opportunities for public input, so start thinking about what you, your family, and neighbors might like to see on a livable California Street.

The asphalt canvas is yours. What would you like to see? More street trees? wider sidewalks? protected bike lanes? Let us know in the comments and for the latest information don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter.

Your Voice Needed on May 21

Your Voice Needed on May 21

by | May 20, 2013 | California Street, City Council, Council Meeting, Escuela Avenue, Events

On Tuesday, May 21 at 5PM, Mountain View City Council will discuss the future of street safety in Mountain View. If you’ve ever travelled down a street in the  Rengstorff Park area of Mountain View and thought that it could be more beautiful, livable, and safer, Tuesday evening is your opportunity to take action and make a difference!

Opportunity beckons .

Opportunity beckons .

Come to City Hall at 500 Castro Street at 5PM. The meeting will be in the council chambers which are on the second floor of City Hall- it’s well marked, you can’t miss it. Council will be discussing the Capital Improvement Program and a number of projects are included in the staff report that will improve bicycle and pedestrian safety, including the California Street and Escuela Avenue study which will analyze beautification and safety improvement measures on both streets.

After discussion, the floor is open for public comment! Now’s the time to speak for safer streets. Please tell council that you support the street safety and beautification projects in the Capital Improvement Program and particularly support the California Street and Escuela Avenue Study with the road diet alternative. 

We believe the road diet alternative is one of the best potential interventions for reducing crashes and making the street more livable while not seriously impacting drivers. If you would like more information on the road diet, please read our earlier post here.   

Hope to see you there! Bring a friend! Once again, the date is this Tuesday, May 21 at 5PM at City Hall, 500 Castro Street. The Capital Improvement Program is the first item on the agenda, so discussion shouldn’t go past 6:30PM. If you can’t make it, please send the Council an e-mail expressing support.

May 21: Show Your Support for Safer Streets!

by | May 5, 2013 | California Street, City Council, Council Meeting, Escuela Avenue, Events

The time has come! On Tuesday, May 21 at City Hall, Council will be voting on funding for improving safety on two streets in the Rengstorff Park area and we need you to be there!

Like safer streets? This is the place to be on the evening of Tuesday May 21!

That evening, City Council will be voting on a number of projects as part of the Capital Improvement Program List.  This list is only chosen every two years and typically includes projects that are over $50,000 and are upgrades of city infrastructure.  Included are a handful of projects that will elevate street safety in the Rengstorff Park neighborhood  and other parts of the city. Together with projects such as the Castro Street road diet, Council will be considering a project labeled as the California Street/Escuela Avenue Improvement Study.

This study is the first step towards a safer, more beautiful California Street and Escuela Avenue– and the first step towards great streets in the Rengstorff Park neighborhood! Here’s the project description– it reflects a lot of the ideas put forth by Great Streets Rengstorff Park.

California Street/Escuela Avenue Improvement Study: This project would study options to improve the bicycling and pedestrian environment along and across California Street. Improvements would be explored with and without reducing a travel lane in each direction. Examples of possible improvements include elimination or narrowing of vehicle lanes, increased area for bicyclists, curb bulbs to reduce crossing width for pedestrians, and improved lighting and signage. An analysis of the traffic impacts associated with lane reduction (road diet) will be included. The study would also consider pedestrian and bicycle activity to facilities on Escuela Avenue (e.g., Castro Elementary School, Senior Center, Teen Center). 

City Council have made street safety efforts a high priority as part of their 2013 goal-setting initiative but, we must demonstrate that there’s strong support from those who live near and use these streets everyday.

Please join us on May 21 and voice support for the California Street/Escuela Avenue Improvement Study. Specifically, show support for analyzing the California Street road diet as part of the study. We’re confident that it can work, and would welcome the more detailed analysis that comes with the traffic study, but Council could choose to eliminate it from the study during the May 21 meeting.

The road diet has the strongest potential to reduce crashes and make the street a more inviting place, and we hope that you will join us in voicing support for the study and the road diet.

The date and time once again–                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Tuesday, May 21; Approximately 5:30PM; 500 Castro Street, Downtown Mountain View

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=500+Castro+Street,+Mountain+View,+CA&aq=0&oq=500+castro&sll=37.269174,-119.306607&sspn=12.246869,23.994141&t=h&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=500+Castro+St,+Mountain+View,+Santa+Clara,+California+94041&ll=37.389773,-122.082934&spn=0.011951,0.023432&z=14&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

If you can’t make the meeting, please send council an e-mail expressing support for the California Street/Escuela Avenue study, including the California Street road diet alternative.

As always, sign up for our Newsletter for the latest information.

Bike Tour! Funding?! What’s Next?

by | Mar 16, 2013 | California Street, City Council, Events, Press

We hope you joined us on March 2nd for GSRP’s first ever bike tour of our area!  More than 40 community members attended including councilmembers Ronit Bryant and Margaret Abe-Koga, Environmental Planning Commissioner Margaret Capriles, and Community Development Director Randy Tsuda. I could tell you all about it but we received three write-ups in local papers.  Check out the articles and take a gander at the tour brochure to get a sense of the ride if you could not join us.  If you did join us, you might want to read articles from the Mountain View Voice and the San Jose Mercury News to see if you are in the pictures or mentioned in the articles.

Special thanks to the speakers who shared their experiences on the tour: Valeria Craven, Howie and Dana Meyerson, John and Karen Farrell from Bumble Bee Health Foods, Elena Pacheco, Ariel T. Mendez, Thida Cornes, and Jack Miller. We would also like to thank Google for providing loaner bikes and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition for providing liability insurance. Safe Moves was also in attendance to share information on the city’s bike education program at schools!

Tour attendes listen to Valeria Craven, left, as she describes the danger crossing the Escuela and California Intersection. Photo By Daniel DeBolt, Mountain View Voice.

Tour attendes listen to Valeria Craven, left, as she describes the danger crossing the Escuela and California Intersection. Photo By Daniel DeBolt, Mountain View Voice.

At meetings on the Tuesday and Wednesday following the tour, Councilmembers and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee discussed funding for bicycle and pedestrian safety projects in the context of the crucial Capital Improvement Program (CIP) list.

CIP projects are items that City Council deems important to the City of Mountain View and are prioritized annually.  The projects cost over $50,000 and cover needs such as improved Fire Department Communication systems and upgraded methane release valves in North Bayshore to street safety projects such as the potential road diet for California Street and bike lanes on Escuela Avenue.

During the Council meetings, elected officials and members of the public spoke strongly in support of projects that improve safety and livability, some even cited the bike tour and newspaper articles. Ultimately, California Street and Escuela Avenue made it into the CIP list! The city will examine a range of alternatives to improve the safety and aesthetics of both streets and the Great Streets Rengstorff Park road diet proposal for California Street will likely be in the mix.

Councilmembers also spoke strongly in favor of allocating funding for immediate short-term improvements such as new striping and improved lighting.

The CIP list must still go through a final round of Council review in May, but we’re over the first hurdle and are ecstatic with Council’s enthusiasm for crafting safer, more livable streets in the Rengstoff Park area along with other parts of the city.

We will need your help leading up to the critical City Council funding meeting in May (Date TBD). If you are interesting in meeting individually with councilmembers, please contact us. However, attending the meeting is the most effective way of voicing support for safer, livable streets in the Rengstorff area. We know it can be difficult to find time for a Council meeting, but they are usually scheduled in the evening around 6PM on a Tuesday. If you attend just one council meeting, this is the one to attend.

The city hasn’t nailed down the meeting date yet but we will let you know through our newsletter as soon as we know. Please sign up for our newsletter if you haven’t already and we hope to see you in May!